Chapter 8 Chapter 6 Don't Burn a Candle at Both Ends

Dear reader, have you ever come across a grinning greyhound off a leash?When it's in front of you, do you hear its whining, its teeth clashing?Did the dog's owner come to the rescue in time, or did you find a way to save yourself?There is an English park in my hometown of Munich that has many of these dogs running around.Every time I think, luckily dogs can't climb trees!But let's talk about your own experience, what was the situation at the time?Can you still recall that feeling of shaking and sweating all over your body?The muscles in his legs tensed up involuntarily, his breathing became short of breath, his mouth became dry, and his heart beat increased.How long did it take for your pulse and tense nerves to calm down when the dog's master or mistress finally shows up, lovingly caressing and re-leathering your pet?

The above is a vivid basic course in biology, and it is also an excellent psychological experiment in ethnology, but the object of the experiment is human beings.We can really experience what a little stress does in the body!Indeed, some people fainted from fright and even cried out when they encountered this kind of encounter.In fact, in daily life, your lovely boss or partner can also bring you a lot of pressure.This is of course completely different from the previous pressure, which is imperceptible, cunning, bit by bit. A famous Anglo-Saxon once said: Stress can kill.At that time, he may not have realized that what he said was absolutely correct.Don't think that I have dug up an old idea that has no basis and continue to talk about it. This is absolutely true.I recommend that all interested and skeptical people read the three professors Rodzanski, Blumenthal and Kaplan at Columbia University and Duke University , in an academic article published in 1991 in the journal "Circulation" of the American Heart Association (American Heart Association).The quantity and quality of their research cases, the collation of data and the consistency of the results are enough to make nutrition authorities and doctors of traditional therapies feel ashamed.

What is the relationship between stress and unknown syndrome?I must admit that this is a very complex issue that has not yet been fully clarified.But at present the most basic relationship has been clearly presented, and all readers who are interested in unknown syndromes should pay attention. The whole process is roughly as follows: When encountering excessive mental and psychological stress or threats, the body will quickly make necessary and correct responses in an emergency. The stress response: experts call it resistance, or escape (Fight or Flight) is courage and courage. The hound confronted, or fled.While your brain is searching for other options, your body is primed.The information from your various sense organs has reached the hypothalamus of the brain: sharp teeth!Terrible roar!Ferocious animals!No assistance!There is nowhere to hide!The hypothalamus immediately secretes a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH. Corticotropin-Releasing-Hormone).This hormone penetrates down to the nerve center of the pituitary gland, prompting it to secrete another hormone, ACTH. Adrenocorticotropes Hormone.This hormone enters the blood vessels to reach the adrenal gland, causing it to excrete a large amount of cortisol into the blood system.

It's too late, but it's too late, you've already received such a large dose of stimulants in a blink of an eye, if it weren't for some words and deeds, you would have been prepared to act on your instincts.Imagine if we were in the stone age, you would carry a club as a weapon with which you could beat a vicious dog and its owner if they dared to blame you for your actions.In case the dog owner is a big guy, you can also sneak away, your body will be ready to go at any time during this time. The secretion of corticosteroids is part of the overall response mechanism to cope with stressful situations and prepares your body to fight or flee.Besides that, other hormones, like growth hormone and certain sex hormones, also interact in this process.I don't want to say more about this complex physiological phenomenon here, but I will only mention a few points directly related to the unknown syndrome.

Corticosteroids can promote fat deposition in fat cells, reduce the sensitivity to insulin when the cells absorb sugar, and synthesize glucose from protein.So corticosteroids raise blood sugar, blood pressure, and the blood's tendency to clot.If the concentration of corticosteroid reaches a certain height and various necessary adjustments in the body are completed, usually the corticosteroid itself will prevent the further development of this process through an effective reverse mechanism, so as to avoid excessive reaction and unnecessary damage.The best way to release steroid hormones is to put into practice the preparations you have made before: flight, resistance or relative physical activity.If all you can do is mentally gnash your teeth and have to suppress your anger, the steroids will stay in the blood for a longer period of time.

