Homepage Contact Us Home Vol. We may be caught in traffic, studying for an exam, scrambling to meet a deadline, or anticipating a weekend with the in-laws. Exactly what is stressful to you is highly individualized.
Stress is the physical reaction of the body when it is alerted to flee or fight.
When the body repeatedly experiences the stress response, coupled with genetic predisposition and environmental factors, changes can occur in the body's normal functions. Its ability to resist or overcome disease may be compromised. The stress response is regulated by the nervous, endocrine, immune, and hormonal systems and appears to play a significant role in the activation or progression of many diseases and physical ailments. Research now shows the impact that stress has on conditions like heart disease, depression, anxiety, obesity, cancer, arthritis, gastro-intestinal problems, skin problems, and a host of infections and immune system disorders. For example, for a person who is prone to heart disease, reacting to stressful life events in a hostile manner is as dangerous for the progression of heart disease as regular cigarette smoking.