Читать книгу The Stress Protection Plan - Leon Chaitow, Leon Chaitow N.D. D.O. - Страница 8
ОглавлениеThe Physical Effects of Stress
Stress is an essential and constant part of life. It is the spur that drives humankind to all achievement, but, when excessive, it can destroy. All the ages and stages of life are transitional; from baby to toddler, from schoolchild to young adult, from active worker to retired pensioner, and so on. Each change has potential stress implications which, when overlayed upon the external and internal stresses of living, are constantly affecting our minds and bodies.
A definition of stress, coined by the great researcher into this ubiquitous phenomenon, Dr Hans Selye, is simply ‘the rate of wear and tear on the body’. All change calls for adaptation. If we go from a warm room into the freezing cold outdoors, adaptive mechanisms immediately become operative to help the body to maintain its equilibrium.
Adaptive processes take place in response to all changes and stressors, whether these are physical, such as heat and cold; chemical, such as polluted air and water, and drugs; or self-generated emotions, such as anger, grief or joy. Anything that is perceived as threatening the mind or body arouses a response of an adaptive or defensive nature instantly.
Homoeostasis
This ability to attempt to maintain the safe equilibrium of the body is known as homoeostasis. It is, for a variety of reasons, not always successful. The biochemistry of the body may be inadequate for the task, perhaps through poor nutrition – and this and other possible factors, including structural integrity, will be considered later. If the response is inadequate, or if perception of threats is inaccurate, then unbalanced and faulty body adjustments may occur with harmful consequences.
The normal stress reaction is seldom the result of the outside agency, but rather it is the system’s reaction to it. Whether the stressor is physical, such as sudden exposure to cold; or psychological, such as an unexpected crisis or a change of responsibility at work, or unpleasant news, the body begins to make biochemical changes in response to its perceived needs. Such changes take place to a greater or lesser degree almost constantly throughout life.
If a stressor is prolonged, continuous or extreme in its nature, then the defensive mechanisms of the body become even more active. In response to intense heat, changes take place in the blood chemistry and circulatory system in order to cool the body by means, for example, of extra fluid loss and evaporation through the skin. Should this fail to achieve the desired effect, then an even greater defensive effort might involve fainting and temporary unconsciousness, in order to reduce all bodily functions to a minimum. Such homoeostatic efforts, though, fall short of being actual stress reactions, unless prolonged.
Fight or Flight
In response to any stress or extreme the body undergoes a series of changes which Selye has grouped under the heading of the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. Quite logically, the response to being confronted with real physical danger, such as the appearance of a man-eating animal, would be to attack it or to escape from it. Whichever was the choice, the body would require instantly available energy, strength and concentration. There would be no time for slow deliberation or stages of progressive arousal, for by that time the adversary would be beginning its meal! If an appropriate response (fight or flight) to the stressor were forthcoming, then the biochemical and other changes triggered by the initial shock, would be utilized, and no ill-effects would be felt.
Today, people are seldom faced with such life and death stress situations. However, the mind and body may feel threatened in many other ways than by a man-eating tiger. Any perceived (accurately or not) threat or danger to the mind or body will produce a similar ‘fight or flight’ reaction, and there may be ways of producing an appropriate response to these. For instance, someone might say something which is perceived as being insulting and hurtful. The stress reaction, which includes a tensing of the muscles as well as biochemical (hormonal and other) changes, could simply be ‘bottled up’ and remain as an extra degree of muscular tension. If a suitable verbal and/or physical response were to be found, however, then again the preparation for action would have been expressed and used, and no ill-effects would result.
The degree of stress imposed on the body will vary with your perception of what constitutes a threat – one person would laugh and shrug off an insult, another would reach for a gun! It will also vary with your ability to respond appropriately. One might calmly but firmly state their views and inform the ‘villain of the piece’ of their feelings. Another might bluster and fluster and add fuel to the fire, and in doing so fail to obtain psychological release from the hurt and anger within. The stress factor, therefore, cannot be seen as the main determinant of the degree of ‘fight or flight’ reaction, but only as its potential trigger. The harm done to your body by prolonged, repeated arousal, is largely an outcome of your beliefs, attitudes, personality and ability to see objectively what constitutes real, and what constitutes imagined danger, physically or mentally.
