Chronic, raging stress may harm the immune system, increasing your chance of developing various diseases. Occasional stress, however, can boost anti-tumor activity, according to the authors of study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Firdaus Dhabhar, a member of Stanford’s Cancer Center, explains that from evolutionary point of view, it makes sense. In nature, stress and response from the immune system usually go hand in hand. It’s like a lion hunting a wounded gazelle. Nature triggers stress to make our immune system capable of standing against dangers. Dr. William Meller, a specialist in evolutionary medicine, adds that life in the Stone Age was undoubtfully more stressful than now.
People spent their day hunting, struggling for security and shelter. People waged wars against predators and diseases. They didn’t use meditation to relive their stress. Instead, they sharpened their knives and built their shelters. One reason why so many people today are stressed out is that instead of getting things done, they waste so much time on doing stress-relieving exercises.
Meller says people are different in their ability to control stress. Some of us live with tremendous responsibilities while others get stressed just because they have to get out of bed in the morning. According to Meller, before adding yoga exercises to your to-do list, you first should get your work done.
That doesn’t mean yoga and meditation are useless. They help enhance concentration on work. Dhabhar concludes that the key is not to let the stress response linger. If you can return to your normal state within a few hours of a stressful event, that kind of stress is healthy for you.
Do you agree with Mr. Dhabhar?
Source of the image: temptalia.com.
