Chronic Stress and Disease

Our bodies can get damaged by stress. That’s right. Stress, can damage almost every single one of our body’s systems. As each moment of stress can alter the levels of different hormones, consistent stress can damage our endocrine system, making it hard for hormones to go back to its regular levels after a moment of stress, which later can cause the cessation of menstruation, and failure to ovulate in women, impotency in men, and the loss of libido for both.

What is more, stress can also increase the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, and many other respiratory problems. Stress can stop tissue repair and remodeling, which later translates to decalcification of the bones, osteoporosis, and therefore an increasing chance to fractures. As known to many, stress also inhibits our immune system. This makes weaker, hence prone to flu and colds, and what is worst, it can also make some diseases like cancer and AIDS more problematic.

Researches have been looking at the relationship between stress and disease for over fifty years.

In a 1985-1999 study by the British Medical Journal, a link between stress and metabolic syndrome was found, which at the same time involved obesity and high blood pressure.

To start, the research showed that employees with chronic work stress have more than double the odds of the syndrome than those without work stress. But most importantly, “the study provided evidence for the biological plausibility of psycho-social stress mechanisms linking stressors form everyday life with heart disease”.

During the study between 1985 and 1999, levels of work stress were measured four times.

The researchers also measured the different aspects of metabolic syndrome – a cluster of factors which cause heart disease and diabetes – such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels between 1997 and 1999. The researchers discovered that there was a link between the amount of stress experienced in their job and the levels of metabolic syndrome symptoms, even when considering the other risk factors.

This relationship meant that the more stress someone suffered, the more likely they were to suffer metabolic syndrome symptoms.

For instance, researches mentioned that men who suffered chronic work stress were twice as likely to develop the syndrome as men who had no exposure to stress. At the same time, women with chronic stress showed also to be more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome, although they formed only a small group in the study.

For many this is not a surprise. The good news is there are many natural and safe way to prevent stress for being a factor which sick our bodies.

It is important to understand that no matter what, as human beings we will always be exposed to stress. However, by having our bodies well nourished and balanced we can aid ourselves to recuperate easy after a situation of stress, only by having a healthier and stronger system. As mentioned earlier, during stress, many of our bodies’ substances increase and decrease, once the stress passes they go back to their normal levels. Having a well nourished and balanced system helps our body’s substances go back to their natural levels in an easier natural and healthier way.

Nowadays people who seek stress relief are ingesting Coenzyme Q, pycnogenol, magnesium, Vitamin C, Gingko, Echinacea and thousands of other products and combinations. It is important to know that some supplements will only give us a slight energy and health boost. We must look for products that will help our body reach its desired balance, and not only for those which will help achieve an energy boost.

Peruvian-Maca root is an excellent example of a supplement which will help you achieve homeostasis while also providing you with a variety of vitamins and minerals your body needs.

The root, which grows in the high mountains of the Andes, has rich nutrients which aid our body in the reach for a hormonal balance. Further than help your body decrease stress and anxiety, this supplement may also help us restore sexual libido, and relief menopausal symptoms.

So, once accepted the fact that stress can be a daily companion, we are fortunate to know that we can manage it with simple and natural techniques which at the same time make our bodies healthier and stronger.