ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some illnesses about which questions regarding the influence of stress have been asked. H. Selye's original concept of the biological stress response involved an immunosuppressive effect. Stress appears to have generally immunosuppressive effects with related illness consequences. However, the nature of these effects remains unclear. Stress-related factors that seem to have an effect on the development of cancer range from the loss of major emotional relationships and general psychosocial trauma to changes in hormonal activities. Most studies support the idea that increased life stressors are associated with the occurrence of cancer. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease of unknown cause. The evidence for arthritis being a stress-related illness is intriguing, but again largely correlational; that is, the association has been demonstrated but causality has not been proven. The illness basically involves a disruption of the regulatory processes of the thyroid and has long been thought to be associated with psychological factors.
