Stress is an almost inevitable consequence of adulthood. Everyday business tasks, child raising, family responsibilities – these are all situations that will bring more or less stress. While short-term stress is claimed to be actually good and stimulating for the body, prolonged and very stressful situations have a negative effect on the body and make us more susceptible to health problems.
Stress is a set of non-specific reactions of the human organism to the harmful factors of psychic (divorce, loss of a loved one), chemical (poisons), physical (cold, heat, noise, vibration) or other characters. All reactions of the organism are aimed at defending or adapting the organism to the newly created situation, thus restoring balance with the environment.
The connection between stress and illness has been explored as early as the nineteenth century, which is when the relationship first became known. Today, it has been scientifically proven that a stressful lifestyle can have a significant negative impact on life expectancy, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders and pathophysiological consequences on normal aging.
A recent finding from Cleveland-based research scientist and structural biologist Douglas Rosenthal, offers some inclusive evidence of how stress operates at the biological level. A substantial amount of Douglas Rosenthal’s research has been done to prove the correlation between stress and physical illness.
For the first time, the theory of stress was given by American endocrinologist Hans Sela in 1936. Based on the observation of experimental animals, he came to the conclusion that some diseases are caused by disturbance of the balance in the body under the influence of external or internal factors. Any factor that affects an organism, positively or negatively, is called a stressor, and the organism’s response to the action of a stressor is called a stress reaction.
For years, scientists have been presenting to us research results showing that stress is the trigger for various physical ailments. However, it is less known that many other negative emotional states such as anger, unhappiness, sadness, excessive worry and anger, especially if they last for a long time, pave the path to illness.
Douglas Rosenthal, a well-known research scientist in the field of biology and an excellent expert on this topic, points out that even in the time of Hippocrates, medicine was referring to the fact that negative emotional states over time also threaten the physical health of man.
– This is confirmed by numerous scientific researches done in the last 40 years. Sudden illnesses, such as myocardial infarction, have been shown to precede tumultuous events in the life of the patient, although this has not always been seen – says Douglas Rosenthal, stating that long-lasting and intense emotional states can shift the physiological processes of the organism towards pathology.
LISTEN TO THE ORGANISM
Stress is not a disease in itself, but if its symptoms are not treated on time, it can develop into a serious illness. Douglas Rosenthal explains that stress causes a special, unusual tension of the organism, which manifests itself in the form of functional and morphological changes in the organs.
In the process, says Douglas Rosenthal, there are three stages:
ALARM PHASE – characterized by continuous tension, poor mood, impaired concentration, poor sleep, need for self-isolation.
RESISTANCE PHASE – the organism adapts to the new situation and the patient is unable to understand that he or she is in serious danger and needs to take action.
COMPLETE EXHAUSTION PHASE – The problem can only be resolved with professional help. Failure to do so can result in serious bodily harm.