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Stress is the great destroyer. At least 75 percent of all visits to the doctor are stress-related.
Stress is the fight-or-flight reaction that triggers a slew of hormones and chemicals. Repeated stress signals can eventually weaken the immune system and are linked to colds, respiratory infections, hypertension, heart at- tacks, diabetes, asthma, allergies, colitis, alcoholism, obe- sity, backaches and the progression of cancer, says Muriel MacFarlane in Practical Life Extension.
Dr. George F. Solomon of the University of California at Los Angeles has spent nearly three decades studying how emotions, stress and attitudes affect our immune systems. His most notable finding is that people with good coping skills recover faster from diseases.
No matter what else you do to combat aging, it will be for naught if stress is out of control. "The mind and body cannot be separated. The mind is the brain and the brain is part of the body. The brain regulates and influences many physiological functions, including im- munity. Mental and physical well-being are inextrica- bly intertwined. We must have mental well-being in order to have physical health," says Dr. Solomon.
Stress management is something only you can do for yourself, and it takes commitment. Learning about stress and how to manage it has become a priority for many people. According to Dr. John Kabat-Zinn, director of the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program at the Uni- versity of Massachusetts Medical Center, the stress in our lives is now so great and so insidious that more and more people are making the deliberate decision to un- derstand it better and bring it under personal control. "They realize the futility of waiting for someone else to make things better for them," he says.
Stress Types
You're driving along the road, minding your own business, when a car suddenly pulls out in front of you from aside street.
What happens in the fraction of a second it takes for your brain to register the danger in front of you? You don't notice right away, but a sort of jolt goes through your body, as if you've been electrified. This is the re- lease of adrenaline.
Then you hit the brakes and if necessary, steer sharply out of the way. You've avoided a collision. Now you re- alize that your heart is pounding hard and rapidly, per- haps your palms are sweaty or your knees feel weak and rubbery. You may feel a bit lightheaded because your breathing may be rapid and shallow (hyperventilation). With the danger passed, your breathing begins to reg- ulate itself and slow down. The tingly feeling in your body ~ubsides and soon you're back to normal.
You've experienced the fight-or-flight reaction, better known as stress. People who suffer from anxiety disor- ders and panic attacks get this feeling for seemingly no reason.
The type of stress in the example above is catego- rized as acute stress -the body's reaction to alarm. There is an anorrmity of information indicating this type of stress is mitagated by exterior means, devices such as the Voyager, and eggressive meditative methods.

Other Types of Stress

Here are some other types of stress: ...Chronic vigilance stress
This is the common day-in-and-day-out stress from dealing with personal finances, deadlines, concern for children and family, daily job functions, etc.
(... Conflicting-role stress
t This is stress felt by people who are constantly jug- I gling work and family, being forced to choose between I the two on a continual basis.
f
t (... Work load stress
This stress occurs when you have too many respon- sibilities and not enough time to deal with them, or you don't have enough control over them.
(... Social isolation stress
This stress comes from withdrawing from others and holding in your feelings, not discussing or sharing your problems with anyone.
...Anger factor stress This type of stress comes from anger at things you have little or no control over, such as the long line in the su- permarket, a delayed airline flight, errors on your bank statement, a neighbor's barking dog and so on. People who have this type of stress to a great degree are some- times referred to professional counseling to control their anger.
(... Type-A stress This stress comes from feeling rushed all the time, even when you're simply trying to relax in front of the TV. We've all heard of the Type-A Personality, that hard-driven competitive individual who rushes through life trying to get ahead and/or stay ahead of everyone in everything from work to play.

