NAMA, NAMASMARAN AND TOTAL STRESS MANAGEMENT (PART 11)
DR SHRINIWAS J. KASHALIKAR

Student: What are the characteristics of this internal environment?

Teacher: The internal environment has certain concentration of hydrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, magnesium etc. It has certain osmolality, temperature, viscosity etc. The text books of physiology, describe these in details, but it is not necessary to burden our memory with all the details.

Student: What is the importance of this internal environment?

Teacher: The importance of the internal environment is that, various physical and chemical characteristics of the internal environment have to be maintained within a certain range, if the body cells and hence the organism; have to function in a normal i.e. healthy way. If the characteristics undergo drastic variations, then functioning and even living becomes difficult and/or painful. This should explain to you; the importance of the internal environment as well as the importance of any factor/s, which may bring about drastic changes in it.

Student: This has crystallized the concept of stress and Total Stress Management to some extent. But now; I am curious to understand the mechanisms underlying stress; though not in details; at least grossly!

Teacher: OK! For the moment; we will keep aside the philosophical aspects of stress, such as previous birth, past life, sanchit, prarabdha, rebirth, soul etc and also; the traditional ways of managing stress.
The mechanisms; as we understand today; were progressively discovered in last century by conducting experiments on animals. Hans Selye is known to be the pioneer of stress physiology. He discovered the effects of various stressful stimuli in animals and called them General Adaption Syndrome GAS.
Stressors stimulate special cells or special molecules in the cells. These special cells are called neural receptors and the special molecules are called molecular receptors. There are receptors inside the body; called internal receptors and on surface of the body; called external receptors. Stimulation of these receptors brings about changes in the internal environment proportionate to the intensity, frequency, variety, complexity and pattern of stressors.

There are four main and well known mechanisms by which stress and its effects are produced.

a) Various stressors act on the part of brain called limbic system. This leads to secretion of various chemical substances. These are called neurotransmitters, because they transmit information from one nerve cell to another. They are secreted in small quantity in a central funnel like part at the bottom of brain called hypothalamus. The hypothalamus in turn secretes hormones, which are chemicals directly released in blood and are carried to the pituitary gland, which is underneath the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland in turn secretes hormones which are released in the blood and reach various glands but especially the Adrenal cortex. It secretes cortisol, which, when in excess; is responsible for various ill effects of stress; such as on liver, heart and immune system responsible for body resistance.

b) Stressors can act on the pineal gland, which is located in the neighboring area above the hypothalamus and secretes hormones called melatonin, 5 Hydroxytryptamine (5HT) and norpinephrine. It is conical in shape hence called pineal. Because of stressors; the proportion, the quantity and the type of secretions can become abnormal and this can cause several ill effects on hypothalamus, pituitary, testes, ovaries, thyroid gland, adrenal cortex, pancreas and parathyroid. It can cause disturbances of biorhythms, sleep. It reduces the resistance to cancer, infections and overall stress.

c) Stressors can be in the form of certain changes in blood, bacteria in blood, certain chemicals called antigens in the blood etc. All these act on the different types of white blood cells (WBC), which in turn; produce several substances which cause the effects of stress.

d) The stressors act on hypothalamus; but in this case the hormones secreted by the hypothalamus; can directly enter the blood and produce the effects of stress by direct action on various tissues. The details of all this; are given my book; “Understanding and Management of Stress” available on internet for free download.