The Economy, Stress and Your Pain – Weekly Faith and Health Scripture – Matthew 6:25-34

Dr. Christopher Edwards, director of the Behavioral Chronic Pain Management program at Duke University Medical Center, says his pain-management program in Durham, N.C. is seeing a rise in patients amid the current economic crisis: “There’s a very strong relationship between the economy and the number of out-of-control stress cases we see.”

Katherine Muller is a cognitive therapist and director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y.  She says “The message I’m trying to send(to my patients) is that you are responsible for your own stress. The way you are looking at it and feeling about it is more up to you than you realize.”

Both of the above excerpts were taken from a Wall Street Journal health column written by Melina Beck on March 17, 2009.  Her article is another reminder of the affect that chronic stress can have on our physical health. In this case, it’s the stress people are experiencing because of their perceptions and beliefs about their finances and the impact the economy is having on their lives. Beck mentions the value of exercise, biofeedback and therapy as methods to alleviate stress, however she makes no mention of the spiritual dimension of one’s life and the value of it in managing the stressors associated with this economic mess were are in. Read more of this article »