The ‘Chain Reaction’ of Stress
The actual processes that take place during arousal and ‘fight or flight’ reactions are quite amazing to contemplate. It is possible to extrapolate these immediate changes and to see their potential for major physical damage if they are repeated or prolonged. The following process occurs instantly within the body in response to stress:
The muscles tense in preparation for activity; the hypothalamus (part of your brain) co-ordinates a number of hormonal changes; the pituitary gland is activated, and among other results of this is the production by the adrenal glands of the hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. As a result, a vast number of bodily changes occur; the pupils of the eye dilate – no doubt to see more clearly; the heart pumps more rapidly to service the extra requirements of the tense muscles, and this increases the blood pressure; the extra blood for the muscles requires extra oxygen, and the respiratory rate quickens to cope with this, as well as to help expel additional waste products resulting from increased activity. Blood being diverted to potential muscular activity requires the shut-down of some other functions, including reduction in blood through the kidneys, as well as the ceasing of digestive functions. To this end, saliva dries up and the intestines and stomach stop working. The body’s need for additional energy is met by the liver releasing stored glucose into the bloodstream, where the oxygen changes it into readily available energy. In anticipation of extra activity, the skin cools the body down by opening its pores to encourage perspiration. Since blood is being diverted to the muscles, there is a tendency for the skin to become paler. There may be involuntary urination or defecation, due to an over-reaction of that part of the nervous system responsible for restoring the status quo (the parasympathetic nervous system); normally, however, the sphincters controlling these functions close to prevent any further activity until the crisis is past. Other aspects of the body’s defence capability, the immune system, become less active during such arousal. This makes infection more likely at such a time. Since the muscles are tense, they will be producing lactic acid break-down products, which have the effect of reinforcing the anxiety and tension felt.
This listing of the chain reaction set up by stress is by no means fully comprehensive, but it gives an idea of what a devastating effect prolonged stress can have on normal body functions.
General Adaptation Syndrome
In the initial stages of arousal, most systems adapt to and accommodate such changes. After arousal there is a return to the status quo, especially if the response is adequate. However, if arousal is repeated over and over again, then some of the changes mentioned above stop being temporary and become chronic. The term employed to describe this process is the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). As your body adapts to repeated and constant stress factors, and as chronic symptoms become an accepted part of life, the general level of health declines. Such symptoms include headaches, dizziness, insomnia, blurred vision, swallowing difficulties, aching neck and shoulder muscles, high blood pressure, heart problems, circulatory problems, palpitations, asthma, allergies, indigestion, ulcers, backache, skin rashes, excessive sweating, colitis, sexual problems, depression, phobias and irritability.
Disturbances occur in the blood-sugar balance, giving rise to wild swings in energy levels and mood. If this is accompanied by the excessive use of sugar in the diet, and of stimulants such as tea, coffee and chocolate, the body’s ability to maintain a normal blood-sugar level can be severely damaged. (Some researchers see this as a major cause of diabetes.) There is often a tendency to underperform; self-doubt and insecurity become apparent, and there is a tendency for the defence mechanism to break down, making allergies and infections more likely. Personal relationships may become strained, libido often disappears, and all these changes lead to further anxiety and stress. A vicious circle of declining health, resulting from stress, is the bleak picture which is all too familiar in modern society.
Accompanied, as it often is, by poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and the debilitating habits of drinking (tea and coffee as well as alcohol) and smoking, the formula for disaster is well under way. Treatment by drugs and other medication results in nothing but a possible alteration of superficial symptoms. Indeed, by neglecting the underlying causes, symptomatic treatment may well do further harm. Masking and disguising a problem will never provide an answer to it.