Here are some other types of stress: ...Chronic vigilance stress
This is the common day-in-and-day-out stress from dealing with personal finances, deadlines, concern for children and family, daily job functions, etc.
(... Conflicting-role stress
t This is stress felt by people who are constantly jug- I gling work and family, being forced to choose between I the two on a continual basis.
f
t (... Work load stress
This stress occurs when you have too many respon- sibilities and not enough time to deal with them, or you don't have enough control over them.
(... Social isolation stress
This stress comes from withdrawing from others and holding in your feelings, not discussing or sharing your problems with anyone.
...Anger factor stress This type of stress comes from anger at things you have little or no control over, such as the long line in the su- permarket, a delayed airline flight, errors on your bank statement, a neighbor's barking dog and so on. People who have this type of stress to a great degree are some- times referred to professional counseling to control their anger.
(... Type-A stress This stress comes from feeling rushed all the time, even when you're simply trying to relax in front of the TV. We've all heard of the Type-A Personality, that hard-driven competitive individual who rushes through life trying to get ahead and/or stay ahead of everyone in everything from work to play.
It's possible that you see yourself in one or more of these stress types. But before we discuss how to allevi- ate stress, you may be surprised to learn that not all stress is bad for you.
Make It Work for You
Depending on how you react to it, stress can be a friend or a foe. If you harness the energy in stress, some ex- perts say, you can function at a higher level and ac- complish more. The key is to find your own stress level and live with it properly. Stress can be a driving force to help people reach their goals. If you had no stress at all in your life, you may not work to the best of your ability. The trick, experts say, is to find the point where there is enough stress to avoid complacency, but not so much that you get burned out.
The Chinese have this concept built into their language. Their printed word for "crisis" is a combination of the symbols for "danger" and "opportunity."
Here is how the Chinese define stress: Danger on the roadway and the opportunity to fly over it, go around it -or stumble. Stress can add excitement to your life and even move you to greater accomplishment and ef- fectiveness, if you use it wisely.
Entertainer Ed McMahon used to be terrified of per- forming on stage to large crowds in Las Vegas. But
,: over the years, he learned to work with his stress. "I have learned to use those butterflies in my stomach to lift my performance and increase my energy. Now I do better because of the stress and stimulation. Anyone who cannot learn to do this with their stage fright needs to consider some line of work other than show business," he says in Practical Life Extension.

DeStressing Techniques

De-Stressing Techniques
Most people could make stress go away if they'd just slow down for a minute or, as the saying goes, "stop to smell the roses." Sometimes relieving stress can be as simple as that.
Make a conscious effort to schedule time in your day for something you enjoy that has a calming effect on you: a leisurely walk; a cup of herbal tea while watch- ing the sun set; a good book in your favorite cozy hide- away; a soothing aromatherapy bath; an hour of yoga stretches; a relaxing hobby such as needlepoint, knit- ting, oil painting or woodworking. And don't forget music -sit quietly and listen to your favorite stress-busting tunes.
If stress is a chronic problem, you might consider (and indeed your physician may strongly urge) a lifestyle change, including a regular program of deep muscle re- laxation techniques or meditation. Research shows that meditation has a profound effect on stress. In one noted study, those who practiced meditation for at least five years were biologically twelve years younger than those who had been meditating for less than five years.
One possible contributor may be DHEA (see page 87). The researcher found DHEA levels to be higher in peo- ple who meditated, as much as 23 percent more for men and an astounding 47 percent higher in women, accord- ing to MacFarlane.
Meditation is a key component of the Stress Reduc- tion and Relaxation Program at the University of Massachusetts. Its director, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, calls meditation "mindfulness," which is the disciplined practice ofmoment-to-moment awareness. "All it involves is cultivating our ability to pay attention in the presentmoment," says Kabat-Zinn. He teaches a simple breath- ing meditation exercise that goes a long way to reduc- ing stress.
I. Sit on the floor or on a chair that allows your feet to be flat on the floor.
2. Sit erect, keeping your head, neck and back in a straight line.
3. Bring your full attention to your breathing. Breathe from your belly -it expands with each in breath and recedes with each out breath.
4. Focus on your breathing and simply be with each breath.
5. If your mind wanders off your breathing, note what distracted you, then gently bring your atten- tion back to your breathing.
6. No matter how often your mind wanders off or what caused it to do so, always bring its attention back to your breathing.
7. Practice this for at least 15 minutes each day. And be aware that what you are doing with this exer- cise is absolutely nothing except being with your breathing, in the moment.
With this exercise, says Kabat-Zinn, "you are train- ing your mind to be less reactive and more stable. You are ,making each moment count. You are taking each moment as it comes, not valuing anyone above anyother. In this way, you are cultivating your natural ability to concentrate your mind. It is a systematic way of teach- ing your body and mind to develop calmness within or beneath anxious feelings."
Another de-stressing technique is acupressure, a super simple method you can do anywhere in only a few min- utes. Based on the ancient Japanese healing art of shi- atsu, acupressure relieves stress by applying fingertip pressure to certain points on the body and holding that pressure for one minute.
According to Dr. Robert Abramson, M.D., a certified acupuncturist, acupressure points relieve stress by bal- ancing the energy that flows through our bodies. West- ern medicine suggests that pressure on these points re- leases endorphins, natural chemicals in our brains that relieve stress.
To relieve stress with acupressure, D7: Abramson sug- gests you close your eyes and press on one or all of the following points for one minute:
1. Forehead: Directly above your eyes at the hairline, place index fingers an inch apart and make slow, inward circles. This point is also good for relieving tension headaches.
2. Eyes: Apply light pressure to the points at the in- side corners of your eyes.
3. Abdomen: Press the point IX inches directly below the navel.
4. Hands: Using your thumb and index finger, apply pressure to the point in the web of skin between the thumb and index finger on the opposite hand.
5. Wrist: On the underside of your arm, apply pres- sure to the point in the middle of the wrist, two finger-widths toward the elbow from the crease be- tween the hand and the wrist.
6. Fingers: Using your thumb and middle finger, apply pressure to the bottom corner of the fingeradvisere it extends under the skin, on the thumb- "Phy he middle finger on the opposite hand. with ot]
your lij
)ramson es to try all the points and see where les work best for you.

