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Stress reduction
 Stress reduction, stress reduction, stress reduction!! You’re likely to hear or read about some stress reduction approach daily – and with good reason. Stress reduction is a hot topic because surveys show that stress levels have progressively escalated over the past few decades.
Stress reduction is also important because contemporary stress has become more insidious and dangerous than ever before due to terrorism, hurricanes, tsunamis as well as job stress due to layoffs, downsizing and numerous workplace pressures.
Others are anxious to find stress reduction techniques because of growing proof that stress can cause heart attacks, stroke, sudden death, as well as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, certain cancers, infections and a host of other stress related diseases due to impaired immune system function.
Stress reduction is a hot topic because stress can worsen the symptoms or course of almost any disorder. It is estimated that 75-90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are for stress induced complaints, many of which can be alleviated by appropriate stress reduction techniques.
Stress levels have risen in children, teens, workers, single mothers and the elderly but for different reasons. Therefore, stress prevention and stress reduction approaches have to be tailored to the specific needs of different demographic groups.
In addition, just as stress differs for each of us, no stress reduction technique works for everyone. Meditation, jogging and yoga are popular stress reduction practices for many. However, when arbitrarily imposed on others they can be dull, boring and stressful.
Finding out which stress reduction technique works best for you can be difficult. There is no shortage of stress reduction advice, stress reduction devices, and other stress reduction products and services. Most merely provide paid testimonials to bolster their extravagant stress reduction and other claims rather than scientific studies demonstrating solid stress reduction benefits. One example of fraudulent stress reduction products are stress reduction supplements that purportedly reduce stress as well as weight by lowering levels of cortisol. What could be more appealing than a nonprescription stress reduction pill that also sheds excess pounds?
Since there is no evidence to support the stress reduction and other claims of these supplements, their advertisements often cite reputable studies in peer-reviewed journals that are accurate but completely irrelevant. Most people are unaware of this deceptive ploy since regulatory authorities have little control over stress reduction claims for supplements or even whether the contents of the container bear any relationship to what is on its label. In countries where supplements do have to prove efficacy and safety, certain adaptogen supplements have been shown to have significant stress reduction effects.
Consumers are understandably confused since it can be difficult to distinguish stress reduction claims that are authentic from stress reduction claims that are fraudulent. The American Institute of Stress has served as an ombudsman in this area for three decades by separating the wheat from the chaff not only with respect to stress reduction products and stress reduction services, but other stress related areas where hype and misinformation are rampant.
Stress reduction is most effective when the source of stress can be identified so that proper prevention and relief measures can be implemented. For example, job stress is the leading source of stress for American adults and has been shown to cause an increase in cardiovascular and other stress related diseases. Since Job stress stems from the perception of having little control over workplace activities as well as increased demands, stress reduction efforts should focus on efforts to prevent or ameliorate these sources of stress.
For senior citizens stress reduction should focus on relieving social isolation, stress reduction in children and teens should address school or peer pressure problems and stress reduction for other groups should similarly identify sources of stress to find the best solutions for stress reduction.
For additional information on stress reduction, see Topics Of Interest and other www.stress.org sites. It is the best resource to help you find the optimal stress reduction technique for you by offering a smorgasbord of proven stress reduction techniques that can add life to your years as well as years to your life.
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