Low salivary cortisol levels in infants of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle

Abstract

Stenius et al. (2010) report that children living in a community following an anthroposophic lifestyle aiming at reducing ‘‘negative stress stimulation’’ have a lower prevalence of allergic diseases and lower cortisol values than children living in the surrounding area. They suggest that the two findings may be related, low ‘‘stress’’ gives low cortisol and low allergy risk. The underlying assumption is that low cortisol values are a health promoting factor, or, at least, indicative of an absence of ‘‘negative stress’’. How true is it that low cortisol is an advantage? Care of patients, in particular nursing, was originally based on the assumption that in order to regain health, it was necessary to isolate the patients from the stress and challenges of ordinary society. The nurse took care of all the needs of the sick. Somehow we got all kinds of illnesses and diseases from the stress and strain from our daily life. Over the last 50 years medicine has moved away from this thinking. We chase postoperative patients out of bed, after a heart infarction the patients are sent to active physical exercise, the low back patient is prescribed physical activity. We no longer isolate the mentally ill in ‘‘asylums’’, and if the