Stress and Health Problems: Is There a Link?

A comparison of health problems in this generation versus those of a few centuries ago seems to indicate a greater number of sicknesses nowadays, albeit more curable, than they were that lifetime ago. Cancer, especially, has become almost as commonplace as the common flu. It seems that nearly every family has someone who has cancer. But why is there such an increase in health problems?
1. Environmentalists would attribute it to the rising pollution levels as well as global warming or other atmospheric factor
2. Health buffs may point to the increased consumption of fatty junk food from fast food restaurants and the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of couch potatoes
3. Vegetarian-fanatics will blame the higher intake of red meats and its related by-products, pushing the world to go all green.
But are any of these to blame for the recurring health problems across the world? Or is there something else that has a subtle but sure connection with all these sicknesses? It was only in this decade the medical science has proven a link, albeit still largely unexplored, between stress and these rising health problems. The Mayo Clinic itself warns that stress can disrupt much of the body’s natural processes, making a person more vulnerable to serious, life-threatening health problems.
Does that mean stress levels nowadays are indeed higher than it was a hundred years ago? It is highly likely, since a lot of the conveniences invented for this generation have not exactly made things easier. Yes, automated machines and other innovations have made things convenient for a particular task, but have instead resulted in an overly hectic, and therefore stressful, schedule for nearly everybody. So what kind of effects does stress and other negative emotions have on the human body?
1. Stress results in an overproduction of acids in the digestive track. This has been proven among internal medicine physicians, and has resulted in stress being indirectly related to hyperacidity, stomach ulcers, allergy, coughs, and colds. The interesting thing is that sometimes, the cough or cold appear to be stubbornly there for weeks on end, and the patient has a hard time figuring out why medication does not seem to work. More experienced doctors would usually link the cough and cold to an overactive acid level in the stomach and therefore treat that first with an antacid.
2. Some people complain of migraine headaches that never leave, or night-after-night of insomnia. Checkups may reveal nothing wrong with the person’s head: no tumor, nothing alarming found in the X-ray or CT scan, nothing at all! But if someone checks that person’s emotional state of mind, most likely he is stuck in a cycle of worry and anxiety – two emotions best known for causing sleeplessness and
3. Fear is an emotion that the medical world identifies as a major cause of stress. When fear is prevalent in a person’s life, no matter what the object of the fear is, several effects happen, such as a panic attack and other times, it can even cause severe diarrhea. Unfortunately, fear is one emotion that is very difficult to avoid, especially for the more unreasonable things, like fear of the future, fear of not having enough, and similar thoughts that you cannot just “face” head-on like you would tangible things.
4. Research studies by scientists these recent years have discovered an interesting link between feelings of guilt and condemnation to more life-threatening sicknesses. A serious example is cancer. Apparently, in studies of the cells of people who have perpetual condemnation ringing in their heads, the cells appear to be fighting one another or others self-destruct. If this connection is indeed true, the human race may well be one step closer to finding a better cure for cancer than the current medications and chemotherapy. Of course, that would mean dealing with the issues of guilt and condemnation, a feat not easily done since these deep-set feelings usually come from years and years of struggling with blaming oneself.
These are but a few examples of the negative effects that stress and these other related heavy emotions have on the human body. In any case, the connection seems clear enough, indicating the need for a holistic view of health, taking into account one’s emotional needs in addition to the physical, medical necessities. At the best case, one can try to avoid stress as much as possible, while dealing with other negative emotions in the best way possible, on his way to lesser health problems and improved overall well-being!