About Dr. DeMarco
Dr. Anthony DeMarco is a board certified member of the American Board of Anesthesiology. He is a graduate of Kansas City University with a Doctor of Osteopathy degree, a holistic approach to patient care.
Dr. DeMarco completed his residency in 1993 at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.
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The Biology of Fear and Anxiety
Your emotional and physical reactions to fear and anxiety are initiated by a series of chemical reactions deep inside your body. When you are fearful or anxious about something, for example a medical procedure, your system perceives it as a 
threat and swings into action. The human body goes into emergency mode, known as the “fight or flight” response, where energy and resources are diverted from general maintenance to deal with the danger. It is an instinctive reaction that floods your body with hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin to increase heart rate and blood pressure, boost the volume of sugars (glucose) available for fuel, and divert blood to major muscle groups. At the same time essential bodily functions that are not particularly useful in an emergency situation, such as reproduction and digestion, are temporarily slowed down.
The human body’s response to fear and anxiety (stress) is exactly the same whether a threat is real or imagined. It is a remarkable example of the effectiveness of one of our internal communication systems, and is intended to help you fight off, or run away from an adversary.
The biological and chemical mechanisms that govern our emergency responses hark back to primordial times and helped our ancestors deal with threats from predators, and other tribes. Without them they would have been easy pickings. These days the things that make us fearful and anxious are benign by comparison to life as a caveman, (there are no saber-toothed tigers lurking around the corner) but our bodies deal with threats in the same way, and it is the stress hormone cortisol which regulates this red alert
system.
Hormones are Chemical Messengers
Hormones are powerful chemical messengers that help our bodies to function. They travel through the blood stream and control or regulate the activities of groups of cells or organs. Hormones are named after the Greek word hormaein, meaning “to excite” or “set in motion.”
Cortisol
Under normal circumstances cortisol is continually secreted throughout the day by the adrenal glands. These are triangular-shaped, and they sit on top of the kidneys. Cortisol secretion follows a 24 hour, or circadian rhythm, with peak levels occurring in the morning (from about 6.00am-8.00 am) and the lowest levels are at about midnight. There are many factors that influence cortisol levels including fasting, exercise, and anxiety.
The Biology of Fear and Anxiety
During periods of fear and anxiety your muscles need more oxygen and glucose, and these are carried in the blood. So the heart has to pump faster and blood pressure must increase if your body is to get more of the vital fuel that it needs. The entire process involves several different steps and many chemical reactions, and it starts with sensory cells alerting a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus that there is potential danger. Cells in the hypothalamus transmit a signal to another area of the brain called the pituitary gland which then releases a chemical messenger into the bloodstream. This chemical is called ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) and its destination is the adrenal glands.
When ACTH arrives it stimulates both glands to crank up cortisol production. Molecules of the chemical bind to small receptors on the surface of adrenal cells and this initiates a complex manufacturing process that turns cholesterol into cortisol. The newly-created hormone is then pumped out into the body to start a cascade of reactions that leads to increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Cortisol’s main job is to increase the sensitivity of the heart and blood vessels to the stimulating effects of two other hormones, called epinephrine (also known as adrenalin) and norepinephrine (also known as noradrenalin). Epinephrine and norepinephrine work by stimulating receptors in heart cells which increases the rate at which the heart beats and the force with which the heart muscle contracts. And you can feel it happen when your heart starts to pound wildly during fearful and anxious moments. That’s the hormones going to work!
Simultaneously, cortisol ensures that blood vessels are also receptive to epinephrine and norepinephrine. The two hormones bind to specific proteins, which brings about the narrowing of blood vessel walls. This increases blood pressure and it enables blood to be diverted to essential organs and muscles.
Worried Sick
In today’s modern world our stress response system is activated so often that the body is not given a chance to return to normal. High levels of cortisol are required during an emergency situation, but over time they can wreak havoc on our cardiovascular system and long term health. It is true that we can become worried sick.
Prolonged high levels of cortisol can damage the heart, contribute to obesity, and weaken the immune system. The scientific literature is full of research studies demonstrating the downsides of constant exposure to high levels of the hormone. A team of researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles discovered that increased levels of cortisol actually prematurely age immune cells, making people more susceptible to illness. The hormone suppresses the action of an enzyme called telomerase which keeps cells young. (Rita B. Effros et al. Reduced telomerase activity in human T lymphocytes exposed to cortisol. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2008; 22 (4): 600-605).
Further negative implications include high levels of cholesterol, reduced bone density, and depression. And scientists at Heidelberg University in Germany discovered how cortisol production leads to an increased amount of fatty deposits in the liver, which creates a range of metabolic disorders. (Stephan Herzig et al. The Glucocorticoid Receptor Controls Hepatic Dyslipidemia through Hes1. Cell Metabolism, 2008; 8 (3): 212-223).
Learn to Chill Out
Avoiding the harmful effects of cortisol can be achieved by relaxing and resetting your body. If you experience a stressful situation you need to give yourself time to calm down and recover, otherwise your life could turn out to be one continual emergency. Visit PreEmptiveHealing.com to learn more.
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