- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Nov. 20, 2009
Stressed today, sick tomorrow
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
At a recent workshop, a professor asked participants to draw a line about 6 inches long on a piece of paper and then divide the line into 12 parts. Each part signified a month of the preceding year. Attendees were then asked to place a mark next to each month in which they had an illness that affected their quality of life. It could be minor, such as an intestinal upset, a skin reaction or a migraine, or something more serious, such as a condition requiring surgery. Participants were then asked to think back on whether a stressful event preceded the illness.
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What were the results? Not surprisingly, most participants acknowledged that illness often followed a period of stress. The connection between stress and illness has been demonstrated in many medical studies. One such study found that healthy adults exposed to a cold virus were twice as likely to get sick if they reported being under stress. Research has also demonstrated that people in high-pressure situations, such as astronauts, students and athletes, have more upper respiratory infections than other groups.
Does this resonate with your experience? It is an important question because if we can anticipate stressful events in our lives, we can take precautions to keep ourselves healthy, such as staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and being vigilant about hand washing.
What else can we do to inoculate ourselves against stress-related illness?
8 comments posted
December 29, 2009 8:54 p.m.
Sometimes I wish we could have a different name for "stress." The very word carries a heavy vibration. In these times of I-pods, computers, "no-pods", ebay, etc etc, etc, our technology alone can wipe us out. I protect myself against stress with prayer, talking with friends, beating pillows, and chilling out at the end of the day. Barbara A., "Cry Depression, Celebrate Recovery." soon to be released.
- Barbara
November 29, 2009 3:03 p.m.
Hello to all Canadian physician, Dr. Hans Selye wrote a seminal book on stress. He pointed out that stress is a normal reaction, in dangerous situations, for example. When stress becomes distress then it is no longer normal. He swam in the pool at McGill University every morning for one hour to keep fit and to manage his the effects of a stressful career.
- Barbara
November 28, 2009 12:20 p.m.
I've seen numerous articles on the Web that convey researchers estimate that stress causes 70 - 90% of all illness. Therefore, it is vital to one's health to investigate methods of reducing stress. There are so many things one can to do remedy stress such as take a nature walk, practice meditation or watch a scenic relaxation video such as the beautiful Serenity Moments videos. If you'd like to see a short video clip and experience immediate relaxation, visit http://www.serenitymoments.com
- Charmaine
November 25, 2009 11:44 a.m.
To each his own. An important disease to some is minor to another. Consider Wegener's Granulomatosis. Not surprised if you've never heard of it. Stressors may differ, too.
- Roberta
November 25, 2009 9:30 a.m.
A Migraine may be "minor" compared to cancer, but there is truly nothing minor about Migraine DISEASE. Migraine is the 12th most disabling disorder in the U.S. It increases the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events. According to a World Health Organization analysis, Migraine alone is responsible for at least one percent of the total US medical disability burden, and severe Migraine attacks are as disabling as quadriplegia. It's sad that a physician would describe a Migraine as minor. It's even worse that someone who would say such a thing blogs for an institution with the reputation of the Mayo Clinic.
- Teri
November 25, 2009 6:42 a.m.
Stress has definitely for me been followed by many a migraine, but I would not categorize a migraine as "minor." You wouldn't either if you were a migraineur. I have an anxiety disorder and regularly take an anti-anxiety medication. I learned to take extra when I knew I was going into a very stressful situation. It helped greatly.
- Pat
November 22, 2009 10:38 a.m.
This column has alerted me to keeping a record about when I am sick. It will be interesting for me to see the raltionship between stressful periods and illness. I try very hard to keep my stress level down, but we all go through times when it is difficult. Reminding us that we can offset this is very worthwhile as the holiday season approaches.
- Barbara
November 20, 2009 10:29 p.m.
Stress is a normal part of our everyday lives. The issue is not necessarily that we experience intermittent stressful events. I think the issue is that we do not take enough time to recover from stressful events. Everyone is so busy these days that if we experience an extremely stressful event, there is no time to recover. Recovering might be reading, watching a movie or playing soccer. We all need to take time out to exercise, eat right and recover. Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to strike this delicate balance.
- Sophia
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