Hi please can you Tweet or facebook these blogs esp as it relates to the studies.
Thanks
Thembile
—
Hi please my tweet account: @JustinJKennedy Cape Town, South Africa
My practice offers specialized treatment protocols for anxiety & stress related pathology toward improved cognition and problem solving ability.

Dear Howard,
You asked if stress if a real medical condition or if it’s a recent ‘invention’ as you’re already in your 60′s you mention it’s only been referred to in the last few decades.

In brief the ‘stress response’ origionates from the work at Harvard from Prof Cannon where he researched the impact of adrenaline. Walter Bradford Cannon, M.D. (October 19, 1871 – October 1, 1945) was an American physiologist, professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School. He coined the term fight or flight response, and he expanded on Claude Bernard’s concept of homeostasis. He popularized his theories in his book The Wisdom of the Body, first published in 1932. Cannon, was a Harvard physiologist who began to explore the biochemistry of fright. His research convinced him that fright was not all in the mind, but also stemmed from the adrenal glands. During experiments with barking dogs and caged cats, Cannon was able to isolate a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands of the frightened cats. When he injected that hormone into a second, perfectly calm cat, it touched off a physical reaction of fear. The cat’s heartbeat and blood pressure shot up, while blood flow to the muscles increased. Cannon dubbed this occurrence the “fright, fight, or flight” response. Currently, though, it’s known as “fight or flight” or the “stress response.”

This is known as the fright or flight response. But “Stress” is not the same as “Stressors” and Stress is a useless word to explain Stress. Stress is the abuse of your available energy. A better word to use is Strain. Being strained for too long causes mental and physical breakdown resulting in stress related disease.

Prof Seyle defined stress as G.A.S. Selye, was Hungarian: Selye János) born – January 26, 1907 — October 16, 1982) was an endocrinologist of Austro-Hungarian origin.
Selye did much important scientific work on the hypothetical non-specific response of any organism to stressors. Academia consider him the first to demonstrate the existence of biological stress in his General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model

Stress can cause more than a short temper or an upset stomach. There is evidence that stress may influence a number of serious medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems.

Stress can affect you in three categories:
A. EMOTIONALLY
1. Anxiety – Depression Spectrum
2. Bipolar disorders

B. PHYSIOLOGICALLY
1. Hypertension
2. Insomnia
3. Muscle spasm, Lower back pain, Migraines
4. Diabetes (B), Ulcers, IBS (Indigestion, Diarrhoea)
5. Skin irritations, blisters, rashes and eczema…

C. PSYCHOLOGICALLY
1. Psychiatric disorders
2. Memory and concentration problems (ADHD)

Being stressed-out chronically (too long) can end destroying the happiness in your life. Learning to become stress resilient can reward you with better health, greater peace of mind, and a smoother course through life. Our StressFit programmes are designed for preventing and reducing stress. This programme will give you the tools you need to defeat the negative cycle of stress in your life. Inside the report, you’ll discover:

• How stress takes a toll on your body
• Unhealthy responses to stress
• How stress can trigger health problems
• How to develop your personal plan for stress relief and build resilience
• Learn how to keep the unhealthy impacts of stress

Please call or reply if you have any other questions or if I can help with stress in your life.

Kindest regards,

Justin

Dr Justin J. Kennedy
B.Soc.Sci; MSBC; PhD
Tel: +27.82.370.2080
Email: justin@kennedy.co.za

Working women, stress more than men?

What a Valentines day surprise I have!  I’ve just been diagnosed with heart disease today – Feb 14^th.

Im in my early 50’s and after a life time working super hard to get to the top of a publishing corp. its very clear that media is very stresfull deadline based kind of work.  All this hard work (I’m sure) was a main reason for my recent diagnosis with heart disease.  Im too old to change jobs and not that I’d even want to, but what must I do to control my stress and protect my heart’s health?

Bleeding heart, Angie

p.s. my mom is very healthy but my dad dies at 56 of a heart attack.

======================================================================

Dear Angie,

What a shocking result the diagnosis must have been?  Was it part of an annual check up, or did you have a cardiac event?

