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| Stress |
| This page was written by Shelley Ensz and has not yet been medically edited. |
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| Stress and Disease |
| Stress can cause hormonal and cellular changes in our bodies which can lead to a variety of medical problems. Chronic stress is thought to be a trigger for the development or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases. |
| Investigation of stressful life events in patients with systemic sclerosis. We reported a strong relationship between stressful life events and the initiation of systemic sclerosis. Our findings are consistent with current understanding of the extensive links of behavioral responses to stress with neurophysiological and biochemical processes. Chen Y. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2008 Nov;9(11):853-6. |
| Less stress for better, longer life. Chronic stress has been linked to depression, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, premature cell aging, obesity and diabetes. Stress can also give you hives, numbness, gastrointestinal problems and acne. It can make you more susceptible to the flu. The Daily Star. 12/13/07. |
| Stress contributes to range of chronic diseases, Carnegie Mellon psychologist says. One is behavioral—people under stress sleep poorly and are less likely to exercise; they adopt poor eating habits, smoke more and don’t comply with medical treatment. Stress also triggers a response by the body’s endocrine systems, which release hormones that influence multiple other biological systems, including the immune system. EurekAlert! 10/09/07. |
| New Research Shows How Chronic Stress Worsens Neurodegenerative Disease Course.The evidence is accumulating on how bad stress is for health. Chronic stress can intensify inflammation and increase a person’s risk for developing central nervous system infections, neurodegenerative diseases, like multiple sclerosis, and other inflammatory diseases, say researchers at the Convention of the American Psychological Association. NewsWise Medical News. 08/17/07. (Also see: Multiple Sclerosis) |
| Modern life puts stress on heart. The stress of everyday life threatens to fuel an epidemic of cardiovascular disease, a report warns. The study says high blood pressure is rife, and implicates modern, frantic lifestyles, warning many under-estimate the problem at their peril. BBC News. 04/20/07. |
| Stress: Unhealthy response to the pressures of life. Letting stress get the best of you may be doing more harm than you think. Stress can worsen the symptoms of autoimmune disease. Mayo Clinic. 09/14/06. (Also see: Alternative Therapies) |
| Relaxing in a harried world. If a person's immune system lacks the ability to properly respond to stress levels of glucocorticoids, it can over-respond to infection, and the inflammatory response won't shut off after the infection is gone. Record. Washington University in St. Louis. 06/09/06. |
| HGH - Human Growth Hormone and Endorphins increase when you laugh - Improved autoimmune response and reduced Cortisol levels. Laughter also helped offset chronic stress. The benefits to reducing stress can help in the immune response which is associated with anti-viral and anti-tumor resistance. Best Syndication. 05/11/06. |
| Arguments dramatically slow wound healing! | Arguments dramatically slow wound healing. The stress a married couple experiences during a 30-minute argument can delay their bodies’ ability to heal a wound by at least a day, according to a new study. And if the couples’ relationship endures routine hostility, the delay can be even longer. New Scientist. 12-05-05. (Also see: Digital Ulcers) |
| Women More Sensitive to Stress Than Men? Serious disorders such as major depression, anxiety, and autoimmune dysfunctions, all linked to higher levels of circulating glucocorticoids (stress hormones), are more prevalent among women than men. WebMD. 11/15/05. |
| A Little Stress Gives Beneficial Oomph! to Immune System. Acute stress— stress that lasts for minutes to hours— temporarily mobilized all major types of immune cells, or leukocytes to potential battle stations in the body. This could worsen pre-existing inflammatory illnesses such as cardiovascular disease or gingivitis, and autoimmune disorders. Fashion Monitor Toronto 04/24/05. |
| Social Stress May Trigger Problems in Immune System. Certain social interactions may weaken the immune system to the point it can't control inflammation, new research suggests. In turn, the inflammation may cause irreversible organ and tissue damage. Ohio State University. |
| The Darwinian concept of stress: benefits of allostasis and costs of allostatic load and the trade-offs in health and disease. Why do we get the stress-related diseases we do? Why do some people have flare ups of autoimmune disease, whereas others suffer from melancholic depression during a stressful period in their life? PubMed. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2005 Feb;29(1):3-38. |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical illness: results from clinical and epidemiologic studies. Recent findings indicating that victims of PTSD have higher circulating T-cell lymphocytes and lower cortisol levels, are intriguing and suggest that chronic sufferers of PTSD may be at risk for autoimmune diseases. PubMed. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Dec;1032:141-53. |
| Stress and thyroid autoimmunity. Stress affects the immune system either directly or indirectly through the nervous and endocrine systems. These immune modulations may contribute to the development of autoimmunity as well as the susceptibility to autoimmune disease in genetically predisposed individuals. Stress can be one of the environmental factors for thyroid autoimmunity. PubMed. Thyroid. 2004 Dec;14(12):1047-55. (Also see: Thyroid Disease) |
| Reducing Stress |
| Coping Stategies. It is necessary to be able to evaluate your state of mind, to really know how you feel and to face those feelings. Find out what triggers your emotions: positive and negative emotions. If you can not avoid the negative triggers, then learn how to cope with the emotions that follow. Find and develop those stategies that work for you. ISN. |
| Stress, depression and the holidays: 12 tips for coping. Stress and depression can ruin your holidays and hurt your health. Being realistic, planning ahead and seeking support can help ward off stress and depression. MayoClinic. 12/19/08. (Also see: Depression) |
| Social support: Tap this tool to reduce stress. Having close friends and family on whom you can count has far-reaching benefits for your health. Here's how to build and maintain these essential relationships. Mayo Clinic. |
| Body-mind meditation boosts performance, reduces stress. The findings suggest a measurable benefit that people could achieve through body-mind meditation, especially involving an effective training regimen, but larger studies are needed to fully test the findings of this small, short-term study. EurekAlert! 10/08/07. (Also see: Alternative Therapies) |
| Drinking Black Tea May Soothe Stress. Researchers in tea-loving London found people who drank black tea were able to de-stress more quickly than those who drank a fake tea substitute. WebMD. 10/06/06. (Also see: Alternative Therapies) |