This adaptation stage is critical in as much as most, if not all, of the symptoms are still reversible if the underlying stress factors are dealt with, and attention is paid to nutrition, exercise and structural integrity. How long this stage lasts depends upon many variables, including inherited factors, as well as the degree of stress, basic health habits, and the degree of emotional support available.
After a period of years (ten, twenty or more) the exhaustion stage of the GAS may be reached, and at this time the body simply ceases to be able to cope, and there is a collapse into one or other disease state. Break-down finally occurs, when even minor stress factors are not dealt with satisfactorily. At this point there may be collapse into a catastrophic illness, such as coronary heart disease, cancer, etc.
Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of stress, and of some of the ways in which the body copes with stress, can be seen as a necessary step towards understanding the enemy. Without being able to recognize and become aware of stress, it is possible to delude oneself that ‘it just won’t happen to me’.
The combination of prolonged stress and chronic fatigue has been put forward by some researchers (Drs Poteliakhof and Carruthers, in their report: Real Health: the III Effects of Stress and their Prevention) as a major factor in the cause of such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and hypertension. Lack of sleep, persistent overwork and chronic anxiety is thought to result in hormonal imbalance, notably adrenal exhaustion or sluggishness. This is thought to interact with constitutional and inherited factors to determine the type of disease which develops.
Heart Disease
In the field of heart disease, research by Dr Peter Nixon at London’s Charing Cross Hospital (detailed in Stress and Relaxation by Jane Madders) has shown contributory causes to be sustained and inappropriately high levels of arousal. This is mainly the result of the following factors, he suggests:
1 Pressures exerted by people from whom there is no escape.
2 Unacceptable time pressures, deadlines, etc.
3 Sleep deprivation.
4 A high score in the lifestyle changes list (see page).
Dr Nixon states that drugs are unsatisfactory in the treatment of hypertension, since the underlying causes are not dealt with.
Neurological Disease
Among other stress-induced conditions are those that mimic more serious conditions. ‘Symptoms suggesting serious neurological disease are common in patients suffering from anxiety states, or depressive illness, partly, or wholly, attributable to the effects of stress’, states Dr Richard Godwin Austin, consultant neurologist of Nottingham General Hospital. ‘The most common example seen in the neurological out-patient clinic is the patient suffering from recent onset headaches … Patients under physical or psychological stress, frequently develop tension headaches. These may occur in the setting of a depressive reaction, with symptoms of agitation or phobia. The headache often fails to respond to any form of simple analgesic.’
Cancer
There has also been a good deal of research into stress and its relationship to the onset of cancer. The German researcher Dr W. Herberger has noted that chronic anger, disappointment, fear and inability to cope with misfortune often play a role in its development. It has been found that the majority of cancer sufferers have a tendency to dwell on past misfortunes, real or imagined, and they have little sense of the future. Dr Hans Moolenburg, a noted Dutch physician, has described cancer patients as people who have been ‘battered by fate’. It has also been noted that in the U.K., where six out of ten members of the general public acknowledge some belief in God or some spiritual agency, that nine out of ten cancer patients had no such belief. Cancer might therefore be described as, in part, a disease of ‘spiritual deficiency’.
Load, Strain and Stress – Harmful and Helpful Factors
Before looking at some of the conclusions that have been come to concerning the relationship between personality traits and disease states, I want to touch on the possibly surprising healing potentials of some aspects of controlled stress. First, I want to be sure that you truly understand what is, and what is not stress.
Any reaction of your body or mind in response to an environmental or psychological demand is commonly termed a stress reaction. However, the total process of adaptation can be divided into three major phases, termed load, strain and stress.
Load is that part of the process in which an interaction takes place between you and any factor (physical, chemical or psychological) which is capable of disturbing you, or which demands a response from you. Strain is the term applied to the change(s) which result in your body/mind after the application of that load. It is the defensive (healing or normalizing) phase which follows on from the strain, in which an attempt is made to restore the situation to balance, which, strictly speaking, should be termed stress.
