Most stresers cause the individual to feel afrain though there may not be a physical reason for the fear and it is more lickely to be the fear of not getting a report in on time or being late for something important ect. Fear is one of the most primitive of human emotions which may expain why the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response is not ideal for modern life wher quite often neither is an option. This is where the possibilitie of long term stres arises. Most of the time stress is a goood thing as it keeps us motivated but if the body is exposed to stress constantly for a long period of time it can’t function properly wich will cause illneess which can be anything from a cold due to the surpreesed emune system or a haert atack. When a person is stressed the sympathetic nervous system is activated. The adrenocorticotropic hormone is released from the pituatry gland, this stimulating the adrenal gland to release adrenalin and noradrenalin into the blood stream which causes
the digestive organs slow down, blood is diverted to the skeletal muscles and heart rate increases. If the body remains in this state for an extended lenth of time person will experience symtoms like loss of apetite, increased thirst (due to inhibition ofsalivation) and tiredness due to a drop in blood sugar levels.
Eventualy though after the activities of the sypathetic sytem have been more active than they should for too long a time (about a week +) the activities of the Parasympathetic system may increase to balance it out again instead of the Sympathetic system going down and returning to normal. This makes the bodily fuctions speed up so the sufferer now has a increase in apetite be cause the digestive system is working too fast (this can also produce ‘wind’) and faster heart beat than normal, blood pressure may also rise.
However the main way in which stress can cause illness is due to supression of the imune system. Immune system is made up of special cells, molecules, and tissues that help defend the body against diseases and other harmful invaders. The immune system provides protection against a variety of potentially damaging substances that can invade the body. These substances include disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The body's ability to resist these invaders is called immunity.
The main function of the immune system is to destroy foreign invaders while leaving the body's own healthy tissues alone. Sometimes, however, the immune system attacks and damages these healthy tissues. This reaction is called an autoimmune response or autoimmunity.
The immune system is composed of many parts that work together to fight infections when pathogens or poisons invade the human body. Pathogens are disease-causing organisms such as bacteria and viruses. The immune system reacts to foreign substances through a series of steps known as the immune response. The substances that trigger an immune response are called antigens. Several types of cells may be involved in the immune response to antigens. They include lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Lymphocytes are special types of white blood cells. Like other white blood cells, lymphocytes originate in the bone marrow, the blood-forming tissue in the center of many bones. Some lymphocytes mature in the bone marrow and become B lymphocytes, also known as B cells. The B stands for bone marrow derived. Some of these cells develop into plasma cells, which produce antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that attack antigens. They are carried in the blood, in tears, and in secretions of the nose and the intestines.
Other lymphocytes do not mature in the bone marrow. Instead, they travel through the bloodstream to the thymus, an organ in the upper chest. In the thymus, the immature lymphocytes develop into T lymphocytes, also known as T cells. The T stands for thymus derived. Large numbers of lymphocytes are stored in tissues called the primary lymphoid organs and secondary lymphoid organs. The primary lymphoid organs are the bone marrow and the thymus, the places where lymphocytes develop. Secondary lymphoid organs include the lymph nodes, the tonsils, and the spleen. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped organs. They are bunched in certain areas, especially the neck and armpits. Lymph nodes filter out harmful particles and bacteria from a network of vessels called the lymphatic system. When the body is fighting an infection, the lymph nodes may swell and become painful.
The stress response causes the supression of the imune system and inhibits the production of leucocytes making the body more vunrable to disease. Researchers found that the highly stressed women had lower levels of natural killer cells than women who reported less stress. Natural killer cells are one vital weapon making up the immune system.
"Natural killer cells have an extremely important function with regard to cancer because they are capable of detecting and killing cancer cells," said Barbara Andersen, leader of the research team and professor of psychology and obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State University.
"These results, although preliminary, suggest that psychological stress may play a role in how the immune system responds to cancer."
Andersen presented the results August 13 in New York.
Allthough so far sciance has onley proved there is a coralation between stress and illness it is too obviouse and important to be ignored.
