Rx for Overall Health: Friendship

Friendship = less stress. Less stress = better health   
      

 

On Our Forum "Hi all, it sure is nice to know you all are here and I'm not truly alone in this struggle. It sure feels that way sometimes.... I'm just feeling down and discouraged. I don't get the support I need at home and have to be 'on' for my kids so much it's exhausting. Anyway, I don't have any new complaints, just the same old thing, being sick and tired of being sick and tired :o (  ... Oh well, I know others have it much worse, and I ought to count my blessings, but it's hard sometimes.... Love and weary smiles... Thanks for listening!" Join the discussion     Related Resources • Headaches/Migraine Chat Room • Headaches/Migraine Forums • Or maybe this one    From Other Guides • Cortisol: The Stress Hormone • The Mind and the Body Are the Same Thing    Free Newsletter Email Address Subscribe to: BEATING HEADACHES Email Newsletter

By now, we all know that stress is harmful to our health, but a reminder never hurts. Even if stress isn't a headache trigger for you, it can affect other areas of your health, and affect your headache disorder in that way.

How does stress affect your body?
During times of stress, some parts of your brain become more active, resulting in elevated levels of the stress hormones, cortisol and the catecholamines, norepinephrine, epinephrine, adrenalin, and dopamine. These hormones, produced in the adrenal glands, are necessary to the body in the day-to-day challenges we all face. However, when these levels are heightened for extended periods of time, they can become harmful, affecting blood glucose levels, healing, bone density, and the aging process. The immune system may function poorly and neurons in your brain may be affected, compromising mental function.

Dealing with stress:
Obviously, we can't eliminate all stress from our lives, so we need to develop and employ coping strategies. Dr. Rabin comments:

"Being optimistic, having a sense of humor, being physically fit, and being religious or spiritual are all part of the package--and none is more important than another. It's a lifestyle that combines all these factors that will help you in the long run... The more types of friends you have, the better... Seek out friends from a variety of settings, including your family, your workplace, and your place of worship. It doesn't matter much where, so long as you get out there and mingle."

According to a study conducted at UCLA, women seem to naturally seek out friends as a response to stress. Shelley E. Taylor, Ph.D., a psychology professor and principal investigator of the study, calls this pattern "tend and befriend." Females of many species, including our own, respond to stress by protecting and nurturing their young (the "tend" response) and by seeking social contact and support from others (the "befriend" response). This is in contrast to the more familiar "fight or flight" behavior that many of us of both genders use to cope with stress. The "tend-and-befriend" response may be biological in origin, the UCLA researchers say, being connected to:

• The hormone oxytocin.
• Sex hormones.
• The body's natural opioid (pain-killer) system.

The UCLA study also demonstrated that women are more likely than men to "befriend," to seek social contact in stressful situations. Taylor also said,

"The different ways that men and women respond to stress, may lead researchers to understand why men are more likely than women to suffer stress's harmful effects."

Gerald Ellison, Ph.D., director of Psychoneuroimmunology Services at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is another proponent of friendship for managing stress. He observed,

"Friends keep us from becoming isolated and lonely; they offer encouragement and support; and they help keep our thinking in line with the real world... When we're missing friendship, we experience isolation and loneliness. These feelings are associated with illness, discomfort, and general ineffectiveness as a person... Having friends can also be especially helpful if you're already seriously ill... Friends--if supportive and encouraging--can increase our hope when dealing with illness and trauma. And increased hope is associated with higher levels of immune system functioning."

Summary:
Friendship is a sound prescription in times of stress, for both our emotional and physical health. Dr. Ellison's statement seems a fitting summary:

"Friends--if supportive and encouraging--can increase our hope when dealing with illness and trauma. And increased hope is associated with higher levels of immune system functioning."

       

¹ Carol Sorgen, "To Stay Healthy . . . Make Friends," Medscape Health for Consumers. December, 2001.
http://health.medscape.com/viewarticle/411465              

for a printer-friendly version of this feature, click HERE
to recommend this page to a friend, click HERE

Previous Articles

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email