Questions And Answers

What is HOLISTIC OCCUPATIONAL STRESS THERAPY (H.O.S.T)?

H.O.S.T is the deployment of Holistic Therapies to treat Occupational Stress. A person under severe stress will carry the burden of that stress into all aspects of their lives. It impacts negatively on their personal situation as well as on their work and relationships and ultimately on their health. It is not something that can be left at home.

In the workplace people are placed under considerable amounts of stress. Stress has been directly related to the cause of illness, which leads to absenteeism.

Various studies suggest that an inability to adapt to stress is associated with the onset of depression and anxiety. The repeated release of stress hormones disrupts the normal levels of serotonin, a nerve chemical that is critical for feelings of well-being.

The ability to deal with frustration, irritation and other manifestations of physical and emotional stress is very important from a productivity and job satisfaction perspective. An employee who is not able to deal with stress can cause tension and conflict in his work environment and ultimately succumb to the ravages of physical and emotional illness, which in turn has an impact on the turnover of staff in a company.

It is preferable for employers to manage levels of frustration in a natural and cost effective way in order to improve the working environment, maintain a good level of productivity, while positively affecting revenue.

Richard Gerber M.D. says, "There has been a gradual evolution of medical thought, moving physicians’ thinking toward an appreciation of human beings as complex systems of physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual characteristics. The progressive shift toward a more humanistic medicine has been responsible for the holistic movement in health care. The reductionist model of the human machine as the sum of its component parts has not been entirely successful in providing therapeutic insights into treating disease, nor in understanding the greater nature of human health. For in reality, humans are greater than the sum of their physical organs and nervous systems, because the physical body is not a simple closed system."

According to the World Healthcare Organization, when addressing stress you need to address the well being of the entire person as regards physiological, mental and social health. The LaLonde report proposes four general determinants of health. They are "human biology", "environment", "lifestyle" and "healthcare organization".

Health is consequently maintained through the science and practice of medicine but can and should definitely be enhanced and improved by individual effort. This individual effort to improve health includes weight loss, healthy diet, physical fitness, stress management training, not smoking or abusing substances.

"Workplace programs are recognized by an increasingly large number of companies for their value in improving health and well-being of their employees, and increasing morale, loyalty and productivity at work. A company may provide a gym with exercise equipment, start smoking cessation programs, provide nutrition, weight or stress management training." HOLISTIC OCCUPATIONAL STRESS THERAPY can successfully be incorporated into a company’s existing Wellness Initiative and also link with the Occupational Health Services on site.

Correct management of stress in the workplace by means of HOLISTIC OCCUPATIONAL STRESS THERAPY will contribute to a healthier workforce. In the management of stress, therapeutic massage can be incorporated by means of a concept called condition management. This involves the use of massage methods to support patients within an existing set of life circumstances that creates chronic stress e.g. stressful work environment, caring for an ailing parent or child, financial strain, strain within a relationship. Condition management is beneficial when the likelihood of the situation changing is not a viable option e.g. job-related repetitive injury strain, amputation or diabetes, or when the timeframe for changing a situation needs to be postponed for a period of time.

On a physical level, massage can offer benefits by managing the existing physical compensation patterns and sometimes slowing the process of chronic conditions or preventing a situation from becoming worse. On an emotional level, massage can assist in the management of stress to allow the person to cope better with life stressors that cannot be altered.

Why do EMPLOYERS need to implement H.O.S.T?

According to AFROX the total amount of employees affected by illness caused or made worse by stress can be based on a figure of 23%.

To demonstrate the impact stress has on the workforce we used a figure of a 1000 employees to exhibit the 2006 statistical figures for South Africa:

	Affected %	Affected employees
Total number of employees	100%	1000
Illness caused or made worse by stress	23%	230
Moderately stressed employees	40-45%	425
Severely stressed employees	15-20%	175

This table indicates that a staggering number of 600 employees per thousand are manifesting symptoms of stress and 230 out of a thousand employees suffer from illness caused by exposure to stress. For any employer this indicates a loss in revenue because stress impacts on productivity, sick leave, and indirectly on turnover of staff.

What is the connection between WORKPLACE VIOLENCE and STRESS?

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE is one of the more severe manifestations of stress due to over exposure and no management strategy. In our country today we witness these phenomena continuously. Police officers, and people who on a daily basis are exposed to very stressful events kill themselves and even their families. A study done in the Netherlands under police officers by the International Labour Organization concluded that "stress possibly had an adverse effect on the development and maintenance of working relationships with the public, and that officers under stress could pose a real threat to their own safety and that of others." "Their stress or inability to cope adequately with stress might be a contributing factor leading them to take such drastic action." Finally this same research document states that stress management programs initiated by employers and government could make a difference in the current situation.

