The Link Between Stress And Illness

Hans Selye, a world-renowned scientist, defined stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand.” He discovered that stress causes certain changes in the structure and chemistry of the body, some of which are signs of damage, others are manifestations of the body’s adaptive reactions, a mechanisms of defense against stress.

Selye named the totality of these changes ” the stress syndrome.” He described it as encompassing three stages : the alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion. The alarm reaction is the spontaneous response of the body to whatever is causing stress, it may be a fight or flight reaction away from the stressor.

The next stage is resistance. The body attempts to communicate that something is out of rhythm and that some aspect needs more attention or change. Pain is a warning example signalling that some aspect of your being is out of balance.

Without some form of intervention, a body under stress, Selye asserted, will enter the third stage : exhaustion, imbalance, disequilibrium, or disease. He discovered that chronic stress frequently produces imbalance in the hormonal secretions that regulate body functions. He further asserted that chronic stress suppresses the immune system. His conception of the link between stress and illness point to the fact that all persons diagnosed with disease have one thing in common, a depressed immune system.