Author Topic: Can stress cause you to get more sick? (Read 6585 times)

Ihavehope · « **on:** December 21, 2006, 02:37:40 pm »

Excuse me if I sound dumb but I had someone tell me that a guy in his late 20's found out he was poz and was from a good family with a religious background. Due to that, the guy felt exteremly stress and could not find a time nor way to tell him family he kept it to himself and hid it for about 3 years and suddenly he ended up in the hospital due to PCP. Can stress cause PCP or make your Immune System worse off?

chemistry001 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 21, 2006, 02:56:49 pm »

I don't know what the research shows if any, and there may be more people here that can advise, but I'm a firm believer in a positive outlook on all situations.
Stressing about things can only take away valuable energy that your body needs to fight the eternal fight that's going on inside all of us 24/7.
So can stress cause PCP, i don't know. Can stress make your immune system worse off, i would say that it does not help.
Sorry i cant be more help.

Stay well
Paul xXx

allopathicholistic · « **Reply #2 on:** December 21, 2006, 02:57:24 pm »

Personally I come acrross alot of stuff on the internet about cortisol and stress and T cells. Qualified healthcare professionals are the ones you should look to for an official answer. I don't know about your PCP question. Sorry

The below is from 2000. $:-\$

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2000/E/200004739.html

"Cortisol has generally been associated with decrements in immune response and in HIV its role is quite controversial," Leserman says. "Cortisol might trigger destruction of CD4 cells and may bolster HIV replication. But the literature is not consistent on this.
"Our data supports the idea that men who have high levels of cortisol over a long period of time seem to do worse

bear60 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 21, 2006, 03:11:47 pm »

the phrase: "Laughter is the best medicine" ...is no joke.

marco23 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 21, 2006, 03:12:00 pm »

Don't know about the PCP question but personally, I don't think stress helps the immune system. I agree with Paul, try to always have a positive outlook on life.
When you find yourself feeling stressed, just smile and say something off hand like "I never did mind about the little things"...Does that make sense...no...but that's the point!

Ihavehope · « **Reply #5 on:** December 21, 2006, 03:26:24 pm »

I know that stress is probably not good for me. i am ok and happy one hour and sad and worried the next.

Boo Radley · « **Reply #6 on:** December 21, 2006, 04:07:30 pm »

Psychological stress may cause a strain on overall health. Physiological stress in excess of one's ability to endure has been shown to weaken immune response, although I really should cite a source for this assertion.

Stress is one of many factors that may come into play with HIV infection and many other diseases.

If I weren't too mean to die I'd have succumbed years ago. I laugh in HIV's face, I tell you, and it's too intimidated to cause me too many problems. Knock on wood...

Boo

Ihavehope · « **Reply #7 on:** December 21, 2006, 04:10:35 pm »

This may sounf funny and odd but someone I met recently he talks to his body or better yet the virus on a regular basis.

He tells the virus to behave and not get over-excited because if he goes then the virus goes too.

I kinna looked at him like he was crazy and didn't think twice about it until now.

aupointillimite · « **Reply #8 on:** December 21, 2006, 04:14:17 pm »

Apparently, it keeps coming out in studies that stress (especially long term stress for someone who is already sick) is a bigger suppressor of the immune system than originally thought.

I can't speak as to the specifics of your friend's case, but it all seems to indicate that one can, in fact, worry oneself sick... and in poz people, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that happens quicker.

Boo, I'm right there with you. My friend and I have always noted that evil people take longer to die than the nice ones (I'm sticking around out of spite, if nothing else)... so it looks like, contrary to "science" and "facts," we get to live forever.

water duck · « **Reply #9 on:** December 21, 2006, 04:25:50 pm »

The word dumb is not appropriate, you need to feel free to say what you think, and if someone think that you are dumb, well, sweetheart, it is not your problem. We all have different Achilles heel, when we let stress rule our lives, it will attack our weak point.
Chinese medicine attributes emotions to the different organs : in this case PCP is mainly due to the lungs : that is grief or sadness ; etc. ( 5 elements ; 7 emotions )The seven emotions can cause disease and, conversely, disorders of the inernal organs can cause the seven emotions. I refrain from making comments as i am very sure the meds can cause havoc, and i am not on meds, so no comments.
You might be interested to know that stress manifested itself in thousands and one ways: the young lady lawyer came home to discover her appartment broken into , and as there was nothing to steal, they took packets of flour and throw it all over her appartment. She started to have very dry skin. My comments to this situation was when you stopped feeling ' violated ' and start to have a complete night sleep, things will be back to ' normal ' . Bleeding gums, hair lost ..... the list goes on , PM me if you like to know more.

Laughter is the best medicine !! thank you bear60 , when we are able to do that, what started to be a very big thing, losses it's important.

I am quite sure with a name like ' Ihavehope ' and starting a thread like this one, you are going far !!

Siang

Boo Radley · « **Reply #10 on:** December 21, 2006, 04:37:26 pm »

Quote from: aupointillimite on December 21, 2006, 04:14:17 pm

I'm sticking around out of spite, if nothing else ... so it looks like, contrary to "science" and "facts," we get to live forever.

