Within the medical community stress is a lot like evolution in theological circles: people either accept it as real or they don’t, and they often support their orientation with an enthusiasm that borders on religious zeal.
My more reserved temperament and upbringing don’t lend themselves to public zealous responses. But if they did, I’d have to say that the failure to acknowledge the role stress plays in physical problems gets me about as close to a zealous response as I’m likely to get. As a veterinarian, I realize how inconvenient acknowledging the role emotions and the bond play in animal health is for the practitioner. Who has time to delve into such things when there’s some convenient medication to treat the symptoms? As an owner, who wants to think about the fact that what’s going on in our lives could have a negative impact on our pets’ health? It’s too…too messy. Too time-consuming. It requires too much thought. Besides, we already have too much to worry about without adding that. Life is so stressful for us, you know?
And yet…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS | More