How Are Stress And Digestion Related?

Stress plays a role in the development of inflammation and ulceration, and cancer of the digestive tract. Frequent stools or the retention of constipated stools results in chronic inflammation of the bowel. Chronic inflammation precipitates the development of many deleterious health conditions. Colon cancer, diverticulitis, and irritable bowel disease are just a few of the effects of stress. When these illnesses take hold, another vicious cycle of disease promotion occurs, sometimes with disastrous results.

Digestion and Stress – The Good News

The good news is that many of the harmful effects of stress upon the digestive tract and the entire body may be prevented. Even if health problems are present, relieving stress may result in diminishing or reversing the condition.

We have the knowledge that stress is dangerous for digestive health as well as for the health of the entire person and society. Despite that knowledge, the majority of people still do not seem to act or believe that they are able to do much about it.

You can be the exception. Look at the stressors in your daily life. Examine each one and determine how you can reduce or eliminate the stress related to it. Keep in mind that stress is not just emotional in nature. Physical stress, such as lack of exercise, poor diet, and polluted environments are all sources of stress which diminish health.

Preventing and reversing stress is more than taking an antacid or even a natural remedy. It involves a lifestyle change. The actions which you choose to take may do more than just calm butterflies in your tummy; they may improve the health of your entire body and the life of those that you care about.

Author

This article was written for Insights-on-Health.com in Nov 2013 by Patricia Bratianu RN PhD RH-AHG. Patricia has been a Registered Nurse for almost forty years in a wide variety of settings. As a Registered Nurse, she realized that conventional healthcare was not meeting the needs of all patients. She became an herbalist and obtained a PhD in Natural Health. Patricia is a professional member of the American Herbalist’s Guild, passing the stringent peer reviewed process to become a Registered Herbalist.

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