HEALTH and STRESS Your Source for Science-Based Stress Management Information FINAL ISSUE February 2018

The American Institute of Stress HEALTH AND STRESS Your source for science-based stress management information FINAL ISSUE February 2018 A Personal Appraisal of Hans Selye and the Origin and Evolution of the American Institute of Stress 1 Your source for science-based stress management information HEALTH AND STRESS We value opinions of our readers. Please feel free to contact us with any comments, suggestions or inquiries. Email: [email protected] Associate Editors: Editor In Chief: Helen M. Kearney, PhD Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP Donna Telyczka, B.A. Creative Director: Krissa Brewer Health and Stress appeals to all those interested in the myriad and complex interrelationships between health and stress because technical jargon is avoided and it is easy to understand. Health and Stress is archived online at stress.org. Information in this publication is carefully compiled to ensure accuracy. Copyright © 2018 the American Institute of Stress (AIS). All rights reserved. All materials on AIS’ website and in AIS’ newsletters are the property of AIS and may not be copied, reproduced, sold, or distributed without permission. For permission, contact editor@stress. org. Liberal use of AIS fact sheets and news releases is allowable with attribution. Please use the following: “Reproduced from the American Institute of Stress website [or magazine], © AIS [year].” AIS Board of Directors Chairman: Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP President: Daniel L. Kirsch, PhD, DAAPM, FAIS Distinguished Members: Tracey B. Kirsch, Managing Director Holger Wrede, Esq. Robert Bisaccia The mission of AIS is to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence of stress management in education, research, clinical care and the workplace. Diverse and inclusive, The American Institute of Stress educates medical practitioners, scientists, health care professionals and the public; conducts research; and provides information, training and techniques to prevent human illness related to stress. AIS provides a diverse and inclusive environment that fosters intellectual discovery, creates and transmits innovative knowledge, improves human health, and provides leadership to the world on stress related topics. Health and Stress: The Final Issue Paul Rosch, MD, FACP About This Issue A few months ago, Dr. Dan Kirsch asked me to contribute a monograph elaborating on how I became involved in establishing the American Institute of Stress (AIS), and to discuss some career highlights over the past 65 years. He also wanted to commemorate 28 years of Health and Stress Newsletters, which began as a monthly publication in 1988. Much of this information was already available in previous Newsletters and on our web site, as well as my editorials in Stress Medicine and articles in other publications. However, as I reviewed the contents of over 200 Newsletters, it was evident that some topics should be updated and that other important issues had been omitted. I have tried to rectify this in the following. References to validate any statements and/or to provide a link to additional information, as well as comments or questions, can be obtained by contacting [email protected]. 1 February 2018 Health and Stress www.stress.org CONTENTS Part 1: Stress, Alcoholism, and Selye’s Promotion of Cigarettes, Hans Selye – How it all Began ��3 Cognitive Decline and Paranoia �� 32 My Introduction to The Institute of The Second International Symposium Experimental Medicine and Surgery �� 4 on Stress and Our Breakup �� 35 The Rockefeller Scholarship, Johns Part 3: The Origin and Evolution of Hopkins, and McGill University �� 5 The American Institute of Stress ��41 Selye’s Concepts of Stress and the Stress and Cancer, and Why The American General Adaptation Syndrome �� 7 Institute of Stress Was Formed �� 41 Selye Called It Stress, But Was He Why and How The American Institute of Actually Describing Strain? �� 12 Stress was Formed �� 43 Part 2: My Professional and Personal The Montreux International Congress Relationship with Selye ��15 on Stress and Selye’s Legacy �� 46 Selye’s Generosity, Alter Ego and Physical/Atomic Energy Versus Chemical/ Symbolic Shorthand System �� 15 Molecular Communication �� 51 Selye’s Unappreciated Surgical Skills Why Doctors May Soon be Prescribing and Dry Sense of Humor �� 18 Frequencies Rather Than Pills – LEET, PST and CES Stimulation �� 52 Selye’s First Annual Report on Stress and His Unified Theory of Medicine �� 20 Why Electromagnetic Therapies Have Difficulty Being Approved or Accepted �� 58 Mounting Criticisms of Selye’s Theories �� 24 Epilogue – What Does the Future Hold for Stress Research?