Essay #4 Rough Draft
Lian Prost-Hughart
Writing 121
Struyk-Bonn
5 December 2014
Stress and Health-- Why Stress Management Education is Necessary
Americans are taught from infancy that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Maybe it is time to start teaching that a deep breath a day keeps the doctor away. Forty percent of workers report that they consider their job to be “ very or extremely stressful” ("STRESS...At Work”). Yet stress, when left unhandled, can cause undo strain on major organs, resulting in severe acne, a weakened immune system, and reduced metabolism. Therefore, healthcare professionals, public schools, and employers should provide training on relaxation techniques, exercise and nutrition to prevent, and reverse, these physiological effects of stress.
It is well known that acne vulgaris is the result of hormones, bacteria, excess oil, an accumulation of dead skin cells, diet, and clogged pores. However, what is less known is the scarring effects of psychological stress can have on your body’s largest organ. One study took 94 middle school age students from Singapore, and examined their stress level in conjunction, with how much sebum (oil) they produced on their forehead, and cheeks, and the severity of their acne. This data was recorded during mid-year exams, a time of extreme psychological stress, and then recorded a second time two months later during summer break. Interestingly, sebum production was not affected by higher stress levels. Yet, “based on this study, increased stress… demonstrates a positive correlation with acne severity” (Yosipovitch 138). In addition, another study that surveyed six-year medical students found that 67% of those surveyed have stress induced acne (Green 98).
The consequences of “stress acne” extend past superficial soreness. A questionnaire based study done in 2011 on 3,775 adolescents from age 18-19 found that 14% identified as having substantial acne. Within that 14%, the percentage of female adolescents that had thought about suicide were twice as many as those who did not have severe acne. Among the males, there was 3 times more prevalence of suicide ideation. Many of those that suffered from severe acne reported having “low attachment to friends… not thriving at school… never having had a romantic relationship… and never having had sexual intercourse” (Halvorsen 363). Science has linked stress and the severity of acne; it has now also linked acne to teen suicide, one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Researcher Holverson concludes:
Suicide ideation is an unpleasant symptom and indicator of emotional distress… Although causation cannot definitely be proven from associations observations in this cross-sectional study, acne almost certainly causes embarrassment, stigma, shame, guilt, and low self-esteem, which are likely to cause psychosocial problems. Acne may cause depression, which then results in impaired social functioning and suicidal ideation. (Halvorsen 367)
It is clear that acne has far reaching effects; but to try to provide treatment for acne, in hopes of helping improve psychological health, would be like treating a gunshot wound with a bandaid. It is necessary to go to the root of the issue: extreme psychological stress. Halvorsen makes a perceptive point when he writes, “Knowledge of the psychosocial problems related to acne is of importance in determining optimal health care” (363). One of the components to this “optimal health care” should be stress workshops, where teens are taught how to manage their stress levels through journaling, eating a healthy varied diet, exercising, getting enough sleep, finding someone trusted to confide in, and staying active in their community through volunteer groups (“Managing Stress”). By treating teens’ stress, health care providers and educators alike will be teaching vital lessons to the next generation regarding health and quality of life.
When we analyze the body’s response to stress, it is also necessary to remember that on a genetic level, everyone responds to stimuli (i.e. psychological stress), in a different way. Skin is, of course, one of the first organs to respond. However, other bodily systems are affected as well. When the body is completely at rest, and in an inert state, physiological homeostasis maintains all biological systems working efficiently and stabilized, much like the gears of a finely tuned clock. However, when stimuli constantly flows in and interacts with those biological gears, they begin to slow down. How and why does this occur? To fully understand the answer to that question, one must first become acquainted with the systems that are stimulated by stress: the immune system and metabolism (Priyadarshini).
