Chronic Stress and Inflammation Increase Disease

Chronic stress and inflammation will take you right over the edge of the cliff as far as disease is concerned—especially if you're already standing on the rim of it. They increase your risk of developing certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, as well as a host of other inflammation-based diseases.

Also, they can elevate the severity of the disease process. Using mice, researchers simulated a chronic-stress situation by placing three young males together for a few weeks. Once the mice had become situated and comfortable living together in this environment, establishing their own natural hierarchy, the researchers then upset the applecart. An aggressive male mouse was introduced into the mix for a couple of hours each night for three consecutive nights. To throw the mice off a bit, they got the next night off from the aggressor before an entirely new aggressor was introduced. This guaranteed that the young mice never knew what to count on next and were in a state of chronic stress. To add to their environmental stress, the mice were given Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis (TMEV)—an infection of the central nervous system that is similar to multiple sclerosis in humans.

The result was an increase in their cytokines (particularly interleukin-6), which is a pro- inflammatory protein that helps the inflammation process along. This cytokine regulates the infection-fighting portion of the immune system. And an increase in this cytokine was found to increase the severity of their infection from the TMEV. This was enough to spur on inflammation, resulting in a weakened early immune response to that infection.

Once the early immune response is affected adversely, the stage has been set for later immune response—which means it will continue to be weak. What this means for you is that whether you are currently dealing with a disease or are simply at risk for one, chronic stress will tip you over the edge. Not only will it make current conditions worse, it can actually fire up the disease process to take hold faster.

I recommend that you master a stress-fighting strategy that works for you. Many community hospitals and colleges offer courses in stress-management techniques, whether they are based on ancient Eastern practices like tai chi and meditation or on a modern-day alternative like biofeedback. Make it a priority to get stress under new management.
Dr. Alan Inglis House Calls