The right kind of stress for your health – Think Healthy News
Jennifer Matlack
Stress that you endure passively, like watching disaster coverage over and over, weakens your immune system. But short bursts of stress that demand active participation, such as rushing to meet a deadline, strengthen it. Ohio State University researchers exposed one group of people to active stress – memorizing information that they were tested on – and another to passive stress – watching a graphic surgery video. Afterward, the test takers had higher levels of an immune-system protein that helps protect against bacteria and viruses, while the video viewers’ immune systems showed changes that made them more prone to infection. “Rather than finding ways to reduce all stress, look for ways to increase the kind that will help keep you healthy,” says Jos A. Bosch, M.D.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