Whatever happened, the simple truth is that what you’ve been doing in your life up to this point has damaged your heart’s health, so be delighted that your cardiologist gave the diagnosis on Valentines Day rather that not at all.  You need to make some changes as women who work hard, often suffer from stress related disease.

Cardiac researchers have found links between women’s job stress and cardiovascular disease. Findings from a Harvard Female Health Study  (a landmark inquiry into disease prevention involving more than 10,000 healthy female professionals ) show that women whose work is highly stressful have a 40% increased risk of heart disease compared with their less-stressed colleagues.

The results, also showed that women who worry about losing their jobs are more likely to have high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels and to be obese.  The researchers used a definition of “job strain” that combines psychological demand and degree of control. (Please do your Type D personality test at www.stressedpersonality.com and email me the results justin@kennedy.co.za ).   There are innumerable studies that show the greater the work pressure, the higher the risk for heart disease among women ages 51 and under. And in a study of white-collar workers, explained that female job strain was associated in women (but not in men) with increased thickness of the carotid artery wall, an early sign of cardiovascular disease.

As you probably know Angie, your body is designed to react to life-threatening events (“The oven is on fire!”) with the  “fight-or-flight” response (proposed by Prof Cannon at Harvard.  This neurological process triggers a cascade of chemicals and hormones that speed the heart rate, quicken breathing, increase blood pressure, and boost the amount of energy (sugar) to work effectively.

But, the body does a poor job of discriminating between grave, imminent dangers and less momentous ongoing sources of stress, such as financial difficulties, job strain, and even worries about potential problems that haven’t yet happened yet. When the fight-or-flight response is chronically in the “on” position, the body suffers from what the Hungarian, Prof Seyle called the Generalized Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Work overload or any causes cardiac problems by you being in flight or fight mode  which causes your heart to beat faster and will sadly cause you to have “GAS” i.e. a Generalized Adaptation Syndrome. So stress will inflame your coronary arteries, leading to blood clots that can trigger a heart attack.  This might be what happened to your dad?  Stress also makes it harder to practice healthy heart habits, such as exercise, a good diet, quitting smoking, and sleeping deeply often enough.

How do you ‘do’ in these areas Angie?.  It’s hard to tell what proportion of heart attack risk is due to psychological stress as opposed to, say, smoking or lack of exercise. And some women may be predisposed (genetically or from early life experience) to react less effectively than others to stressors and as research becomes available I will be sure to post it here as .

The stress induced by excessive demands and too little control is not unique to the workplace. Many women have multiple concurrent jobs — for example, caring for children, aging parents, or other relatives while running a household and working outside the home — often without the resources to manage them all. Situations like this may be unavoidable, and in a tight job market, you may feel there’s little you can do to make your work life less stressful.

But you really want to know what can you do?

Below I have detailed 7 invaluable ways that you can use to implement  a self regulated cardiac protection programme for yourself and the love of your life … your heart.

Here are 7 steps you can take to regain cardiac health:

1. Leave work at work! Limit interruptions and intrusions (such as work-related e-mails) on your life outside of work.  Smart phones and laptops make sure work is only a click away.  So know that clicking and working at night will hurt your ticker.
2. Loving Relationships. Spend more time fostering mutually supportive relationships with friends, family, and co-workers.  If you are busy allot of the time simply schedule this is Angie!
3. Get regular exercise. It’s good for the heart by making it stronger and able to not beat so urgently when at work.
4. Reduce anxiety and improve sleep routine.  Email me for more info on the StressFit program if you like.
5. Get a hobby. preferably with people you like to see that isn’t work related.
6. Practice your Relaxation Response (proposed by Benson at Harvard). This could include: relaxation techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, progressive  relaxation, or visualization.  These and others eg. Autogenic training and mindfulness are also all part of the StressFit program.
7. Seek help! Dont leave this Angie, if you’re feeling concerned, a blog will offer little real help.  You need to apply this info in a way that suits you.  If you are overwhelmed, please reply or seek help from a mental care professional, health coach or anyone you trust.

