
Brain activity 'key in stress link to heart disease' - robinwarren
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38584975
======
0xcde4c3db
> Heart experts said at-risk patients should be helped to manage stress.

Is there any high-quality evidence that "stress management" interventions
actually lead to a medically significant reduction in biological stress? I see
this sort of thing mentioned in passing in lots of places as a potential
mitigation, but studies that actually examine its effectiveness seem to be in
short supply, and what I can dig up quickly seems to be low-quality
(underpowered, not randomized, not controlled).

~~~
gm-conspiracy
I don't even see how one could have effective "stress management" provided by
a US health insurance company or healthcare provider.

Good luck getting treated for GAD without first some random SSRIs and blood
pressure med cocktails.

~~~
BeetleB
My insurance company covers counselors for "medically necessary" reasons. What
constitutes medically necessary is up to the counselor. They know how to bill
it so you're covered.

------
HillaryBriss
A long time ago people reduced stress during the work day by stepping away
from their desks, going outside, and enjoying a cool, relaxing, mentholated
product from the Philip Morris company

~~~
ohyes
A nice smooth refreshing cigarette, and it will give you lung cancer before
the heart disease kicks in.

~~~
coldtea
You'd be surprised.

There are far more heart disease than lung cancer deaths in the US -- and has
been so since forever (4 times more or so).

In fact the number of lung cancers peaked in 2014 -- way after smoking became
a faux pas. It was less when everybody and their dog smoked.

~~~
xvedejas
Wow, this is a great example of dishonest statistics. The _rate_ of lung
cancer deaths peaked somewhere around 1985-95. This being the population that
began smoking back in the 50s and 60s, by my estimate. You can't use raw
numbers here because population has changed substantially in the US over the
years.

~~~
sjg007
And smoking causes heart disease...

------
browseatwork
I wonder how this relates to other findings about the relationship between
stress, health, and mortality. It's a TED talk, but I found it to have some
practical and interesting conclusions. Beliefs about stress impact how much
harm stress causes.

[https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress...](https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend)

------
kbart
Is this new? I've heard for years that stress causes all kinds of health
issues (first of all, heart disease) and thought it's universal knowledge.

~~~
sgwealti
It was but there wasn't a lot of information about how stress caused heart
disease. This article talks about a potential mechanism for how it happens.

~~~
cpncrunch
We already knew that the amygdala activates the sympathetic nervous system
during stress, which causes inflammation, and this was suspected to be the
reason for heart disease. This study just provides more experimental evidence.

------
ipunchghosts
This is great news. Except now, how do quell activity in the amygdala?

~~~
supernumerary
Psilocybin

~~~
VonGuard
Actually, this is the best answer here. This is basically exactly what shrooms
do to the brain.

~~~
ohyes
When do we get /that/ on the ballot?

~~~
Dirlewanger
Once all the baby boomers drop dead. Seriously.

------
DoodleBuggy
See? Don't overthink it.

