The single greatest “killer” in today’s modern world is STRESS.
Stress upsets the body’s normal balance, creating the perfect
breeding ground for illness. Stress is said to be responsible for as
much as 80% of major illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases,
cancer, diseases of the endocrine system, metabolic diseases, and
infections of many different kinds. If this weren’t enough, stress can
also be responsible for aggravating many major skin problems, such
as skin cancer and psoriasis, as well as minor skin problems like
blemishes. When the body is under stress, the immune cells in the
skin can become damaged by chemicals that are released from the
nerve cells in response to it.
Stress can be caused by many emotional situations, as well as by
environmental situations like noise, traffic jams, temperature
extremes, crowds, and pollution. It can also be caused by lack of
proper balance in diet, drink, sleep, and work. No generation before
us has faced the amount of airborne pollution, or pesticides and
herbicides that we face today.
One of the most common of all adult complaints is back problems.
Professionals now believe that with many the root cause is stress,
which causes the muscles to tighten up.
Stress can be related to loss of appetite, loss of memory, inability to
sleep properly, chronic fatigue, headaches, depression, withdrawal,
low self-esteem, high blood pressure, stomach disorders, irritable
bowel syndrome, and much, much more.
When we are under stress, the body’s natural response is with the
“fight or flight” mechanism of the adrenal glands. This response
includes increased adrenal secretion, elevated blood pressure,
increased heart beat, tension in the muscles, muted or stopped
digestive processes, fats and sugars released into the blood stream,
and the blood becomes more prone to clotting in preparation for the
possibility of external wounding. The pituitary gland increases
production of adrenocorticotropic hormone, stimulating the release of
cortisome and cortisol hormones. These hormones in turn inhibit the
function of the disease-fighting white blood cells, and suppress the
immune system. Under stress, there is a response from almost all our
body’s organs and related functions.
Prolonged or recurring stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies,
because under the “fight or flight” mechanism of the adrenal gland,
the body metabolizes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins too quickly,
in order to produce the burst of energy needed for the “supposed”
emergency. This in turn causes an increase in the secretion of amino
acids, potassium, and phosphorus. It also depletes stored
magnesium in muscle tissue, and causes the body to store less
calcium. Since the digestive process is muted or stopped under
stress, the body is hindered from absorbing its needed nutrients.
Consequently, under stress the body is depleated of many needed
nutrients and is hindered or unable to replace them adequately.
Stress is also responsible for the formation of free radicals, which
break down and damage body tissue. The end result of all this is that
many of the diseases that are the result of stress are the result of
basic nutritional deficiencies. Its no wonder stress is such a “killer”!