All the best for your heart’s health for this (and MANY more Valentines’ Days:)

Kindest regards,

Justin

So, if you need more help to implement these simple ideas please email me – justin@kennedy.co.za

Dr Justin J. Kennedy
B.Soc.Sci; MSBC; PhD

Mobile:            +27.82.370.2080
Email:              justin@kennedy.co.za
Website:        http://www.stressmedicine.co.za/info

Hallo.

I’m really irritable these days and feel totally stressed out.  First I loose my job after no less than 23 years working for the same corp.  Then my wife said she’s leaving me not for another man but a women!  After the shock wore off I noticed bowel problems mainly as constipation.  My Dr said I have IBS and there is no real cure.  What is IBS exactly and surely there must be some kind of solution?

Please can you help?

Constipated Costa

———————

Dear Costa,

The two big blows are seriously stressful and I feel deep concern for you over the next months.  Life is going to be very different especially with all the time now on your hands it’s going to be difficult to not get depressed.  I strongly suggest you contact me for professional assistance or with someone else who can offer guidance and support.

In the interim you asked some simple questions:

1. What is IBS?
2. What can be done to ‘cure’ it?

Let me explain the first question first.  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS or spastic colon) is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause.  This is why it is hard to define medically.  Your constipation is often symptomatic but diarrhoea may also predominate.

IBS may begin after an infection but is usually caused by chronic stress or a stressful life event, or onset of maturity without any other medical indicators.  In your case it would be important to know if you have had similar concerns prior to the terrible new you mentioned?

Secondly, although there is no cure for IBS, there are several treatments that attempt to relieve “symptoms”, including dietary adjustments, medication and psychological interventions are the usual interventions.  Often the needs are mainly emotional so I suggest this is probably your area of concern.  You mention you were employed for two decades which indicates you are at least into your late 40’s and maturity can also be a factor.  Several other conditions may present also as IBS including coeliac disease, fructose malabsorption, mild infections, parasitic infections like giardiasis, several inflammatory bowel diseases, functional chronic constipation, and chronic functional abdominal pain.

In IBS, routine clinical tests yield no abnormalities, although the bowels may be more sensitive to certain stimuli, such as balloon insufflations testing. The exact cause of IBS is unknown, but it’s usually stress related at some point.  In fact I’m still to meet an IBS who does not have a stressful life in some form or another. The most common theory is that IBS is a disorder of the interaction between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, although there may also be abnormalities in the gut flora or the immune system.  It is commonly agreed that as stressful events have psycho-physiological and emotional impact.  If this is chronic (i.e. over a long period) the stress can present as IBS.

IBS does not lead to more serious conditions in most patients although it can easily exacerbate colonic disease even cancer. However, it is a source of chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms and contributes other states of dis-ease. Researchers have reported that the high prevalence of IBS.  It is also regarded as a chronic illness and can dramatically affect the quality of a sufferer’s life so I suggest you take serious warning and take action.  There is not much you can do medically (hence you GP’s comment) as the primary concern are emotional.

Costa, you loss is huge and you need to heed my warning and find things or people who can support you through this time.  The three things you will do well to learn are to:

a)      Find a sense of emotional calm (e.g. meditation, prayer, hobbies social and family networks)

b)      Physical tension relief -  don’t focus on your bowel but rather ensure you exercise, go dancing, swimming is great as are yoga and tai chi.

c)      Mental focussing – with al the time on your hands in the day and evenings, your mind will get easily distracted.  So it’s vital you do mentally stimulating tasks (e.g. Soduko, puzzles, reading or debates at places like Rotary Clubs are brilliant).

IF you are not responsible here Costa you will get depressed very quickly so you need to be proactive and DO stuff before self pity strangles your decision making ability.

Costa please reply to justin@kennedy.co.za if I can help further.

Warmest regards,

Justin

Kindest regards,

Justin

Dr Justin J. Kennedy
B.Soc.Sci; MSBC; PhD

Mobile:            +27.82.370.2080

Email:              justin@kennedy.co.za
Website:        http://www.stressmedicine.info

Practice:          55 Somerset Rd, Green Point, Cape Town

Take the Type D Personality Test at http://www.stressed-personality.com for a personalised stress assessment.

