Never tell patients to reduce their stress… tell them how to reduce the stress instead

IMA Detox President Secretaries Meet

Never tell patients to reduce their stress… tell them how to reduce the stress instead

Doctors very commonly advise patients to reduce their stress. But, what we don’t tell them is how they can do so.

A Detox Leadership Meet was recently organized by IMA HQs at Om Shanti Retreat Centre at Manesar in Gurgaon (Haryana). At the meet, when asked to define stress, every doctor had a different answer to the question.

Under the IMA 1 Voice Program, all IMA members should be clear and speak in one language.

The correct definition of stress is “the reaction (evident or silent) of the body and/or the mind to the interpretation of a known situation”.

The components of stress therefore include:

·         A known situation, which may or may not be alterable

·         An interpretation, which may be natural, positive or negative

·         A reaction, often modifiable, which can be at the level of mind and/or the body and this reaction can be evident or silent. 

Stress management, therefore involves changing or modifying the situation, modifying the interpretation of a given situation or living a lifestyle, which prepares the body and the mind in such a way that the stress alerts or modifies the reaction or does not allow the body to react. This can be done by proper diet, regular physical exercise, pranayama, meditation and relaxation techniques.

Patients should be educated that while a certain amount of stress does motivate us to perform better by putting in extra efforts and do a good job, too much stress or long-standing stress can be detrimental to health.

People overeat (comfort foods), start smoking, drinking or use drugs etc. as means to deal with their stress. These factors, by themselves, increase the risk of many lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension. Anger or emotional stress, has been known to precipitate a heart attack or trigger arrhythmias. 

One can reduce stress by changing their interpretation of a situation

One can reduce stress by changing their interpretation of a situation The Indian Medical Association, Brahma Kumaris Group and Heart Care Foundation of India organise a two-day stress and leadership meet New Delhi, September 17, 2016: A two-day stress and detox leadership meet of the State and Local Branch Presidents and Secretaries of the Indian Medical Association and stakeholders of Heart Care Foundation of India is ongoing at the Om Shanti Retreat Centre, Pataudi Road, Near Manesar, Gurgaon, Delhi-NCR. The aim of the workshop is to address the increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases amongst doctors and the public due to high levels of stress. Key matters concerning the medical profession at large including the increasing violence against doctors, the need to reform the PCPNDT Act were also discussed. During his address to the attendees, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal – Honorary Secretary General & President Elect IMA and President Heart Care Foundation of India said, “Stress is the reaction of the body or the mind to the interpretation of a known situation. Stress management, therefore, involves either changing the situation, changing the interpretation or taming the body in such a way that stress does not affect the body. Every situation has two sides. Change of interpretation is looking at the other side of the situation. It is something like considering half a glass of water, which can be interpreted as half empty or half full.” Research indicates that anger, hostility and aggression are the new risk factors for heart disease. It has been shown that even recall of anger can precipitate a heart attack. Adding to this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr A Marthanda Pillai, Past President IMA said, “Positive discussion in a healthcare system can result in better outcome. With the stresses that come with being effective medical practitioners, it is essential that each and every doctor takes out time for himself, and takes care of his/her overall health and well-being as well. It is also their duty to raise mass level awareness about the incidence of lifestyle diseases due to everyday stresses.” The best way to practice spiritual medicine is to experience silence in one's thoughts, speech and actions. Simply walking amidst nature with silence in the mind and experiencing the sounds of nature can be as effective as 20 minutes of meditation. 20 minutes of meditation provides the same physiological parameters as that of seven hours of deep sleep. Management of stress, therefore, involves either removing the known situation or changing one’s interpretation or preparing the body in such a way that the stress does not affect the mind and the body. But, removing the known situation may not be possible all the time. For example, if you are stressful in a job, resigning may not be feasible. The modality, therefore, is to change your interpretation towards the stressful situation for which one should start thinking positively and different and choose the resultant options within, which do not hurt the heart. Speaking on the occasion, BK Brij Mohan, Principal Secretary Brahma Kumaris, BK Asha, Director OM Shanti Retreat Centre, BK Sapna, Centre in charge Lajpat Nagar in a joint statement said, “Apart from counselling, one can also prepare the body in such a way that stress does not bother them. This can be done by learning the art of parasympathetic breathing, relaxation, meditation and regular exercise.” Changing of the interpretation is what in allopathic terms is described as cognitive behaviour therapy, the origin of which comes from Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishna counsels Arjuna following the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.