Keep saying “I can do it” and… go to the museum. How to cure chronic stress?

The professor, whose main research interests are the medical aspects of stress, has been the head of the Department of Medicine and Environmental Epidemiology at the Silesian Medical University in Katowice for 20 years. She is the author of books on dealing with stress, including publishing the hit “More Hope. About cancer, stress and new opportunities.

Stress can cause neuronal loss

From a medical point of view, explains Prof. Jadwiga Joshko-Ohoyska - stress is a condition that causes the excess of all norms: physiological, biochemical and even anatomical. “We can safely say that when the norms are exceeded, we are dealing with a pathological condition that requires treatment,” he explains.

Chronic stress causes great damage to the entire body, provoking various somatic diseases, mental disorders and personality disorders. However, doctors see the most changes in the brain and immune system.

When we become victims of chronic stress, there is a change in activity and even loss of neurons. The changes can be so severe that neuroimaging or autopsy of the brain sometimes reveals large areas of neuronal loss in the form of noticeable cavities. “Deficiencies occur mainly in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for many higher nervous functions, such as thinking, creativity, memory, planning for the future, etc. Then it is difficult to cope with even the simplest life situations,” says Prof. Yadviga Yoshko-Ohoyska.

If the prefrontal cortex, he adds, is damaged to a great extent, we cease to recognize good and evil - we have no remorse and we commit various shameful acts. The personality changes towards a dissocial personality, i.e. antisocial and even psychopathic. Another structure that is damaged in the brain during chronic stress is the hippocampus. There is a significant loss of neurons, which is associated with emotional and sleep disturbances. The stronger the stress, the shorter and more disturbing sleep.

“Chronic stress destroys many other brain structures, such as the amygdala, which is simultaneously responsible for anxiety and aggression. Unlike the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, they do not collapse, but rather grow. As a result, the level of fear and aggression rises in us, which sometimes makes life unbearable,” the professor explained.

How to treat chronic stress?

She emphasized that if we do not cope with stress, our fear will increase day by day. This is also expressed in social behavior. “The more stress in society, the greater the level of anxiety and the more aggression. Stress also destroys mirror neurons in the brain and other neurons belonging to the so-called empathy circuits, which are responsible for empathy, i.e. the ability to empathize with what another person is feeling,” said prof. Yoshko-Okhoisk.

One of the methods of developing empathy, used by doctors as a therapy that supports classical treatment, is museotherapy. The professor cited the results of last year’s studies, which show that, for example, in Canada, France, Great Britain, Australia or Belgium, museotherapy was used to treat many chronic, severe diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s disease.

“The effects of museotherapy have been so beneficial that the governments of these countries have decided to finance this therapy by introducing museums on prescription. The doctor writes out a visit to the museum with a prescription. in addition, an art therapist awaits him there, conducting therapy through art. Then pain, anxiety, suffering, insomnia, depressive symptoms, and in patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, cognitive functions and memory improve,” the expert said.

prof. Jadwiga Joshko-Ohoyska points out that in order to reduce your stress levels, you need to change your beliefs from negative to positive. An example would be the experience of cancer. “If we find out that we have cancer, we immediately find ourselves in a state of uncontrollable stress. Then we repeat like a mantra: I can’t, I’ll die, it’s terrible. Then the body releases a huge amount of stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol begins to destroy the immune system, which plays a key role in the fight against cancer. Our depressive thoughts reinforce catastrophic thinking and make it difficult to make decisions in the simplest matters, ”explains the professor.

To prevent this from happening, you need to move from uncontrolled stress to controlled. “Then we change our beliefs and say: I can do it, I want to live until tomorrow, I will do everything to help myself. I will take medication and agree to any therapy suggested to me by the doctor, but I will also add many different ways to deal with stress, which will cause the concentration of cortisol and adrenaline to decrease and thus increase the chances of recovery. Under controlled stress, when I repeat: I can do this, the cortisol concentration drops even tenfold,” she added.

Supportive therapies such as yoga and laughter therapy.

In addition to classical treatment, among the many different methods of dealing with stress, there are supportive therapies such as museotherapy, color therapy, aromatherapy, art therapy, forest therapy, meditation, prayer, yoga, visualization, laughter therapy and many others.

“The patient himself chooses which method to choose for himself. For example, listening to relaxing music for 20 minutes - it could be Mozart music - lowers cortisol levels, increases dopamine secretion in the brain, and the number of natural killer cells in the brain. the immune system, reduces pain and anxiety, a walk in the forest reduces the concentration of cortisol, and inhalation of limonene secreted by coniferous trees has an anti-cancer effect by increasing the number of NK-cells and T-lymphocytes. Green color calms, relaxes, strengthens the immune system and circulatory systems ” , — lists the expert.

prof. doctor hab. Jadwiga Joshko-Ohoyska is a general practitioner, neurophysiologist and public health specialist.