Stress Paralyzes Immune Cells
A research team in Australia led by immunologist Scott Mueller injected a stress hormone, norepinephrine, into the bloodstreams of mice. The purpose was to see how immune cells responded to stress hormones. Within just a few minutes, T-cells stopped moving. To make sure it was the stress hormone and the injection itself, the researchers performed the same experiment using dopamine, which had no effect on immune function.
To further research the issue, researchers infected the mice with herpes simplex virus (HSV). After two days the mice were treated with a molecule called Iso that mimics the action of adrenaline, a stress hormone. This also stopped the action of T-cells and dendritic cells for over two hours. When another substance called salmeterol, which acts on the same receptors, was injected two times per day for three days, there were fewer virus-specific T-cells at the sites of infection. Additional experiments with mice injected with melanoma cells or malaria parasites showed the same result – stress hormones and substances that mimic them suppress immune function.
There are other mechanisms at work too:
- In response to intense fear or stress, messages from the brain are sent to the endocrine system
- The adrenal glands release adrenaline and noradrenaline
- The body gets ready for fight or flight
- The heart beats faster, and blood pressure rises to send more blood to the arms and legs
- Extra glucose and fat are released for energy
This cascade of events works well for short-term situations in which people must act quickly to survive but does not work well when lower-level stress and anxiety becomes a chronic condition.
Stress also activates responses like inflammation, which helps to repair damaged or infected tissues. Inflammation causes white blood cells to flood an area where an injury has occurred, and release cytokines and recruit macrophages to clean out debris and dead cells. Inflammation is helpful for healing injury; not so much when stuck in the “on” position due to being in a continuous state of fight or flight.
Remaining constantly stressed about viruses makes you more likely to get sick from viruses. Here are some recommendations to reduce your stress:
- choose sources of information that do not result in increased stress
- carefully choose the people you hang around with – some have become toxic sources of stress and panic
- focus on strategies like eating well, exercising, getting out in the sunlight, drinking water – you will feel less stressed about health if you are healthy
- practice gratitude – thinking about what is good in life shifts the focus from the things that are not as good.
Devi S, Alexandre YO, Loi JK et al. “Adrenergic regulation of the vasculature impairs leukocyte interstitial migration and suppresses immune responses.” Immunity 2021 Jun;54(6):1219-1250
How often do you hear that someone is "addicted to food"? Did you know that there is no such condition and that there is a downside to calling abnormal eating a "food addiction"?
Humans are hard-wired to experience pleasurable feelings from eating and sex to ensure both personal survival and survival of our species. Food is different from other "addictive substances" – we can give up alcohol and cigarettes without endangering our survival, but we must eat to survive. It’s fair to say that we are all addicted to food for this reason. When we eat, dopamine is released, and we feel good, which is nature’s way of making sure we eat again.
If "addiction" is not driving overeating, what is? Overeating and binge eating are compulsive behaviors that involve food. An important purpose for compulsive behavior is to relieve stress and discomfort. The person who regularly overeats or binges uses food much in the way that some people use alcohol or drugs. But there is a very important difference. A person can abstain from alcohol and drugs for an entire lifetime, but cannot abstain from food.
Research shows that the particular substance that a person uses to reduce pain and discomfort is less important than the reason for use. This is why not all people who use drugs become addicted. During the early 1970s it was common for U.S. soldiers to use heroin while stationed in Vietnam. They often had to be admitted to detox centers to withdraw after returning home. After detox, over 90% of soldiers stopped using heroin and never used it again.
At the same time, heroin use was increasing in the U.S., but the situation concerning discontinuation was quite different. Addicts found it much more difficult to quit, and many were admitted to rehab centers multiple times and never stopped using drugs. What made this situation even more confusing was that the soldiers in Vietnam were using much stronger heroin than the heroin used by drug addicts in the U.S. American soldiers should have had a much more difficult time withdrawing, but they did not. The reason: Why people use heroin is more important than the physical action of the drug.
Soldiers were using heroin to deal with the horrors of war. When they returned home, the threat was gone, so the need for heroin was gone for most of them too. On the other hand, the reasons why many American addicts continued to use heroin remained unresolved, which is one of the reasons they returned to the drug time and time again.[1]
Conventional treatment for "food addiction" usually involves some form of abstinence from certain foods such as sugar, white flour, desserts, or bread. The rationale is that person can’t have any of these foods because eating them will "trigger" a return to abnormal eating patterns.
There are several problems with this strategy. The first is that abstention from particular foods rarely works. Sooner or later the person eats bread or cake or a cookie.
