Study discovers why stress can lead to pain
Scientists believe they have discovered why psychological stress can lead to physical pain.
A research team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, found that chronic psychological stress is associated with the body losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory response.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research shows for the first time that the effects of psychological stress on the body’s ability to regulate inflammation can lead to the development of disease.
Professor Sheldon Cohen said prolonged stress alters the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate the inflammatory response because it decreases tissue sensitivity to the hormone.