Chronic stress is a different story.Over time, the reverse inhibition wears off and there is always too much corticosteroid in the circulation.This will form long-term insulin resistance on the one hand, and on the other hand, corticosteroids will have a lasting impact on the distribution of body fat.Because there are a large number of nerves and blood vessels and special pipelines in the abdominal cavity, the fat cells here are particularly susceptible to the effects of steroid hormones.In situations of chronic stress, these cells are preferentially nourished, and fat tissue gradually shifts from the extremities to the trunk, into the subcutaneous areas of the abdomen and upper body, neck and face.The result is a big belly on thin hips, with thin arms and legs.

The effect of stress can also be clearly shown through human experiments.In our civilized society, it can be tested in a stress laboratory through mathematical calculations, noises, lights, and so on.In order to eliminate the interference of stress as much as possible when detecting steroid hormones in blood, some smart people came up with a method: measure corticosteroids in saliva, and then deduce the concentration of corticosteroids in blood.The method of blood test is not suitable, because just one needle is enough to make people feel frightened and nervous, and the error of the result must be too large.Using this method of testing saliva, we can surely gradually identify the biggest stressors in our lives today.At that time, some people will definitely be surprised.As you can imagine, there will be another practical way to use corticosteroid test strips at home: honey, you see, because of you, I have red warning signs again!

For many people, the day job is the biggest source of stress.Today, our lives have completely followed the economy.What matters is productivity, and time means money.For the big guys, it's about surviving in a global economic competition.Whoever can quickly provide cheap and high-quality products is the winner.This means that if complete unmanned operation cannot be achieved, automation and computer control should be used to minimize the number of staff.Fewer and fewer workers produce more and more goods.As far as workers are concerned, they are increasingly ignorant of their work procedures and less motivated to work.

Along with the efficiency and dynamism that a successful entrepreneurial spirit brings, what we see in workers is a restraint in self-actualization and a loss of autonomy.It is one of the greatest stressors of our time, especially for women, and a significant contributor to overnutrition and obesity.All this is exacerbated as the family structure disintegrates.Is there anyone at home who can communicate with you?Even if they do, do they have other, more important TV shows at this time, such as every episode of a must-watch soap opera?Why on earth do we work overtime, pay on a piece-by-piece basis, work weekends, and work night shifts to make money?Because someone convinced them that money and spending are the most important life goals.Three times as many works can be produced today with half as many workers as a few years ago.And the workers accepted because they got double paid.In this way, no one has time, the boss has no time for employees, the salesperson has no time for customers, and the parents have no time for children.Even family life has become a source of stress in leisure time.

Pell of the Cardiopulmonary Department at the University of Goteborg, Sweden.Prof. Per Bjoerntorp, the method of measuring corticosteroids through saliva has demonstrated for the first time that those who are often under stress at work have a normal and healthy response to stress at first, but over time , gradually turned into a pathological reaction.As the nervous system is constantly overstimulated, the body's coordination functions are overloaded.With the increase of corticosteroid secretion, the symptoms of typical insulin resistance hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and increased accumulation of abdominal fat will appear.If you are under such a high level of stress for a long time, it will even lead to complete paralysis of the normal corticosteroid response, resulting in burn-out syndrome (Burn-Out-Syndrome).

Professor Bijantop believes that this causal relationship can fully explain why obesity and heart and circulatory system diseases mostly occur in lower social classes.Most of these people work in a bad environment, with rigid work procedures and less autonomy. In addition, many of these people have unsound families. In this case, insulin resistance develops more rapidly. What about countries like China that are rapidly catching up with the West in terms of work and lifestyle?The same happened to them as they struggled to create a material paradise in order to dream of a Western-style good life: downsizing, child labor, psychological stress, high corticosteroid levels, high insulin levels, obesity and diabetes There are more and more patients. Smoking and alcohol, the other two most important ways to combat stress in modern society, also contribute to the development of insulin resistance: smokers are almost six times more likely to suffer from an unknown syndrome than non-smokers.