Another is that this strategy relies on perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, two of the most common cognitive distortions that drive people to seek therapy. Perhaps most important is that the success rate for abstinence programs overall is very low, even with substances for which there is more clear evidence of harm and addiction like drugs and alcohol. And abstention does not address the psychology of use. If it did, there would be no need for abstention.
The reality is that poor habits and carrying excess weight are indications of a bigger problem – life! Most chronically overweight, serial dieters, in addition to an abnormal relationship with food, have other issues and thinking patterns that interfere with success, such as, unrealistic goals and an inability to set boundaries.
The goal should be to help the overweight person change his or her thinking and behavior patterns AND to learn how to have a normal relationship with food. ALL people who want to have a normal relationship with food CAN have a normal relationship with food IF they are willing to change their minds and adopt new thought patterns and behaviors.
Humans are hard-wired to experience pleasurable feelings from eating and sex to ensure both personal survival and survival of our species. Food is different from other "addictive substances" – we can give up alcohol and cigarettes without endangering our survival, but we must eat to survive. It’s fair to say that we are all addicted to food for this reason. When we eat, dopamine is released, and we feel good, which is nature’s way of making sure we eat again.
If "addiction" is not driving overeating, what is? Overeating and binge eating are compulsive behaviors that involve food. An important purpose for compulsive behavior is to relieve stress and discomfort. The person who regularly overeats or binges uses food much in the way that some people use alcohol or drugs. But there is a very important difference. A person can abstain from alcohol and drugs for an entire lifetime, but cannot abstain from food.
Research shows that the particular substance that a person uses to reduce pain and discomfort is less important than the reason for use. This is why not all people who use drugs become addicted. During the early 1970s it was common for U.S. soldiers to use heroin while stationed in Vietnam. They often had to be admitted to detox centers to withdraw after returning home. After detox, over 90% of soldiers stopped using heroin and never used it again.
At the same time, heroin use was increasing in the U.S., but the situation concerning discontinuation was quite different. Addicts found it much more difficult to quit, and many were admitted to rehab centers multiple times and never stopped using drugs. What made this situation even more confusing was that the soldiers in Vietnam were using much stronger heroin than the heroin used by drug addicts in the U.S. American soldiers should have had a much more difficult time withdrawing, but they did not. The reason: Why people use heroin is more important than the physical action of the drug.
Soldiers were using heroin to deal with the horrors of war. When they returned home, the threat was gone, so the need for heroin was gone for most of them too. On the other hand, the reasons why many American addicts continued to use heroin remained unresolved, which is one of the reasons they returned to the drug time and time again.[1]
Conventional treatment for "food addiction" usually involves some form of abstinence from certain foods such as sugar, white flour, desserts, or bread. The rationale is that person can’t have any of these foods because eating them will "trigger" a return to abnormal eating patterns.
There are several problems with this strategy. The first is that abstention from particular foods rarely works. Sooner or later the person eats bread or cake or a cookie.
Another is that this strategy relies on perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, two of the most common cognitive distortions that drive people to seek therapy. Perhaps most important is that the success rate for abstinence programs overall is very low, even with substances for which there is more clear evidence of harm and addiction like drugs and alcohol. And abstention does not address the psychology of use. If it did, there would be no need for abstention.
The reality is that poor habits and carrying excess weight are indications of a bigger problem – life! Most chronically overweight, serial dieters, in addition to an abnormal relationship with food, have other issues and thinking patterns that interfere with success, such as, unrealistic goals and an inability to set boundaries.
The goal should be to help the overweight person change his or her thinking and behavior patterns AND to learn how to have a normal relationship with food. ALL people who want to have a normal relationship with food CAN have a normal relationship with food IF they are willing to change their minds and adopt new thought patterns and behaviors.
References:
[1] Lance Dodes MD, Zachary Dodes. The Sober Truth: Debunking the Ba Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry. Beacon Press.
Pam Popper, Wellness Forum Health President
Negative self-talk is toxic to the brain...I often hear from people who proclaim that they cannot make the changes that they would like to see in their lives. "I just can't do it", "I can't exercise that much", I can't stop eating______(fill in the blank)". "I will probably fail, so what's the use of trying."
We all have that inner voice that makes critical, negative, or punishing comments about ourselves that makes us feel defeated or hopeless. And most times, you think that you are being realistic about yourself. But this inner dialogue with yourself limits your ability to believe that you have the potential to achieve positive changes.
Research has found that excessive ruminations of negativity is linked to an increased risk of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, psychosis, and OCD.
