Stress Makes People Sick

Anxiety is a type of classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning. Conditioning is a form of learning where one stimulus comes to signal the occurrence of a second stimulus. The mind sends a signal to the body in response to stress, the body responds and sends information back to the brain.  However, when there is insufficient serotonin in the brain, the feedback from the body is misinterpreted by the brain and triggers anxiety. 

There are two methods to deal with anxiety. Drugs and non-drug therapy. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) drugs increase the reservoir of Serotonin in the brain to improve the communication between the mind and body. Meditation slows or blocks the harmful feedback loops and reinforces the good feedback loops in the mind-body system.

The mind-body system uses hormones, such as adrenaline (Epinephrine), and steroid hormones, such as cortisol (hydrocortisone).  Adrenaline and cortisol are released in the body due to stress. 

Triggers to release adrenaline are stresses, such as physical threat, excitement, noise, bright lights, and high ambient temperature. All of these stimuli are processed in the central nervous system (CNS), made up of the brain and the spinal cord. The spinal cord functions primarily in the transmission of neural signals between the brain and the rest of the body. The spinal cord functions as a conduit for motor information, which travels down the spinal cord, and as a conduit for sensory information in the reverse direction.  When the brain is low on serotonin then the flow of information from the body is misunderstood and the brain sends signals to stimulate adrenaline and cortisol. People imagine they are having a heart attack or experiencing pain when in fact there is no detectable medical condition. Serotonin levels in the brain can not be measured directly yet.

An adrenaline junkie is somebody appearing to be addicted to endogenous epinephrine. The "high" is caused by self-inducing a fight-or-flight response by intentionally engaging in stressful or risky behavior, which causes a release of epinephrine by the adrenal gland.

Cortisol is released in response to stress: (1) making available glucose that can be used for the brain, (2) generating new energy from stored reserves, and (3) diverting energy away from low-priority activities (such as the immune system) in order to survive immediate threats or prepare for the exertion of rising to a new day. However, prolonged cortisol secretion results in significant physiological changes.

When there is no detectable medical condition, then behaviors are most likely due to low serotonin, such as: anger, anxiety, aggression, pain, headaches, depression, upset stomach, difficulty breathing, dehydration symptoms, fainting and many other unexplained symptoms.

Stress suppresses the immune system so that a person is vulnerable to viruses and infection. Cold sores on the lips or inside the mouth might appear. A person might get sick more frequently than others.

What To Do

First, see your doctor and ask about low serotonin. Be aware that the doctor is used to  relying on medical evidence for decisions but in this case they have no basis for prescribing drugs except what you tell them. Depending on how sever your symptoms, the doctor will prescribe a low or high dose of an appropriate drug.  There are drugs designed for long-term usage and drugs that are short acting for immediate relief.

Second, whether or not you take an SSRI, find a way to learn and practice forms of meditation. Once you are off the drug, you will need a way to avoid having problems again. Meditation is the way. Meditation conditions the mind-body system to not respond to stress in our daily life.

Mindfulness is a method of practicing meditation and conditioning the mind to deal with pain. Mindfulness is a method to condition the mind-body system to not respond to stress in our daily life.