Is health anxiety dangerous to our bodies?

[reddevil]

Hello all,

The reason I ask, I have just read an article on stress in a magazine, which it explains stress can cause problems with the body (heart etc etc etc).

I was then thinking, does our bodies treat anxiety different than it does from stress?

I then thought to myself that usually my blood pressure is fine when I see a doctor even though I suffer with health anxiety.
My wife does not suffer from anxiety but she does suffer from stress, which her blood pressure is always high.

I have just looked in my anxiety book, which it states "anxiety symptoms are not dangerous and can not kill".

What are other people thoughts on this, that's all, I'm not worrying about it (which is weird for me) just inquisitive?

Red

[Ma Larkin]

Hi Red, I don't think health anxiety is dangerous to our bodies. A little scary for us, perhaps, but I reckon a little bit of stress keeps us on our toes. I've suffered from health anxiety for 2 years now and if I had a penny for every time I thought I had something serious or thought I was having a heart attack, I've be one very rich lady!! I have "managed" my panic and anxiety now, I still get anxious feelings a couple of times a week and do have a very stressful life, (full time work, single mum with 3 kids ranging from 18-6 yrs old). My life has been one mess for the past 2 years but I'm getting there and feel tons better. I used to worry all the time that all this stress would put extra strain on my heart, but I've been assured it hasn't. That's good enough for me.

Take care.

Les

[Insomniac]

Hi Red

Well done on just being inquisitive (not worried)! I don't think it does affect us. Some people here have suffered for years, and apart from the mental and emotional strain their bodies don't seem to suffer added problems.



Lisa.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

[lass]

I've always been concerned on the long term effects to my body with the stress and anxiety. Can you suffer anxiety without stress? I am always very anxious and very stressed out, so to me the two are closely related.

I was at college when my anxiety hit and I had to do a long assignment about the effect of stress (I was studying massage with anatomy and physiology). I was quite concerned by the possible effects long term stress can have on the body if it goes untreated. But I guess what I was studying was only one perspective of it - to encourage massage as a form of stress relief - so I guess its gonna inflate the possible damage one could do through stress.

It's nice to hear that people have had reassurance from medics that this isn't the case.

And also, it has been proven that we all need a bit of stress to motivate us - to live a completely stress free life would not be good for us either!

[looking4answers]

Actually its kind of odd that you happen to ask this and I happen to see it..I just read today and was once told by a renown cardiologist that when you have anxiety and especially most of your life and your heart beats faster it can cause you to have a stronger heart than people without anxiety.I was hopitalized when i was 24 and worried to death about my heart.As I sit there and looked at my heart on an untrasound I was worried and ask the doctor since my heart beat faster much of life would it make it weaker..and he said no...He said the fact that it had beat faster for long periods that it probably infact had strenthened my heart stronger than most people.I also found this comment made to a gentleman on a cardiology board from a doctor that has credentials in abundance..So I would take that as a good thing..

[reddevil]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Actually its kind of odd that you happen to ask this and I happen to see it..I just read today and was once told by a renown cardiologist that when you have anxiety and especially most of your life and your heart beats faster it can cause you to have a stronger heart than people without anxiety.I was hopitalized when i was 24 and worried to death about my heart.As I sit there and looked at my heart on an untrasound I was worried and ask the doctor since my heart beat faster much of life would it make it weaker..and he said no...He said the fact that it had beat faster for long periods that it probably infact had strenthened my heart stronger than most people.I also found this comment made to a gentleman on a cardiology board from a doctor that has credentials in abundance..So I would take that as a good thing..

<div align="right">Originally posted by looking4answers - 12 November 2006 : 05:11:37</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">


Hi,

that's very interesting!

Red

[Debra]

Hello reading these comments has actually put my mind at rest as i was wondering what effects health anxiety had on us.It was one of those questions i was a bit worried to look into but im glad iv read this THANKS DEBRA:D

[brenda]

I was told that anixety makes more adrenaline and was worried about that.
But I was reassured when told that athletes produce more adrenaline when they exercise. thats why they exercise cause they like the feeling.

So our bodies producing extra adrenaline is no more harmful than exercising :-)

Pam x

[Fly2Freedom]

Personally I believe stress can kill.
It lowers the immune system,makes major organs work harder,can give you cancer or a stroke,so we need to find ways to cope & calm down.
I have 3 good books that deal with stuff like this.
The power is within you" Louise L hay
You can heal your life" Louise L hay
and
"500 of the most important health tips you,ll ever need" Hazel Courteney.
I bet a lot of us have battered adrenals too.??
http://www.nativeremedies.co.uk/adrenoboost-adrenal-exhaustion-cure.html
This is just my opinion.[8)][|)]

Love & light to you x

[JennyW]

i had also heard that stress can be bad for you. Also I've seen a programme where it takes you're lifestyle into account and predicts your age of death. It always states that stress will take 5 years off your life - that's loads!

I personally think stress and anxiety can be detrimental for the body which is worrying as I do it all the time [V]

[richard sharp]

i dont think stress has to have life threatening consequences but does effect the quality of your life and those around you. . my mum had anxiety and phobias for most of her life. she had electric shock treatment to her brain, any number of tablets and sleep treatment and she was 85 before she died; i feel she died from sadness and she gave up because my father died while she was putting eye drops in for him after having a op. he was 95. severe anxiety she coped with as best she could and i found out it was passed down to her from her mothers family so it is genetic. i hope my story helps you in some way.