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Stress and the Immune System re-run

Release Date: 06/01/2025

PodcastDX

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. It’s caused by harmful cells in your lungs growing unchecked. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation and targeted drugs. Screening is recommended if you’re at high risk. Advances in treatments have caused a significant decline in lung cancer deaths in recent years. Lung cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled cell division in your . Your cells divide and make more copies of themselves as a part of their normal function. But sometimes, they get changes (mutations) that cause them to keep making...

Home Eye Safety

PodcastDX

Did you know that about half of all eye injuries happen right at home? Home activities that can injure your eyes include: Cleaning. Chemicals like bleach in household cleaning products cause 125,000 eye injuries each year. Home Improvement. Screws, nails and hand tools can launch into the air—and into your eyes. Power tools can also send wood chips or other substances flying into the air. Yard Work. Lawn mowers, trimmers and even shovels can throw dirt and debris into the air. Branches, twigs and thorns can also be dangerous. Unfortunately, only about three out of 10 people wear...

Change the Outcome with Nutrition & Exercise

PodcastDX

This week we discuss changing the outcome of your health with nutrition & exercise. Our guest today is Dr. James Thompson, the author of Fearless Wellness and a passionate advocate for transformational change. He completed medical training 35 years ago and has dedicated my career to empowering others to live healthier, more fulfilling lives. He experienced a life-changing event in 2012 and participated in a 2 with my church community. Though the three-week diet, equivalent to a whole food plant-based diet, was intended to emphasize prayer, the impact of the food intrigued...

Dangers of Impaired Driving

PodcastDX

This week we discuss the dangers of impaired driving. Impaired driving poses significant dangers, leading to thousands of fatalities and injuries each year due to reduced coordination, judgment, and reaction times. Definition and Causes Statistics Effects of Impairment Preventive Measures Conclusion Impaired driving is a serious public safety issue that leads to numerous preventable deaths and injuries each year. By understanding the dangers and implementing effective preventive measures, we can work towards reducing the incidence of impaired driving and...

Falls Prevention

PodcastDX

Falls are a threat to the health of older adults and can reduce their ability to remain independent. However, falls don't have to be inevitable as you age. You can reduce your chance of falling or help a loved one prevent falls. There are proven ways to reduce and prevent falls, even for older adults. We identify older adults as anyone 65 years and older. Physical changes and health conditions — and sometimes the medications used to treat those conditions — make falls more likely as you age. In fact, falls are a leading cause of injury among older adults. Still, fear of falling doesn't...

BiPolar Revisited

PodcastDX

Due to a scheduling glitch we are doing a rerun today of an episode Paris Scobie did with us earlier this year. Paris is a Mental Health Speaker, Host of the top 1% globally ranked podcast, , & Best-Selling Author of her memoir, . Paris launched Live Well Bipolar to use her lived experience to help others overcome the shame, fear and isolation that can so often accompany living with bipolar. She shares how she went from being a patient struggling from inside the walls of a psychiatric hospital newly diagnosed with bipolar to returning to work at this same hospital years later....

Working as an Autistic adult

PodcastDX

This week we discuss strategies autistic adults can use as employees. Temple Grandin PhD is our distinguished guest this week. Her website gives a great explanation of her theory on how best to prepare autistic children for a more independent life and active social integration through employment. She emphasizes that in earlier generations, (Temple grew up in the 1950s) activities such as newspaper delivery provided young people with formative work experiences. She suggests that, in the absence of such opportunities today, parents can help children build similar skills...

Bartonella

PodcastDX

Bartonella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. It is the only genus in the family Bartonellaceae. Facultative intracellular parasites, Bartonella species can infect healthy people, but are considered especially important as opportunistic pathogens. Bartonella species are transmitted by vectors such as fleas, sand flies, and mosquitoes. At least eight Bartonella species or subspecies are known to infect humans. Bartonella henselae is the organism responsible for cat scratch disease. History Bartonella species have been infecting humans for thousands of years, as...

Haemophilus influenzae H-Flu

PodcastDX

This week we are not featuring a guest, but will be discussing Haemophilus influenzae, or H. influenzae, a kind of bacteria. It can cause bacterial infections ranging from mild (such as bronchitis) to severe (such as septic arthritis). Treatment includes antibiotics but you may also require hospitalization depending on the severity of your condition. Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) is a type of bacteria that can cause several different kinds of infections. These bacterial infections can range from mild, such as , to severe, such as . The infections typically affect children...

Haemophilus influenzae H-Flu

PodcastDX

More Episodes

This week we have re-posting a brief insight to the fact that stress can play havoc on the immune system and we hope to have a new guest soon to discuss this weighty problem. If you are a member of the health care community and would like to be a guest on our show to discuss how stress affects the immune system, please drop us a line at PodcastDX@yahoo.com. Remember chronic stress = excessive cortisol and too much cortisol = a host of medical ailments.

Poor sleep Cortisol levels are supposed to drop at nighttime, allowing your body to relax and recharge. But if your cortisol levels are too high, you might notice that, even if you’ve been tired all day, you get a second wind right around bedtime. Then you toss and turn all night – and feel tired again the next day. Over time, high levels of cortisol deplete the adrenal glands and predispose you to chronic fatigue. So if you feel like your get up and go got up and went, you’re probably stressed.

You’re gaining weight, especially around your abdomen, even when you eat well and exercise. Cortisol tends to make you thick around the middle, even when you’re doing everything “right.”

You catch colds and other infections easily. Cortisol deactivates your body’s natural self-repair mechanisms, which means that your immune system which is perfectly designed by nature to keep you healthy goes caput, leaving you vulnerable to every cootie you encounter.

You crave unhealthy foods. Cortisol raises your blood sugar, putting you at risk of diabetes. High glucose levels then bump up your insulin levels, which then drop your blood sugar it's a vicious cycle!

You experience backaches and headaches. When your cortisol levels are high over a long period of time, your adrenal glands start to get depleted. This raises prolactin levels, increasing the body’s sensitivity to pain, such as backaches and muscle aches. Excessive cortisol also hypersensitizes the brain to pain, such that even the slightest twinge can excite the nerves of the brain, causing headaches.

Lo-Libido Consider cortisol the anti-Viagra. When stress hormones are high, libido-inducing hormones like testosterone drop.

GI Issues. Your gastrointestinal system is very sensitive to stress hormones like cortisol. You might experience nausea, heartburn, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, or constipation as a result of too many stress hormones.

Emotional Problems. Cortisol and epinephrine can lead to jitters, nervous stomach, feelings of panic, even paranoia. High levels of cortisol suppress production of serotonin, and next thing you know, you’re awash in doom and gloom.

Chronic High Cortisol=Adrenal Fatigue When your cortisol levels are bumped up, day after day, your adrenal glands, responsible for the production of cortisol, get worn out. Precursor hormones required for cortisol production get depleted. This could result in full blown adrenal collapse.

(Credits: Dr Lissa Rankin M.D. https://binged.it/3xgOpDc )

Chronic High Cortisol=Adrenal Fatigue When your cortisol levels are bumped up, day after day, your adrenal glands, responsible for the production of cortisol, get worn out. Precursor hormones required for cortisol production get depleted. This could result in full blown adrenal collapse.

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