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Jul. 30th, 2010 01:27 am
Stress and health: Some vindication
To briefly summarize this fantastic article about research into the effects of stress on health:
( Stress is deadly, yo )
All of this? Is stuff I've been saying for years. Yet stress is almost never actually addressed in the cultural information flow about health, in favor of the latest superfood or diet craze or magic snake oil that's supposed to make everything better.
It's heartening, therefore, to see that there are at least some researchers out there who are focusing on trying to fix this.
It's also heartening on a personal level. Mostly.
( Sucky childhood = crappy adult health, and there's not much I can do about that now )
I also have to wonder whether the screeching health brigade will pay any attention to this stuff, and start changing how they address health issues. I wonder if they'll ever come to the realization that, for instance, berating fat people for being fat is not, in fact, helping them become healthier and is instead making things worse.
But... Probably not.
Addressing the key cultural factors involved in stress-related illness A) requires addressing the worst parts of capitalism B) Can't be marketed/profited from the same way diets, gym memberships and the latest superfoods and magic vitamins can and C) Requires holding the larger culture responsible instead of blaming people for their own problems (which is, of course, the Proper American Way to do things.)
Besides, it's really not health that these people care about anyway. If it was, diets and gyms wouldn't market themselves as the sure ticket to a more socially acceptable body. What they really care about isn't cardiovascular health, but maintaining the existing social rank by making sure lower-status people feel rotten about themselves so they'll never get strong enough to pose a challenge to dominance.
( Stress is deadly, yo )
All of this? Is stuff I've been saying for years. Yet stress is almost never actually addressed in the cultural information flow about health, in favor of the latest superfood or diet craze or magic snake oil that's supposed to make everything better.
It's heartening, therefore, to see that there are at least some researchers out there who are focusing on trying to fix this.
It's also heartening on a personal level. Mostly.
( Sucky childhood = crappy adult health, and there's not much I can do about that now )
I also have to wonder whether the screeching health brigade will pay any attention to this stuff, and start changing how they address health issues. I wonder if they'll ever come to the realization that, for instance, berating fat people for being fat is not, in fact, helping them become healthier and is instead making things worse.
But... Probably not.
Addressing the key cultural factors involved in stress-related illness A) requires addressing the worst parts of capitalism B) Can't be marketed/profited from the same way diets, gym memberships and the latest superfoods and magic vitamins can and C) Requires holding the larger culture responsible instead of blaming people for their own problems (which is, of course, the Proper American Way to do things.)
Besides, it's really not health that these people care about anyway. If it was, diets and gyms wouldn't market themselves as the sure ticket to a more socially acceptable body. What they really care about isn't cardiovascular health, but maintaining the existing social rank by making sure lower-status people feel rotten about themselves so they'll never get strong enough to pose a challenge to dominance.
