Stress: It's Effect on Your Health, and What You Can Do About It.

Great post over at RealAge.com today on stress and it's effect on your health. According to the article:

"Stress activates the nervous system, stimulating the secretion of certain hormones and increasing blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, metabolism, and blood flow to the muscles. Much of the time, this process is helpful. The boost in activity helps the body meet greater demands during crises -- for example, to run from a direct threat or to think and act quickly and efficiently when tackling a demanding task.

"But all of this extra physiological activity may take a toll. Normally, the body can recover when the stressful situation subsides. But when the stress response is turned on too often, or for too long without time to recover, the body pays a price.

"Depending on the amount of stress, this price could be high. Several studies have indicated a link between elevated stress levels and deficiencies in immune system function. In fact, long-term, unrelieved stress may depress immune system function so much that the body becomes more vulnerable to colds, flu, and other infections. Research has also linked excessive stress to chronic illnesses and diseases, including heart disease and cancer."

The article goes on to provide helpful hints and proven methodoligies for relieving or reducing stress in your life.  Read the entire article here.

Additional Information:  Milwaukee Wisconsin Hair Loss Restoration Clinic

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

Burn Victim Transformed

Veteran WPIX 11 newscaster Marvin Scott reports in this undated video about the "transformation" of 11-year-old burn victim Brittany, of St. Louis, Missouri.  Source: AlopeciaWorld.com.

WIGS FOR KIDS:  Although unrelated to the above video, Wigs For Kids does some amazing work in this area on a nationwide basis.  When children lose their hair, whether as a result of medical treatments, health conditions, or burn accidents, they don't just suffer physically. The change in their appearance can drastically undermine their self-image and sabotage their self-esteem. To combat this additional trauma, Certified Cosmetic Therapist Jeffrey Paul founded Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1980.

Looking back over the past 25 years, Paul says he cannot believe his incredible journey. He was a successful hairdresser with a thriving business. He traveled all over the world to work with powerful presidents and gorgeous models. But one day, his 15-year-old niece walked into his salon, crying. She tearfully begged him to stop her hair from falling out. His immediate thoughts were that it was not serious.

But when he saw the look in her father's eyes, he knew it was something more. It turned out that she had just been diagnosed with leukemia. "Uncle Jeff, you know I've been trying to get on the gymnastics team all my life," she cried. "My hair is going to be falling out when it's time to try out."

Although chemotherapy would help save her life, it would also leave her with no hair. "I promised her that she would have hair," Paul says. "And when you make a promise to a kid, you keep it."