How Stress Affects Health
Catherine O’Driscoll
You don't need to be a New Age Hippie to realise that our animals, being so in tune with us, can suffer by proxy when we are under stress. That stress can have a huge impact on our own, and our companion animals', immune systems and general health. Caroline Myss writes:
Even watching an inspiring movie improves immune function. Students who watch a movie of Mother Teresa have an enhanced salivary IGA response. Individuals who have close intimacy with another human being also have higher levels of IGA antibodies and have less serious illness. Individuals who seek friendship and interpersonal relationships are generally more healthy.
In older individuals, 'love of others and being loved' seems to be a key factor in the length of life. Those individuals who live to be one hundred or more have a greater eagerness about life, a greater sense of purpose, a greater drive and greater general happiness.
Even individuals who smoke, over-eat and practice other unhealthy habits have a decreased risk of illness if they have a strong support system. In my own study of one hundred retired nuns, sixty-eight were over the age of eighty and about eighteen were over the age of ninety. All but one of them seemed to be in reasonably good health and she was one hundred. These individuals tended to be over-weight, under-exercised, and to have a high affinity for caffeine, chocolate and sugar. However, they were extremely content with their lifestyle and obviously outliving many outside the convent. Being enthusiastic rather than cynical and hostile is important. Individuals who live longer have a greater sense of hope, order, control and meaning. But a positive mental attitude and hope can be cultivated through training.
A sense of humour also enhances health. Individuals who laugh regularly have an increase in IGA antibodies, and the individuals who ordinarily use humour as a method of coping with stress have a higher concentration of antibodies. Some individuals have found that laughter is as effective as biofeedback training in reducing stress; and Norman Cousin's well-known book, 'The Anatomy of an Illness' has emphasised his recovery from serious illness, one somewhat like rheumatoid spondylitis, using high doses of intravenous vitamin C and laughter.
What makes a dog stressed - taken from ‘On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals’ by Turid Rugaas
· Direct threats – by us or other dogs
· Violence, anger, aggression in his environment
· Jerking at the lead, pushing him down, pulling him along
· Too high demands in training and daily life
· Too much exercise for young dogs
· Too little exercise and activity
· Hunger, thirst
· Not having access to his toilet when he needs it
· Freezing or being too hot
· Pain and illness
· Too much noise
· Being alone
· Sudden scary situations
· Too much overexcited playing, with balls or other dogs
· Never being able to relax, always being disturbed
· Sudden changes
How can you identify stress in your dog?
· Not able to calm down, restless
· Overreaction to things happening (such as a doorbell, a dog coming)
· Use of calming signals
· Scratching
· Biting himself
· Biting and chewing furniture and shoes and other things
· Barking, howling, whining
· Diarrhoea
· Smells bad, both mouth and body
· Tense muscles – sudden attack of dandruff
· Shaking
· Change of eye colour
· Licking himself
· Tail chasing
· Fur that seems to be hard, brittle, standing on end
· Looking unhealthy
· Panting
· Loosing concentration
· Shivering
· Losing appetite
· Going to the toilet more often than normal
· Allergies – many allergies are stress-related
· Scratching
· Fixation on certain things such as light, flies
· Looking nervous
· Behaving aggressively
Catherine O’Driscoll
You don't need to be a New Age Hippie to realise that our animals, being so in tune with us, can suffer by proxy when we are under stress. That stress can have a huge impact on our own, and our companion animals', immune systems and general health. Caroline Myss writes:
Even watching an inspiring movie improves immune function. Students who watch a movie of Mother Teresa have an enhanced salivary IGA response. Individuals who have close intimacy with another human being also have higher levels of IGA antibodies and have less serious illness. Individuals who seek friendship and interpersonal relationships are generally more healthy.
In older individuals, 'love of others and being loved' seems to be a key factor in the length of life. Those individuals who live to be one hundred or more have a greater eagerness about life, a greater sense of purpose, a greater drive and greater general happiness.
Even individuals who smoke, over-eat and practice other unhealthy habits have a decreased risk of illness if they have a strong support system. In my own study of one hundred retired nuns, sixty-eight were over the age of eighty and about eighteen were over the age of ninety. All but one of them seemed to be in reasonably good health and she was one hundred. These individuals tended to be over-weight, under-exercised, and to have a high affinity for caffeine, chocolate and sugar. However, they were extremely content with their lifestyle and obviously outliving many outside the convent. Being enthusiastic rather than cynical and hostile is important. Individuals who live longer have a greater sense of hope, order, control and meaning. But a positive mental attitude and hope can be cultivated through training.
A sense of humour also enhances health. Individuals who laugh regularly have an increase in IGA antibodies, and the individuals who ordinarily use humour as a method of coping with stress have a higher concentration of antibodies. Some individuals have found that laughter is as effective as biofeedback training in reducing stress; and Norman Cousin's well-known book, 'The Anatomy of an Illness' has emphasised his recovery from serious illness, one somewhat like rheumatoid spondylitis, using high doses of intravenous vitamin C and laughter.
What makes a dog stressed - taken from ‘On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals’ by Turid Rugaas
· Direct threats – by us or other dogs
· Violence, anger, aggression in his environment
· Jerking at the lead, pushing him down, pulling him along
· Too high demands in training and daily life
· Too much exercise for young dogs
· Too little exercise and activity
· Hunger, thirst
· Not having access to his toilet when he needs it
· Freezing or being too hot
· Pain and illness
· Too much noise
· Being alone
· Sudden scary situations
· Too much overexcited playing, with balls or other dogs
· Never being able to relax, always being disturbed
· Sudden changes
How can you identify stress in your dog?
· Not able to calm down, restless
· Overreaction to things happening (such as a doorbell, a dog coming)
· Use of calming signals
· Scratching
· Biting himself
· Biting and chewing furniture and shoes and other things
· Barking, howling, whining
· Diarrhoea
· Smells bad, both mouth and body
· Tense muscles – sudden attack of dandruff
· Shaking
· Change of eye colour
· Licking himself
· Tail chasing
· Fur that seems to be hard, brittle, standing on end
· Looking unhealthy
· Panting
· Loosing concentration
· Shivering
· Losing appetite
· Going to the toilet more often than normal
· Allergies – many allergies are stress-related
· Scratching
· Fixation on certain things such as light, flies
· Looking nervous
· Behaving aggressively
Stress can come in many forms. It can come from emotional sources, and also from physical sources.
If an animal (or a human) has an inadequate diet, then the body will be unable to cope with even moderate stress. Diet is therefore a crucial ‘medicine’ in the ability to combat stress and its consequent illnesses. Similarly, vaccines are designed to stress the body so that it produces an immune response. Sometimes the vaccine stress is more than the individual can bear, and illnesses will arise. Never vaccinate an animal who is stressed, either from a physical ailment, or from emotional sources.
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