Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

Remember that stress is just a label. The senses perceive an event or situation, but it is the brain that evaluates the information, interprets it, and labels it as a stress. If the brain labels it stressful, then the body mobilizes its fight or flight physiological response. A stress is merely an event or situation that occurs in our environment; we have no control over it. Stress happens. The system of beliefs about what is stressful, however, is something over which you do have some control, and it is this belief system you must address in order to alleviate chronic stress.

How does chronic stress affect the body?  That stress, chronic or acute, can lead to a heart attack or another medical crisis has been known for a long time. In chronic stress, stress hormones are present in the body over much greater periods, causing the body’s fight- or-flight mechanisms to be activated much of the time. Chronic stress has these effects on the body: • The heart works harder, beating faster over long periods of time. • Blood pressure remains higher and, over a long period, can cause damage to the lining of arterial walls, resulting in lesions to which plaque can adhere. • Since the blood clots more easily, it is easier for clots to form inside the arteries. •Muscles contract, and potassium and magnesium nutrients needed for proper artery function are used up, while sodium and calcium accumulate. This imbalance can result in abnormal artery constriction, including constriction of the coronary arteries, which can cause spasm and perhaps a heart attack. ...