Recently written by a magazine:

BALANCING STRESS WITH SUCCESS

Finding balance these days is no easy task! Dr. Kennedy,
founder and director of StressMedicine, believes that we are evolving into “techno-sapiens.” as demands mount with expanding technology create more and more stress in our lives, mostly related to more work. Balance is no longer an act, it’s an art. We have far too many choices and it’s exhausting us.

The psychologist Naz Madadi agrees that we are definitely experiencing more stress related to technology, with different age groups having different experiences.

For teens to thirty year olds, being disconnected from their
communication devices causes stress. “People 35 years and older seem to fall in two camps: a) those who want to be up to
date with everything and b) those who don’t care. Here,
there is considerable stress due to their unfamiliarity with this
technology”

“We used to work in an office, which was stress inducing as time spent commuting became extended. With the computer
age, we thought technology would make life easier but instead it gave us more to do. The advent of the laptop gave us flexibility, but also loaded our stress. With the birth of mobile technology, our work is always with us and turns up the volume of stress to increasingly toxic levels,” explains Dr. Kennedy. Studies show that roughly 80% to 90% of GP visits are for stress-related pathology.

“Most people I see are struggling with symptoms of cardiac disease – hypertension, insomnia, pain conditions, migraine, anxiety, depression and attention deficit disorders. Over exposure to work has put people out of balance and causes stress-related pathology. From research we’ve published it’s clear that over working and being out of balance is the cause of these burn-out symptoms,” notes Dr. Kennedy.

How can we lessen our stress load from too much technology and balance? “Technology is going to seduce us with increasingly user friendly developments,” says Dr. Kennedy. “As the old adage goes: If you can’t beat em, join em”. There are various technology-based platforms that reduce stress-related pathology, and actually improve performance by helping us learn how to be in balance using neuro- and biofeedback technology.

Dr Kennedy was part of a cutting edge research team in New York that developed a medical device that resolves stress-related problems. This hand held biofeedback device was recently published after the results of a clinical trial was completed at UCT proving its effectiveness in controlling stress and improving cognitive performance levels.

Sadly Reports of higher levels of stress are on the rise. Levels
increased over the past five years and are set to increase
exponentially. In research by Prof David W. Ball, at Cleveland State University, Ohio, 48% of respondents say their stress level at work has increased over the past year. The most common reasons for the increase are staff management uncertainty (54%), business uncertainty (46%), and negative workplace attitudes (34%). Most think that the risk of HIV or crime is the major cause of concern in SA today. What are the major factors that contribute to high stress levels? It always depends on the demographic. If you’re a corporate executive or in some kind of demanding work that has management responsibility, then the major cause of
stress is feeling out of control due to demanding deadlines and
over-commitments.

Our lives are getting more cluttered and out of balance every year.
Constant multi-tasking makes it difficult to remember to stay in
balance and positive. Here are seven simple tips to help you stay balanced happy and positive every day:

#1 Get Plenty of Sunlight
Find a way to spend some time outside every day.

#2 Eat a Balanced Diet
Eat fresh food every day.

#3 Diagphragmatic Breathing
Set aside a 7 minutes to practice deep breathing every day. Sounds weird but you`ll be able to focus and the extra oxygen will lift your spirits.

#4 Practice Communication Skills
Slow down before you respond and think about what they`re
really saying.

#5 Be Grateful
A hand-written note will stand out in the age of text messages.

#6 Embrace Spontaneity
Do something you`ve been putting off! DO IT NOW & STOP READING!

#7 Learn to Give
Find to give as this will bring a feeling of balance and control into your life.

If you have any queries please email Dr Justin Kennedy Justin@Kennedy.co.za

Almost everyone has had a crippling headache that makes them really suffer and beg the gods to take away that throbbing brain pain.

According to clinical trials posted on Wiley’s online medical library, almost 90% of men and 95% of women have at least one headache or migraine a year. So do the math, how many billions of headaches occur a year? Well according to Wiley it’s well into the billions!

Current research suggests that about 94% of these headaches are caused by stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, hunger, changes in hormone levels, even changes in the weather, or caffeine withdrawal. From the gospel according to wikipaedia over 50% of patients with a headache, identify stress or hunger as a precipitating factor.