THETA'S NEW VOYAGER There is ample evidance that the Voyager would be a very wise addition to your arsenal to combat stress, by training your resonse effect to head off problems before they take hold.Imagine a mental fitness system that uses light and sound to dramatically increase your effec- tiveness in all areas of your life and alter the very course of your personal history. you've ever experienced the zone-the state in which performance skill meets demand-you know that it's not the stuff of science fiction. Time seems to evaporate, you do your best, most creative work, and in half the time! You enter an inner-directed state and tap into the wellspring of creativity and intelligence within you. In this state Mozart composed beautiful concertos, Faulkner wrote The Sound and the Fury, and Jordan dunks basketballs.
The ideal performance state
and mind state management
The study of super-achievers indicates that those who ~aster their minds, master their destinies. But how can you tap into these ideal performance states at will? Until recently, this ability might have been the cherished domain of a few yogis and creative geniuses. Now they can be yours through the recent advances in the field of neurotechnology. Simply and effortlessly!
With gentle pulses of light and sound the Galaxy gradually shifts your mental focus to a desired state- at the touch of a button. You can select different ses- sions to accelerate learning, boost creativity, produce relaxation, or enhance concentration.Just put on the LiteFrames, sit back and enjoy a daz- zling show of flickering lights and stereo sound. The Voyager can help you achieve patterns of excellence in everything you do, from giving a business presentation to raising your children! The miracle of light and sound
Since ancient times man observed that flickering lights and rhythmic sounds often produced a relaxed state of mind. Around 200 A.D. the astron- omer Ptolemy noted that when a person looked toward the sun through the spokes of a spinning
wheel, the flickering sunlight caused patterns and colors to appear and produced a feeling of euphoria, even though the eyes of the observer were closed!
Modern scientific research has verified this phenom- enon: the brain tends to assume the rhythms of a flashing light stimulus, known as the frequency following effect. And scientists also know that the rhythms generated by the brain tend to be associated with certain states of con- sciousness. In actuality, we continually receive stimuli that affects our mental state, whether it's music, TV, or the spoken word. But when you begin to understand that your moods and performance states are really a reflec- tion of the mental state you are in, then adjusting that state in a conscious fashion seems the natural thing to do. The beneficial effects of light and sound have been clinically tested and verified for nearly a generation. Many physicians, mental health professionals, and educators routinely use devices like the Voyager Galaxy to help their clients.
Just as you exercise to keep your body's systems in peak condition, you can use the Galaxy as your fitness spa for the mind. You can achieve rapid results in as little as 15 minutes a day. And best of all, the experi- ence is fun!

