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Stress and Healing

This interesting article, which is found in H2O (Her Health Online), is related to the scientific basis for the commonly observed phenomenon of stress causing or worsening illness. The referenced study, which was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, attempts to answer the specific question of why wounds heal at a slower rate in people under psychological stress. It is well known that psychological stress can increase the body's cortisol level, thereby decreasing inflammation in the body. Cortisol's effect on wound healing is to slow it down. But, does the increase in cortisol level brought about by psychological stress necessarily lead to a slowing of wound healing? The study conducted at the Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research investigated this question, and this article summarizes the results and implications.

Thu, 16 Mar 2000 07:30:56 -0800