"It's Just Stress" (public)

"It's Just Stress"

Debunking the myth of: "It's just stress..."

Often, this is what a patient will tell me to explain a symptom they’ve grown accustomed to: “It’s just stress.” I hear it when a patient comes in for an ankle sprain, and we happen to notice spasms in their neck during the physical exam.
“Why didn’t you mention your neck problem?”
“Oh, it’s just stress.”

The implication of “It’s just stress” is that since stress causes the symptom, it must not be something worth mentioning…certainly not something requiring medical attention!

But how does “just stress” produce a physical symptom?

There is no way to isolate the effects of stress to one area of the body. In order for “just stress” to produce a symptom, REAL physical changes have to occur. These changes begin with the release of stress hormones, which can rise to harmful levels in as little as 15 minutes. These stress hormones travel through the body, triggering other physical changes. Those physical changes, in turn, produce bothersome SYMPTOMS that become another source of stress to the body.

(For a list of physical responses to stress, scroll down to the information on “Cortisol” and Adrenalin”, below.)

This vicious cycle has to be interrupted, or the stress syndrome continues. Regardless of where a headache originated, if it happens regularly it WILL be a source of stress and strain to the body.

Stress can cause headaches...it can also lead to heart attacks. This is why it is so important not to ignore symptoms of stress, or cover them up with drugs and pain killers.

Chiropractic offers natural, drug-free treatment for many stress-related conditions.

Chiropractors makes physical changes in structures being treated, which removes their stressful effects. This is different from taking a pain pill, which will just mask the symptom without changing the condition that caused it.

Once a physical condition has been treated, how do we keep the stress syndrome from recurring?

Believe it or not, there are simple, easy to learn tools you can implement to help rid the body of stress before it accumulates. Your chiropractor can help you learn simple stress-management strategies – both physical and mental – as a crucial adjunct to chiropractic treatment. Psychological counseling, cognitive or behavioral modification therapies can assist a person in breaking free of stress’ deleterious effects. (for a list of psychotherapists trained in mind-body medicine, see www.akashacenter.com )

SO … WHAT IS STRESS?

Definition: "In medicine, the result produced when a structure, system, or organism is acted upon by a stressor…when stress occurs in quantities that the system cannot handle, it produces pathological changes.” -- Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 13th edition

When we experience STRESS, cortisol and adrenalin are released into the body. Adrenalin’s effects are abrupt and easy to recognize; it disperses in the body more quickly. Initial effects of cortisol can go unnoticed, but they persist for longer periods of time.

Some different types of stress that trigger release of stress hormones (adrenalin, cortisol):

Trauma of almost any type (physical injury, emotional or psychological shock), significant change, disturbing events; strong emotion, infection; intense heat or cold; surgery; sympathomimetic drugs (eg: caffeine); almost any debilitating disease; “restraining an animal so that it cannot move” (like that board meeting, or an office cubicle?)

Some measurable physical Effects of STRESS:
- increases blood pressure
- increases blood sugar levels
- increases protein breakdown in muscles
- increases lipid (FAT) concentrations in the blood
- in some people: increased appetite, weight gain, especially abdominal fat
- increases DNA damage / aging in immune cells (telomere shortening)
- increases blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL (the “bad” cholesterol)
- increases levels of interleukin-6 (a chemical involved in the body's immune system). Overproduction of IL-6 has been associated with the development or progression of a number of medical conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and functional decline.

What is ADRENALIN (epinephrine)?

Definition: a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress- stimulated autonomic nerve action; responsible for the “fight or flight reaction”, so called “because an animal in this state decides almost instantly whether to stand and fight, or to run.” Adrenalin increases body capacity to perform vigorous muscle activity, “far more strenuous than would otherwise be possible.” (Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology)

Effects of ADRENALIN (epinephrine):
- increases blood flow to muscles
- decreases blood flow to internal organs
- increases cellular metabolism throughout the body
- increases blood sugar levels
- increases muscle strength
- increases mental activity
- increases blood coagulation

What is CORTISOL?
Definition: “A steroid hormone secreted by the outer portion, or cortex, of the adrenal glands. Any type of physical or mental stress can increase the production and release of cortisol, and this hormone is often called the "stress hormone" due to its increased secretion during stress responses in the body.” – Melissa Stoppler, M.D.

Effects of CORTISOL:
- increases use of glucose by brain, decreases use by other tissues
- has a strong anti-inflammatory effect (in very high doses)
- increases blood pressure
- increases blood sugar levels
- increases protein breakdown in muscles
- increases lipid (FAT) concentrations in the blood
- in some people: increased appetite, weight gain, especially abdominal fat

References:

Textbook of Medical Physiology (A. C. Guyton, 6th ed., W. B. Saunders Co., 1986) pp. 805-812.

Kiecolt-Glaser J, Preacher KJ, MacCallum RC, Atkinson C, Malarkey WB, Glaser R. Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003 Jul 2.

Arnett, D.K., al'Absi, M., and Mathé, G. Adrenocortical responses to psychological stress and risk for hypertension 2000 Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 54: 234-244

Epel, E. and Blackburn, E. Chronic Stress and Telomere Shortening Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004 Nov 29.

N. Christenfeld and W. Gerin Social support and cardiovascular reactivity Christenfeld & Gerin, 2000 Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 54:251-257

McEwen, Stress effects on neuronal death, 1999 Annual Review Neuroscence. 22:105-122 9 Nov

Stress Effects on Serum Lipoprotein Concentrations, Dr. Catherine Stoney, Ohio State University from: A Summary of the Conference "Biology of Stress" cosponsored by the US NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the US National Institute of Genetic Medical Sciences