Stress Myths: Some stress is good for us

*MYTH #3: Some stress is good or healthy for us.*

FACT: There is no such thing as "good" or "healthy" stress. Also, there is no truth to the rumor that a little stress is necessary for us to be happy, successful, or maximally productive in our jobs.

This kind of myth is rather fatalistic in its outlook. Just because you have stress, and a lot of people have stress, we try to rationalise it and try to justify. After all, if we want to lead a successful, healthy life, we should not have stress. Some look at stress in their lives as an indication of failure. This is not so.

Having said that, stress is never good for you. While many experiences in life can excite us, such as movies, plays, and athletic events, these experiences have nothing at all to do with stress (i.e. problems and conflicts that are painful or troubling to us). Confusion about this, however, causes many people to incorrectly assume that a certain amount of fear, anger, frustration, or other negative emotions is actually "good" or "healthy" for them.

We should be teaching our children that much of the pain and suffering people endure in the name of "good stress" is unnecessary. The truth is most of this stress could be eliminated without any adverse effects on our health, happiness, or productivity.

Stress Myths: Stress can be dealt with directly

Here is an interesting myth about stress:

*MYTH #2: Stress is something we can cope with or deal with directly.*

FACT: Stress is not something you, I, or anyone else can cope with directly.

What does this actually mean? You see, contrary to popular belief, stress is not some "thing" that exists or afflicts us like a disease.

"Stress" actually refers to a situation or a state of mind that is a result of some other problems or conflicts. In other words, to deal with stress, we need to deal with these causal issues rather than try to deal with the "concept" of stress.

This means we have all been trained to think about stress incorrectly. Instead of asking "what can I do to cope with my stress?" you should be asking yourself "what specific problems or conflicts are troubling me, and how can I deal with each of these problems effectively?"

In this way, we will find that stress becomes much more manageable and we have specific actions that we can take.

Stress Myths: Stress in inevitable

*MYTH #1: Stress is inevitable--there's little we can do to prevent or eliminate it.*

FACT: Stress is not an inevitable part of life. Many people do lead stress-free lives. When exposed to identical situations, some people experience high degrees of stress while others experience little or none. More importantly, it is possible to change yourself from "high-stress" to "low- stress" individuals.

How can we accomplish this feat? Clearly, it is not because they were born this way, or they wouldn't have become stressed in the first place. How about luck, the amount of schooling they received, or a sudden religious conversion?

While religious conversions do take place, the majority of people who change themselves from high-stress to low-stress individuals do so by acquiring a new type of KNOWLEDGE. Not the type of knowledge they learned in school, but knowledge that allows them to correct many of the myths and misconceptions other people believe.

As Richard Ecker points out in his 1985 book /The Stress Myth/: "We like to believe that stress is inevitable--that life is so complex these days, that we're being dragged along by a runaway world which offers us less and less that we can depend on. But this belief is nothing but a myth, a myth that has done more to perpetuate stress in our society than any other single factor."

Ecker goes on to say, *"Ironically, the main proponents of this myth are the very same ones who claim to be teaching people how to deal with stress!"*

What Ecker says is unfortunately true. Most of what we've been taught about stress--including what it is, what causes it to occur, and how we should cope with it--is based upon inaccurate, out-dated theories that are no longer accepted by twentieth-century thinkers.

The good news is that once you learn to recognize these myths, and once you correctly understand what stress is and what really causes it to occur, you can prevent or eliminate much of the stress you ordinarily experience.

Live a healthy life. Start with a healthy diet, and learn more about how you can enjoy life.

Chocolates are Bad for You

One of the greatest myths in losing fats is the stigma on chocolates. Some people seem to think that Chocolate is loaded with saturated fat and is bad for your cholesterol.

Let us get the facts right - this is simply not true. Apparently, stearic acid, which is the main saturated fat found in milk chocolate, is unique among saturated fats. Research have shown that it doesn’t raise cholesterol levels in the same way that other types of saturated fats do. In fact, eating a 1.4 ounce chocolate bar instead of a carbohydrate-rich snack has been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

We all know that the balance of HDL vs LDL is one of the most important factors in cardio health. By increasing HDL levels, we help to clear the blood of potential blockage and thus, improve our overall cardio well-being.