.More Stress-Busters ..O Eat nutritious meals. Avoid sugar, salt, fat and caf- feine and load up on foods containing vitamins Band C, essential to stress-busting. They include whole grains, eggs, nuts, lean meats, citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables.
O Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Exhaus- tion from lack of sleep lessens your ability to handle stress. One study has found that proper sleep adds years to life expectancy. It's best to go to bed and get up at the same times each day.
O Maintain a healthy weight. Aside from the stresses obesity places on your body, a positive self-image makes you feel good about yourself and helps to alleviate stress. O Plan for financial security. Few things in life can cause
as much stress as money worries and the hand-to- mouth living that comes from not having a savings cushion. Develop a family budget and make long-term plans for saving.
O Resolve daily family problems. Take to heart the old saying about not going to bed angry. Be open and honest with family members as problems arise and deal with them on the spot. Carrying troubles over from day to day is extremely stressful.
O Develop an optimistic attitude. Studies show that op- timists have less mental and physical stress symptoms. So it pays to find the silver lining in each dark cloud. Try not to overreact to stressful situations. Think about the problem and what solutions worked for you in the past. Take the attitude that whatever life throws at you, you can meet the challenge and come out ahead.
O Limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine can destroy vital Band C vitamins in your body and it doesn't take much -only two cups of coffee! Caffeine is a stressor that makes you irritable and nervous and can disrupt your sleep and digestion. It's also highly addictive, caus- ing withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop -head- aches, lethargy, depression, anxiety and irritability. When you do cut down, do it gradually. The recommendation is n,o more than one caffeinated beverage a day.
O Limit alcoholic beverages. Have no more than

Is Your Life Out of Balance?

