Page 150 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

not the only causes of these, but it has been scientifically proven that
the origins of problems such as these are usually psychological.
Stress, which afflicts so many, is a state of mental anxiety caused
by such feelings as fear, insecurity, overexcitement, worry and other
pressures, that damages the body's equilibrium. When people become

victims of stress, their bodies react and sound the alarm, and various
biochemical reactions in the body are initiated: The level of adrenaline
in the bloodstream rises; energy consumption and bodily reactions
reach their maximum levels; sugar, cholesterol and fatty acids are
deposited into the bloodstream; blood pressure rises and the pulse
accelerates. When glucose is sent to the brain, cholesterol levels rise,
and that all spells trouble for the body.
Because chronic stress, in particular, alters the normal functions of
the body, it can cause serious harm. Due to stress, adrenalin and corti-
sol levels in the body rise to abnormal levels. Long-term increases in
cortisol levels lead to the premature appearance of disorders such as
diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, ulcers, respiratory

diseases, eczema and psoriasis. The effects of high cortisol levels may
even include the killing off of brain cells. The disorders caused by stress
are described as follows in one source:
There is an important relationship between stress and the tension and
pain it gives rise to. The tension caused by stress leads to narrowing of
the arteries, disruption of the flow of blood to certain regions of the head
and a reduction in the amount of blood flowing to that region. If a tissue
is deprived of blood this leads directly to pain, because a tense tissue on
one side probably requiring greater amounts of blood and on the other
side already having insufficient blood supply stimulates special pain
receptors. At the same time substances such as adrenaline and norepi-

nephrine, which affect the nervous system during stress, are secreted.
These directly or indirectly increase and accelerate the tension in the mus-
cles. Thus pain leads to tension, tension to anxiety, and anxiety intensifies
pain. 85

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