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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1982)
page 6 Section II Portland Observer. March 25, 1982 Make your own solar fuel To your mental health by Omay Kcnyotla, Ph. D. by Richard Rass Stress is an individual's physiolog ical response to events or situations w hich are perceived as e xcitin g , fru stra tin g , confusing or frig h te n ing. Hans Selye, a noted physician and author on the subject o f stress, defines “ stress” as “ the rate o f wear and tear w ith in the b o d y .” Stress is the body’ s “ flight or fig h t” response. This response prepares the body fo r a c tio n ; it involves in creased heart rate and blood flow , release o f adrenaline and increased muscular tension. This state o f phy siological arousal is maintained un til the stress inducing situation has been responded to o r has passed. The body then returns to a “ n o r m al” state, which allows the body to recuperate. If, however, the body rem ains in a heightened state o f physiological arousal fo r long peri ods o f time, the body begins to wear down. Although the term “ stress” has come to im ply a “ negative” or unpleasant experience, this is not necessarily true. Most people would fin d a life w ith o u t the challenge which induces stress to be mundane and boring. Stress is an inevitable aspect o f contemporary western society. We are all experiencing some degree o f stress, regardless o f what we are doing. Holmes and Rahe, tw o re searchers and a u th o rs, have gen erated a lis t o f over fo r ty events w hich they have fo u n d to induce stress. Losing one’ s jo b , arguing w ith one’ s spouse, taking care o f a sick child, getting a prom otion, go ing on vacation o r running a race are all situations which create stress by imposing a change to which the individual must adjust. Selye refers to such pleasant and unpleasant events as “ stressors.” He states that the p h ysio lo g ica l response to a ll stressors is the same. Change and rapid adaptation are common char acteristics o f all stressors, or events which result in stress. Most individuals can deal effect ively with 98 per cent o f the stressors in their lives. However, the remain ing 2 per cent o f the stressors can lead to d iffic u lty , detracting from the quality o f their lives and. poten tia lly , being deleterious to th e ir health. This is especially true when stress is prolonged due to m ultiple “ stressors” confronting an in d iv i dual sim ultaneou sly o r because stressors are ambiguous and d i f f i cult to define. In d ivid u a ls respond to stress in different ways. Some people experi ence stress as an increased h e a rt beat, others may feel “ b u tterflies” in their stomach or feel nauseated and still others may experience mus cle tension, backaches or headaches. Some individuals become so condi tioned to the stress in their lives that they do not experience any subject ive d is c o m fo rt, but the in te rn a l “ wear and tear” continues nonethe less. The effects o f stress are cumu la tive , that is, they add up over time, it is prolonged and unabated stress which results in physical and emotional d ifficulty. The m ajority o f traditional medi cal textbooks suggest that approxi m ately 70 per cent o f a ll diseases are, to varying degrees, associated w ith prolonge d stress. Even the most conservative authorities consi der illnesses such as hypertension, peptic ulcers, co litis, bronchial as thm a, hay fever, atopic derm atitis, arthritis, migraine headaches, im po tence, sleep onset insom nia and a wide range o f neurotic disorders, in cluding depression and anxiety, to be stress related. When stressors are identifiable and can be dealt with in e ffe ctive and creative ways the harm ful effects o f stress are m inim ized and self-esteem is enhanced. To prevent the deleterious effects o f stress individua ls must learn to “ m anage” th e ir stress. E ffe c tiv e stress management involves, when ever possible, m odifying or chang ing the stressor, and learning new and d iffe re n t responses to stress. T h a t is, you can learn ways to change stress producing situations and develop non-injurious respon ses to them. Here are some guide lines that one may use in learning to manage one's stress. Fundamental to m o d ifyin g stres sors in your life is learning to recog nize what yo u r personal stressors are. Take the tim e to evaluate the circumstances o f your life and iden tify stressors which are confronting you. You may do this independently or w ith someone you trust and re spect. This may be a friend, a fam ily member o r a q u a lifie d counselor. Keep in m ind that the com m on de n o m in a to r in a ll situ a tio n s w hich create stress is change and ra p id adaptation. Do not attempt to mod ify a ll the stressors in yo u r life at once. Tackle one situation at a time. Decide w hich s itu a tio n is most pressing and concentrate on m odify ing that one. Recognize when you cannot change a s itu a tio n and attem pt to accept it u n til such tim e as you are able to e ffe ct a change. U n til you can change a situation, find produc tive a lte