I have long believed that chronic stress should be considered a pre-disease state, but we are beginning to learn more about how this happens.
One good example is a recent study which looked at stress and cancer.
A new study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found that tumor cells in mice with ovarian cancer grew more quickly when the mice were exposed to stress.
The researchers at the University of Texas implanted ovarian cancer cells into mice and then exposed them to stress.
The results? The tumors grew faster when the rats were exposed to stress.
Why? Our cells are programmed to know when to die.
If a mistake is made during replication, the cell knows to stop replicating and die off.
If cancer cells don't die after they split off, they can begin the process of metastasis.
The study found that stress hormones activated a protein that protects cancer cells from this dying off process, allowing them to spread and grow (FAK (Focal Adhesion Kinase)).
The researchers then looked to see if the same thing happened with humans.
Indeed, it does.
In looking at patients with ovarian cancer, patient stress and elevated stress hormones were associated with higher levels of activated FAK, quicker tumor growth, and faster mortality.
Did you need any further reason to cope effectively with chronic stress? This study only confirms what wisdom already tells us, but having more specific information on the relationship between stress and disease will motivate most of us to take the issue seriously.
Remember-chronic stress begins with our perception of stress, and the negative effects are compounded by the behaviors we use to cope with it (alcohol abuse, street or prescription drug abuse, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, anger problems, etc.
etc.
etc.
).
The healthiest way to cope with chronic stress? Again, it's exercise.
Exercise will rebalance your mood related neurotransmitters, boost your immune system (unless you overtrain), and trigger the release of factors that protect your brain cells while forming new ones, too-and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Exercise can be used to help with addiction, improve mood, and help treat panic disorder and social anxiety.
Even small children can learn how to cope with stress with this empirically based technique.
That's all for today, folks.
I'm off to do the domestic stuff today.
We're out of chocolate milk and ranch dressing, both of which happen to be major necessities at our house.
Ta-ta for now!