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Current mood:  adventurous Category: Life
Hot Reactors
Chronic stress
can lead to poor health. Some people tend to react to stressors with an
all out physiological effort that takes a toll on their health. We call
these people hot reactors. If you notice that you get angry easily (you
are often anxious or depressed, you urinate frequently, you experience
constipation or diarrhea more than usual, or you experience nausea or
vomiting), you may be a hot reactor. In that case, you may want to seek
regular medical examinations to identify illnesses when they can be
easily cured or contained and learn to use stress management techniques
and strategies.
Psychosomatic Disease
People
have died or have become ill from severe stress, when there seems
nothing physically wrong with them. Some illnesses are easily seen as
being physical, while others are assuredly recognized as being mental,
yet it is impossible to deny the interaction between the mind and the
body and the effects of one upon the other. The mind makes the body
susceptible. These conditions are called psychosomatic. Psychosomatic
disease is not “all in the mind”, contrary to popular belief, but
involves both mind and body. Psychosomatic disease is real, can be
diagnosed, and is manifested physically. However, it also has a
component in the mind, although it is not easily measured. That common
cold may be a function of psychological stress, which decreases the
effectiveness of the immunological system and results in the body being
more vulnerable to cold viruses. That cold may also be caused by
psychological stress using up particular vitamins in the body and
leading to decreased effectiveness in combating viruses. Psychogenic
refers to a physical disease caused by emotional stress. Asthma is an
example of this. Somatogenic psychosomatic disease occurs when the mind
increases the body's susceptibility to some disease causing microbes or
some natural degenerative process. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis
and cancer.
Stress-related Conditions and Illnesses
Hypertension
This
is the excessive and damaging pressure of the blood against the walls
of the arterial blood vessels. There are several causes of
hypertension. Excessive sodium (salt) intake may cause hypertension in
those genetically susceptible. It can also be caused by a kidney
disease, a narrow opening in the aorta (main blood vessel), and the use
of contraceptives. However, these conditions cause only an estimated
ten percent of all hypertension. Approximately 90 percent of
hypertension is termed essential hypertension and has no known cause.
Forty-one
percent of the United States population aged twenty to seventy-four are
hypertensive, although many of these people do not even know it, since
hypertension occurs without signs and symptoms. Since blood pressure
increases during stress, the relationship between stress and
hypertension has long been suspected. Recognizing this relationship,
educational programs for hypertensives have included stress management.
Although hypertension can be controlled with medication, the
possibility of disturbing side effects from these drugs has led to
attempts to control hypertension in other ways. Since obesity,
cigarette smoking, and lack of exercise correlates to hypertension,
programs involving weight control, smoking withdrawal, and exercise, as
well as decreased ingestion of salt, have all been used to respond to
high blood pressure.
Stroke
Apoplexy
(also called stroke) is a lack of oxygen in the brain resulting from a
blockage or rupture of one of the arteries that supply it. Stroke is
related to hypertension, which may also result in a cerebral
hemorrhage. Stroke has been linked with high blood pressure, diet and
stress.
Coronary Heart Disease
Heart
attack kills more Americans than any other single cause of death. That
stress is related to coronary heart disease is not surprising when we
consider the physiological mechanisms that stress brings into play:
accelerated heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased serum
cholesterol, and fluid retention resulting in increased blood volume.
Further, the stereotypical heart attack victim has been the highly
stressed, overworked, overweight businessperson with a cigarette
dangling from his lips and a martini in his hand.
Ulcers
Ulcers
are fissures or cuts in the wall of the stomach and other parts of the
intestines. For many years, it was thought that stress led to the
excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid being produced in the stomach
and the intestines. One theory explaining the effects of stress on the
development of ulcers pertains to the mucous coating that lines the
stomach. The theory states that, during chronic stress, secretions
cause the stomach lining to constrict. This, in turn, results in a
shutting down of mucosal production. Without the protective barrier,
hydrochloric acid breaks down the tissue and can even reach blood
vessels, resulting in bleeding ulcer.
