Take A Bite Out of Stress

In a fascinating new study from Denmark published in the journal Brain, Behaviour, & Immunity, protection from flu vaccines was influenced by stress! Among people with high stress levels, there was a lower protective effect from flu vaccinations. The amount of antibodies produced after being vaccinated was actually LOWER in people reporting more stressful events in their lives!

So if you want to make sure you’re getting the most from your healthcare prevention – get a handle on the stress in your life. You can’t eliminate stress, but you can learn simple techniques for controlling the harmful physiological responses your body has when inevitably exposed to stress. And Princess can be a great stress-busting coach.

Find Out If Your Health is Sensitive to Stress

Everyone’s life is full of stress – stress over work, school, family, health problems, finances, even our friends. Stress is important because it causes mental distress and also can aggravate a variety of health conditions. Stress often triggers headaches, stomach aches and diarrhea, elevated blood pressure, sleep trouble, and mood disturbances. Stress can also strain your heart. Take this quiz (reprinted from Fit As Fido: Follow Your Dog to Better Health) to see if you are susceptible to developing physical symptoms from mental stress:

• Do you have trouble finding someone to share problems with?
• Have you stopped attending to your spiritual needs?
• Have you stopped making time for your hobbies?
• Do you frequently skip meals?
• Do you drink more than 2 cups of caffeinated beverages daily?
• Do you regularly smoke or drink alcohol?
• Are you overweight?
• Do you frequently sleep less than 7 hours per night?
• Do you usually exercise less than every other day?
• Do you worry about doing a good job at work?
• Do you worry that you won’t be able to pay your bills?

If you checked four or more boxes, you’re at risk for stress aggravating physical problems. The more of these boxes that you checked, the more vulnerable you are to developing physical symptoms when exposed to stress.

Dogs Take A Bite Out of Stress

Luckily, Fido can show you how to take a bite out of stress. Did you know that medical research has proven that dogs are great stress relievers, helping to reduce anxiety and the effects of stress? In a unique experiment, heart rate and blood pressure were measured in healthy adults asked to do math calculations. Increases in heart rate and blood pressure show that the stress is also causing a strain on the heart. Interestingly, having a spouse or supportive friend present during the math test worsened the stress response. Having a pet nearby decreased the stress response.

Practice Stress Management Techniques

You can reduce your stress response by keeping Fido close to you. The next time you need to balance your checkbook, talk with your teenager, or have dinner with your mother-in-law, make sure you have a four-legged friend nearby to help ease your stress response. Simply petting Fido, will lower your stress response and reduce the negative effects stress can have on your body.

Another simple technique is cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring means changing the messages you tell yourself from negative to positive. Sound hard? Listen to how you talk to Bailey – “What a good dog you are!”, “You’re such a good boy!”, “You’re so precious!” (And you KNOW you say this stuff all the time!) Next time you tell Precious she’s sweet, tell yourself, too. So instead of ,”Oh, I’ll never get through all this paperwork. It’s a nightmare,” tell yourself, “I’m good at organizing yourself. Let’s get started and I know I’ll succeed.” Instead of, “I’ll never lose all this extra weight,” tell yourself, “I’m proud of myself for starting that walking program with Fluffy. I’m going to be getting healthier and I’ll start feeling better, too!” And don’t be afraid to look in the mirror and tell yourself, “You’re wonderful!” You’ll be surprised how relaxing hearing these positive messages can be.

Exercise is another great stress buster. So adding daily dog walks can be helpful to minimize the effects of daily stresses. And you may want to add in a more vigorous workout on particularly stressful days.

Putting It All Together

So the next time you feel stressed, don’t sink into the sofa with a bag of chips and the television remote. Whistle for Max, tell him he’s terrific, tell yourself YOU’RE terrific, go for a brisk walk together, and start taking a bite out of stress.

Article contributed by regular guest blogger, Dawn A. Marcus.

About the author: Dawn A. Marcus, MD is a medical doctor and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She also serves as medical expert to Del Monte’s Power of Paws program, which promotes better human health through pet companionship. She is an internationally-recognized speaker, educator, and author, receiving the National Headache Foundation Media Excellence Award. Dr. Marcus has written nine medical books, including her latest book, Fit As Fido: Follow Your Dog to Better Health. Visit her websites www.dawnmarcusmd.com and www.fitasfido.com.