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Last week, I read an amusing item about what a British researcher called "the worst day of the year." His mathematical calculations -- based on foul weather, debt, fading Christmas memories, failed resolutions and a lack of motivation -- estimated we've just passed our worst day: Jan. 24. Didn't buy that one then, but thought it was worth a chuckle.
A new study by Japanese researchers made me reconsider my initial reaction. Seems that, of the seven days of the week, Mondays could indeed be the most dangerous of them all. Some interesting factoids:
- Blood pressure readings are higher on Mondays than at any other time of the week.
- Deaths from heart attacks and strokes tend to peak on Monday morning.
- There are 20 percent more heart attacks on Mondays than any other day.
To record changes over the course of a week, researchers fitted 175 patients with a device that measures their blood pressure round-the-clock. The results showed a surge in readings in those getting ready to go back to work on a Monday morning. However, patients who slept through that time didn't experience an increase, suggesting work-related stress is to blame.
Not surprising, because the way we perceive and tolerate the obstacles in our lives -- stress -- is completely tied into the ongoing state of our health. In fact, it's a key factor for nearly all the patients I see because it plays a major role in their immune systems, and often leads to higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels too.
You can work to provide your body with tools to compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting that can cause serious disruption in many of your body's important systems. I've found the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), the energy psychology tool I use daily in my practice, can be very useful to battle the dual effects of stress and depression. A form of psychological acupressure, EFT is based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for more than 5,000 years, but without the invasiveness of needles.
I strongly urge you to review my free online manual to learn how to use this effective tool.
There's no questioning the power of prayer either. So many studies have documented it and the science that proves its healing power is very solid.
BBC News January 31, 2005