 |
|
|
|
April 2nd, 2012
03:07 PM ET
Why stress makes colds more likelyMost of us know from experience that stress weakens our immune system. Colds always seem to strike when we're overworked or emotionally exhausted, as do eczema flare-ups, headaches and a myriad of other health problems. Doctors long ago confirmed that the connection between stress and health is real, but they haven't been able to fully explain it. Now, in a new study, researchers say they've identified a specific biological process linking life stressors - such as money trouble or divorce - to an illness. In this case it's the common cold. The fact that cortisol suppresses inflammation presents a puzzle: People who are chronically stressed tend to have higher levels of cortisol, yet the sneezing, sniffling and coughing of the average cold are actually caused by the inflammatory response to a virus, not the virus itself. Shouldn't stress therefore prevent cold symptoms? Health.com: How to stop a cold in its tracks The authors of the new study have an answer: The key factor that influences a person's vulnerability to illness appears to be the immune system's sensitivity to cortisol, not his or her cortisol levels per se. And chronic stress, the study suggests, may weaken the body's responsiveness to the hormone, allowing the inflammation that causes cold symptoms to run wild. "Stressed people's immune cells become less sensitive to cortisol," says lead author Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh. "They're unable to regulate the inflammatory response, and therefore, when they're exposed to a virus, they're more likely to develop a cold." Cohen and his colleagues tested their theory in a pair of experiments, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the first, they interviewed 276 healthy men and women about the sources of psychological stress in their lives over the previous year, including unhappy work situations, long-term conflicts with family or friends, or legal or financial woes. And then they tried to get them sick. The researchers gave each study participant nasal drops containing a rhinovirus (a common cold-causing virus) and quarantined them for five days, during which 39% of the volunteers came down with a cold. Those who were stressed-out had double the risk of falling ill, even after age, body mass index and a host of other factors were taken into account. When the researchers went back and looked at blood tests taken a week or two earlier, they found no link between blood cortisol levels and the likelihood of getting sick. However, they did find that the typical relationship between cortisol and inflammation - as one rises, the other tends to fall - seemed to be disrupted in people who were stressed-out and in those who developed colds. In these groups, cortisol levels had no bearing on inflammation (as measured by the levels of certain white blood cells), suggesting that "stressed people were... resistant" to cortisol and "non-stressed people were not," Cohen says. A second, smaller experiment that used a different measure of inflammation confirmed the link between cortisol resistance and higher levels of inflammation. Health.com: 7 steps to instant calm Although a cure for the common cold is still a long ways off, the findings do raise the possibility that there may be "ways of intervening when a person is chronically stressed, possibly pharmacologically, to influence this kind of process," Cohen says. An intervention of that sort wouldn't only be useful during cold-and-flu season, since a wide range of health problems have been linked to stress and inflammation, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The study "implies that other diseases where the control of inflammation is important would be influenced in the same way—that we could find the same sort of mechanisms operating in those cases," Cohen says. Copyright Health Magazine 2011 soundoff (726 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next »Leave a Reply to Shanita Kuznicki
Next entry »A warning against genetic testing
« Previous entryWhat the Yuck: Can I be allergic to sunlight?
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
I'm waiting for the snow.
http://urbanhospitality.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Fake-Panerai-Hong-Kong-Where-To-Inc.html
http://edgecg.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.ocrvmotorsports.org/
I really like reading through a post that can make men and women think.
Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
Itís hard to find educated people for this subject, but you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
http://photoshow.aving.net/korean/?wptouch_switch=mobile&redirect=http://ocrvcenter.info/rv-repair-shop-la-puente-california
I was able to find good info from your articles.
http://www.valdaveto.net/redirect.php?link=https://sprinterrepairnearme.com/
http://citidex.sfgov.org/cgi-bin/sunindex/getData.cgi?docColor=deptsonly&dispRec=yes&contact=TedYamasaki&phone=(415)557-4815&url=ocrv.club/rv-repair-shop-desert-hot-springs-california
https://www.nfaap.org/sso/sso.aspx?nfredirect=https://ocrv.xyz/rv-remodel-near-me
https://www.fms.treas.gov/fmsweb/disclaimer.jsp?ciURL=https://www.businessmeetingssite.blogvivi.com/2906711/rv-repair-shop-secrets
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs online. I will highly recommend this web site!
https://treasury.gov/cgi-bin/redirect.cgi/?https://hootnholler.net/9b390-fishing-club-news/page/66/
https://www.itic.org/redirect?r=96fe14b2-fa4d-4b35-860d-365da81621d2&redir=https://ocrv.me/rv-repair-shop-bellflower-california
Iím impressed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog thatís equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. Now i'm very happy I found this in my search for something regarding this.
