Psychoneuroimmunology - Cancer Test

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Psychoneuroimmunology

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Continuing our discussion on Psychoneuroimmunology, we have a little test

for you to take. Once while I was at the VA hospital, a nurse administered this

test to a group of vets. It's taken me some 4 years to locate it. It is an

amazing test that allows us all to take a stress inventory.

Drs Holmes and Rahe [social Readjustment Rating Scale, Pergamar Press, 1971]

developed a list of stressors, each of which most of us will experience at

one time or another in this life. Each stressor is given a value called the

Life Change Units. As you go through the list, if one of the stressors affects

you presently (in the past six months or so), write the Life Change Units

(points) for that stressor on a sheet of paper. When you are done, add up the

numbers.

Here is what Drs Holmes and Rahe discovered:

If you score between 150 and 299 points, you have a 50% chance of getting

sick in the near future. If your score is over 300 points, there is an 80%

chance you will get sick.

Again, this study is all about the " average " person. How do we avoid getting

ill if we have a high score? Learn to deal with stress, take care of

ourselves, and love ourselves. In other words, refuse to be average.

Here is the test designed by Drs Holmes and Rahe:

1. Death of spouse/significant other 100 2. Divorce 73 3. Marital

separation 65 4. Jail term 63 5. Death of close family member 63 6. Personal

injury or illness 53 7. Marriage 50 8. Fired at work 47 9. Marital

reconciliation 45 10. Retirement 45 11. Change in health of a family member

44 12.

Pregnancy 40 13. Sex difficulties 39 14. Gain of new family member 39 15.

Business readjustment 39 16. Change in financial state 38 17. Death of

close friend 37 18. Change to a different line of work 36 19. Change in

number

of arguments with spouse/significant other 35 20. Mortgage over $10,000 31

21. Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30 22. Change in responsibilities at

work 29 23. Son or daughter leaving home 29 24. Trouble with in-laws 29 25.

Outstanding personal achievement 28 26. Wife/husband begins or stops work

26 27. Begin or end of school 26 28. Change in living conditions 25 29.

Revision of personal habits 24 30. Trouble with Boss 23 31. Change in work

hours or conditions 20 32. Change in residence 20 33. Change in recreation 20

35. Change in church activities 19 36. Change in Social activities 18 37.

Mortgage or loan less than $10,000 17 38. Change in sleeping habits 16 39.

Change in number of family get-togethers 15 40. Change in eating habits 15

41. Vacation 13 42. Christmas 12 43. Minor violation of the law 11

 

The first thing most people notice is that some of these Life Changes are

" good " things. Good things cause stress too.

This test above, however, is not exactly the same test originally designed.

We've added the " significant other " next to spouse because of the alternative

relationships that flourish today. Feel free to substitute someone close to

you for wife or husband. Also, we put that $10.000 is red because, adjusting

for inflation, it is more like 40 or 50 thousand today.

And we chose that six-month period capriciously. Actually, if you think

about it, a death of a spouse or significant other can easily affect a person

for

many years. So, we have to ask ourselves as we take this test: Does this

affect me now?

 

 

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2003

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