Focusing on your negative thoughts and telling yourself that you "can't do it" will only lead to decreased motivation and helplessness.
This brings us to the science of neuroplasticity. The brain has a capacity to adapt and change over time by creating new neurons and building new networks, It has the capacity to be shaped, molded or altered. It can continue to grow and evolve in response to new experiences. But you can be in a "rut" because of your consistent negativity. This means that you have the capacity to change dysfunctional patterns of thinking.
If you think that you are in a "rut", maybe it is time to "plow". View your rut the same way you view the hard, dry, and unreceptive dirt that is not capable of growing anything. Replacing those bad habits with healthier habits, one day at a time (sometimes even one hour at a time) is what changes our brain and starts plowing up the hard rut.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, states that behavior that is rewarded will be repeated. What is ONE unhealthy habit that you would like to change today? Speak those positive and affirming words to yourself because you are worth it.
Liz Fattore
Wellness Forum Health (the company that I represent) held our annual conference last weekend. One of my favorite speakers, fellow member and therapist is Kylea Rorabaugh, MA, PLPC. Her talk was titled "Finding Stillness in a World that Won't Stop." Stillness is essential for our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing.
If you are like me, you find it difficult to find stillness. We (especially women) find it necessary to continually overextend ourselves, as if it will earn us an award. We all need to focus on a day of rest. In Dan Buettner's research on the Seventh Day Adventists, he found that they all were committed to taking a day of rest. On average, they live 10 years longer than the average American.
How can we be intentional about taking that one day a week of rest, of finding intentional stillness?
Consider your "diet": What are you putting in your mind on a consistent basis? Did you know that the Poison Dart Frog is not actually poisonous? They eat deadly and poisonous insects, ingesting the poison so that they become poison themselves. Are you reading every news article, watching every news station? We can choose how much chaos to ingest and how much stillness to consume. Watch your mental diet. We still need to be aware of what is going on in the world, but not to consume all of the poison content.
Embrace boredom: If you are sitting around in a waiting room, or standing in a long line, be intentional, make eye contact, listen to conversations around you, smile, people watch, observe. By doing this, you are grabbing hold of your boredom, giving it the hug it deserves, and welcoming it to stand right next to you as an ally.
Put down the distractions: Is it possible that, as a society, we have a disturbing obsession with entertainment? And with the compelling draw toward action, speed, and extreme stimulation, could it be that the concept of stillness is so foreign that we will miss something? What if we miss listening, discovering, engaging? We allow the deafening sounds of the modern world to drown out the whispers of the things that really matter. If we don't put down our distractions, how will we ever know if we are missing something? What if we intentionally filled those moments with something purposeful instead of something mindless?
Find your dam: What if we slowed our pace, what if we stopped the hurriedness of our moments? It's easy to miss our dam, or to never discover and experience them in the first place. Sometimes the things that are the hardest for us to embrace are the very things that are most important for us to cling to. Do you have a dam? A place to go to be still, and savor, and rest, and laugh?
Rediscover delight: We miss simple delight in this day and age. What might it look like to rediscover delight in your life, now, in real time, as an adult? What would it be? Do you have any delight in your life? Norman Wirzba said "When you are in the throes of entertainment, are you generally thinking that you are having a good time? Do we settle for being amused?"
Disconnecting from traditional productivity: In our culture, busyness and productivity are worshipped. But sometimes productivity gets in the way of living our life to the fullest. Or sometimes we miss out on joy filled living. What we do in that stillness may differ. But it's not so much about what we do per se but rather about what it does in us.
Being still enough to stick like Velcro: Author and psychologist Rick Hansen puts it this way: "The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive experiences. In other words, the goodness of life has the tendency to slip away as opposed to the negative which clings to our mental framework. But if we are harried and hurried every moment of the day, it's awfully hard to acknowledge or grab hold of these things. What if stillness is the key to us taking the time to pause, acknowledge and embrace the goodness that surrounds us. And when we absorb all of that goodness, we reverse roles, and our goodness gets Velcro-ed and our difficulties get Teflon-ed.
The world won't ever stop, but we can: What would you add to your vision of stillness? Likewise, what would you remove from that space? Determine your environment and your mindset: where would your thoughts be situated? What would it take to implement a position of stillness with intent, consistency, and commitment? Long for stillness and embrace it. We can choose to stop. It's not so much about what you do in your stillness but rather what you allow the stillness to do within you.
Liz Fattore
Nurture Your Health
Licensed Food Over Medicine Professional
Wellness Forum Health