But remember, eating anything in excess is never good. So, while chocolates may be good for you, fat intake must be regulated together with all the other components in your healthy diet plan.

And don't forget a sensible exercise program.

Our Body Runs on Glucose

Sometimes, in our anxiety to reduce fats, we forget that our body runs on glucose. Without that, we cannot function.

Glucose is derived from the digestion of sugar and starch in carbohydrates in noodles, pasta, bread, rice and even vegetable and fruits.

When we consume carbohydrates, digestion begins in the mouth. An enzyme called salivary amylase is produced which converts the starches in the food to sugars like dextrins, maltose and maltotriose.

Further digestion occurs in the small intestine. The pancreas secrets the enzyme amylase which breaks carbohydrates into simple sugar like maltose, lactose and sucrose.

As these sugars move down the intestine, the enzymes maltase, lactase, and sucrase respectively break maltose, lactose and sucrose down into smaller molecules. These are eventually converted to the simplest form of sugar - glucose - and absorted throught the intestinal walls into the bloodstream.

So, simply cutting down on calories is not necessarily good for us. We need to understand what our body needs to function properly, and then plan a diet that is sensible and healthy. This means that it must have enough glucose to help us function, sufficient vitamins and minerals to help us replenish what is consumed.

One way to help regulate the uptake of sugar is to use carbo-inhibitors. This is good if we have a habit of eating a lot of rice or pasta. But remember, combine your diet with a proper exercise program.

Raw Sugar is Better than White Sugar

Here is an interesting myth that has persisted for a long time:

*Myth: * Brown or Raw sugar are healthier than refined white sugar

*Truth:* All sugars contain the same amount of calories.

So, what is the real difference between brown sugar, raw sugar and white sugar? Brown and raw sugar have more minerals than refined sugar. However, the mineral content is minimal and therefore insignificant when considered in the overall balanced diet. You need to ensure that your daily additional sugar intake should be less than 10% of your total daily intake.

*Types of Sugar*:

Refined sugar is any sugar product treated to remove the molasses - the by-product presents itself in the form of brown sugar syrup.

Brown Sugar is refined white sugar but with added molasses.

Raw Sugar is sugar which has been minimally processed and has a higher molasses content.

Secret to reducing weight - cut TV viewing

The Dec 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reported that people who cut their TV time by half burned 119 more calories per day on an average.

This is definitely an interesting study. Reducing the time spent in front of the TV has the potential to improve a person's activity level, said Dr Jennifer Otten in the online edition of Stanford Medicine. She is the lead author of a study that determines how reduced TV viewing can affect calories consumed, energy used, body weight, time spent sleeping and the balance between calorie ingestion and activity in obese and overweight adults. This study was conducted at the University of Vermont.

Dr Otten also said that the more time one spent in front of the TV, the higher the chances they have to suffer from obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obviously one contributing factor is the sedentary lifestyle.

So, health tip for today - press the red button and go out for a walk.

Coffee, Tea and Diabetes?

Here is an interesting health tip that will interest those who like coffee and tea. Is seems that coffee and tea drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type
2 diabetes than others.

BBC Health reported that they have looked at 18 separate studies and found that people who drink 3-4 cups a day cut their risk by a fifth. Is that good news or what?

What is Type 2 diabetes? This is a form of diabetes where the body is not able to produce sufficient insulin as opposed to cases where the body is unable to produce any insulin. It could also be that the insulin produced does not seem to work as required.

This identification of the active component in tea and coffee opens up new therapeutic options.

Source: Mind Your Body, The Straits Times, 17 Dec 2009

Are Energy Drinks Healthy?

Many people are aware that drinking Coke and other sweetened frizzy drinks are not healthy. But when it comes to those "energy drinks", they seem to be associated with the "healthy" crowd.

Did you know that there have been studies that show how energy drink raises blood pressure and heart rate and may post a problem for those with heart problems?

Dr James Kalus and his team of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that healthy adults that drink 2 cans of energy drinks appear to have an increase in blood pressure and heart rates. While this is insignificant for healthy adults, it will be hazardous for those with heart problems. That's because energy drinks contain caffeine, taurine, sugars, vitamins, and other nutritional supplements.

The researcher also said consumption of energy drinks should not be confused with sport drinks, which aim to replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes that a body needs.

Source: Mind Your Body by The Straits Time, 9 April 2009