Reflections From A Chair

Three new pieces of research on the interconnection of stress and the body.

The first comes to us from Journal of the American College of Cardiology. As reported by CNN, there may be “a link between mental stress and sudden cardiac arrest, which causes more than 400,000 deaths every year.” The study’s author, Dr. Rachel Lampert, suggests that “Perhaps if we treat them with something like stress management or anger management, we may decrease the likelihood of arrhythmias,” she said.

The New York Times reported on a study by McGill University. The study found that “people who were abused or neglected as children showed genetic alterations that likely made them more biologically sensitive to stress.” There is still much follow-up research needed. But this study partly explains how childhood stress and abuse can create lasting problems for the abused.

The NIMH also has new research on chronic stress and its long-term effects. “repeated exposure to stress may be related to many physical and mental illnesses.” “However, chronic stress may lead to chronically elevated levels of glucocorticoids, which in turn may reduce cell functioning, via the interaction between GR/Bcl-2 and mitochondria. The decrease in proper cell function may be at the root of certain physical and mental illnesses”