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Many of us are facing more pressure than ever before. While small amounts of stress can strengthen our immunity, chronic stress has dozens of harmful effects. In today’s episode, Dr. Malhotra talks about the relationship between stress and the immune system. She unpacks findings on the subject, highlighting that, although there has been a great deal of research, both our stress response and immune systems are very complex systems. We also hear about different ways stress enters our immune system, why our immune response to stress is similar to an infectious illness, and some ways to decompress and let go of stress. Tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Our ability to respond to threats enhances our reproductive capacity.
• Explaining evolutionary fitness with an example of how humans have adapted over time.
• Study findings on the relationship between stress and the immune system.
• Our reactions to stress and the immune system is highly complex.
• Exploring different stressors with some examples of these challenges.
• Three different ways stress gets inside the body to affect the immune system.
• The immunological response to stress is the same as that of an infection.
• Stress can be useful, but when it is chronic, it has harmful effects.
• 15 stress reduction techniques, including exercising, supplements, and restricting caffeine.

Tweetables:

“Human physiological response continues to reflect the demands of earlier environments.” — Dr. Malhotra [0:03:00]

“Despite nearly a century of research on various aspects of stress, investigators still find it difficult to achieve consensus on a satisfactory definition of this concept.” — Dr. Malhotra [0:04:24]

“Stress can cause the immunological change, just like an infection can.” — Dr. Malhotra [0:10:33]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

‘Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry’

Dr. Minni Malhotra on LinkedIn

Dr. Minni Malhotra Email

Anchor Wellness Center