Some people become psychotic and violent, look at the level of road rage as an example. At work it might manifest in the form of an employee damaging company property, or holding fellow employees hostage. David Lewis says, "Many workers today are sinking under a deluge of data . . . Overwhelmed by information, . . . they become stressed out, reckless, paralysed by analysis." At best an employee might just become so aggravated that he walks out and do not return, at worst the employee might violently kill a colleague. In many cases, employees are even starting to bring litigation against employers claiming workplace bullying. Workplace violence is escalating at an alarming rate and HR is forced to implement certain safety procedures to safeguard their employees against it.

Our argument is that if you manage stress in a controlled ongoing manner in the workplace, implementing HOLISTIC OCCUPATIONAL STRESS THERAPY as a benefit that can be utilized by employees, the bottom line of cost to the company can be reduced. Make no mistake; the indirect cost to companies as a result of workplace violence is tremendous. It is also one of the reasons why employees take sick leave.

Again working on a figure of a 1000 employees at a rate of 23% stress related sick leave. The following effect could be demonstrated:

23% stress related sick leave	1 Day sick leave	3 Days sick leave
Once a year	230 work days lost	690 work days lost
Twice a year	460 work days lost	1380 work days lost
Three times a year	690 work days lost	2070 work days lost

The true figure is most probably not at the maximum or minimum levels, but rather somewhere in the middle, one day per employee twice a year. This equates to 460 working days lost per thousand employees.

Figures released by AFROX show that in South Africa 13.4 million working days are lost annually due to stress, anxiety and depression.

Why do companies benefit when they implement H.O.S.T?

Absenteeism costs South Africa R12 billion annually. Researches have reported that when a person is highly stressed for a period of more than a month, it doubles his/her chances of catching a cold compared with a person only suffering routine stress. The greatest impact on getting sick was work related stress and problems within personal relationships.

Employers in industry today have as their primary objectives the following:

Job satisfaction for their workers
Increased productivity
Reduced turnover
Reduced absenteeism
Organisational commitment

Prevention is always better than the cure, and if these diseases and conditions are adequately addressed, taking a holistic approach to the patient’s well-being, absenteeism (sick leave) and turnover is reduced, productivity and profitability is increased - a very positive outcome for the employer.

With facilities available at on site Occupational Health Clinics, where employees can be treated by medically trained massage therapists and aromatherapists, using massage to manage stress, and treat muscular complaints and certain indicated injuries at work (IODs), the employee’s chances of a swift and smooth recovery are increased, and thus productivity and profitability are increased.

The employer’s costs in terms of loss of man hours (absenteeism), recruitment and training of new staff (turnover) are substantially reduced. It will also inspire organisational commitment if employees perceive the company to be pro-active with regards to their well-being.

How does STRESS affect us?

"To maintain homeostasis, a living organism must constantly adapt at a molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral level to environmental alterations. Stress can be defined as any threat to an organism’s homeostasis. The function of the stress response is to maintain homeostasis and may involve both physiological and behavioral adaptations".

We cannot escape a certain degree of stress in our lives, and stress can be a positive driving mechanism. Stress becomes harmful to us when there is no natural end to a stressful situation or when stress continues over a prolonged period of time.

Stress can be caused by various factors, for example:

Moving jobs or houses
Economic circumstances, or work related
Death of relative, friend or co-worker
Social isolation
Relationship problems
Political factors or ongoing violence
A fast lifestyle

What occurs inside the body when it is exposed to stress?

Stress triggers the "fight or flight" response. The body goes into the alarm phase where breathing and heart beat speed up, and more blood is pumped to the organs such as the muscles and brain. The body’s excretion of stress hormones such as adrenalin increases. The body cannot sustain this high level of activity and after a while it switches to the resistance phase, and tries to return its functions to a normal level. If this second phase continues for too long, in other words, if stress continues over an extended period, the body enters phase three where the vital functions are disturbed and systemic illness (repression of the immune system) may occur. The solution is to manage stress in an ongoing manner, incorporating lifestyle changes such as nutrition, exercise and natural therapies.

What are the long-term effects of Stress?

Over time, if stress persists, high levels of stress hormones will drain the adrenal glands, deplete nutrients and energy reserves in our bodies, which create an overall state of exhaustion. This condition has a negative effect on blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which can cause damage to the heart and blood vessels. The stomach will secrete more acid, and the brain can become starved of glucose, impairing mental ability. This situation impacts on the immune system, which leaves the body susceptible to infection and illness such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and cancer. "Some irreversible physiological damages of the brain and related stress physical symptoms like organ damage are caused by these substances [stress hormones]".

What effects does H.O.S.T have on the body?

It boosts and stimulates the immune system.
It helps a person to feel good about him/herself.
It creates a sense of pleasure and well-being.
It inhibits the sympathetic nervous system while promoting the parasympathetic nervous system, which restores the body into a harmonious state.
It has a positive impact on sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, muscle tension, heart disease and short-term memory.

