Recent research demonstrates that 80% of illness is stress-related. All of us experience Stress on a daily basis in various ways such as work, noise, pollution, relationships, and family among others.

 

    Stress is defined as: "an emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences."

 

    When a physical or mental event threatens this equilibrium, we react to it. This process is often referred to as the "Fight or Flight Response." We prepare for physical activity in order to confront or flee a threat.

 

    Our ancestors responded to stress in a similar manner. We do the same a few million years later! When we have faced a situation that we perceive as threatening, our body automatically goes into overdrive, engaging in a Stress Response. Immediately, we release the same hormones that allowed our ancestors to move and think faster, hit harder, see better, hear more acutely, and jump higher than they could only seconds earlier.

 

    Stress is capable of affecting health at a physical level by Increasing Heart Rate, Raising Blood Pressure, Muscular Tension, Irritability, and Depression.

 

    Not all Stress is bad. As a positive influence, it can help compel us into action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

 

    With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job promotion, or a new relationship, we experience Stress as we readjust our lives. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

 

When Stress is positive, your body automatically relaxes after you’ve handled the situation that caused your Stress Response. This relaxation response is the most important aspect of positive Stress because it allows you to rest and gather the physical and emotional energy you need to meet the next challenge. Stress is more likely to be positive in the individual who has a healthy lifestyle.

 

    It is important to remain attentive to Negative Stress Symptoms and to learn to identify the situations that evoke them. When these symptoms persist, you are at risk for serious health problems because stress can exhaust your immune system. 

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    Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Stress Disorders, however, are of a different magnitude. These occur as a result of profound trauma, such as encountering or witnessing a death, or experiencing serious injury. People with Stress Disorders exhibit intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Acute Stress Disorders occur soon after the traumatic event and lasts for a month or less. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may begin within a few days of an event or may have delayed onset—sometimes as long as 30 to 40 years—and continues for more than three months.

    Stress is anything that puts the body out of its normal state of being creating various symptoms that the body was not experiencing before. Anxiety and Panic Attacks are quite often linked to having too much stress (mental and emotional), and the inability to manage it quite often creates a sudden feeling of breathlessness and sudden sweating. When you are stressed, your body produces more of the so-called 'Fight or Flight Chemicals' which prepare your body for an emergency.

 

    Adrenaline and noradrenaline raise your blood pressure, increase the rate at which your heart beats and increase the rate at which you perspire. They can also reduce blood flow to your skin and reduce your stomach activity.

 

    Cortisol releases fat and sugar into your system (but also reduces the efficiency of your immune system).

 

    Please remember that there is a mind-body connection, and hence the symptoms described below may be psychosomatic symptoms where the underlying root cause of the problem could be acute or chronic Stress. Also, a lot of digestive symptoms described here could be caused by Stress – our gut is like our second brain so it’s not so surprising to see that the first thing that happens to a lot of individuals under stressful situations is having diarrhea or constipation.
 

    Ongoing chronic stress can lead to or exacerbate conditions such as Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or Colitis. I have seen this in quite a few patients at the clinic. Always remember, however, that it is very important to identify the root cause of the symptom in order to treat it correctly.
 

PHYSICAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
 

    Physical symptoms can be caused by other illnesses, so it is important to have a medical doctor treat condition such as ulcers, compressed disks, or other physical disorders. The physical problems outlined below may result from or be exacerbated by stress:
 

- Anxiety, panic attacks, and sleep disturbances
- Back, shoulder, or neck pain
- Difficulty to breathe
- Feeling sudden claustrophobia - as if the world is closing in on you
- Unable to concentrate and focus
- Mental agitation all the time but especially when you are trying to sleep, keeping you awake for hours
- Tension or migraine headaches
- Upset or acid stomach, cramps, heartburn, gas, irritable bowel syndrome
- Constipation, diarrhea, and symptoms of irritable bowel
- Weight gain or loss, eating disorders
- Sudden hair loss
- Muscle tension/spasms and tightness
- Constant fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat, palpitations
- Dyspnoea or shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Sweaty palms or hands
- Cold hands or feet
- Skin problems (hives, eczema, psoriasis, tics, itching)
- Periodontal disease, jaw pain
- Reproductive problems
- Immune system suppression
- Increased frequency of colds, flu, infections

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