1. Unavoidable Gifts of Stress
“ I am calling from Colombo… The work load in the office is unbearable for me.. I can
do my work reasonably in the morning but towards 10 -11am I feel difficult to
continue.”..
He was thirty nine years and was listening and calling to an evening live radio
programme , in which we were participating. We were discussing on stress and related
issues in the programme.
“ ..I feel that some chemical reaction occurs in my body while the work load goes up..My
head becoming heavy and tensed, while throat obstructs with some unseen object and
become thirsty..”
His story clearly includes what is in the text book of medicine, relating to the topic of
stress.
“..I am struggling with this situation for about four months.. When I got this type of
attack, it will take three, four hours to settle.. I become restless and irritable..”
It is clear that he is well aware about the situation and the consequences .
“..I got high blood pressure recently, but I am not fat.. My weight is not exceeding 60
kg.”
His statements shows the actual nature of stress in that it leads to non communicable
diseases such as hypertension.
“..I am interested in knowing whether I will have many ailments to disrupt my work in
future as a result of this problem. Also I like to see any possible ways to get rid of the
situation..”
He has felt that his problem will be leading to unavoidable gift for the future. While
asking us about the ways of relief.

2. He further explained the possible answers for his unpleasant experience.
“..Doctor, I want to tell you that I won’t feel this burden when I am out of Colombo with
complete rest in mind.”
He was talking with us while traveling towards his home after eight hours of struggling in
the office. He has become a valuable resource person for our programme, without his
knowledge. His story describes the true situation of mental stress.
Stress has become a talking point as the number of people who are suffering from non
communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, cancers are increasing to great
extent, today. The day to day living stress has become so intense in every age group. It is
questionable whether the number of people who exit from the path of stress has
exceeded the number who are entering.
Stress can be defined as any influence that interrupts or disturbs any aspect of the normal
body functioning. There is a pressure or outside force to build up this anomaly which
has become a social norm. The out side forces may be the work problems, financial
worries, undue hurry to achieve a given goal, separations, relationship difficulties with
the close associates or preparing for examinations.
The upbringing of a person will decide the type of responses for the outside influences.
The people are conditioned by education, circumstances and religion. The parents,
teachers and associates are the guiding factors in this effect. One’s attitude and
thoughts will be formed with the editions and corrections to influence their perception of
events. A person differs from another person in the way of reacting for an event, mentally
and emotionally.
The initial reactions of the stress appears as , anger, fear, worry, anxiety or depression. If
the stress becomes chronic or persistent the changes of bodily functions lead to diseases
affecting almost every system. The heart diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive airway
diseases, chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune
diseases, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies and cancers may be the
unwanted profit of these changes in the body.

3. The endocrine system of the body is activated in reacting to the stress. The adrenal gland
which situated over the kidney, releases hormones including adrenaline, cortisol and
aldosterone as a result. This can lead to various ailments especially heart disease and
diabetes.
When the stress is continuing for longer period and become chronic , the function of the
adrenal gland will be affected consequently. The adrenal gland is exhausted at a point
when the chronic stress is unbearable. The resulting deficiency of adrenal hormones in
this stage, will lead to other kind of ailments like chronic inflammatory diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and cancers.
There is an another important gland which is involved in protecting the human from
external infections and preventing internal reactions to the own tissues by the immune
cells and antibodies. This gland which is called thymus, may undergo shrinkage due to
increased levels of cortisone and cortisol hormones which are secreted by the adrenal
gland in response to the stress. The resulting malfunction of the thymus gland may lead to
autoimmune diseases.
Stress related diseases of the cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular diseases are the most serious health problems which can be linked to
the stress. The adrenal hormones namely, adrenaline, cortisol, aldosterone cause a
rising blood pressure. When the stress is pronged and chronic this will affect badly on
cardiovascular system.
Atherosclerosis or hardening of the small blood vessels which are supplying blood to the
organs and tissues from the heart will be another cardiovascular complication , linked to
the stress. The increased blood pressure and the disturbed blood flow through the
constricted path may cause injury to the vessel wall in consequence of stress.

4. Stress and diabetes
The releasing of increased levels of adrenal hormones will have substantial effects on
the blood glucose levels in stress. The glucose stored in the liver as glycogen, will be
released to the blood stream under the influence of adrenaline hormone. The
corticosteroid, another hormone secreted from the adrenals, which increases the blood
glucose by breaking down protein, also reduces the usage or metabolism of glucose by
the cells. Insulin is a pancreatic hormone which control the blood glucose levels. The
sensitivity of insulin is decreased by high cortisol levels.
Hence large levels of cortsol hormones secreted in chronic stress will lower the action of
insulin hormone leading to higher incidence of diabetes.
When there is a family history of diabetes , overweight or obesity or excessive
consumption of sugar , the diabetic tendency can be easily emerged in prolonged stress.
The tendency to become diabetic can be expressed through prolonged stress.
Cancer and the stress
The white blood cells are capable of destroying unwanted cancer cells to some extent.
This action of white blood cells may be decreased in chronic stress. The shrinkage of the
thymus gland will further aggravate the condition. Due to both these reasons the risk of
developing cancer cells increase.
Inflammatory conditions and the stress
The corticosteroid hormones , releasing from the adrenal gland have an antiinflammatory
effect. When the adrenals are exhausted of the strength and hormonal supply , under
prolonged or chronic stress , the ability of the body to fight against the inflammation is
reduced.
The stress may be a factor in some chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid
arthritis. The body,s immune system mistakenly attacks multiple joints in this
inflammatory disorder. If the natural normal supply of the corticosteroid hormones are
reduced , the associated problems of the arthritic patient may become worsened.

