Stress and Your Immune System

08/13/08

Stress, it’s not easy to define, but we all know the feeling. Medically speaking, it is the body’s normal physiological response to situations or stimulus which the body perceives as dangerous. For centuries it was commonly believed that stress was the cause of many illnesses, and relaxing visits to spas and seaside resorts were the suggested remedy. As the 20th century rolled in, other causes of illness were discovered and gradually the former beliefs faded with the times. Stress was no longer viewed as the culprit behind illness.

By the end of the 20th century, scientists were again discovering a link between stress and illness. Hundreds of studies have shown that while short-term stress can boost the immune system, long-term stress suppresses the immune system, opening the door to a host of illnesses. The 21st century finds us convinced, once again, that there is a definite link between the immune system and the brain. Studies have shown that in chronic, long-term stress, the part of the brain that controls the stress response will constantly pump out stress hormones. This continuous soaking of the immune cells tells them to stop fighting, resulting in a weakened response to invaders like virus or bacteria.

Not All Stress is Bad
People tend to talk about stress as if it’s all bad. It’s not. “Some stress is good for you,” says Dr. Esther Sternberg, director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “I have to get my stress response to a certain optimal level so I can perform in front of an audience when I give a talk.” Otherwise, she may come across as lethargic and listless.

But while some stress is good, too much is not good. “If you’re too stressed, your performance falls off,” Dr. Sternberg says. “The objective should be not to get rid of stress completely because you can’t get rid of stress — stress is life, life is stress. Rather, you need to be able to use your stress response optimally.”

The key is to learn to move yourself to that optimal peak point so that you’re not underperforming but you’re also not so stressed that you’re unable to perform. How much we’re able to do that is the challenge, Dr. Sternberg admits. This may not be possible in all situations, or for all people, because just as with the animals Dr. Sternberg studies, some people may have a more sensitive stress response than others.

“But your goal should be to try to learn to control your stress to make it work for you,” Dr. Sternberg says. “Don’t just think of getting rid of your stress; think of turning it to your advantage.”

Get Control of Your Stress
Numerous studies have shown that, to some degree, you can use your mind to help control your stress. Support groups, stress relief exercises, and meditation can help the immune system by altering the level of stress hormones. It has been noted that breast cancer patients who were involved in a support group live longer than those who were not. There are also stress reducing herbs that are very effective, which will be discussed later in this article.

Keep in mind, however, that chronic stress can be associated with mental conditions like depression and anxiety disorders as well as physical problems. Seek professional help if you have:

Trouble sleeping

Changes in appetite

Panic attacks

Tense or sore muscles

Frequent headaches

gastrointestinal problems

prolonged feelings of sadness or worthlessness

Natural Stress Buster
Rhosavin100™ (Rhodiola rosea) is considered to be an adaptogen an important distinction among herbs, and has been shown to invigorate the body and mind to increase resistance to a multitude of stresses, without disrupting other functions. The key active, natural constituents in Rhosavin100™ are identified as rosavin, rosarin, rosin and salidroside. Rhosavin100™ stimulates neurotransmitters, including serotonin, which helps the body adapt to stress, and enhances their effects on the brain.

Clinical Trials indicate:

Rhodiola enhances fitness and well-being under stressful conditions - A placebo-controlled, Russian clinical study showed that an extract of Rhodiola rosea enhanced physical fitness, improved neuro-motor test responses, reduced mental fatigue, and improved general well being in a group of healthy foreign medical students undergoing a stressful exam period. The 40 study participants, all Indian men between the ages of 17 and 19, were randomly assigned to take either placebo or Rhodiola extract at a dose of 50 mg twice daily. The most significant differences between groups were seen in physical fitness, mental fatigue, neuro-motor tests, and well being; no significant differences were observed in results of correction tests or tapping speed tests. No adverse events were reported. As the dose of Rhodiola employed in this study was lower than that used in previous studies, the researchers concluded, "...the study drug gave significant results compared to the placebo group but that the dose level probably was suboptimal." According to the authors, the majority of earlier studies on the anti-fatigue and performance-enhancing effects of Rhodiola utilized single doses more than three times higher than the dose used in their study. When used in psychiatric practice for the treatment of asthenic syndromes (weakness and debility), doses 15 times as high are used for periods of one to two months. --Spasov AA, Wikman GK, Mandrikov VB, et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of the stimulating and adaptogenic effect of Rhodiola rosea SHR-5 extract on the fatigue of students caused by stress.

Rhodiola reported to reduce stress-related fatigue - In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, low-dose treatment with a standardized extract of Rhodiola rosea reduced symptoms of fatigue in 56 young, healthy male and female physicians on night duty. Results were measured via a fatigue index that took into account various aspects of total mental performance, including associative thinking, short-term memory, calculation and ability of concentration, and speed of audio-visual perception. Although significant effects were seen during only one two-week study phase (a change in performance of 20%), the investigators concluded that the extract "possesses a clear anti-fatigue effect without any reported adverse reactions or side-effects, at the dosage used in our study in a situation of moderate level of fatigue and stress."

According to the authors, theirs is one of the first Rhodiola anti-fatigue studies to investigate the effects of repeated low daily doses of the herb over time in a "nearly realistic work situation." Dosage used in the verum groups during each two-week study phase was one 170 mg Rhodiola tablet daily. Each tablet was reported to contain approximately 4.5 mg salidroside. --Darbinyan V, Kteyan A, Panossian A. Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue-a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. Phytomedicine 2000; 7(5): 365-371.

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Be well,
Medicine Plants™

Health Disclaimer! The information presented on this site should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. You should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to your health and well-being. The information and opinions provided here are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the authors, but readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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