But how many of the headaches can we control by reducing stress? This in the key question. First we need to know the three different categories of headaches. The three most common types of headaches are tension, sinus and migraines.
But sadly headaches tend not to simply fall into one category only. The lines blur. The more intense a tension headache gets, the more it resembles the sharp, throbbing pain of a migraine. And when a migraine becomes more frequent, its pain begins to feel like that of a tension headache. Medical research now believe that headaches don’t simply fall into one of the three camps but rather function in a rainbow of these primary areas that colour the headache symptoms. The occasional tension headache is at one end and the migraine headache is at the other end. If these happen often they simply get the prefix chronic.
But this doesn’t mean that they all follow the same neurological mechanisms. Medical science still believe that tension headaches are stimulated by muscle tightness, while migraine headaches are caused by inflammation of blood vessels. And it’s good to say that again –

• tension headaches are caused by muscle tightness
• migraine headaches are caused by inflammation of blood vessels

But here’s the whammy! If you suffer from chronic tension headaches you’re get scalp muscle tightens, which can trigger more headaches, creating a terrible cycle of pain.

Even still some headaches are actually symptoms of another health problem. A head cold, the flu, or a sinus infection, can cause headache as well. Bleeding, infection, or a tumor can also be the cause. A headache can also be the only warning signal of high blood pressure (hypertension). In addition, certain medications — such as nitroglycerin, prescribed for a heart condition, and estrogen, prescribed for menopausal symptoms — are notorious causes of headache.

Headache categories:
A-Type B-What it feels like C-Who gets it D-How often and for how long
A-Tension B-Consistent pain, mainly across the forehead or in the back of the head. C- Mainly adults. D- Generally hours in length once or twice month
A-Sinus B-Most often with a cold or nasal congestion. C- Steady pain at the bridge of the nose, or the cheeks. Lowered immune system; vulnerable to allergies. D- Often seasonal.
A- Migraine B-Throbbing pain, along with nausea, light and sound sensitivity. Localized pain: temple, eye, or back of the head. C- Typically childhood to middle age. In children, common among males, post puberty, it’s more common for females D- Can last: 4 – 72 hours

So Are Headaches Caused By Stress?
Many people may wonder if headaches are the direct result of stress. The answer is yes, no, and maybe?
Migraines: The National Headache Foundation (NHF) states that stress is not a migraine trigger, headache expert T. Roberts clarifies by saying, “Stress alone doesn’t trigger Migraines but it does make us more susceptible to our triggers.” So, in a way, stress increases Migraines, but isn’t mentioned as a direct cause.

Headaches: Tension or stress is the causes these so called “stress headaches”. They’re not normally totally debilitating. People with tension headaches can normally go about their regular activities (while suffering silently).

So what Causes Tension Headaches?

Tension headaches are caused by … you guessed it…. Tension! This stress results in tightened muscles in the back of the neck and scalp. This muscle tension may be caused by:

1. Inadequate rest
2. Poor posture
3. Emotional or mental stress, including depression
4. Anxiety
5. Fatigue
6. Hunger
7. Overexertion
8. Burnout
9. exhaustion
10. Problems that make us feel out of control

Preventing Headaches
Because the majority of headaches experienced by adults are tension headaches, and these headaches are caused (at least in part) by stress, a great proportion of these headaches can be avoided with effective stress control and tension reducing techniques. Additionally, because stress can make Migraine sufferers more susceptible to their Migraine triggers, stress relief techniques can help avoid many of these severe headaches as well. And, finally, because stress relief techniques can strengthen the immune system (or keep it from being weakened by stress), those who practice regular stress fitness techniques can avoid at least some potential secondary headaches by avoiding the health conditions that cause them.

The best approach has always been to cover the basics first around, nutrition, water, alcholol, drug intake. It is invaluable to ensure the person has a regular sleeping pattern as well understand what may be stressing them out.

The following stress relievers can help for different types of stress, to provide an overall framework of effective stress relief for various lifestyles:

Feeling Overwhelmed? Contact us for these Feel Better Fast With These Quick Stress Relievers
Keep Your Stress Levels Low With These Techniques For Living A Stress Fit Lifestyle
Keep Up-To-Date With The Free Stress Fitness Newsletter or see the stress blog

From our evidence based research You also get Tailor Made Stress Relief for yourself, your school or company to improve your stress fitness but alos to improve performance at per this study recently published.

