How Can Stress Make Me Sick!Posted by j2wu on March 1st, 2010
When God created human beings, He knew there would be times when we would meet danger and our bodies would need to react quickly so we could get to safety. God gave each person a hypothalamus gland. The hypothalamus is located in the brain. It’s primary purpose is maintaining homeostasis; in other words, it maintains an internal stability. It is incredibly sensitive to the psychological and spiritual state of your body. When you are at peace walking down a nature trail, the hypothalamus senses that peace, but the second you turn around the bend and come face to face with a grizzly bear, the hypothalamus senses the fear and goes into action.
The hypothalamus has the job of transferring thought into chemistry. It does this by secreting the hormone, CRF, which causes a chain reaction of over 20 other hormones, and neurotransmitters to be released throughout the body. For instance, when a person feels stress, anxiety, worry or fear, the hypothalamus senses it and releases CRF.
These hormones alone effect just about every organ system of the body, for instance they cause your heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fats, cholesterol in your blood and your metabolic rate to increase. At the same time muscular fatigue is delayed, blood supply to the bladder and intestines is reduced and their muscular walls relax as well as your digestive juice output, carbohydrate production, breakdown of cholesterol, and insulin production all decrease. While epinephrine and norepinephrine are busy effecting the body, another gland, the Adrenal cortex, releases the hormone Cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone). Cortisol effects many areas of the body, such as the liver, digestive system, muscles, skin and bones, protein production, heart, blood levels of amino acids and it suppresses the immune system.
Imagine dozens of hormones and neurotransmitters all being released into the body and affecting every part of the body in different ways every time your hypothalamus senses you are afraid, worried or stressed or anxious about life issues.
Our immune system is formed in our bone marrow, which is located in the center of our bones. When our bones are dry, our immune system is severally jeopardized. It can’t do what it was designed to do. A malfunctioning immune system results in disease.
The Bible says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22.
What is a broken spirit? A broken spirit is when someone betrayes you, hurts you either physically, spiritually or emotionally – when there is a separation in a relationship – fear comes in. It can also be from a great loss of a loved one dying suddenly. When life events happen, it can be traumatic and opens the door for a spirit of fear. Every negative thought you have effects every cell in your body either positive or negative. Negative thought, negative chemicals are released, positive thoughts, positive chemicals released. If you have bitterness, you are literally poisoning every cell in your body. Bitterness is like gall. That is why it is said 2 Corinthians 10:5 to cast down every vain imagination….
When the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) receives the CRF, it releases a hormone called norepinephrine and at the same time it stimulates a gland called the Adrenal Medulla to release epinephrine (adrenaline).
If what you are afraid of is a charging grizzly bear, these reactions are beneficial as you frantically climb the nearest tree. If on the other hand, you are constantly stressed, frequently anxious, and have a lot of fear, this biological process never stops, homeostasis never returns and the process can become fatal.
The Flight or Fight Stage is immediate, allowing us the needed energy to climb that tree. But when the fear is within, we soon enter the Resistance Stage— long term our bodies are geared up for stress (fear and anxiety). When fear, stress and axniety continues very long, diseases start to develop that include:
- constant colds and cold sores,
- anxiety attacks or panic attacks,
- unexplained rashes,
- coronary artery disease,
- high blood pressure,
- stroke,
- irregular heartbeat,
- backache,
- tension headaches,
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- immunosuppression or deficiency,
- an autoimmune disease,
- an inflammatory disease,
- ulcer,
- irritable bowel syndrome,
- diarrhea,
- nausea and vomiting,
- ulcerative colitis (inflammation and an ulcer of the colon and rectum),
- diuresis (kidneys produce to much urine),
- eczema, neurodermatitis (skin disease),
- acne,
- diabetes, amenorrhea (periods stop),
- fatigue and lethargy,
- overeating,
- depression,
- insomnia,
- asthma, hay fever, and
- allergies.
How does fear lead to allergy? When an antigen enters the human body, a macrophage (a scavenger cell that eats bacteria and other foreign objects) picks it up and delivers it to a T cell (type of white blood cell). The T cell simultaneously produces and releases interleukin-1, a protein substance that effects other cells in the immune system, in this case it activates a subset of Helper T cells. These Helper T cells secretes interluekin-2, which stimulates the proliferation of still more T cells. These T cells can either activate or suppress B cells, whose job is to make antibodies. Cortisol, one of the hormones released in response to fear, inhibits the production of both interleukin 1 and 2 and macrophages, thus decreasing the ability of T cells to suppress the B cells from making antibodies to the antigen. In other words, when you are afraid, cortisol is released in large amounts. If fear and anxiety are a normal part of your life, elevated levels of cortisol begin to wreck havoc with your immune system preventing it from properly functioning. T cells diminish in number and those that are present just don’t work as well, allowing the B cells to start attacking every foreign substance that enters the body. When this happens the person develops allergies.
Do you think vitamines are really going to help or do you need to deal with the spiritual root issue? The God of the Bible wants to heal your broken spirit. The God of the Bible wants to heal you from chronic diseases. There is hope in God. Contact Journey2Wholeness Ministries and learn how to become free from chronic diseases.
The Lord “Who forgives all your iniquities (sins), Who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (III John, verse 2)
Blessing or Curse,: You Can Choose by Derek Prince
This is an awesome book to read with lots of information to how curses work and how to receive blessings.
A New Song for Marcia by Marcia Fisher
This is an excellent book to read especially if you suffer from MCS/EI (multiple chemical sensitivity). This gives you hope and gives understanding to receive healing and how to receive healing when there is no cure for this disease.