An Australian researcher has finally uncovered the actual physiological link between stress and disease. Although regular medicine has talked for decades about stress related illness and naturopathy has both known about and dealt with it for centuries, modern scientific medicine has finally isolated a biophysical mechanism by which stress can be proven to do the damage we regularly observe.

Since everyone has been talking about stress related illness for so long it probably comes as quite a shock to many to hear that this link has just been discovered. So be shocked if you like, but don't be stressed, it's bad for your health.

I was not surprised but admit to uttering a little groan when the professor who made and announced the discovery said that it was hoped the discovery would lead to development of a "pill" to remove the damaging effects of stress. Please spare me!

Of course one reason you may feel stressed is being overworked. I thought only Australians worked incredibly hard all the time but not so. It seems there's one overworked American named Jim. In a recent forum post I read, he told it in the form of this rather amusing tale.

"I'm so tired!" He writes:

"For a couple years I've been blaming it on lack of sleep and too much pressure from my job, but now I found out the real reason: I'm tired because I'm overworked.

"The population of this country is 237 million. 104 million are retired. That leaves 133 million to do the work. There are 85 million in school, which leaves 48 million to do the work. Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government, leaving 19 million to do the work. 2.8 million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves 16.2 million to do the work. Take from the total the 14,800,000 people who work for State and City Governments and that leaves 1.4 million to do the work. At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals, leaving 1,212,000 to do the work. Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons. That leaves just two people to do the work. You and me.

"And you're sitting at your computer reading jokes."

Well good for you Jim. Now if Jim gave you at least a decent grin with his story that's a start. See if you can track down something seriously funny so you can have a few minutes of really good laughter. That will be quite therapeutic and can help to undo the effects of your stress without waiting for or resorting to a pill.