Kindest regards,

Justin

Dr Justin J. Kennedy
B.Soc.Sci; MSBC; PhD

Mobile:            082.370.2080
Email:              justin@kennedy.co.za
Website:        http://www.stressmedicine.info 

Recently during the StressMedicine specialist health coach training a GP who is now offering in a health coaching practice asked me a very interesting question:

“A client came to see me for a whole bunch of concerns that included career guidance, relationship issues, weight problems and insomnia.  These are all areas that I am equipped to now help her with drawing on my coaching and now also from this training in StressMedicine, I can also apply biofeedback, especially with insomnia issue.
The problem I’m having is to decide when or if she needs to be referred to a clinical psychologist.  As I’m also GP I’m licensed to offer psychotherapy and medicate but I don’t feel it would be ethical or appropriate somehow.  Most coaches believe that psychotherapy is unnecessary if their coaching is effective but I’m noticing some symptoms of schizophrenia in this client which is beyond my area of competence.  I could give her drugs, but she is very anti pharmaceuticals. Should I refer her to a psychiatrist, or a clinical psychologist even though she is eager to stay in process with me.  What must I do that is ethically appropriate?”

This is a great question indeed and ethics around coaching are not yet clear enough I feel.  But first let’s first make sure that we agree that schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, incoherence and physical agitation; classified as a “thought” disorder while Bipolar Disorder is a “mood” disorder.  Schizophrenia is accompanied by significant social dysfunction.  But this is not a multiple or split personality disorder.

These are disorders of thought that mainly affect cognition, but it also usually contributes to chronic problems with behaviour and emotion. People with schizophrenia are likely to have additional (comorbid) conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders.  Occurrence of substance abuse is high.  It is worth finding out if your client has a current or previous problem with taking drugs.  Physical health problems (like insomnia) and suicide rate tend to be high so a referral to a health care professional is critical.  Also please be reminded to always document every client’s biographical details and personal history.
In your practice as a coach you do not have license to diagnose mental disease and you should leave this to another specialist.  The primary treatment tends to be antipsychotic pharmaceutical medication, psychotherapy, vocational and social rehabilitation.

In your role as her coach you should steer clear of offering psychiatric rehabilitation and focus on being her emotional support so that she feels empowered to make the right choices for her treatment.

Ethically as her coach you need to refer your client long before she ends up having a full blown psychotic episode.  All too often coaches do not refer soon enough.  Your role could be to remain as her coach and to guide and support her into finding the appropriate interventions.  My suggestion is for you to focus on being her emotional support as well as working with your clients key interest areas to change so that she feels more confident and secure.  Perhaps weight would be an area for you to focus on in your health coaching with the client?

Even though you are a G.P. and trained as a health coach in StressMedicine, you should be reminded that in your role as her coach you do not have the license to diagnose or treat mental disease.  Keep this clear in your mind and explain your role to the client ASAP.  Please be sure to discuss this further in your supervision group.  And remember to be her coach not her therapist

Too Many choices will feel like Stress willAccording to Dr Barry Schwartz (in a TED Talk), all of our lives are getting much more complicated and stressful.
We have more choices than ever!!! but isn’t that goog?
And to some extent it is, BUT adding more choices seems like more opportunity to express ourselves and be more individual. But at some point, these choices make our lives less happy. We’re overwhelmed by all the choices in our lives.
Recently I bought a new computer. I spent several days after my old computer died looking for a new computer. Then when I narrowed it down to two choices, I spend another 2 excruciating days trying to pick which one was the better choice. They were roughly the same price, had almost identical features except one feature I wanted and the other had another feature I wanted. At the end, it didn’t really matter which one I chose because I’d get one feature and lose one feature regardless of which one I chose. Instead of just picking one and being happy with the feature that I got, I was miserable thinking of the feature I didn’t get, and wondering if that would have made me happier. Although my computer story has a happy ending since it all worked out fine, we make these kinds of choices all day long. Some of the decisions are on a smaller scale, like what kind of food to eat, and some of these are on a larger scale, like what direction should I choose for my career.
Enter the Universal Decision Maker. The Universal Decision Maker is a tiny program I found on the web that looks like a pong game. (see http://www.sylloge.com/5k/entries/162/) You hit the start on the program and two little spiders race toward the finish line of yes or no. It works great for those decision that don’t matter much either way, but that need to be made. It frees up your mind to make the really big decisions while the trivial decisions can be decided for you.
And of course, if you don’t like the decision that the Universal Decision Maker decides for you, then your decision is made!
Sometimes the stress of choice is just too much!  The game at http://www.sylloge.com/5k/entries/162/ might just give you a few moments to not decide?  If you would like a clinically valind solution that stops stress you can simply read this blog or email me directly.