What are the benefits of H.O.S.T?

There are certain diseases and conditions that can be successfully addressed and managed through the application of therapy on a regular basis.

Therapy should definitely not be seen as an ultimate treatment but rather as part of a holistic approach to health, incorporated into a team of healthcare professionals. The orthodox medical treatment plan has room for natural therapies as part of a support system in the controlling of chronic diseases and other conditions, providing a positive improvement in some of the factors that impact on health such as stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, muscle strain, repetitive task injuries and heart disease.

Richard Gerber, M.D. states: "Utilizing lifestyle modifications to treat and prevent illness is one of the few approaches that has begun to make inroads into conventional medicine. The fact that many physicians are now advising patients to make changes in the area of diet and physical activity demonstrates how traditional medicine is slowly moving into areas formerly held to be the province of the holistic therapist."

According to Healthy Place. Com Depression Community, massage therapy can be utilized in conjunction with other treatments in order to enhance mental health."It has been used to treat trauma-related depression and stress".

What is the connection between Heart Disease and your OCCUPATION?

According to AFROX, the health profile for employees suffering from Ischemic Heart Diseases indicate a figure of 284,438 years of life lost.

Richard Thomas states, "American and Swedish researchers have shown that people in jobs that force them to work and concentrate hard with little control over what they are doing or how they do it have a much greater chance of developing heart disease and are more likely to die earlier because of it. Higher than normal blood pressure seems to be the main reason."

What is the connection between HEART DISEASE and H.O.S.T?

"It is certainly important that hypertension be treated aggressively; however, all health care providers who treat patients with hypertension must stress the need for disease prevention. The problem of hypertension will never be solved without primary prevention. Prevention of hypertension in the primary care setting gives health care providers an opportunity to intervene and head off the tremendous cost involved in managing hypertension and its subsequent complications".

"Psychological factors are not only important but also may even be the most important factors in the development of heart disease. They lead not only to an increase in stress hormones but also in turn probably allow greater damage from free radicals".

Anger, anxiety, aggression, cynicism, high level of job stress, loneliness and low social support, defeat as well as despair are some of the Psychological risk factors for high blood pressure. When we treat the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression we are in effect combating heart disease. We are promoting a healthier lifestyle and in doing so we are supporting orthodox medical practitioners to facilitate the best possible outcome for the patient.

How can natural therapies assist in the treatment of heart disease?

By counteracting, reducing and even eliminating psychological strain by means of relaxation.
By helping an employee to identify habits and behaviors that are putting him/her at risk.
By indirectly promoting the clearing of arteries.
By normalising blood pressure.
Through the stimulation of the body’s natural regenerative processes.
By the purifying of blood through the stimulation of the Lymphatic system.
Through the toning up of organs and tissues.

Which other health aspects does H.O.S.T address?

SHORT-TERM MEMORY

According to Medical News Today, stress activates an enzyme in the brain, Kinase C, a protein that undermines short-term memory as well as other brain functions in the prefrontal cortex.

Two Rockefeller Laboratories have found that chronic stress alters the neurons in the hippocampus an area in the brain necessary for learning and memory. The hippocampus, is a structure in the brain responsible for contextual and episodic memory, memories involving people, places and events. Pawlak and Melchor found that stressed mice were much slower to learn where the hidden platform was located in a water maze, but once they found the platform they remembered the location as well as the unstressed mice.

McEwen says that "Stress fuzzes your brain because it slows down the cognitive process" and "You’re still able to learn, but it slows you down".

Another study conducted to assess whether an enzyme called tPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator) is required for a stress response found that results suggested tPA prevents damage to Hippocampal neurons during stressful times. The good news according to McEwen is "Everything we've found out about stress and the hippocampus is that the effects are largely reversible if you terminate the stress."

HEADACHES

There are many causes of headaches and some can be treated successfully with therapy. If headaches are caused by muscle tension or by stress factors or ergonomic restraints such as work posture, it can be treated on site through a number of short (30 min) sessions, where after an employee can return to work and still be productive for the rest of the day. The essential oil of lavender has a sedative and tonic effect and is effective as a treatment for migraine.

ANXIETY

If anxiety is fully expressed it serves a purpose in our lives. Just the right amount of anxiety is needed to help us achieve our best physical and mental performances. Unresolved anxiety causes stress. So it is clear that anxiety requires physical and/or mental action from us; when we fail to take action, it results in stress. Stress wears out our bodies.

People who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder are not capable of controlling their anxiety and usually demonstrate three or more of the following symptoms: Restlessness; fatigue; impaired concentration; irritability; muscle tension and impaired sleep.

