Fw: stress

[Guest guest]

STRESS I am not sure exactly how this works, but this is amazingly accurate. The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at the Mayo Clinic and later at Fletcher Medical Center in Burlington. Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. A closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress will find many differences between the two dolphins. The more differences a person finds, the more stress that person is experiencing. Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may need to take a vacation. No Need to Reply, I'll be on Vacation. Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out of it alive anyway. ------ End of Forwarded Message

[Guest guest]

Good article sent to me by a friend with Hep C. SuziQ

STRESS IN RELATION TO HEPATITIS C…..THE HEPATITIS C HANDBOOK

By: Dolan

Page 219-245

It is the opinion of many patients and a number of medical practitioners that the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of hepatitis C are all accentuated either by high levels of stress or by unhealthy methods of coping. Many think that the onset of stress precedes an “attack” of symptoms, particularly fatigue; this experience echoes that of M.E. patients. One patient interviewed for this book keeps a chart of liver function test results that she claims correlate with stressful episodes in her life, such as tumultuous love affairs or business pressures.

Removing unnecessary sources of stress, developing healthy ways or responding to the inevitable levels of stress inherent in being alive, and learning how to relax are therefore key issues for patients. It is also likely that stress reduction and the use of effective relaxation techniques will improve prognosis; although this would be nearly impossible to prove statistically, it is a logical conclusion based upon what is known about the various effects of mental and emotional stress on human physiology and the pathogenesis of hepatitis C. In other words, the onus should be on skeptics to disprove the assertion that measures to counteract stress improve health and long-term prognosis, rather than on to those who suggest that this approach is likely to be beneficial to prove their case.

The Physiological Impact of Stress

The nervous system responds to stress in much the same way as the immune system responds to an antigen. Stress has been defined as any perceived or actual demand upon the body to adapt or readjust. Research undertaken as long ago as the 1930’s, by doctors such as Hans Selye, demonstrated a pattern of physiological response that includes the following clinical conditions: enlargement of the adrenal cortex ; intense atrophy of the thymus, spleen and lymph nodes; and bleeding stomach and duodenal ulcers. The process appears to start with the hypothalamus triggering the pituitary gland to produce harmones that regulate the endocrine system, which in turn “asks” the adrenal glands to release corticosteroids andadrenalin, both harmones. It is a surge in the level of adrenalin that causes the hypervigilant sensation we feel

under threat.

These potent harmones have a powerful impact on the body, which can be particularly damaging if the are frequently present in large quantities over a long period of time. Unrelieved stress or a prolonged response to a perception of being threatened gives rise to high elevated levels of cortisol in the blood. Diseases associated with chronic high levels of cortisol include depression, cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction, hypertension, ulcers, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. These chemicals will also indirectly affect the LIVER, which has to deal with the overall chemical balance of the body. Many practitioners believe that the liver is intimately connected with emotion; it is seen as the seat of anger in many traditional health

systems. It does seem probable that there is a link between the biochemistry of stress, negative emotion, and the physical state of the liver.

It therefore seems that patients need to be concerned not only with the chemical makeup of the substances that are consumed, but also the chemicals that are produced inside the body. Cortisol is an immunosuppressant. It destroys lymphoid tissues, particularly in the vital thymus gland, reduces the number of T helper cells, and blocks the production of natural killer cells and interferon. Thus it will undermine the body’s defense against HCV, particularly in the liver region, where the immune process is so important in the prevention of HCV pathogenesis.

Chronic high levels of cortisols are also thought to damage certain parts of the brain, particularly those dealing with memory. Research undertaken at the University of California by Sapolsky suggests that damage is compounded by high levels of alcohol intake, another symptom of stress. These findings indicate yet another potential cause of the mental dysfunction commonly reported by patients.

Studies of students comparing their status prior to exams and after them have shown reduced levels of natural killer cells and higher levels of antibodies to Epstein Barr and herpes viruses when the stress level was high before the exam. Other studies have appeared to demonstrate that happy emotional states such as love or feeling safe produce healthy immunological profiles. Some health professionals go on to suggest that people who repress their emotions ar less likely to have healthy immune systems and are quite literally “diseased”.

UNHEALTHY STRESS RESPONSES

Doctors do not really know why some HCV patients progress rapidly and others very slowly, particularly when factors such as active alcoholism have been excluded. It may be the case that chronic unhealthy response to stress explains at least some of these cases of accelerated progression and why some patients do not progress. A number of doctors have also linked autoimmune diseases with stress and the emotions of anger and anxiety in particular. Micheal Weiner , author of Maximum Immunity, has noted that auto immune disease tends to cluster in people who have difficulty in expressing negative emotion, particularly women who find it difficult to express anger:

People with autoimmune diseases seem to show a pronounced tendency to suppress anger and other negative emotions. Traditionally it has been women in our society who have been discouraged from expressing anger, and this may help to account for the high incidence of autoimmune diseases in women.

It seems that some people have permanently high levels of stress response regardless of the presence or absence of threatening stimuli. This state is often called the “flight or fight” state. Much has been written about this, and a common observation is that such people are often unable to express emotion, that they bottle up feelings and therefore fail to clear the biochemical response to trauma. It is this state of undischarged emotion that is associated with chronic levels of cortisol and its associated illnesses. It is going to be very difficult to attain a satisfactory state of health while this state persists regardless of whether it actually influences disease progression or not.