The Effect of Stress on Immune System and Cancer

The immune system is an interesting collection of organs, proteins, tissues, and cells that continually work together to fight off substances and organisms that can harm human body. Our immune system follows a fixed procedure, often referred to as immune response, to detect and destroy substances and organisms that, if left alone, might cause infection or disease. When our immune system is working properly, it's exceptionally effective in protecting our body. It can kill viruses, bacteria, and bad cells; assure immunity from many diseases; and typically help keep us healthy.

When our immune system is not working properly, or compromised, however, it isn't always be able to work effectively.

Basically, there are a couple of things that can go wrong with our immune system:

Immunodeficiency Disorder

It happens when parts of our immune system aren't working properly or don't even work at all. Some individuals are born with impaired immune systems, while many others have weakened immune systems due to bad lifestyle, drugs or infections. There are different types of immunodeficiency problems, those with mild immunodeficiency symptoms tend to get more respiratory infection or colds while those with bad immunodeficiency disorder can be nearly helpless in fighting common germs. You may have seen TV shows that depict "the bubble boy disease," where someone must stay in an enclosed, sterile room for the rest of his life, because his badly weakened immune system doesn't allow him to repel even typically harmless organisms. That, certainly, is an extreme type of immunodeficiency disorder. Often immunodeficiency disorder happens when our immune system is affected by certain types of drugs or a disease. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease that, gradually, destroys human immune system and makes AIDS sufferers get very sick easily due to infections. A few medicines, including immunosuppressant medicines and chemotherapy given to those who have had allergies and cancer, often cause immunodeficiency disorder.

Autoimmune Disorders

It happens when something in our immune system goes haywire, triggering it to attack our own body. An example of autoimmune disorder includes lupus, which contributes to pain in the muscles and joints and can affect kidneys and other vital organs. Other disease is Still's disease, causes the immune system to attack joints of the knees, feet, or hands; and scleroderma, patients often suffer inflammation of the joints, internal organs and skin. These disorders can be debilitating and life altering. Sometimes the immune system really overreacts to certain chemicals within the body, triggering allergic disorders. This can cause many symptoms ranging from watery eyes and sneezing to a dangerous condition known as anaphylaxis. Examples of allergic disorders are asthma; eczema; food allergies; seasonal allergies; drug allergies; animal allergies; reactions to mild natural toxins, such as bee stings and ant bites; and environmental allergens, such as mold or pollens.

Cancer

Cancers can happen due to bad immune system or uncontrolled cell growth. This affects our immune system and makes us more vulnerable to diseases. The two most likely types of cancers affecting younger people are lymphoma and leukemia. Thankfully, in most cases these types of cancers can be treated effectively. Doctors and researchers have discovered a correlation between stress and immune system disorders. Researches have shown that an intense stress, even if it happens for only a couple of days weakens our immune system, making us more vulnerable to a variety of health problems. Some researchers suspect this is caused by a stress-related hormone called cortisol that can affect our immune system cells and limit its ability to prevent diseases. Continued studies are occurring as doctors and scientists are learning more about how stress influences the immune system. People have discovered, however, that those exposed to continuous stress are more prone to a variety of health problems, ranging from common colds to cancer. Considering that immune system is essential to maintain good overall health condition we must keep it at its peak performance. Enough nutrition, keeping stress under control and sufficient exercise are all variables that affect how effectively your immune system does its job.

There are no evidences that stress can cause cancer. Some researches have indicated relationship between psychological factors, including depression and stress to a heightened cancer risk.

While some researches have indicated that an intense stress could actually increase the likelihood of developing cancer, other scientists have suggested that intense stress levels may cause faster progression of any existing disease. Still other researches have linked stress to the presence of a few tumors-causing organisms that happen when our immune system is badly compromised. It is a complicated topic, because, as with heart disease and hypertension, it is not fully understood whether stress can be a factor in the cancer development, or if it intensifies factors that can cause, such as obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking. Those with a genetic predisposition to cancer may feel a great deal of emotional pressure worrying that they too will get cancer eventually, raising one big question of whether intense stress may contribute to high risk of cancer. And, researchers suspect that once a cancer case has been confirmed, could the depression that accompanies this disease contribute to the severity of the disease?

Many researchers believe that cancer is attributed to a combination of factors, for example behavioral, environmental and genetics factors. As more studies are conducted, we may want to get a better understanding on the possible correlation between stress and cancer. It is certain, however, that deep stress can weaken our immune system, and having a solid immune system is necessary in fending off cancer.