rn a tive s fo r dealing w ith your stress. Talk out your problems w ith someone. It is helpful to share your concerns w ith someonw who cares and can understand. In doing this, you may rind a solution or new perspective that had not previously occurred to you. Professional coun selors in your community may be es p e cia lly h e lp fu l when you feel “ stressed” and troubled by a situa tion in your life. Find creative and healthy outlets fo r your stress. M any in d iv id u a ls find physical activity to be particu la rly h e lp fu l when they are feeling tense or upset. Running or jogging, playing basketball or gardening are healthy ways to deal with stress. It is vitally im portant fo r effective stress m anagem ent to schedule recrea tional time into your life. M o d ifyin g stressors and restruc tu rin g one’ s personal schedule are proven methods fo r m inim izing the am ount o f in ju rio u s stress. They skill o f relaxation is another very ef fe ctive techniqu e fo r m anaging stress. The next article in this scries w ill address re la x a tio n — its bene fits and how this im portant skill is developed. Our nation has become shocking ly dependent on foreign o il. P o liti cal chaos in the M id-East threatens to c u rta il o r cut o f f v ita lly needed supplies. W ith o il becoming more scarce and costly by the hour, our cars may soon ro ll to a s to p .. .o u r homes grow cold under bleak winter skies. It’ s time for Americans to demon strate their tra d itio n a l sp irit o f in dependence and become energy in dependent. There is a way. As w ith many m ajor challenges, the solution is remarkably simple. Y our car and furnace can func tio n p e rfe ctly— on 10-30 per cent water! This is fact. Right now , many Americans are m aking their own fuel fo r pennies per gallon, w ith a simple “ Backyard Energy P la n t.” W hy can’ t you? You can build it in just a few hours w ith o rd in a ry household tools. You need little or no mechanical a b ility . The cost? Around $40 fo r components avail able at any building supply outlet! W e’ re ta lk in g about a new, re cently designed product o f A m e ri can ingenuity; a small but aston ishingly effective Solar S till that costs nothing to operate; that p ro duces “ A quahol” —a mixture o f 70- 90 per cent (140-180 pro o f) ethanol (grain alcohol), 10-30 per cent water. You use it “ as-is,” direct fro m the s till, in your car, tru ck, boat, tra c to r, or o il-b u rn in g fu r nace. The water content vaporizes and acts as an “ extender,” increasing mileage and power. In furnaces, it actually adds BTUs! The w ord is spreading fast! Last year, over 35,000 Americans applied fo r the easy-to-get federal perm it necessary to distill fuel at home. Let us show you, step-by-step, how to have your own “ Fam ily Fuel Fac to r y !" In many respects, A quahol is more efficient than gasoline or fu r nace o il. It burns cooler and cleaner with no carbon build-up, fo r longer engine life. There’ s no lead or addi tives to foul our air, to make neces sary, costly catalytic converters. Only m inor mechanical adjustments are needed fo r your vehicle o r fu r nace to operate perfectly. D on't confuse Aquahol with Gas- ohol. The la tte r is only 10 per cent alcohol (pure 200 p ro o f, expensive to d is till). It's a step in the right d i rection, like a 10 per cent cure fo r a term inal illness. A quahol is 10-30 per cent water! A lco h o l fuel isn’ t new. It was w idely used by farm ers during the Great Depression; it has long been utilized in high-perform ance race cars. Today, in Brazil, new cars are engineered exclusively fo r Aquahol. There, it's made fro m the sugar cane Brazil grows in abundance. Other raw materials? Aquahol is also made fro m corn, sugar beets, Jerusalem artichokes, wheat, fru it, almost anything that grows. I t ’ s based on a renewable resource— not on mere discovery o f something that took eons to “ m ake,” and once used, is gone forever. Many respected scientists and en gineers agree that fields o f green and gold, stretching as far as the eye can see, are the answer to o ur n a tio n ’ s economic and energy problems. Not new oil fuels or "s y n ” fuels. CRO SSW ORD ACROSS 1. Sounding, as bells 8 N a v a l title 10 r o t a t o (d ia l.) 11 Leaves out 13. Decorate 14. W ood shaping m achine 15. F o r tify 18. O wned 17. H a lf an em 18. F o ld er 21 S k ill 22 H in t 23 Pole 25 Beast o f burden 27 Q u a lific a tion teats 31. F ren ch a rtic le 32. Pigpen 33. Insolen t t a lk (s la n g ) 34 H a ra n g u e 36 L iz a rd 38. M ore sagacious 39 T a rd ie r 10. Portends »2 Com pensa tion DOW N 1. R iv e r in to Chesapeake B a y (poes.) 2. A ra b ia n c h ie fta in 3. So be it ! 4. Behold! 5. Excessive ve n e ra tio n 6. A w an derer 7. P lu c k 8. U n it nucleus ( m il.) 9. A n esthetic 10. South A fric a n D u tch 12 Dispatched 16. Pronoun 19 Chinese p erfectu re 20. L ite ra te 21 Pawns upon 24 H a w a iia n bird 25. Below 36 Genus of (n a u t.) lily 26 Fine 37 W anders line about id ly of a 41 B ritish le tte r (a b b r ) 28 R a il. w ay (a b b r ) Answers: Page 29. 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