Title: Stress Resilience And Mindfulness

Biography:

Dr. Sivaneswaran Poobalasingam is the Founder and President of the Malaysian Society of Lifestyle Medicine which is affiliated to the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance. He is on the Advisory Board of the International Journal for Disease Reversal and Prevention. He sits on the US-based True Health Initiative Council, the Global Positive Health Institute’s Advisory Council, and the National Coalition for Mental Wellness in Malaysia He is one of two Asian Physicians to be appointed as Exam Question Writers for the Lifestyle Medicine Board Certification examination. Dr. Siva is the Country Representative for the International Council of Integrative Medicine and the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance. He is also the Vice Chair of the Asian Lifestyle Medicine Council. Dr. Siva is CEO of Amrita Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine Center and Amrita Lifestyle Medicine Academy, a wellness academy. He is a Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician. His clinical expertise is in the management of stress and lifestyle diseases which include diabetes, hypertension, and food intolerances amongst others. Dr. Siva has helped to pioneer Lifestyle Medicine in the country. He is frequently invited to speak on Lifestyle Medicine by government institutions. He has also conducted workshops on Lifestyle Medicine for programs jointly organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Malaysian Ministry of Health, and University Era Ketiga (University Putra Malaysia). Dr. Siva has presented papers on lifestyle medicine and an integrative approach to managing and preventing illness both at local and international conferences. He is a published author and has written books on a mind-body approach to wellness and on the importance of herbs and nutrition in healthy aging. Dr. Siva has served as the Scientific Chairperson for Lifestyle Medicine of various organizing committees of conferences including “The First World Congress on Healthy Ageing in 2012” and the First Asian Conference on Healthy Aging in 2017. He has also chaired symposiums at national and international conferences on integrative and lifestyle medicine. In 2021 Dr. Siva organized the first Malaysian Lifestyle Medicine Conference which was inaugurated by the Honorable Health Minister YB Khairy Jamaluddin. The Conference which included speakers from Harvard University, Yale University, and Southern Cross University amongst others was well received by the medical fraternity and endorsed by both the Malaysian Medical Association and the Ministry of Health.

Abstract

Worldwide we are experiencing a stress epidemic. Stress activates the neuro-endocrine and sympathetic pathways via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and medullary adrenal sympathetic system. This results in the release of the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. These stress hormones induce inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines, primarily interleukin 6, have been strongly implicated in oxidative stress and inflammation that lead to various diseases. Furthermore, stress depletes the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and GABA leading to poor mental health. Mindfulness has been shown to build stress resilience which helps to mitigate the impact of stress. Stress resiliency is the ability to bounce back from a stressful situation. How quickly one recovers from a stressful situation depends on how quickly the amygdala can be downregulated. Mindfulness intervention helps to downregulate the amygdala and activates the parasympathetic nervous system thus activating the relaxation response. This in turn decreases the production of stress hormones, oxidative stress and inflammation. Mindfulness promotes physical, mental, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Mindfulness has emerged as a promising intervention in the management of stress and its related disorders given the multitude health benefits attributed to this practice and few contraindications or side-effects. Mindfulness can also be integrated with other modalities of treatment including modern medicine.