No one likes to experience stress. Even though a little stress can motivate you, researchers are finding that chronic stress can be devastating to your health.
One of the systems that stress damages the most is your immune system.
Researchers from Ohio State wanted to see if there was a link between stress and infections. For ten years they studied medical students. What they found was that the student’s immunity went down every year during a three-day exam period. Specifically, they noticed a decline in killer cells, which fight tumors and infections.
Due to the rise in cancer rates, researchers are concerned about the possible links between stress and cancer. David Spiegel, MD, a psychiatrist, researcher, and director of Stanford University’s Center on Stress and Health states that
“Our studies have shown that stress can adversely affect components of the immune system involved in fighting diseases like cancer. The number of natural killer cells-cells that kill undesirable bacteria and cancer cells- has been found to be lower among people suffering from chronic stress.”
Stress has also shown to have the following adverse reactions on your health:
- Increases cortisol levels contributing to belly fat
- Increases blood pressure
- Increases risk for heart disease
- Contributes to digestive problems
- Creates a chronic inflammatory situation
- Wears your adrenals out, making them less responsive
- Contributes to anxiety and insomnia
- Suppresses your immune system
The hardest part about stress is learning how to manage it. Many times you can’t make the stressor go away, but you can develop tools to help you manage it better.
Over the past several years, I have been asked by numerous corporations to help their employees manage stress more effectively. One of the first steps I teach is that they have to have a toolbox of mental tricks to use to when a stressful situation comes their way.
Because of the impact of stress on the immune system and cancer, I will be teaching those tricks at our Cancer Prevention Workshop on Saturday, October 15th.
We also are fortunate enough to have a guest speaker, Marta Weinstock, who is a life coach that specializes in meditation and breath work. She will be sharing with you techniques you can easily incorporate into even the busiest of lives.
Tickets are on sale at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-cancer-prevention-workshop-the-dont-get-it-plan-tickets-27153904058
Reach out if you need any help on your journey toward health. I am here to help.
Have an amazing day!
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