Warmest
Justin

Hi i”m a 25yr old women ,my husband had recently passed away &  i”ve only been married for 2 yrs &  my babay”s just turned 1. I really don”t know how to cope with all of this on my own its really getting to me now &  its only been 3mths.Please advise me?

EXPERT’S REPLY

Subject:

Posted by: Stress Reduction Expert | 5/8/2010

Dear Nicole,

This is very traumatic to hear. I am sure you must be devastated. Do you have family and friends to support in this terrible time?
The grieving process is not easily written about online so I strongly suggest you find a therapist or priest who specializes in this area to help you thru this very emotional time.

If you do want to do some research online, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross who is the most brilliant researcher in this area. (see below)

My heart pains for you and you baby. Please be in contact if need be via my cell 082 370 2080.

Sincerely
Justin

Posted by: deonepi | 29/7/2010

HI THERE….
I WORK AS A SUBCONTRACTOR,AT A DESK JOB, FOR A COMPANY FOR 3 DAYS A WEEK…TUES,WED,THURS…AND THE REST OF THE WEEK I DO MY OWN WORK IN THE SAME FIELD…I ALREADY SUFFER FROM MODERATE HYPERTENSION AND ANXIETY,ANXIETY NOT TREATED,THE MEDS I”M ON ARE WORKING BUT SIDE EFFECTS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE,ESPECIALLY HAVING TO WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,ROUND 4AM,EVERY NIGHT WITH WINDS AND STOMACH CRAPS…EXERCISE FOR ME IN THE MORNING DOES NOT WORK AS I ALWAYS FEEL DIZZY AND SOMEHOW FEEL TOO TIRED IN THE EVENING…PLEASE GIVE ME SOME “ EYE OPENING”  ADVISE AS I”M AT WITS END…I NEED THE WORK (MONEY) BUT DO NOT WANT TO COMPROMISE MY HEALTH…THANKS

EXPERT’S REPLY

Subject:

Posted by: Stress Reduction Expert | 31/7/2010
Dear Deonepi,

You seems to be suffering from many of the classic symptoms of burn-out. How long have these symptoms been presenting?

Please read below and call me so when can find immediate resolve before you end up in hospital in the very near future.

Warmest,
Dr Justin J. Kennedy
B.Soc.Sci; MSBC; PhD
082.370.2080
justin@kennedy.co.za

p.s. You like to hear what we have done with Discovery Health regarding Job Performance published recently (Kennedy, J & Pretorius, M (2008)? & also may to know what we are doing with banks.

In this regard you may like to review the abstract from the bank research on Executive Resilience: Abstract published with Management Today:
In the peak of the recession last year the health insurance group – BankMed proactively decided to address the medical, psychological and business concerns directly by implementing the StressMedicine protocols developed by Dr Kennedy. After the national rollout of various protocols into various banks in 2009 it was possible to observe the impact how anxiety, fear and stress related pathology (e.g. hypertensin, insomnia, bruxism etc) had impacted directly on the business and health of the bankers of our country. It was agreed to focus these findings into a formal study with one bank’s executive population to observe how to maintain the benefits offered within the StressMedicine protocols and to learn how this impacted on improved cognitive function as observed in the UCT, human biology study at the Sports Science Inst. The bank study began in December 2009 and phase one completed in May 2010.