Positive and Negative Stress

Stress can be a negative social determinant of health in very many ways. Numerous poignant and physical disarrays have been associated with stress. For instance, high levels of stress may cause depression, heart attacks, anxiety, hypertension, stroke, and immune system disorders that augment susceptibility to infectivity (Folkman, 2010). In addition, stress is responsible for a host of viral allied disorders that range from herpes to common colds, various cancers, in addition to autoimmune infections like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, stress can bear direct consequences on the skin, manifesting itself in the form of rashes, atopic dermatitis, goose bumps, and hives (Harrington, 2012). Additionally, the gastrointestinal system might also be negatively affected by stress, causing irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcers, and ulcerative colitis. Studies have also shown that stress can lead to degenerative neurological disarrays akin to Parkinson’s disease and restlessness. In actual sense, it is difficult to conjure up any syndrome where stress cannot play a maddening part or any element of the human body that is not impinged on by it in any way (Landow, 2006).

Various body parts, including internal and external organs, are always affected by stress. The brain, for instance, is affected by stress in that the latter triggers cerebral and emotional predicaments such as irritability, sleeplessness, headaches, depression, personality changes, and anxiety (Lupien, Maheu, Tu, Fiocco, & Schramek, 2007). Muscles, on the other hand, are negatively influenced by high levels of stress, resulting in spasmodic pains in the shoulders and neck, lower back pains, musculoskeletal aches, nervous tics, and various inc...

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