Stress, increased during the pandemic coronavirus, undermines the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to COVID-19 and forming the basis for many chronic diseases – primarily cancer, cardiovascular, endocrine. While studies have shown that stress makes people more vnosimye. And yet – men are more exposed to it. Is it because they are heavier than sick with coronavirus? This was told by the oncologist, senior researcher at CCB, RAS Sergey Kazaap.
– Sergey Nikolaevich, what impact the impact of the current massive stress on people when the epidemic is over?
Today, there are many conversations about it. The world Health Organization calls stress and anxiety the epidemic of the XXI century. We must note that in connection with the winding down now planned of medicine in the coming months, and possibly years, will probably be a surge of chronic diseases, including cancer.
as for chronic stress and anxiety, they can greatly aggravate this situation. Because, although by itself, stress is not the official reason for cancer, but, nevertheless, there is evidence that, if you block adrenaline receptors on cells, cancer incidence is reduced.
for Example, Taiwan conducted a study it was observed 10 years for 25 thousand people. Some of them took the blockers of receptors of adrenaline. Found that the overall cancer incidence in this group decreased by 25% compared to the control group. In addition, there is evidence that men taking the blockers to lower blood pressure, the incidence of prostate cancer is reduced by 50%.
There is a stressful profession. As a rule, people who have a high responsibility for the matter, that is, greater psychological pressure, with which the employee faced at work. For example, the waiters: they communicate directly with customers, often taking claim for other people’s flaws and get a reprimand from his superiors. Or middle managers. Or teachers – all of these professions a very high percentage of psychological burnout, resulting in health problems.
as for people with chronic diseases, and stress hormones exacerbate them. In particular, stress hormones accelerate the growth of malignant tumors, activates the processes of metastasis and significantly reduce the effectiveness of some anticancer drugs. Oh and the effects of stress on the immune system is not only lazy discussed.
do You see the connection that men carry heavier stress and more likely to die from COVID-19?
Statistics of gender differences in mortality of men and women from COVID-19 clearly indicates��should be about the greater vulnerability of men compared to women according to the criterion of mortality rate.
There are various explanations for this fact, from the X chromosome and sex hormones to lifestyle – alcohol, tobacco, and more disregard for their health, etc. But I have another version which is based on the research results.
They suggest that men, who for a number of years constantly experiencing moderate or high stress levels, the overall mortality rate 50% higher compared to those without stress. And it’s real, because we already know that stress increases the possibility of not only Contracting the virus but also leads to a more severe course of the disease. These facts surprising combination: stress by itself increases male mortality by 50% and also aggravated, aggravated the course of viral infection and contributes to increased mortality among them. Call men to the prevention and elimination of stress, fear and anxiety.
HELP-MK: “Chronic stress is detrimental to virtually all organs and systems. Its physical manifestations include fatigue, apathy, pain and muscle tension, headaches, palpitations, increased blood pressure, heartburn and other functional digestive disorders, sleep problems, allergic and skin diseases, decreased libido, loss of appetite or overeating, excessive alcohol, etc.
one of the psychological signs distinguish anxiety, irritability, hostility, anger, anxiety, panic attacks, memory impairment, problems with concentration of attention.”
Your colleague, the doctor of medical Sciences, doctor-submariner Oleg Bukhtoyarov gives a very interesting data from his own research that he conducted during the voluntary isolation for 94 days as part of the Autonomous combat duty under the Arctic ice on one of the world’s largest nuclear submarine “Akula”.
According to him, after a month in “isolation” from the influence of all negative factors for increased suggestibility divers, which is raised to 98.6 % of the crew.
– Yes, it’s amazing. From him I learned for the first time, as increases in suggestibility under stress coupled with isolation. Dr. Bukhtoyarov said that divers become very susceptible to the influence of environmental signals and internal environment of the body. They are available treatment suggestion so that it was possible to successfully treat diseases that are on the Bank to treat the word would be quite difficult (removal acute hemorrhoids, periodontal disease, persistent pain relief teeth for the entire period of the campaign, elimination of pustular vysya��iy on the skin, etc.).
According to him, the increase in suggestibility is a protective reaction of the psyche, a kind of mechanism of psychological survival in an aggressive and possibly life-threatening conditions of “isolation”. Of course, we’re not on a submarine. And in the depths of the ocean live. However, the stress isolation present in the current epidemic, and here on the surface. Suggestibility many really impressive. To put it mildly. The current situation is a convenient thing to manipulate a man. Analytical skills and critical perception of many people has fallen sharply.
How can you diagnose stress?
– actually, stress almost none of the medical specialists are not involved. Chronic stress is insidious because it is hidden from the observer, it is impossible to measure, impossible to diagnose.
