Chaos, confusion and conflicting and constantly changing rules are harmful to human health.

Most anyone can tell you that, probably because it isn’t real “science” but rather is old time common sense. Real science can support it, of course. Chaos is extremely stressful and currently a big societal issue. The “live to a ripe old age and die healthy” movement recommends ways to reduce stress. We hear of the benefits of meditation. exercise, adequate sleep, walks in nature, a few minutes of early morning light as all healthy habits which can be positive actions to counter stress. So, as a backdrop, even before the current chaos crisis occurred, stress was already an issue for many.

To address the issues around the challenges people are experiencing right now, we need to discuss the different kinds of stress. Eustress, or positive, good stress is beneficial to us: a new and desired job, an addition to the family, a job promotion, a marriage and the like. It is invigorating, exciting and good for our health. Harmful stress or distress is what we are seeing now. I first learned about this type of stress 40 years ago or more, when there were medical reports of war officials visiting a home during war time to announce to the family the death of their loved one in combat. Some sudden cardiac deaths occurred when this terrible news was heard. While it is true that underlying heart disease was likely present in these sudden cardiac events, why did the person die then and not the day before, the week before, the following day or a month in the future. The sudden hearing of the bad news likely caused a “fight and flight” reaction, releasing hormones such as adrenaline in an amount which caused a cardiac arrest. This is only one of many examples of ways that harmful stress damages our health. Others would include loss of a job, demotion, loss of one’s home, a devastating illness and the loss of a child.

This kind of harmful, toxic stress is invading and infecting our society on a large scale. The chaos, uncertainty and fear over confusing policies, loss of jobs and livelihood and the constant worry of the unknown will undoubtedly wreak havoc on human health. Physical health will be impacted as will mental health.In a population which is still rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic and still recovering from its overall physical health (long Covid), and mental health effects such as anxiety, fear, depression, loss, loneliness and isolation, it is truly going to be too much for some people to handle. Statistics have shown over the past significant number of years that the lifespan of people in the United States has been going down. There are many reasons for this, but surely stress is one of them. We also score poorly in the international happiness scale. Toxic stress may be part of the causation of this unfortunate statistic.

We cannot underestimate the damage the chaos crisis can inflict. Understanding the significant danger will help us understand what needs to change. It’s clear that courage will be needed to address and confront the harmful ups and downs and rapid-fire changes that are being hurled at people every day. This crisis will not disappear quietly.

Dr. Lillian Ney is a Jamestown resident.