Many cases of ulcers are
caused by a bacterium called H. pylori. It is believed that H. pylori
inflames the gastrointestinal lining, stimulates acid production, or
both. Another major cause of ulcers is the ingestion of aspirin and
other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and
naproxenan piroxicam. These drugs promote bleeding in the stomach and
can wear away its protective lining. Still, stress can exacerbate the
conditions in the digestive tract to make ulcers more likely to occur.
Stress results in an increase in hydrochloric acid in the intestines
and stomach, and a decreased effectiveness of the immune system that is
marshaled to combat the invasion by H. pylori.
Migraines
Migraine
headaches are the result of a constriction and dilation of the carotid
arteries of one side of the head. The constriction phase, called the
pre13 attack or prodome, is often associated with light or noise
sensitivity, irritability, and a flushing or pallor of the skin. When
the dilation of the arteries occurs, certain chemicals stimulate
adjacent nerve endings, causing pain. The migraine is not just a severe
headache. It is a unique type of headache with special characteristics,
and it usually involves just one side of head. The prodome consists of
warning signs, such as flashing lights, differing
patterns, or some
dark spaces. Migraines are a sign and symptom of a lifestyle gone awry.
Signs and symptoms should be treated with either medication or
meditation without eliminating the underlying cause. Rather than care
for the migraine after it strikes, why not prevent it in the first
place by changing your lifestyle?
Cancer
Although
many people do not realize it, both the prevention and the treatment of
cancer are suspected of being related to stress. Some researchers
believe that chronic stress results in a chronic inability of the
immune response to prevent the multiplication of mutant cells, which
some believe are present but normally controlled in most people. The
role of stress in the development of cancer is still being debated.
Since cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, research
in this area has been and is presently being conducted. Further, some
support has been provided for the cancer-prone personality type. The
cancer-prone person has been described as holding resentment, with the
inability to forgive, using self-pity, lacking the ability to develop
and maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships, and having poor
self-image.
Tension Headaches
Headaches
may be caused by muscle tension accompanying stress. This muscle
tension may include the forehead, jaw, or neck. Once the headache
occurs, it tends to fuel itself. It is difficult to relax when you're
in pain. Treatment for tension headaches may include medication, heat
on tense muscles, or massage. Others have also reported on the
effectiveness of relaxation training for control and prevention of
tension headache.
Allergies And Asthma
Some
medical scientists, unable to identify any antigen in many asthmatics,
have argued that allergies are emotional diseases. This was shown in an
experiment in which a woman who was allergic to horses began to wheeze
when shown only a picture of a horse, another woman who was allergic to
fish had an allergic reaction to a toy fish and empty fishbowl' and
others reacted to uncontaminated air when suspecting it contained
pollen. Crying-induced asthma, brought on during stressful events is
another example. Some have concluded, therefore, that the effects of
stress on the immune system either decrease our ability to withstand an
antigen or, even in the absence of an antigen, can lead to
allergic-like response. Some allergy sufferers
-- in particular,
asthmatics -- are being taught relaxation techniques and breathing
control exercises to enable them to control their physiology during
allergic reactions.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD
is a condition that develops in people who have experienced an extreme
psychological and/or physical event that is interpreted as particularly
distressing. PTSD is defined as:
· A threat to one's life or serious injury or being subject to horror with intense fear and helplessness
·
Recurrent flashbacks, repeated memories and emotions, dreams,
nightmares, illusions or hallucinations related to traumatic events
from which one is often amnesic
· Trying to avoid feelings, thoughts, or places that may trigger associations
with trauma
· Poor sleep, poor appetite
· Self-recrimination
· Feeling jumpy, irritable, or emotionally explosive or "spaced out"
· Having difficulty concentrating, socializing, or working
Among
the characteristics of those who have successfully managed PTSD are
that they had supportive relationships with family and friends, they
did not dwell on the trauma, they had personal faith/religion/hope, and
they had a sense of humor.
Other Conditions
Stress
has been shown to affect other health conditions, as well. Stress can
lead pregnant women to miscarry. In a study, 70 percent of women who
had miscarriage had at least one stressful experience four to five
months before the miscarriage, as compared with 52 percent who did not
have one. Even sports injuries occur more frequently in athletes who
have experienced stressors and who do not have the resources and skills
to cope well with stress. With high stress and poor coping resources,
the result is increased muscle tension and attention redirected toward
the stress and away from the event.
2:04 AM
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