Paradoxically, the presence of stress may set the man himself with the help of questionnaires. Medicine is focused on diseases where it is possible to diagnose certain symptoms. But such a diagnosis, like stress, do not put. Yes, there are psychologists, psychiatrists, but very few of them. Today, for example, the Oncology – 1-2 such specialist. In somatic hospitals they do not.
And heart disease often occur with emotional stress: nervous, hand on heart, and – Hello, heart attack. In the development of autoimmune disease in 80% of cases, stress becomes a trigger onset of the disease. And it turns out that the diagnosis of “stress” in practice no, it will not heal. Doctors diagnose the patient has hypertension, heart attack, cancer, diabetes, gipertireoze and treating the symptoms without touching the cause – stress.
People themselves are trying to do, how to do, and a little know how: with alcohol, overeating who tries to knock him off. And it is a world problem. According to the Americans, up to 320 billion dollars per year is the direct economic loss due to chronic stress. In the US even created the national Institute of stress. There is, for example, found that 70-90% of the drugs that are prescribed to family physicians are drugs for chronic stress and anxiety: (antidepressants, tranquilizers and sleeping pills, antacids for heartburn and stomach ulcers, remedies for lower blood pressure, etc.)
HELP-MK: “According to the National Institutes of Health (USA) chronic stress, as a rule, it is almost impossible to diagnose, but it can lead to serious health problems, such as: heart disease and blood vessels, diabetes, depression, anxiety disorder and other diseases.
According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to six leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung disease, accidents, cirrhosis and suicide.”
What to do to in sa��of izolatii and under the pressure of bad news to minimize the effects of stress?
– In Pittsburgh there is a famous centre for combating stress. They are advised to recognize the problem, accept it, and if not, then eliminate the cause. Learn to control your internal state to reveal the painful events of the past that continue to cause feelings in the present; and analyze the chronic conflict in emotional relationships, both in personal life and at work. But all of this requires skills and time. Besides, none of us will do nothing to prevent the stress.
in addition, the experts recommend to adjust the power to join the exercise. Stress hormones are burnt exercise that puts a man with internal issues for physical activity. For treatment needs shoes and sports uniforms. Important a good night’s sleep, which contribute to the walk.
People are scared, including, and because of the uncertainty of the future. As a result, in Russia cases of 335 thousand people, and millions, in stress and in isolation. It is clear that isolation enhances the feeling of loneliness, contributes to the development of depression. But along with the psychological cost of isolation leads to a weakening of the immune system for another reason.
In scientific research are widely used gnotobiotes. Animals that are grown and contained in a sterile blocks in complete isolation. And they are absolutely not viable under normal conditions. The human immune system, as, for example, the muscular system must work at it every day. Every day we have to deal with the new microflora to be able to distinguish “their” from “alien”. Now, when people sit locked up, the immune system is deprived of such opportunities, which reduces its effectiveness. It’s sad, because the return to normal conditions can lead to increased morbidity.
How to cope with stress you?
– I began to seriously address the problem of studying the mechanisms of stress and ways of influence on it in the late 90-ies of the last century, when he worked as a surgeon in Obninsk, because then solved their own problems. Stress amid life’s troubles led to atrial fibrillation. Then had to resign.
I’ve been trying to overcome the stress as a physician, as a scientist. At the time I was whitewater rafting, visited the Pamirs and all the time wondered why there is always a feeling of calm? Many years of research has led to the wonderful world of super-weak interactions within the organism and to the possibility of practical application of this knowledge. In particular, it was possible to formulate the sort of recipe that allows you to reduce the level of chronic stress. In General, the problem of chronic stress, the ultimateOh, you must pay much more attention. To its consequences, we didn’t have to suffer much longer than the effects of the pandemic.
the doctor’s Advice-submariner Oleg program
it’s not the degree of aggressiveness of the environment, and the perception of her relation to it.
Aggressive environment increases the suggestibility and manageability of man, creates the conditions for the riot of imagination, which will draw any catastrophe around you and in your body with real substantial deterioration of health. Don’t let your imagination to manage your psyche.
the Situation of uncertainty, imagination is the basis of neurotic state under stress. You need to clearly understand what is feasible with their concrete actions to do to reduce to zero the uncertainty, and above that you and experience are completely meaningless.
If your actions in acute stressful situations is not able to eliminate the aggressiveness of the environment, then the time position of the fatalist allows you to overcome anxiety, fear and to psychologically distance themselves from her.
the Presence of a dominant purpose in life (meaning of life) forms a high resistance to any aggressive environments and Vice versa.
Accurate knowledge, accurate and reliable information, and not inspired by the opinions of others are a powerful psychological tool against the suggestion and save your mental health.
