health risk management

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.

The New York Times reported this week that although the number of Ischemic strokes (a blockage of the artery to the brain, caused by a narrowing in the artery or a clot) are falling in older people, and that “stroke hospitalizations rose sharply among men and women ages 15 to 44, including a 51-percent jump among 15- to 34-year-old men”.  According to the article, “There were also notable increases among children, though the number of strokes in children remains very small over all. The study found increases of more than 30 percent in boys and girls ages 5 to 14. Hospitalization for strokes declined, however, in girls younger than 5.”

This story cites a study from American Stroke Association in Dallas.  According to Xin Tong, M.P.H., a health statistician with the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, “We cannot link anything in particular to the trend in younger patients, but I believe the role of obesity and hypertension will prompt a big discussion. Unfortunately, right now we can’t speculate on the causes.”

It’s alarming to think of growing numbers of children and young adults potentially having strokes because of obesity issues.  But, with the rate of obesity so high in the United States, it’s a grim possibility.  It’s never been more important to present health risk management tools, such as food service integration, physical activity, group programs, and wellness programs to our employees and their families.

We all know exercise is a crucial component of any company’s corporate wellness and fitness culture.  But how exactly does physical activity affect your company’s health risk management investment?

According to a statement published by the American Heart Association: “Regular physical activity using large muscle groups, such as walking, running, or swimming, produces cardiovascular adaptations that increase exercise capacity, endurance, and skeletal muscle strength.  Habitual physical activity also prevents the development of coronary artery disease and reduces symptoms in patients with established cardiovascular disease.” The article goes on to say that this most likely applies to the reduction of the risk for diabetes, depression, obesity, and breast and colon cancer. 

However, long term meaningful health and fitness may require more than a daily visit to the gym.  Human bodies are designed for and require movement.  Our muscles are made to plant and harvest, hunt, play with children, and run from predators.  Today, we sit on our way to work, ride elevators to our offices, and often, our primary social and professional networkings take place via texts and emails where the only parts of our bodies that move may be our thumbs.

A July 2010 New York Times article cites a study that surveyed a group of well educated, upper class men.  Most of these men had a steady workout routine.  They also typically spent about 23 hours a week watching television, driving, or in otherwise sedentary activities. The study found that these men had a 64 percent greater chance of succumbing to heart disease than men who spent less than eleven sedentary hours a week.  

So how do your hardworking employees counter long hours at their desks that may actually be bad for their health?  Move. Pace during the conference calls.  Stand up and stretch while the computer reboots.  Deliver messages to coworkers in person rather than by email.  Encourage actual conversation rather than instant messaging.  Walk to the break room and pour a cup of green tea.

Regular activity throughout the day is another piece in the wellness puzzle that protects your best investment: your employee’s health.