Ankylosing Spondylitis and Your Beliefs

A friend recently told me that she knew exactly why she got cancer. She explained quite convincingly that the emotional stress in her marriage had helped to damage her immune function, which ultimately made her susceptible to disease.

She had never before acknowledged that emotional stress can affect physical health, but now she sees it differently.

Like she once did, many people share the belief that thoughts and feelings have absolutely no effect on their health.

When I remember my experience with Ankylosing Spondylitis, I am reminded of the resentment, guilt, anger, depression and other difficult emotions I contended with. I couldn't quite see how they affected me because I was in the middle of living them, while dealing with the chronic pain and symptoms of a degenerative autoimmune disease.

At the time I was constantly stressed, which weakened my immune system and rendered my body susceptible to illness. As I learned to release the repressed emotions and buried stress, I helped my repair itself in a timely manner.

Years after making a recovery from Ankylosing Spondylitis, I understand that difficult and stressful emotions play a pivotal role in chronic illnesses.

You might believe that the ups and downs of your life can be stressful, but that’s not completely accurate. Ups and downs are a constant in everyone’s life; it’s how well we handle those ups and downs that impacts our health.

Stress is an emotional condition that affects the body. When the body is under constant stress, it continually breaks down. That’s when the immune system can no longer do its job and repair the damage.

When stressed, the cells in your body cannot receive proper amounts of oxygen, water or nutrients. They can't purge toxins and waste products, and they don't communicate with other cells in order to help keep you healthy.
When you stop creating constant stress in your body, your cells transition out of their “defense” mode and resume normal growth patterns. Your immune system then works to rid your body of pernicious symptoms and protect it from new ones.

The human body is designed to heal itself naturally and keep you healthy. It is the world's most perfect healing machine, when the cells are not constantly forced into the defensive position brought on by mental and emotional stress.

The Mind-Body Connection:

If you see or hear something that is potentially embarrassing, your face might turn red. This is a prime example of the chemical changes that occur in the body in response to your thoughts. This is known as the “mind-body connection.”

Thoughts produce physical responses in the body. Creepy thoughts can make your skin crawl and your hair stand up; sexually alluring thoughts can create obvious physical responses. Stressful or scary thoughts cause us to secrete stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin which must be metabolized quickly in order to prevent continuing wear and tear on the body.

Hypertension, colitis, heart disease, stroke and many other health conditions are exacerbated by mental stress, proving the link between our thoughts and the internal chemical responses that affect how we feel and how well we heal.

Our physical bodies constantly respond to our thoughts and beliefs. Feelings like anger, resentment and guilt are emotions which have dire consequences to our health and well-being. These emotions cause ongoing damage and deplete the energy we need for the upkeep of proper repair and immune function.

Stress is an emotional condition which exacerbates the pain and symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis. Researchers are now proving how relieving the stress that causes the problem can actually reverse the symptoms of AS.