Stress can therefore often be seen to represent a positive, normalizing effort, something which can only be considered good, helpful and desirable. It is this self-healing process upon which we rely for survival, and in fact upon which all healing methods depend. For example, cut yourself (load and strain) and stress follows as the wound heals. This is homoeostasis in action.
Many other symptoms which we commonly try to ‘cure’ are, in fact, nothing more than evidence of the body putting things right. One good example of this is that of the fever which occurs during an infection. The infecting agent (load) has led to local or general problems, leading in turn to a ‘stress’ reaction (adaptive response) on the part of the immune system, which involves elevation of the body’s temperature (the fever). Under normal conditions this is a self-limiting process which causes no harm (except to the invading virus or bacteria) and which effectively gets rid of the infecting agent.
Such a stress reaction can actually be said to be life-saving, and yet – in many instances – the first objective of most people seems to be to try to over-ride this self-healing process and to take or do something to bring down the temperature! Such an action is clearly counterproductive, and not in the best interests of the body as a whole, unless the fever is of life-threatening proportions.
Stress as a Healing Factor?
There is yet another side to the concept of stress, and that is the therapeutic use of it (especially in alternative or complementary therapy) using the triple features of load, strain and response (stress). For example, manipulative methods such as chiropractic and osteopathy have historically seen as one of their primary roles the removal of obstructions to normal function as they normalize mechanical restrictions. They also understand that under ideal conditions self-normalizing responses take care of the processes of restoration of functional and structural integrity following appropriate manipulative care. What research has shown is that it is the degree of ‘load’ which the therapist applies which decides whether or not a good end-result is achieved by the treatment.
Selye’s Evidence
In some of his early research, conducted in the 1930s, Hans Selye MD, demonstrated the homoeostatic process in action, with spectacular clarity. He observed, in experimental animals, a specific pattern of response to a variety of what he termed ‘noxious stimuli’. Whether he used poisons of one sort or another, intense heat or cold, radiation or mechanical trauma (i.e. ‘load’), he noted what he called a ‘stress-syndrome’ which involved, among other changes in adrenal and thymic activity and size, loss of weight, haemoconcentration, and sometimes intestinal ulceration. These changes are evidence of ‘strain’ and an inadequate ‘stress’ (self-healing) response, since where such problems had occurred, the homoeostatic mechanisms had clearly been overwhelmed and had failed to restore equilibrium – or health.
Selye made an important subsequent discovery following experiments in which the load factor involved the injection of noxious (poisonous) chemicals under the animal’s skin. Selye, not surprisingly, observed a degree of response which was directly related to the concentration of the poison. He also noted that if a second stress factor (additional load) was then introduced (brief exposure to intense cold, heat, immobilization etc.) to animals previously exposed to mild degrees of toxicity there was an improvement of the initial response with, for example, reduction of tissue damage and speedy healing.
If, however, the initial toxic load had been heavily concentrated with very marked lesions, the secondary stressor (load) caused a rapid increase and spread of tissue damage, frequently leading to necrosis and death. This time the ‘load’ and ‘strain’ had overwhelmed the potential for healing.
These observations led Selye to state the truth which had been revealed. This was the crucial experiment showing that stress can either cure or aggravate a disease depending upon whether the inflammatory responses to a local irritant are necessary or superfluous.’
Selye attempted to make clear that a stress response involved many variable factors based on the unique and idiosyncratic ability of the organism (person or animal) to respond to load and strain. The variable nature of the response is based on genetic and acquired characteristics and energy reserves.
Whether treatment involves having something done to you (manipulation, insertion of an acupuncture needle, a change in diet, psychotherapy, taking a substance (whether a herb, a drug, a supplement or even a homoeopathic dilution of a substance) the same rules apply. It is always the body which is being ‘asked’ to respond, and this makes the potential healing response, by definition, a stress reaction.
Without any doubt it is the response of the individual which decides whether or not healing takes place, and that response (triggered by an appropriate therapeutic effort, or simply by innate self-healing mechanisms) is modulated (made stronger or weaker) by the current state of susceptibility, vitality or ‘potential for response’.
