A new study published in BMC Medicine suggests that the effects of a stressful environment during pregnancy can be passed down to later generations. The research team, led by Gerlinde Metz, Ph.D., of the University of Lethbridge, examined the effects of stress over four generations of rats. They found that stress in previous generations did…
Commuting is a daily chore that you probably don’t give much thought — but maybe you should starting thinking about it. The average commute for an American worker is 25 minutes each way, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s roughly eight and a half days per year spent getting to and from work.
When your inbox is overflowing, the boss demands another rush project on top of the 12 you’ve already got going, you can’t think straight and just want to escape — it could very well be time for a vacation. In fact, it’s probably well past the time when you need to get away. What are…
Going off to college is a major life event for a teenager. For many it is the first time away from home for an extended period of time. In a way, going to college and living on campus is like a first step toward living without your parents and toward becoming an adult in the…
Oxytocin is the name of a natural substance, classified as a hormone, which forms in the brain and circulates throughout the bloodstream. During childbirth, doctors can use oxytocin injections to induce labor, quicken labor or decrease the risk for bleeding immediately following labor. Scientific evidence indicates that this hormone also plays a vital role in…
If you work in a cubicle, or really any type of office space, you know how bleak it can look. The gray walls, the beige carpet, the dividing boundaries between you and your co-workers, the fluorescent lights overhead; all of these things make for a boring space in which to work. Keeping a small potted…
We have long known that a pregnant woman’s actions impact her unborn child. These impacts can even ripple outward into the child’s life many years later. Bad habits like drinking and smoking can cause birth defects that last a lifetime and good habits like eating well can give a child a leg up in life.…
Your life experiences could be an indicator as to the health of your heart. An article in Science News shares information about a study that found a link between traumatic events in a person’s life to cardiovascular health.
Stress is not just a state of mind. It can manifest itself in many physical ways as well. After all, it is stress that propels the body into the ‘fight or flight’ response. Stress can trigger migraine headaches and cause ulcers, increase heart rate, and elevate blood pressure. If the body is left in a…
Victims of trauma experience severe violations of personal boundaries. Consequently, persistent anger and anger management problems are common characteristics of individuals who have experienced traumatic events. This is true for survivors of abuse as well as for survivors of other types of adverse incidents. If loss occurs, anger as a stage of grieving is a…