Cancer and Stress Custom Search Does stress cause cancer? According to experts the link is not as definite as tobacco use but they believe that stress and cancer have a significant connection. If you want to know more, keep on reading... First, let's find out what stress is.
So, you may ask...how can stress negatively affect your overall health? Why does it cause tumors? You make cancer cells everyday but your immune system is there to prevent them from attacking your healthy cells. That is, if you got a healthy immune system. Besides its negative effect on your immune functions, stressful situations can also affect... 1) level of hormones in your body, and 2) your habits.
How Stress and Cancer ConnectAs you already know, a healthy immune system is your key to prevention of dormant cancer cells to become active.What are the adverse effects of stress? 1) Significant Effect On Immune System No less than the National Cancer Institute reports, “Studies have shown that factors, such as death of a spouse, social isolation, and medical school examinations, alter the way the immune system functions." Genetic mutations occur inside your cells everyday as you are exposed to many tumor-causing agents in the environment. Normally, the DNA is able to repair any damage but there are times when it is unable to. Your body's immune system has the ability to take over and take care of these abnormal cells before they become a cancer. And stress can inhibit or disable this function. Another one of its negative effects is it can also weaken your natural defense system. A poor immune system is a breeding ground for many of the leading types of cancer and stress overload also leads to another danger which is... 2) Higher Level of Stress Hormones Experts also know that when you are experiencing a lot of pressure, your adrenal gland releases a higher level of the hormones called cortisol into the blood as a way of responding to the stress. This is called the neuroendocrine response. Effects of cortisol are harmful when too much of this stress hormone is present in the body. More recent research findings from the NCI suggest that the body’s neuroendocrine response can directly alter important cellular processes such as DNA repair and the regulation of cell growth. These cellular processes are important because they help in the prevention and protection against the formation of tumors. This is bad news especially for some hormone-related cancers such as breast and colorectal.
Besides weakening your immune system and increasing the level of cortisol in your body, the other harmful effects of stress on health are...
Thus it is vital that you know how to avoid stress as much as possible. If you can't avoid it, then learn some stress relief tips or be physically active like going for a daily 30-minute walk.
Return from Cancer and Stress to Definition of Stress
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According to its definition, stress is your body's natural means of defense and protection. In simple terms, not all its effects are harmful. 
