It’s official.  A hot head contributes to inflammatory disease.  According to a study cited in the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, people who react quickly to low levels of stress may experience an increase in inflammatory disease, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Atherosclerosis, or Hay fever.

We already know that stress kills.  But a direct link to inflammatory disease was made in the February issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.  Researchers had participants view a speech in a laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh.  When the participants were later asked about their emotional reactions to the speech, those that reported feeling angry and uncomfortable had higher levels of the inflammation marker; interleukin-6.  People who reported little or no response to the speech had little or no trace of the interleukin-6.

This helps explain why reactive people with “short fuses” may suffer more health issues than their less emotional peers, and underlines the need for stress management to be included in our corporate wellness programs.  Stress management may include anger management education, parenting counseling and classes, yoga and meditation techniques, and walking clinics.