5. Allergies and the stress
The allergic reactions are a consequence of inflammation in body tissues. The adrenal
hormones, namely adrenaline and corticosteroids are needed to prevent or control this
effect of inflammation. When there is an exhaustion of the adrenals due to the chronic
stress , the action of these hormones will be reduced. Therefore , conditions related to
allergies are manifested easily in a person with chronic stress.
The best example for this phenomenon is bronchial asthma , in which the attacks are
more common during the period of stress.
Headaches and the stress
Headaches can be produced by stress. There is a constricting effect of adrenal hormones
on blood circulation. Although the circulation of the brain increases in the early stage of
stress, the long term effects on the circulation may be negative in the case of chronic
stress. This may adversely affect blood flow to the brain to cause headaches.
Another facilitating factor is the effect of stress on the nervous system which will make
a person more sensitive to pain. Also there is an increased muscle tension in the neck and
shoulders that will aggravate the condition.
Depression and the stress
The depression may be a result of psychological effects of chronic stress. The decreased
levels of noradrenaline hormone , secreted from the adrenals are linked to depressions in
some individuals as a result of adrenal exhaustion in chronic stress.
Digestive and intestinal disorders and the stress
The several digestive and intestinal disorders re related to stress. Indigestion, abdominal
discomfort , heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome are some examples.
We should be cautious and careful to be away from the stress. It is important to identify
the source of problem to find a suitable answer to have the relief. It is needed to separate
the causes of stress into relevant categories. The cause may be emotional,mental,physical
or environmental thing. Also these causes may be under the control of the affected
person or out of his control. If the sources are out of control of the affected person, he
should concentrate on manipulating his reactions to cope with the stress in a better way
like , practicing deep breathing as an example. The assessing the frequency in exposing to
stress is also helpful to bypass the source.

6. The common remedial measures practiced by people who are in stress, are worth
considering. Consuming alcohol, drinking coffee or smoking are some of them.
Interestingly it can be shown that the stress is aggravated by these remedies. This is the
hidden truth that remain unknown among the general public.
The caffeine is a constituent of the coffee. It causes release of adrenaline hormones from
the adrenals especially when there is an excessive consumption of coffee. The nervous
tension, irritability and difficulty in sleeping are the results of this effect. That means the
remedy has helped not to relieve the condition but to aggravate it.
The alcohol also increases the release of adrenaline hormone from the adrenals as in the
case of caffeine. Then this will have the same adverse affects to cause similar symptoms
like irritability and sleeping difficulties. When a person is dependent on alcohol, there
will be an additional problem , as the hormones of adrenals such as cortisol and
aldosterone which are releasing in large amounts during the stress are not eliminating
sufficiently by the damaged liver.
The smoking also increases the symptoms of stress as it’s constituent called nicotine
stimulates the secretion of adrenaline hormone from the adrenals. Therefore it is not a
remedy for the stress as it will definitely aggravate the condition. The smoking will affect
adversely on the necessary nutrients like vitamin B and C. The cardiovascular diseases
such as atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, poor digestion, impaired immunity and
cancers are other related problems of smoking to complicate the life of a person with
stress.
We should be capable of selecting beneficial measures in fighting with the stress while
avoiding stress aggravating factors in day to day life. The fresh fruits and vegetables are
highly beneficial in this context as they contain a favourable amount of essential
vitamins and minerals. The potassium content of the fruits and vegetables is an important
factor , relating to stress tolerance.
The change of whole environment and world may not be an easy task but the change in a
person in keeping with outside influencers is not impossible. Therefore it is advisable to
everyone to increase the stress tolerance, reduce the adverse physiological effects related
to stress, reduce the possibility and the effects of adrenal exhaustion for maintaining a
qualitative life with good health.
Dr. Shantha Hettiarachchi

7. The common remedial measures practiced by people who are in stress, are worth
considering. Consuming alcohol, drinking coffee or smoking are some of them.
Interestingly it can be shown that the stress is aggravated by these remedies. This is the
hidden truth that remain unknown among the general public.
The caffeine is a constituent of the coffee. It causes release of adrenaline hormones from
the adrenals especially when there is an excessive consumption of coffee. The nervous
tension, irritability and difficulty in sleeping are the results of this effect. That means the
remedy has helped not to relieve the condition but to aggravate it.
The alcohol also increases the release of adrenaline hormone from the adrenals as in the
case of caffeine. Then this will have the same adverse affects to cause similar symptoms
like irritability and sleeping difficulties. When a person is dependent on alcohol, there
will be an additional problem , as the hormones of adrenals such as cortisol and
aldosterone which are releasing in large amounts during the stress are not eliminating
sufficiently by the damaged liver.
The smoking also increases the symptoms of stress as it’s constituent called nicotine
stimulates the secretion of adrenaline hormone from the adrenals. Therefore it is not a
remedy for the stress as it will definitely aggravate the condition. The smoking will affect
adversely on the necessary nutrients like vitamin B and C. The cardiovascular diseases
such as atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, poor digestion, impaired immunity and
cancers are other related problems of smoking to complicate the life of a person with
stress.
We should be capable of selecting beneficial measures in fighting with the stress while
avoiding stress aggravating factors in day to day life. The fresh fruits and vegetables are
highly beneficial in this context as they contain a favourable amount of essential
vitamins and minerals. The potassium content of the fruits and vegetables is an important
factor , relating to stress tolerance.
The change of whole environment and world may not be an easy task but the change in a
person in keeping with outside influencers is not impossible. Therefore it is advisable to
everyone to increase the stress tolerance, reduce the adverse physiological effects related
to stress, reduce the possibility and the effects of adrenal exhaustion for maintaining a
qualitative life with good health.
Dr. Shantha Hettiarachchi