Exactly! If I weren't such a spiteful wretch I'd have had the decency to drop dead years ago. I have a feeling I'll end up like Dorothy Parker, outliving all of my friends and relations (hell, I'm halfway there now). When I die many people will say "I thought he was already deceased."

Boo,
still kickin'

P.S. Sorry for hijacking the thread...

Longislander · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2006, 05:21:24 pm »

I was so stressed out in the beginning that I had undiagnosed tingling in the top of my head, and as soon as I started to stress, my right eyelid drooped halfway down on it's own.

After a few months of this, and I realized I was going to live a bit longer, and didn't have to worry about the little things like disclosing, those symptoms disappeared.

Since I've found AM, I've definitely been less stressed, more optimistic, and my #'s reflect it. Don't know if that's science, but I like the result.

Oceanbeach · « **Reply #12 on:** December 21, 2006, 06:36:37 pm »

When I was diagnosed, they said Stress was my worst enemy. I don't think stress caused my PCP, I think that came from hanging around Bixby Park with few clothes on...

. Have the best day
Michael

AtomicA · « **Reply #13 on:** December 21, 2006, 08:14:50 pm »

While humans were evolving out on the plains of Africa millions of years ago, we developed a very handy response called fight or flight. Basically, something happens that your brain interprets as danger, such as a lion, a tiger or a bear (oh my!) and your body dumps a huge amount of adrenaline into your system to give you the strength, speed and mental acuity to either stand up and fight or run away. Unfortunately, we didn't have the knowledge of things like HIV, deadlines, mortgage payments, legal action etc. back when that response evolved and our most basic brain treats all percieved threats the same way. However, unlike a lion, tiger or bear (oh my!), a mortgage, chronic illness, fear of disease, low paying or demanding job are not things that you can run from. They hang over your head day in and day out confusing your brain into leaving the fight or flight response perpetually turned on. In the short term, it can save your life. If left unresolved in the long term however, adrenaline and all the other chemical changes that are associated with that response turn into what we call 'stress'. Since stress has been linked to everything from heart disease to stroke to certain immune conditions it's VERY unlikely that it's doing anything but harming you. It also disrupts your sleep, changes how you feel and interperet your need to eat and can lead to other poor lifestyle choices.

Would he have developed PCP anyway? maybe... was he on ARV? would learning how to medidate or taking up yoga be beneficial to every single person who lives in or with a situation that con cause continual, unresolved stress? Oh dear yes I'm sure that it would.

Ann · « **Reply #14 on:** December 21, 2006, 08:21:14 pm »

Anyone who wants proof that too much stress can make you ill need look no further than our very own Am I Infected forum.

HaveHope,

There's no way to tell if this person would have gotten PCP without the stress in his life. The PCP would be a result of not taking the meds (when needed) as much as anything and who even knows how long this person was actually positive. He may have been diagnosed for four years but infected for ? ? ? years.

One thing is for certain though, too much stress does a number on your immune system, hiv positive or not.

Ann
(who likes to chill)

aupointillimite · « **Reply #15 on:** December 21, 2006, 08:30:55 pm »

Quote from: Ann on December 21, 2006, 08:21:14 pm

Anyone who wants proof that too much stress can make you ill need look no further than our very own Am I Infected forum.

I never thought to mention that!

You are so completely right, Ann!

Brilliant call! Those people in there literally make themselves sick... and then try to increase our poor mods stress levels. It's a rather nasty cycle, I think.

Eldon · « **Reply #16 on:** December 21, 2006, 08:35:56 pm »

Helping You

Hi Ihavehope...

In NO WAY do you sound dumb when asking a question. When asking a question it helps you gain an understanding of a situation.

Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. A painful uneasiness of mind, usually over an anticipated ill. An abnormal apprehension and fear, often accompanied by physiological signs such as sweating and increased pulse, by doubt the nature and reality of the threat itself and by self-doubt.

So, the answer to your question is YES. It does have a bearing on your physical health. As an external anxiety triggers your internal anxiety which produces a number of different reactions within you because of the cause.

When faced with this situation, the BEST thing that you can DO is to try to remain as calm as possible as you are going through the situation. Breathe, Accept and understand what is going on in the situation.

"Don't Give Up, Don't Give In... Cause it is ALL within you to WIN!"

Ann · « **Reply #17 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:05:53 pm »

Quote from: aupointillimite on December 21, 2006, 08:30:55 pm

I never thought to mention that!

You are so completely right, Ann!

Brilliant call! Those people in there literally make themselves sick... and then try to increase our poor mods stress levels. It's a rather nasty cycle, I think.

It's ok, I have my monitor AND my computer tower festooned in garlic to ward off the evil stress spirits.

Think I'm joking? I also waft burning sage around my desk, just to make sure...

Oh, and I had the walls padded, just to be on the safe side. The technical term for all this is safer safer-sex information dispersal.

AtomicA · « **Reply #18 on:** December 21, 2006, 09:11:17 pm »

Be careful with that sage Ann, my mom use to do the same thing in our house and one of our neighbors called the cops on her. they thought it was a grow-op!

a few weeks later all the sage smoke the got sucked into the computer killed the cooling fan and the guy at the repair shop told us to stop smoking so much weed in the computer room....

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Author Topic: Can stress cause you to get more sick? (Read 6585 times)