Stress-related Illness

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Cardiovascular disease

The term 'cardiovascular' refers to the heart and to the body's system of blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is probably the most serious health problem that can be linked to stress-it is the most common cause of death in Britain and the USA. The primary causes of heart disease include smoking and high-fat diets, but stress is a significant contributory factor.

Adrenal hormones act to increase blood pressure; temporary rises in blood pressure present no threat to health, but a frequent or perpetual state of high blood pressure can have a serious effect on health in the long term. High blood pressure is linked with the development of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis is the result of the development of blood plaque in the arteries, which progressively narrows the pathway through which the blood flows. Eventually an artery can become blocked, leading to angina, stroke and heart failure.

The immune system

The immune system protects the body from infection. It fights foreign invaders (such as viruses and harmful bacteria) and cancer. Excessive stress can damage the immune system by affecting the thymus gland. This manufactures white blood cells, called T-cells, for regulating immunity and also produces various immune-related hormones. The stress reaction diverts resources to the main parts of the body that need to deal with stress, mainly the brain, heart and muscles.

Other systems are deprived of resources, including the immune system. Hormones produced by the adrenal glands can cause the thymus gland to shrink and also degrade the activity of white blood cells, causing damage to the body's ability to fight infection. As a result high stress can result in reduced resistance to common infections, such as colds, influenza and herpes (cold sores). Because certain types of white blood cells produced by the thymus are active in preventing the development of cancer cells in the body, any damage to the thymus may effect the body's ability to resist cancer.

Asthma

Asthma is a respiratory disorder marked by the temporary constriction of the bronchi, the airways branching from the trachea to the lungs. Attacks usually are brought on by allergic reaction to antigens, such as grass and tree pollens, mould spores, fungi, animal dander, and certain foods, but may also be caused by chemical irritants in the atmosphere or by infections of the respiratory tract.

Susceptibility to an asthma attack is based on hyperactivity of the bronchial muscles, which constrict on exposure to one or other of these agents. Chronic stress reduces the efficiency of the adrenal glands, reducing the output of antiinflammatory and anti-allergic adrenal hormones, which may make an asthma attack more likely.

Diabetes

Diabetes is caused by the inability of the body to metabolize sugar correctly, leading to excessively high levels of sugar in the blood. Sugar metabolism is the responsibility of the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas. Most diabetics can produce insulin, but various factors limit the hormone's efficiency, known as 'insulin sensitivity'.

As we know from the physiology of the stress response, the release of adrenal hormones under stress can have significant impact on blood-sugar levels. Adrenaline causes sugar in the liver to be dumped into the blood stream, and Cortisol acts to reduce metabolism of glucose by cells.

Large amounts of corti-sol act to decrease insulin sensitivity. High blood-sugar levels are not dangerous in normally healthy individuals, but chronic stress, combined with other factors such as obesity, act to increase the likelihood of developing diabetes.

Ulcers

Ulcers are frequently associated with stress, although no conclusive link has yet been demonstrated. Normally the lining of the stomach is covered with a layer of mucus to protect it from the digestive acids and enzymes used in the breaking down of food. Over time, chronic stress can stimulate the overproduction of gastric juices, which break down the protective mucus and act upon the walls of the digestive tract, resulting in ulceration. Ulcers usually occur singly as round or oval lesions; the erosions are usually shallow but can penetrate the entire wall, leading to haemorrhage and possibly death.

Digestive disorders

Many problems with the digestive tract, such as constipation, diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome, are linked to stress. The nerves in the digestive tract receive messages from the brain in the form of hormones, which tell the intestinal muscles to expand or contract. Hormonal imbalances can cause alterations in intestinal function, such as spasms, constipation and diarrhoea. Chronic stress tends to shut down the digestive system altogether, exacerbating intestinal problems.

Skin complaints

Stress increases levels of toxicity in the body and contributes to hormonal imbalances, both of which have an effect on the skin. The visible effects of stress on the skin include:

Headaches and migraines

Headaches are one of our most common afflictions. Millions of people seek medical help for this problem every year, and millions of pounds are spent on headache remedies annually.

Most headaches are caused not by disease but by fatigue, emotional disorders, or allergies. Intermittent tension headaches are caused by worry, anxiety, overwork, or inadequate ventilation. The most common type-a chronic tension headache-is often caused by depression.

Brain tissue itself is insensitive to pain, as is the bony covering of the brain (the cranium). Headache pain results from the stimulation of such pain-sensitive structures as the membranous linings of the brain (the meninges) and the nerves of the cranium and upper neck. This stimulation can be produced by inflammation, by the dilation of blood vessels of the head, or by muscle spasms in the neck and head. Headaches brought on by muscle spasms are classified as tension headaches; those caused by the dilation of blood vessels are called vascular headaches.

Almost 90 per cent of all people seeking medical help for headaches suffer from tension headaches. These are characterized by a diffuse ache that either spreads over the entire head or feels like a tight headband. Tension headaches are often associated with poor sleep and persistent tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and forehead. These muscles must relax before the pain eases.

Migraine is the most common form of vascular headache. About 60 per cent of all migraine sufferers are women, and most sufferers first develop symptoms between the ages of 10 and 30. In approximately 30 per cent of all cases, migraine attacks are preceded by warning signs such as blind spots, zigzag flashing lights, numbness in parts of the body, and distorted visual images.

Migraine pain almost always occurs on only one side and is usually accompanied by nausea. Many things seem capable of triggering migraine attacks, including stress, fatigue, changes in the weather, fasting, menstruation, drugs, such as birth control pills, that contain oestrogen, and foods, such as cheese, alcohol, and chocolate, that contain substances that affect the blood vessels. Many migraine patients have family histories of the problem.

Many of the relaxation techniques and alternative therapies outlined later in this book will help to alleviate headaches. However, chronic headaches may be physical symptoms of depression or other kinds of severe emotional problems. If you suffer from persistent headaches, then be sure to consult your doctor for professional treatment.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Stress has a debilitating effect on the nerves in general, and certain premenstrual symptoms may be aggravated by stress. Many sufferers of PMS have abnormal levels of the adrenal hormone aldosterone, which may account for some of the problems of excessive fluid retention and weight gain, breast tenderness and abdominal bloating. Further release of aldosterone caused by-stress will exacerbate these problems.

Depression

Chronic stress can produce severe depression, because of its debilitating psychological effects. The physiological changes produced by stress can also contribute to depression. Adrenaline and noradrenaline are not only adrenal hormones but also chemical messengers in the brain. Deficiencies of noradrenaline have been linked to depression in certain individuals, and so adrenal exhaustion through chronic long-term stress may be a contributory factor in depressive illness.