Definition of stress

Dr Hans Selye wrote the first clinical definition of stress in his definitive study on stress and its control. He identified three progressive stages in the body's reaction to it...

Stage 1 - Alarm reaction

Restlessness, nervousness, jitters and other non-specific and non-directed signs of agitation, all caused by too much adrenaline in the system.

Stage 2 - Resistance

The body uses its minor resources to deal with the stress. If they are sufficient, it recovers.

Stage 3 - Exhaustion

If the stress is greater than the adaptive resources then exhaustion occurs. Additional stress may kill. Organ changes in this stage are enlarged stress control glands (the adrenals) and atrophied immune system glands (the lymph and thymus). The diseases / symptoms which occur resemble those of essential fatty acid deficiency and also modern degenerative diseases, they are...

  • high blood pressure
  • water retention
  • arthritis
  • heart enlargement
  • strokes
  • ulcers
  • kidney disease
  • eclampsia and toxemia of pregnancy
  • allergies
  • diabetes
  • neurological problems
  • cancer

    • To go from a simple definition of stress to the complex problem of its control please click here.


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