Relation between Physical Illness and Stress

Relation between Physical Illness And Stress
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RELATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL ILLNESS AND STRESS
According to American author and psychotherapist, Richard Carlson, stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness. A combination of stress and physical illness weakens the possibility of an individual’s fullness to healing. Research has consistently shown that the physical health of a person with mental health such as stress or depression is usually rather poor. This therefore means that stress affects the physical health of an individual leading to physical illness (Nash, 2010).
Stress is a process in which environmental requirements bring strain to an organism’s adaptive capacity which then results to psychological demands and biological changes that could place one at risk for physical illness. Stress is an everyday fact of life that we must deal with, it affects everyone. Even minor thoughts can cause us stress making our bodies vulnerable to illness. It is divided into three perspectives; The Environmental Perspective which emphasizes on the assessment of environmental experiences that are related to considerable adaptive demands. The Psychological Perspective emphasizes on people’s evaluations of their ability to cope with demands that are presented by certain circumstances. The Biological Perspective emphasizes on the function of physiological systems in the body which are controlled by both psychologically and physically demanding conditions (Tiwari, 2009).
When facing a predicament, we evaluate the severity of the issue and then determine whether or not we have the necessary resources to deal with it. If we believe that the problem is serious and we can’t cope, then stress arises. This is our way of reacting to situations that may increase the chances of susceptibility to illness in our bodies. Stress surpasses our ability to handle, exhaustion in body systems and may result to behavioral or physical problems such as; overreaction confusion, deprived attentiveness and anxiety whose consequences are substandard performance in school and at work.
It is however not all in the head. There are certain situations that could lead to physical stress. For instance, think of Jeremy, a college graduate with a job interview in a big company scheduled to start at 8.30am and is stuck in traffic at 8.29am. In such a situation, the pulse accelerates; the heart races, heavy breathing is experienced and muscles become uptight. Some people may even end up feeling nauseated. This is referred to as the Stress Hormone Response. (Fink, 2010). These changes occur in the body because stress has set out a brain alarm prompting hormonal discharge which then prepares the body to run. The Stress Response Hormone is helpful as it may help Jeremy react quickly and decide to call the company and explain his situation.
The Immune System is the human body’s guard against any infection and an area which is susceptible to stress in a big way. There are interactions in the body between the Immune System, the Brain, Emotions and the Endocrine System. This connection can however be traced back to the philosophical work of the famous Greek Scholar Aristotle. The Immune System has about 1 trillion lymphocytes responsible for coordinating its roles. Chronic stress exerts a suppressive effect that withholds the body’s ability to set off a fast and resourceful immune reaction. This is as a result of the great quantity of corticosteroids produced during acute stress, which then causes an imbalance in the immune system and weakens immunocompetence. This weakening is said to strain the body parts related with the production and the protection of the Immune System. Chronic stressors include; Death, Traffic, Financial Strain, Work load, matrimonial and Family issues. When individuals hold up bitterness towards these situations instead of releasing the anxiety, the effects increase (Rhazali, 2008).
A suppressed Immune System due to chronic stress leaves people prone to physical illn...