Stress: Time Magazine, June 6, 1983 identified stress as the "Epidemic of the Eighties". The situation has continued to worsen as we race around attempting to fight its daughter products without making much progress with respect to this "Mother of illnesses." Its offspring include almost every major illness affecting Americans. According to the US Department of Health, two thirds of all visits to physicians’ offices are for stress related illnesses.

Stress itself is not an easily identified illness for which there is a specific medication. It is; however, the underlying cause of a myriad of diverse illnesses and it is implicated as a significant factor in the top six causes of death in the United States.

According to the CDC the scorecard for the six leading causes of death in 2001 reads as follows:

                               Males   Females

Stress contributes significantly to other conditions such as:

• Suicide:                        29,199 in 1999
• Multiple Sclerosis,              2,840 in 2000  
• MS accounts for 700,000 Dr. visits annually 
• Herpes, Approximately 500,000 people infected
• Mental Illness,
• Alcoholism, 
• Drug Abuse,
• Family Discord and Violence.
• Excessive Smoking
• Obesity
• Weakened immune systems

With the exception of suicide, every stress-induced illness creates more stress in its victim.

Why are greater percentages of Americans suffering stress-related illnesses than their parents or grandparents? In an article appearing in the November/December 2004 edition of "Psychology Today" the author, Hara Estroff Marano, suggests that overparenting might lie at the root. Whatever the cause, it’s doubtful that we will see significant improvement in the foreseeable future.

If one looks at the recent presidential election, it was certainly clear that the candidates saw different problems and where they agreed that there was a problem they had different solutions. With more than 115,000,000 people voting the difference in the popular vote was only 3,500,00 or just about 3%. (The same as the margin of error claimed by just about every political pole I heard prior to the election)

The fact that the government has identified stress as a causal factor in many illnesses does not mean that there will be a consensus of agreement. Furthermore, even those who agree that stress is a serious problem are not likely to agree as to the underlying causes. It is even more unlikely that those agreeing with the identification of the problem and its origins will ever agree on the course of action that we, as a nation, should take.

There may be hope, but it will not come attached to a government program. The scary truth is that to protect our children we must let them face some danger. Responsible parenting involves limiting danger - not eliminating it. The parents of the 1960’s and beyond have been increasingly focused on protecting their children to the extent that their ability to stand up to adversity has often not been tempered by relatively harmless childhood stresses.

How many people have entered the work force expecting appreciation and recognition for their best efforts even if the results fell short of corporate goals? How many have suffered stress and its consequences when shocked by unflattering evaluations, rejection of job applications, or inability to earn enough to live in the manner provided by their parents?

As a hypnotherapist, I face the results of stress on a daily basis. When I started in this business I found most clients were looking to quit smoking cigarettes or lose weight. Hypnosis is one of the most effective means of achieving these goals; however, its effectiveness is greatly improved if we can reduce the underlying stress as well as the desire to smoke, gorge or snack.

The best way to fight stress is to teach our clients self-hypnosis. In a report published by the American Psychological Association^*, a team of researchers at Ohio State University headed by Dr. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, found that patients using self-hypnosis were able to prevent immune system degradation that commonly occurs in response to acute stress such as surgery.