PROBLEMS OF ILL HEALTH CAUSING STRESS: BLOOD PRESSURE, PREMENSTRUAL TENSION
Blood pressure
“He took my blood pressure. It was just a routine examination. He pulled a face, and said, “You had better take these tablets. You don’t want to have a heart attack or a stroke.” Have been taking the tablets, but life is not going as well as it was. Don’t know what is wrong with me. Irritable. Depressed. Children get on my nerves.”
The physiological effect of the medication easily upsets the function of our brain cells, and makes us more vulnerable to stress.
In this case, it would seem that it would have been wiser first to try to control the blood pressure by relaxing procedures rather than immediately commencing medication.
“For those few days I am difficult to live with. I know I am. But I don’t seem to be able to do anything about it.”
It is difficult for her to do anything about it because the change of hormone balance has caused disturbing impulses to be sent to her brain. These form a background which adds to other impulses, and so predisposes her to stress.
The situation is always complicated by psychological factors. We become conditioned to a situation. We expect trouble. Of necessity this very expectation sends further impulses to our brain and so adds to the effect of the hormonal imbalance.
What can we do? Of course, the orthodox approach is to take hormone pills to try to reduce the effect of the glandular imbalance. On the other hand, we can quite definitely reduce the psychological component by a relaxing approach. That is definite. But relaxation when it is carried out in meditative fashion may go further than this. It is no mystery that our mental state influences our glandular activity. A simple example is the way in which young women may lose their periods when they come under stress, and the normal glandular rhythm returns when the stress passes. In a similar fashion relaxing meditation may have a direct effect in restoring the glandular balance in the premenstrual phase.
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Tags: Anti Depressants