The immune system is not a closed system working alone to protect the body from viruses and invaders. It is directly related to the metabolism and the neurological signals coming from the brain; metabolism being, namely, all biological processes that convert energy, such as digesting the nutrients found in food ("Metabolism: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia"). During stress, according to an accumulation of studies analyzed by Sushri Priyadarshini, Palok Aich, and Francisco José Esteban, “when the body requires instantaneous energy, this system might be dormant, but post-trauma the body tries to compensate for the energy expenditure during stress by increasing the activity of the (Endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for appetite and pain sensation,) thereby promoting storage of fats causing unnecessary energy conservation” (8). What does “unnecessary energy conservation” mean in layman’s terms? Lowered energy output often results in excessive weight gain and insulin resistance, which are leading causes of diabetes (Priyadarshini, Aich, Esteban 8).
What far reaching effects does metabolism have on quality of life? As mentioned above, all biological systems are interconnected and interdependent. Since metabolism is one of the major contributors to weight management, side effects of unregulated stress may include weight gain. An increased BMI (body mass index) is linked to increased risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, depression, asthma, and cancer (“Obesity”). Experts call obesity “America’s Epidemic” and push state legislatures to support nutrition education in schools and to promote exercise for young children (“Strategies and Solutions”). Yet, these experts would do good to ask themselves if America’s epidemic is not excess weight, but rather psychological stress. Schools and offices are breeding grounds for extreme mental and social pressure. With so few advocating for relief from state legislatures, how will children and adolescents educate themselves to handle stress-- and deal with the physical ramifications of uncontrolled psychosocial stress? Is it not this present generation’s duty to teach future generations how to manage a major root cause of many chronic diseases afflicting Americans of all ages?
Back to the subject of biological processes and the Immune System, the question still remains: how does psychological stress affect human immunity? When discussing immunity one is referring to the system with which the human body protects itself from infection and bacteria. Since the body can identify what it itself has produced, it quickly attacks any “invaders,” neutralizing any foreign body ("Immune System 101"). Much as this may sound like an action film, even this biological protection is affected negatively by stress and stimuli. When neurosignals from the brain send the message to the rest of the body that it is facing a stressful situation, fight-or-flight hormones are released. Once these hormones are released the body is temporarily physiologically unbalanced. When facing chronic stress, the body never has the chance to readjust back to its original homeostasis. No longer stabilized, the metabolism slows the amount of energy output by the body, causing weight gain. Simultaneously, the energy used by the immune system to protect the body is reallocated leaving the body vulnerable to bacterial infections, viruses, and parasites. Therefore, when stress is left untreated it causes susceptibility to illness and flu (Priyadarshini, Aich, Esteban 12) .
Of course, psychological stress is much more than just a common cold. It is the constant pressure that drums in the back of a student’s head. It is the twitch in the eye of an office worker. It is the heavy sigh of an unemployed, single mother of two ("Fact Sheet on Stress"). And “although these studies have established numerous effects of psychological stress on physiology, a global strategy for the correlation of these effects has yet to begin” (Priyadarshini, Aich, Esteban 1). America, as a world leader, should trail-blaze a new era of education. An education that teaches children about the dangers of stress and provides them with the tools they need to prevent, and reverse, those the side effects of extreme mental pressure. When every students’ physical and psychological health runs like a well tuned watch, then can America, and the world thrive, truly thrive.
Sources Cited
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Halvorsen, Jon A., et al. "Suicidal Ideation, Mental Health Problems, And Social Impairment Are Increased In Adolescents With Acne: A Population-Based Study." Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 131.2 (2011): 363-370. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.
"Immune System 101." Immune System 101. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 22 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.
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"Metabolism: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.
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Priyadarshini, Sushri, Palok Aich, and Francisco José Esteban. "Effects Of Psychological Stress On Innate Immunity And Metabolism In Humans: A Systematic Analysis." Plos ONE 7.9 (2012): 1-14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Segerstrom, Suzanne C., and Gregory E. Miller. “Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry.”Psychological bulletin 130.4 (2004): 601–630. PMC. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
"Strategies and Solutions." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 09 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.
"STRESS...At Work." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 06 June 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.
Yosipovitch, Gil, et al. "Study Of Psychological Stress, Sebum Production And Acne Vulgaris In Adolescents." Acta Dermato-Venereologica 87.2 (2007): 135-139. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
