Читать книгу Reflexology: The Definitive Practitioner's Manual: Recommended by the International Therapy Examination Council for Students and Practitoners - Beryl Crane - Страница 64

Illness is a particular state that is produced by many factors. Any excesses in the regular patterns of daily life can cause an instability. The general state of mind is also most important; both our basic attitude and moods, which may change according to the anxieties suffered. Bad temper and anger create stress, which may leave the person disturbed, uptight and unable to cope, creating the right environment for ill-health to manifest. Stress such as repetitive mental tension and emotional strain can lead to many psychosomatic disorders (emphasizing the relationship between mind and body) and other organic changes in body systems such as headaches, migraines, hormonal imbalances, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), neck and low back problems. This is because internal feelings can change the heart rate, causing sweating and rapid breathing. Even muscular tension can be related to stress. It is most important to understand that no two people respond to stress in the same way.

Mental stress from external influences can also cause chronic problems to manifest. The problem may be related to other people. The old saying ‘you are a pain in the neck’ is so true, as a difficult person can create a problem for an individual. The ‘stress syndrome’, leading to many complications, can also be caused by work problems. Fibromyalgia, which is often thought of as a rheumatic disorder, can be stress related. It is an aching and progressive stiffness of the fibrous tissue within the muscle; this affects in turn the neck and shoulder joint and even down to the lower back (so the old adage ‘you are a pain in the backside’ may also be true). So if a patient comes with an acute or sudden onset of stiff neck or lumbago and no physical exertion can explain it, always check to see whether they had any great emotional upset, particular mental strain or work problem prior to the onset of their predicament.