The Financial Health Connection: Walter Yitzchak Reissman Explains How Your Finances Affect Your Physical Health

Walter Yitzchak Reissman has more than 30 years of experience on Wall Street. He is also a health and wellness practitioner. You may wonder if there’s a common thread between the two.
At first glance, financial wellness and physical wellness may seem like completely different things. However, recent research has revealed what Walter Yitzchak Reissman has known for years. Your financial, mental, and physical health are all intricately connected. Improving one can actually help you improve the other.

Poor Finances and Poor Health

Walter Yitzchak Reissman explains that the link between poor finances and poor health can quickly become a vicious cycle. People with high levels of financial stress are twice as likely to have poor physical health. They are four times as likely to have a chronic complaint or illness.
This creates a cycle because health issues also have a negative financial impact. The two can feed on each other, creating a downward spiral that can be difficult to turn around on your own.

One in five Americans says that they have put off going to the doctor due to financial concerns. An attempt to save money by avoiding routine tests and checkups can be costly down the road.

The Impact of Stress

The number one reason for this downward spiral is thought to be stress. Financial stress affects 26% of Americans all the time. This stress has a negative impact on your health.
When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline. These allow you to act quickly, shifting energy away from other functions so that you can handle an imminent threat.
The problem is, our bodies are not designed to be in a constant state of stress. Stress lowers immune function, disrupts sleep patterns, and disrupts the digestive system. This is beneficial when stress is short-term. When it is chronic, it can cause serious health issues.
50% of people with high financial stress have back pain, compared with 25% of people with low-stress levels. 27% have digestive issues, compared to only 8% with low-stress levels.

The highest increases are seen in migraines. Only 15% of people with low stress have chronic migraines. For those with high financial stress, this increases to 45%. Migraine suffers miss an average of 4 workdays a year due to the condition, and they have 11 days of decreased productivity due to migraine each year. Add in the financial stress of medication and doctor visits, this one disorder can significantly add to financial strain.

Benefits of Financial Health

Walter Yitzchak Reissman says this correlation works both ways. Poor financial and physical health go hand in hand, but so do healthy finances and overall health. One survey found that 81% of respondents said that other goals, including health goals, were much easier to meet when they met their financial goals. 70% stated that good financial health had a positive impact on their physical health.

Getting Financially Healthy

Walter Yitzchak Reissman says there’s another link between physical and financial health. To improve them requires planning and the right guidance. He’s helped many people overcome significant challenges as a life coach and financial guide. He innovated ‘The Reissman Method’ and has founded several businesses himself. He urges anyone who wants to improve their financial health, to begin with an expert to guide them along the way.