http://www.themza.com/redirect.php?r=ocrv.mobi/rv-camera-repair-near-me
https://reddit.app.link/?channel=mweb_branch&feature=xpromo&campaign=xpromo&$og_redirect=https://galerie.futurevisionprojekt.de/main.php?g2_view=comment.ShowAllComments&g2_itemId=7&g2_page=47320
http://www.galter.northwestern.edu/exit?url=http://www.acervodiario.com.br/senadores-aprovam-novo-embaixador-em-zambia
This was great! I would like you to clean up all this spam though
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusufhanafy
I must thank you for the efforts you've put in writing this website. I'm hoping to view the same high-grade content from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own blog now 😉
https://fuse.fuseuniversal.com/redirect?to=https://socialmediacoversmadeforyou.com/
There is definately a lot to learn about this subject. I love all the points you've made.
http://cruza36e5.blogminds.com/top-rated-explanations-why-electronic-marketing-and-advertising-organizations-are-flourishing-and-why-you-will-need-them-12959177
Hey there! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I'll be returning to your website for more soon.
http://www.conversecompany.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.getmoneytraveling.com/
http://cesarr52j0.bloguetechno.com/Top-latest-Five-Content-Marketing-Near-Me-Urban-news-34734027
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who was conducting a little research on this. And he actually bought me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him... lol. So let me reword this.... Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this issue here on your internet site.
https://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&url=https://garretth71x2.luwebs.com/5222514/top-rated-reasons-why-digital-internet-marketing-agencies-are-flourishing-and-why-you-will-need-them
http://www.bshare.cn/share?url=https://israelu14y2.bloggadores.com/4052385/not-known-factual-statements-about-maserati-dealership-near-me
Hey there! I simply wish to offer you a huge thumbs up for your great information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your website for more soon.
http://www.aarss.com/redir.php?siteref=&aarsslink=http://sprinter-forum.de/clickcounter?url=wildwestlifttrucks.com/&kategorie=Werbung&linkbereich=Header
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who was doing a little homework on this. And he in fact ordered me breakfast simply because I found it for him... lol. So allow me to reword this.... Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this issue here on your web page.
http://dallasj18a7.pointblog.net/The-5-Second-Trick-For-RV-Body-Shop-38606573
This is the right website for anybody who really wants to find out about this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want toÖHaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a topic that's been discussed for decades. Great stuff, just wonderful!
http://elliotk71s0.myparisblog.com/4780192/not-known-facts-about-custom-t-shirts
https://slack-redir.net/link?url=https://www.game-mun.com/forum/index.php?action=mlist;sort=YIM;desc;start=17520
I'm more than happy to discover this website. I want to to thank you for your time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely liked every little bit of it and I have you book-marked to look at new information on your site.
http://www.shinobi.jp/etc/goto.html?http://kylery84r4.daneblogger.com/4376757/great-importance-of-appointed-date-powerful-day-in-restructuring
You are so cool! I don't believe I've truly read through a single thing like that before. So good to find another person with some genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
http://edwinr16k8.blogoscience.com/5504541/fascination-about-commercial-roof-coatings
http://domain-name.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=dominick2a5w4.theisblog.com/3494220/top-rv-repair-near-me-secrets
There is certainly a lot to learn about this topic. I like all the points you have made.
https://bitly.com/a/warning?hash=3nUs1YL&url=https://andrep41h0.blog5star.com/4898235/how-rv-body-repair-can-save-you-time-stress-and-money
https://ditu.google.cn/url?q=http://waylona59p0.blogdomago.com/4099996/a-secret-weapon-for-repair-shop
I wanted to thank you for this very good read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to look at new stuff you postÖ
https://garrettu14y2.bcbloggers.com/4098821/examine-this-report-on-social-media-marketing-firms
I like reading through a post that will make men and women think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
http://go.xscript.ir/index.php?url=http://dimalab.ca/portfolio/default-post/pexels-photo-266176
http://dominicko04g7.bloggerswise.com/5312364/repair-shop-things-to-know-before-you-buy
This web site definitely has all the information I needed about this subject and didnít know who to ask.
https://tieba.baidu.com/mo/q/checkurl?url=https://alexisw49r1.get-blogging.com/6049819/a-review-of-personal-injury-attorney
Excellent write-up. I definitely love this site. Stick with it!
Very rapidly this website will be famous amid all blogging and
site-building users, due to it's nice articles
usps
http://www.rjrth.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=theocrv.com/
http://www.hellebores.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.art/
http://go.xscript.ir/index.php?url=http://customcampervans.com/
Iím amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog thatís both equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something too few folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i'm very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something relating to this.
http://opendoorworkshops.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=boxtruckrepairshop.com
http://www.telatrain.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.campervanrepairshop.com
http://nacua.us/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.online
http://go.xscript.ir/index.php?url=https://ocrv.pro/
Good article! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our website. Keep up the good writing.
https://ww17.instagurum.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.co/
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not fail me as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, but I actually believed you would have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you can fix if you weren't too busy looking for attention.
http://childrenchoir.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?event1=&event2=&event3=&goto=http://fleettruckrepairshop.com
http://litvak-jewelry.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.commercialrepairshop.com