Stress is a one of the most under – appreciated aspects of triggering disease. 

Stress is defined as any disturbance – extreme cold or heat, psychological stress, sleep deprivation, work overload, physical trauma, as well as toxic exposure – that can trigger the stress response.  Stress consists of three stages:  alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. The body has an amazing ability to “kick in” and prevent damage from the effects of stress but this can only occur to a point.

When you experience stress, your body activates a response that is largely controlled by your adrenal glands.  The stress response mobilizes resources so the body can handle the stressful event. If the stress is acute, then your adrenal glands release hormones that can cause your heart to speed up and make you breathe faster. You might also sweat, have muscle tension, chest pain, lightheadedness, and difficulty thinking, and feel anxious.  Our bodies can manage small amount of stress with time to recover.

The purpose of the stress response is to mobilize the resources the body needs to meet the demands of the stressor. The body is not meant to stay in the fight or flight response as this chronic state causes the body to weaken in the ability to respond to further stress.  The body will try to resist the continued stress by conserving energy and slowing metabolism down.  The last stage is exhaustion and the body does not have resiliency to control the body systems. When stress becomes chronic, then it can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, depression, pain, weight, digestion, and headaches.  Our immune system is compromised and we are at risk of chronic disease.

HPA-Axis Dysregulation 

The HPA axis refers to multiple pathways between the adrenal glands and the brain that mediates stress. Dysregulation of the HPA-Axis leads to imbalanced stress-hormone levels (especially cortisol) and thus can impact digestion, immunity, mood, sex drive and sleep. Having cortisol levels that are chronically either too high or too low can lead to reduced levels of immune secretions in the gut and cause inflammation and immune imbalance.  

Compromised immune system. 

Almost 70% of body immunity is located in the gut.  Gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) lines the gut wall and inflammation can impact the immune function of the body.  Chronic inflammation in the gut can allow toxins to “leak” out of the gut wall and attack other parts of the body. 

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic 

The sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) prepares the body for stress and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) helps return the body to a calm state.  Your body is not able to be in both states and it is important to be able to move between the two states.

If you are constantly in stressed, then your body is not able to rest, restore, and digest well. Digestion and absorption of nutrients becomes impaired and leads to inflammation.  Gut imbalance can cause mood disorders, insomnia, adrenal dysfunction, and autoimmune disease. 

To reverse this process and prevent disease, it is important to determine the source of stress (work, relationship, virus, bacteria) and address any adrenal dysfunction.  A stool test may be important in determining the type of pathogenic bacteria or imbalance in normal bacteria.  Botanicals may help alleviate the stress while the body starts to heal.