DEPRESSION

Relaxation Therapy, which includes massage therapy, is often suggested as an adjuvant in the treatment of depression.

The conclusion is that therapy has an impact on the ultimate course of depression in employees who suffer from this condition. If depression cannot all together be avoided, it certainly can be treated and managed to an extent in order to keep a person functional so that other interventional methods can be implemented. Therapy should be seen as part of a holistic team effort to ensure the best outcome for the depressed person.

SLEEP DISTURBANCES

"Studies have shown that sleep is essential for normal immune system function and to maintain the ability to fight disease and sickness. Sleep also is essential for normal nervous system function and the ability to function both physically and mentally. In addition, sleep is essential for learning and for normal, healthy cell growth".

If you are frequently irritable, absent-minded or unfocused, or experience sudden waves of sleepiness during the day, there is a good chance you’re not getting enough sleep at night". Sleep related symptoms are prevalent in anxiety, depression and stress related disorders. It is reasonable therefore to assume that if sleep disturbances are successfully addressed, it would have an impact on the level of anxiety, depression or stress an employee suffers.

Research points out that the fewer hours of sleep a person gets, the higher his risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, and gaining weight. "Fat cells produce a hormone called leptin, which tells the body how much potential energy it has stored. Since leptin production peaks at night, when you’re asleep, sleep deprivation can throw levels of the hormone out of whack".

If you sleep less than five hours per night on average your chance of suffering a heart attack nearly doubles. The sympathetic nervous system is repressed longer when you sleep more. This is a good thing since the "fight or flight" hormones are reduced. If these hormones stay active in the system it causes a disruption in the glucose metabolism contributing to diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.

TEMPEROMANDIBULAR JOINT SYNDROME

TMJ or Temperomandibular Joint Syndrome is characterised by headaches, dull pain around the ear and tenderness of the jaw muscles. It is often caused by trauma such as whiplash but mostly by stress and the grinding or clenching of teeth.

Therapy aims to reduce the pain and muscle spasms, relax and strengthen the involved muscles. Find the cause and assist the employee with a practical solution. Mobilise the joint through exercise.

PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME

PMS affects 20 to 40% of menstruating women. Symptoms of PMS include fatigue, depression, bouts of crying, anger outbursts and cravings. It has been suggested that low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, can cause PMS symptoms. Cabot beliefs there should be two main aims in treatment:

To improve ovarian function through adequate nutrition, avoidance of stress and a healthy lifestyle.
Using physiological and natural substances such as vitamins, minerals and herbal medicines to alleviate pain.

We know that therapy plays an important part in this strategy by improving stress and alleviating pain through the use of aromatherapy oils such as Geranium, Bergamot, Lavender, Juniper and Neroli, all of which is indicated for PMS.

MUSCULAR PAIN

Pain causes anxiety and anxiety intensifies pain. Fear and anticipation of pain can lead to feelings of depression and helplessness. When it comes to pain management the physical and psychological cannot be separated. Massage is indicated for pain relief and falls under the category of bodywork.

Massage relieves physical pain in the following ways:

Promoting muscle relaxation
Increasing lymphatic circulation thereby reducing inflammation
Breaking up scar tissue and adhesions
Promoting blood flow through the muscles
Promoting the draining of sinus fluids
Therapy has a positive influence on the psychological effects of pain. Therapeutic touch stimulates the secretion of endorphins in the brain that triggers a feel good response in the person being treated.

What role does AROMATHERAPY play in H.O.S.T?

For more than 6000 years, the value of natural plant oils have been recognized for their cleansing, healing, mood-changing and preservative properties. Today we are finding that the wisdom of past civilizations are helping us to restore the balance we have lost due to modern pressures in our daily lives. Our bodies and spirits suffer under adverse effects caused by pollution, unhealthy diet, stress and sedentary but information overloaded lifestyles. Aromatherapy works on the most powerful of our senses, touch and smell using aromatic plant essences to help restore harmony to the body and mind.

In 1928 Rene-Maurice Gattefosse described the therapeutic action of aromatic plant essences. His work was continued by Dr. Jean Valnet who used the essences with success during World War II with the healing of wounds and also as disinfectant. Marguerite Maury carried out research and development into the uses of essential oils in beauty care as well as healthcare. She also pioneered the application of essential oils through massage.

Today, Aromatherapy is very much applied as a healing therapy and contemporary research is starting to comprehend the scientific foundations of the properties and applications of the oils, discovered by trial and error thousands of years ago.

Aromatherapy massage triggers the body’s natural healing process by stimulating the lymphatic system through the use of massage techniques as well as the essential oils. The circulatory system is also stimulated in this way. The aromas of the oils act on the emotional center in the brain called the limbic system, which governs the way we feel.

What is our Mission?

Keep the workforce at work
In good health
In good spirits
In good mind
In balance

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