The single greatest "killer" in today's modern world is STRESS. Stress upsets the body's normal balance, creating the perfect breeding ground for illness. Stress is said to be responsible for as much as 80% of major illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diseases of the endocrine system, metabolic diseases, and infections of many different kinds.
If this weren't enough, stress can also be responsible for aggravating many major skin problems, such as skin cancer and psoriasis, as well as minor skin problems like blemishes. When the body is under stress, the immune cells in the skin can become damaged by chemicals that are released from the nerve cells in response to it.
Stress can be caused by many emotional situations, as well as by environmental situations like noise, traffic jams, temperature extremes, crowds, and pollution. It can also be caused by lack of proper balance in diet, drink, sleep, and work. No generation before us has faced the amount of airborne pollution, or pesticides and herbicides that we face today.
One of the most common of all adult complaints is back problems. Professionals now believe that with many the root cause is stress, which causes the muscles to tighten up.
Prolonged or recurring stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies, because under the "fight or flight" mechanism of the adrenal gland, the body metabolizes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins too quickly, in order to produce the burst of energy needed for the "supposed" emergency. This in turn causes an increase in the secretion of amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus. It also depletes stored magnesium in muscle tissue, and causes the body to store less calcium.
Since the digestive process is muted or stopped under stress, the body is hindered from absorbing its needed nutrients. Consequently, under stress the body is depleated of many needed nutrients and is hindered or unable to replace them adequately. Stress is also responsible for the formation of free radicals, which break down and damage body tissue. The end result of all this is that many of the diseases that are the result of stress are the result of basic nutritional deficiencies. Its no wonder stress is such a "killer" !
If this weren't enough, stress can also be responsible for aggravating many major skin problems, such as skin cancer and psoriasis, as well as minor skin problems like blemishes. When the body is under stress, the immune cells in the skin can become damaged by chemicals that are released from the nerve cells in response to it.
Stress can be caused by many emotional situations, as well as by environmental situations like noise, traffic jams, temperature extremes, crowds, and pollution. It can also be caused by lack of proper balance in diet, drink, sleep, and work. No generation before us has faced the amount of airborne pollution, or pesticides and herbicides that we face today.
One of the most common of all adult complaints is back problems. Professionals now believe that with many the root cause is stress, which causes the muscles to tighten up.
Prolonged or recurring stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies, because under the "fight or flight" mechanism of the adrenal gland, the body metabolizes fats, carbohydrates, and proteins too quickly, in order to produce the burst of energy needed for the "supposed" emergency. This in turn causes an increase in the secretion of amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus. It also depletes stored magnesium in muscle tissue, and causes the body to store less calcium.
Since the digestive process is muted or stopped under stress, the body is hindered from absorbing its needed nutrients. Consequently, under stress the body is depleated of many needed nutrients and is hindered or unable to replace them adequately. Stress is also responsible for the formation of free radicals, which break down and damage body tissue. The end result of all this is that many of the diseases that are the result of stress are the result of basic nutritional deficiencies. Its no wonder stress is such a "killer" !