��60 Altruistic Egoism and Conflicts with Psychosomatic Medicine �� 27 About the Author �� 61 February 2018 Health and Stress 2 www.stress.org Part 1: Stress, Alcoholism, and Hans Selye – How it all Began My interest in stress was kindled in hormones into glucocorticoids, which 1949, when I was in charge of super- affected carbohydrate metabolism, vising the laboratory at a community mineralocorticoids that caused hospital. This involved serving as sodium and fluid retention and bacteriologist, doing ECGs, drawing testoids, which had weak androgenic blood, overseeing or doing blood effects. It also confirmed that chronic chemistries and CBC’s, and helping stress eventually exhausted the ability the pathologist prepare slides. I was of the adrenal cortex to make friendly with many of the attending hormones. physicians, especially one who had achieved success in treating alco- Glucocorticoids like cortisone ap- holism with injections of Eschatin, an peared to be the most important since aqueous solution of adrenal cortical they were essential to maintain hormones, along with a diet designed life and also had powerful anti-i to prevent hypoglycemia. This was nflammatory effects. This had first based on his theory that the stress of been demonstrated in 1948 at the chronic alcoholism depleted adrenal Mayo Clinic in a patient with treatment- cortical hormones, which resulted in resistant rheumatoid arthritis who recurrent episodes of low blood sugar experienced dramatic relief from cor- that promoted the desire for alcohol. tisone. It seemed to me that any benefits from Eschatin most likely I talked with several of his patients, all came from its glucocorticoid content of whom who had successfully and that treatment results could be responded to this regimen, but later improved by administering more fell off the wagon when it was discon- precise doses of cortisone, which tinued. Other physicians reported could also be taken orally. I wrote to success and the World Health Selye and asked about this, and Organization also concluded that the explained that I would be entering basic cause of alcoholism was due to medical school in a few months and a congenital “slight deficiency of car- was interested in investigating this bohydrate metabolism or of certain possibility. I also included a copy of a endocrine relations.” I asked what led paper on “Endocrine Treatment of him to develop this treatment and he Alcoholism” that had just been pub- gave me a copy of a 1946 114-page lished. I was surprised to receive a article with 700 references by Hans prompt and very cordial response as Selye on “The General Adaptation well as an invitation to pursue this at Syndrome and the Diseases of his Institute of Experimental Medicine Adaptation.” This included Selye’s and Surgery at the University of classification of adrenal cortical Montreal, if he could obtain funding. 3 February 2018 Health and Stress www.stress.org I was halfway through my first year I secure housing accommodations as when I received a letter indicating that soon as possible and looked forward a suitable stipend had been arranged to meeting with me at noon after my for a Fellowship starting in the summer. tour. I arrived at the University of Montreal My Introduction to The Institute of in June 1951 and was surprised that Experimental Medicine and Surgery there was hardly anyone around. I found an inexpensive but well- I took the elevator to the Institute on furnished studio apartment quite the top floor, which also seemed close to the University and returned deserted. There was a row of empty to the Institute the next morning, offices on each side of a wide corridor where I was greeted by Dr. Ernesto that led to a large glass enclosed office Salgado, a Fellow from Spain who with several desks, only one of which spoke excellent English. He took me was occupied by what appeared to be through the huge library and explained a secretary. I introduced myself and how to access its contents, showed asked if I could see Dr. Selye. She me the laboratory facilities, con- identified herself as Miss Atkinson, ference rooms, and my office, which Dr. Selye’s personal assistant, and was next to Roger Guillemin’s, who that they were the only ones there would later share a Nobel Prize for his since it was St. Jean Baptiste Day, a discovery of the endorphins. He intro- national holiday in Canada, and they duced me to Roger and some of the had expected me the following day other Fellows, who also greeted me based on my last letter. She pointed warmly. They were interested in to the door of his adjacent office, learning more about my proposed which had a bright red light over it that project in the event they might be of meant that he was not to be disturbed. assistance and also indicated the She said that since the light had been purpose of their own research. A few on for over two hours, it was likely that did not speak English and their he would soon take a break, and sug- responses in French were quickly gested I wait. She gave me a list she translated by Ernesto. He also outlined had prepared of nearby furnished what the usual schedule was with apartments I could rent and their respect to laboratory work and respective rates, as well as a map of periodic conferences with Selye, the area showing their locations.

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