| Stress is defined as the non-specific response of the | | | | common diseases caused by stress is Hypertension. |
| body to any demands made upon it. Everyday, in | | | | Hypertension also commonly known as high blood |
| every walk of life, we come across stress. As much | | | | pressure is excessive and damaging pressure of the |
| as people wish for a stress free life, such a task | | | | blood against the arterial walls of the blood vessels. If |
| would be impossible to achieve. Stress is a part and | | | | the blood produces too much pressure on the arterial |
| parcel of our lives. Unfortunately, stress does not only | | | | walls, they will rupture. And the blood that was |
| produce discomfort, if ignored, it can lead to serious | | | | intended to reach a special location will not reach its |
| chronic illnesses. So what really happens when a | | | | goal. If the rupture is in the brain it can cause cerebral |
| person experiences chronic stress? | | | | hemorrhage. Since blood pressure as well as the |
| Our body goes through varies changes in its attempt | | | | serum cholesterol increase during stress there relation |
| to cope with stress. Let us examine the bodily | | | | between hypertension and stress has long been |
| processes. When we experiences stress in some part | | | | suspected. Emotional stress is usually a major cause |
| of the body, that part of the body sends a message | | | | of hypertension. Hypertension can be controlled by |
| to the brain via the nerves. Then it passes through the | | | | medication, but sometimes drugs have their side |
| reticular activating system either from or to the limbic | | | | effects. These side effects with poor habits like |
| system or the thalamus. The limbic system is like the | | | | smoking and alcoholism can be harmful. To deal with |
| store house of our emotions, to which the thalamus | | | | hypertension, alone with medication and improvement |
| acts like a trigger or a switch, determining what to do | | | | in life style, various stress management interventions |
| with the incoming signals sent by the body. Thus, | | | | like learning how to relax, perception interventions, etc. |
| activating the hypothalamus, this in turn will activate the | | | | are also essential. |
| endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system. | | | | Apoplexy, commonly known as stroke is the lack of |
| Another way in which the brains will response to a | | | | oxygen to the brain resulting from rupture or blockage |
| stressor is by activating a part of the brain known as | | | | of one of the arteries in the brain. Depending on the |
| hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system (HPA system). | | | | site of rupture, it could have its effects like paralysis, |
| The HPA will activate the production and release of | | | | speech impairments, or even death may occur. |
| glucocorticolds i.e. steroid hormones, including the | | | | Strokes are related to hypertension, diet and stress. |
| primary stress hormone crotisol. This hormone is very | | | | Another disease caused by stress is ulcers. Ulcers are |
| important in marshaling systems through out the body | | | | cuts or fissures in the walls of the stomach, during |
| to deal quickly with the stress. When the body works | | | | chronic stress norepinphrine secretion causes |
| to cope with stress, it produces some byproducts. If | | | | capillaries in the stomach lining to constrict. This, in turn |
| these byproducts of stress are not dealt with in a | | | | results in shutting down of the mucosal production |
| productive way, they result in all out physiological | | | | which is the protective barrier for the lining in the |
| reactions or illness and diseases. | | | | stomach. When the barrier in the wall of the stomach |
| Lets us consider some illnesses and diseases. There | | | | is lost, the hydrochloric acid breaks down the tissue |
| are many diseases to which the mind makes the body | | | | and sometimes even reaches the blood vessel |
| susceptible. These diseases are known as | | | | causing a bleeding ulcer. However, it has been found |
| psychosomatic diseases (psyche means mind; soma | | | | that there are many other causes of ulcer. Still, stress |
| means body). Let us make this concept clear by an | | | | can exacerbate the conditions in the degenerative |
| example; Jenny is a 45 year old woman. Her husband | | | | track to make ulcers more likely to occur. It can also |
| passed away, leaving her depressed. Jenny's husband | | | | act as a catalyst in the production of hydrochloric acid |
| was a kind person and jenny felt it was not fair, and | | | | in the stomach. |
| found it hard to cope with her husband's untimely | | | | Another painful disease caused by stress is |
| death. A sense of helplessness came over her. | | | | Rheumatoid arthritis. It is the swelling and inflammation |
| Loneliness were her only companion now, there were | | | | in various joints in the body which if continued in its |
| people who where not surprised at jenny's death just | | | | development can be very painful. A normal joint has a |
| one year after her husband passed away. They | | | | synovial membrane. This membrane produces fluids |
| officially termed it as death due to heart attack, but to | | | | which lubricate the joints, in Rheumatoid arthritis, this |
| jenny's friends, it was known that jenny died of a | | | | membrane secretes excessive fluids. These fluids |
| "broken heart". | | | | cause a swelling around the joint. If the development |
| You may know a few people like jenny yourself, | | | | continues then these fluids penetrate into the bone as |
| people who died or fell chronically ill from sever stress | | | | excessive fluids have no where else to expand, |
| with practically little physically wrong with them. How | | | | therefore they penetrate the bone. In the last stage it |
| many times we tell people "it's all in your head". In | | | | may harm the scar tissue with immobilizes the bone |
| jenny's case, it was not all in her head. Sometimes | | | | and can result in deformity. Sometimes rheumatoid |
| when we experience too much emotional stress it | | | | arthritis is due to hereditary factors known as |
| results in physical disease, such diseases are known | | | | rheumatoid factors. When under chronic stress, it |
| as psychogenic diseases. In psychogenic diseases | | | | aggravates the development of this arthritis, especially |
| there is no invasion of disease producing virus or micro | | | | for people who are prone to it. As seen above, if not |
| organism, the mind changes the physiology in such a | | | | paid attention to, stress can have lot of negative |
| way that it breaks down. On the other hand, diseases | | | | consequences. Cancer, backache, TMJ syndrome, |
| occur when the mind makes the body vulnerable to | | | | asthma, hey fever, tension headaches, migraine |
| some diseases causing microbes or natural | | | | headaches and coronary heart diseases to name a |
| degenerative processes, this is known as a | | | | few. |
| somatogenic disease such as cancer, or asthma, etc. | | | | Healthy stress is necessary to give direction to every |
| There can be various diseases cause by stress. Let | | | | individual's life. So don't go where life takes you, but |
| us look at a few specific conditions. One of the | | | | take life where you are heading. |