Now, they say stress is bad for your teeth!
Stress is bad not only for your blood pressure and your heart, but also, as it turns out , for your mouth, a literature review has found. The review was conducted by Daiane Peruzzo, PhD, who found that 57% of studies included in the review showed appositive relationship between periodontal diseases and psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness.
Researchers speculate that the hormone cortisol may play a role in the possible connection between stress and periodontal disease. A previous study had found that increased level of cortisol can lead to increased destruction of the gums and jawbone due to periodontal disease. It is well known that periodontal disease, if left untreated, can ultimately lead to bone loss or tooth loss.
“Individuals with high stress levels tend to increase their bad habits, which can be harmful to periodontal health. They are less attentive to their oral hygiene and may increase their use of nicotine, alcohol or drugs, “explained Preston d Miller, Presidence American Academy of periodontology.
“Patient should seek healthy way to relieve stress through exercise, balanced eating, plenty of sleep, and maintaining a positive mental attitude, “he added.
Peruzzo now calls for more research to be done in this field.” More research is needed to determine the definitive relationship between stress and periodontal diseases,” she said.
“However, patients who minimize stress may be at a lesser risk for periodontal diseases,” she added.
The review appears in the August issue of the journal of periodontalogy.
Identify what made you angry
Anger is a signal that all is not well. We should give shape to our feelings as to do so judiciously is neither bad nor childish, but mature. We should identify the situations that make us particularly angry. Are we being overlooked or taken for granted? Have we had to compromise something we believe in? Has someone taken or violated something precious to us or someone we value?
Once we have cooled off a little, we should ask, is our anger ‘reasonable’? Is it in proportion to the situation that caused it? An intense reaction probably reflects that the immediate cause of the anger has triggered off energy from older, unresolved hurts and fears – perhaps from as far as back as childhood.
Established what we can do about these feelings of anger
We can use our understanding of what gave rise to our anger to learn about ourselves. There are certain actions we can take that will ameliorate our feelings somewhat. Try and work out what these are and ask a (disinterested) friend what they think. Sometimes past hurts, injustices or indignities can be resolved with those responsible. If this is not possible, a skilled therapist can help heal the bruises. Sometimes we can forgive or at least move on. Situations or conflicts that are unresolvable should be avoided. It is difficult to change others’ attitude, but we can improve our own. Each of us has control over ourselves.
Your Brain on the Politics
After having a heated political discussion, have you ever wondered, “What the heck was that person thinking? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, tried to answer that question by scanning the brains of Democrats and Republicans while they looked at photos their presidential candidates. The study showed that there are differences – very robust ones, in fact – between the brains of political opposites examining the same images, according to lead researcher Marco lacoboni, MD, PhD, a director at UCLA’s Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping centre.
When participants viewed a photo of their own party’s candidate, the area of the brain associated with emotional responses became more active. But when pictures of the opposition’s vote seeker appeared, the part of the brain associated with rational thoughts consistently lit up. It seems that the subjects experienced an emotional resonance to their candidate, while they used a rational approach to distance themselves from the opponent,” lacoboni says.
Indeed it appears that people really do have knee-jerk reactions to politics. Its just that they happen in the brain.
Why do anxieties and phobias occur?
Sometimes these disorders occur as a result of a severe, real stress such as a road traffic accident. Sometimes they occur because people set themselves unrealistic goals.