In every moment of our lives, an ever-changing array of hormones and molecules interact, nudging us either toward health or toward disease. Consider these…
10 Surprising Factors Behind Chronic Disease:
- Inflammation & Infection: More than all other risk factors such as smoking, cholesterol or even blood pressure, it was stress and feelings of lack of control that predisposed subjects to high levels of fibrinogen—a substance linked to an increase in blood clotting, heart disease, and stroke [892 male workers, Journal of Occupational and Environment Medicine]
- Ischemia [insufficient blood supply to the heart]: An abundance of “negative” emotions literally doubles the risk for ischemia, a condition characterized by an insufficient blood supply to the heart, compared to those who have more “positive” emotions [JAMA]
- Stroke: A study following more than 20,000 people for 8 years found the risk of stroke to be more related to psychological distress than cigarette smoking, blood pressure, obesity, heart attack history, diabetes, family history of stroke, or cholesterol level [Neurology]
- Heart disease: The single best predictor is not smoking, obesity or cholesterol but depression. An increase in the hundreds of percents—unrelated to cholesterol or obesity—is seen with an elevated level of adverse childhood experience [CDC’s ACE Study]
- Colon & rectal cancers: Serious aggravation on the job or in the workplace where one has little control, appears to increase the risk of developing colon and rectal cancer—after accounting for diet and other factors previously associated with these types of cancer [Epidemiology]
- Breast Cancer: Women with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol die significantly sooner than women with normal levels [Multiple sources, Ohio State University, Dr. Barbara Anderson]
- Death from all causes: 9 year investigation revealed men who face chronic stress at work or home have a 30% higher chance of dying from all causes
- All serious disease: More than doubling the risk for serious disorders in adulthood is being mistreated as children [Multiple studies, CDC’s ACE Study—Adverse Childhood Experience]
- Lung disease [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD] is projected be the leading cause of death worldwide. An elevated ACE [Adverse Childhood Experience, CDC study] score results in a 200% increase not accounted for by smoking history
- Physical decline: A Harvard study of more than 56,000 women the absence of a single confidant was equal, as measured in physical decline, to being a heavy smoker and in the highest category of obesity
