HealthDay TV: Stress

I don't know one person that has not been affected in some way -directly or indirectly- by the stress of the world we live in. But can stress make us sick?

A new report in a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reviews the research on how it can wreak havoc on our bodies and -importantly- what we can do about it.

There is actually a field of medicine that focuses on the science of stress...investigating the connection between negative emotions and health outcomes. It's known as psychoneuroimmunology. Over the past few decades, researchers in this field have built a library of scientific evidence supporting the notion that stress can be more than a nuisance. As one example, stress can hamper our immune system, or how well we heal from -or ward off- illness or injury.

So now that we are sufficiently stressed out over how bad stress is...what to do?

Step one: create awareness around this. Know that too much stress is hurting you or those you love, and take steps to manage it in healthy ways. Regular exercise is one great technique. Another? Small changes in your diet -like incorporating omega 3 fatty acids found in walnuts and fish- can fight against the damaging effects of stress on the body.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, for HealthDay TV, bringing you health news you can use to live your best life.