More on Stress

Dear ones,

Joseph Pizzorno, ND is still "clicking" with me. In his book, Total Wellness, he describes on pages 324-326 how different personality types respond differently to stress. He says that several studies have been done that show that people who can handle stress well don't get sick as often as those who don't handle stress very well. That's pretty old news, but he lists the factors which help succesful people deal with stress: a coping strategy which gives them a sense of inner control, a deep sense of commitment to family and work, seeing problems as challenges rather than crises, social support, and regular exercise.

Studies done within the military and with air traffic controllers showed that it's not the stress so much as the attitude a person has about the stress that makes the difference in whether a person got sick or not. The person who expressed the stress, let it out, and tried to do something about it, did not develop hypertension, for example. The person who claimed "Everything's fine," were most likely to develop hypertension. People who suppressed their anger or had hostile attitudes were also more likely to have atherosclerosis and other heart problems.

Researchers at Ohio State University College of Medicine reported impaired DNA repair in highly distressed people who have difficulty coping. This study was done for cancer research, but it seems to me that it might hold true for MD patients as well. When cells are damaged by free radicals, as it has been clearly seen in FSHD, or chemicals (which is a possible cause, at least as a hypothesis), or radiation, "the DNA repair system- if it's not compromised- keeps mutations from occurring and tumors from developing."

At the time I first began noticing symptoms of FSH, I was under severe chronic stress, experiencing what I thought was a major life crisis, I had little coping skills, basically no social support, my extended family lived thousands of miles away, and where did I have the time to exercise. I was angry, bitter, and fearful on the inside, but saw no safe way to express these feelings. I internalized my negative emotions, and now I truly suspect that I seriously damaged my muscle tissues in the process. It has taken over twelve years to reverse most of the damage done during that time, and I am not completely "out of the woods," yet.

The good news is that I believe I can undo the damage. As God shows me how, I will share with you.

Blessings,
-Donna