Look at the various factors that cause you stress. Do some of these things dominate your life? If so, your life might be out of balance.
Most people don't think about their lives in terms of balance. In fact, we hate to admit that we spend too much time at work and not enough time on things we enjoy. Still, we readily complain about stress, feeling tired and rundown or even ill. We know what's wrong and blame society for driving us to excel in some areas and for criticizing us if we take time for ourselves.
We ignore the clues to a life out of balance, which can be heard loud and clear in our own spoken denials: "My life is fine! I work, take care of the kids, what else is there? What daily walk? Meditate? Who has time for that stufi?!"
You can't look after the needs of your body without addressing the needs of the mind and spirit.
A healthy person is a whole person, and that means bringing balance to your life. And make no mistake, it is your life. You're in control ofhow you live it, even though
1 you may often feel that others are pulling your strings. Great deficiencies -or excesses -in the different areas of your life are ingredients in the recipe for stress, anx- iety, depression and illness. The solution is to create a healthy balance of all things by examining your life, looking at how you use your time and making adjust- ments accordingly. "Physical health, mental health and relationships with others can suffer if you don't nurture all aspects of your life. You must look objectively at yourself to see where you are crying out for improvement," says Dr. Gilda Carle, a relationship therapist and author of the book, Don't Bet on the Prince!
"It's important to realize that you own your time, so take charge of it. Make time for all the aspects of your life that you've ignored."
A simple graphic image on paper can be an incredi- bly eye-opening exercise. In The Artist's Way, author Julia Cameron has created the "Life Pie" for a quick -and often startling -look at your life's balance. Draw a cir- cle and divide it into six "pie" slices. Label the sections with these categories: work, play, exercise, friends, spirituality and romance/adventure. Place a dot at a point in each wedge that indicates how fulfilled you are in that area. The outer part of the wedge indicates great- ly fulfilled, the inner part not so great. Connect the dots from one slice to the next.
A life in balance will contain nearly equal amounts of all areas. Most people's life pies reveal major imbal- ances -and this is very important information.
"It is not uncommon for your life pie to look like a tarantula," says Cameron. "You will notice that there are areas of your life that feel impoverished and on which you spend little or no time. Even the slightest attention to our impoverished areas can nurture them."
Once you see your imbalances in black and white, you can begin to reshape your tarantula into a circle. Just be aware that rearranging your day for better balance is often the stumbling block that keeps your tarantula in place. If you look closely at how you fill up your time, you may be in for more surprises.Time tyranny" is the phrase used by Dr. Jon Kabat- Zinn to describe our constant struggle with not having enough time in the day. As founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachu- setts Medical Center, Kabat-Zinn teaches patients to sim- plify their lives by exploring how they use their time and then eliminating redundancy to free up more time for the things they need for balance.
"If you fill all your time, you won't have any. And you won't even be aware of why you don't," says Kabat- Zinn. "Simplifying may mean prioritizing the things that you have to and want to do and, at the same time, con- sciously choosing to give certain things up."
One of his patients, a judge, admitted that he read three newspapers every day and watches an hour of TV news. This overdose of reality cost him over two hours of precious time per day. The judge saw that he could gain time by letting go of two newspapers and the TV news, says Kabat-Zinn.
Once you've found more time in your day, use it for activities to enrich your under-fulfilled areas. If your exercise pie slice is minimal, take a daily walk or set a firm date with yourself for bicycle riding. Tend to your spiritual needs by going to church or meditating. In the "play" category, do things that improve your psy- c4e. Surround yourself with beauty, says Dr. Weil in his Good Housekeeping interview, by visiting an artgallery, listening to music or buying yourself flowers. "I don't have proof that it boosts our immune sys-
tems, but I do know that it boosts our spirits -and feel- ing better translates into better health at the physical level," he says.
A deficiency in your "friends" section says that your human connections are suffering. Get out that address book, call your friends and set a date for regular get-to- gethers. But if your romance pie slice is lacking, leave fixing it for last, cautions Dr. Carle.
f "Get yourself into better balance before taking on a new relationship, or you may attract someone who is just as out-of-balance as you," she says. "Your best love should be yourself first."
Giving some attention to the ways you might simpli- fy your life can start you on the road toward making your time your own and bringing yourself into better bal- ance. "Your time is yours anyway, you know," says Rabat- Zinn. "You might as well enjoy it."
gallery, listening to music or buying yourself flowers. "I don't have proof that it boosts our immune sys-
tems, but I do know that it boosts our spirits -and feel- ing better translates into better health at the physical level," he says.
A deficiency in your "friends" section says that your human connections are suffering. Get out that address book, call your friends and set a date for regular get-to- gethers. But if your romance pie slice is lacking, leave fixing it for last, cautions Dr. Carle.
gallery
f "Get yourself into better balance before taking on a new relationship, or you may attract someone who is just as out-of-balance as you," she says. "Your best love should be yourself first."
Giving some attention to the ways you might simpli- fy your life can start you on the road toward making your time your own and bringing yourself into better bal- ance. "Your time is yours anyway, you know," says Rabat- Zinn. "You might as well enjoy it."gallery, listening to music or buying yourself flowers. "I don't have proof that it boosts our immune sys-
tems, but I do know that it boosts our spirits -and feel- ing better translates into better health at the physical level," he says.
A deficiency in your "friends" section says that your human connections are suffering. Get out that address book, call your friends and set a date for regular get-to- gethers. But if your romance pie slice is lacking, leave fixing it for last, cautions Dr. Carle.
"Get yourself into better balance before taking on a new relationship, or you may attract someone who is just as out-of-balance as you," she says. "Your best love should be yourself first."
Giving some attention to the ways you might simpli- fy your life can start you on the road toward making your time your own and bringing yourself into better bal- ance. "Your time is yours anyway, you know," says Kabat- Zinn. "You might as well enjoy it."

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Page Updated Sun Mar 9, 2003 11:34am EST