Chapter 3: Stress and Illness/Disease

prodrome (preattack)

The constriction phase of a migraine headache. Associated with light sensitivity, irritability, and a flushing or pallor of the skin. (when the dilation of the arteries occurs, certain chemicals stimulate adjacent nerve endings, causing pain.

type a

a behavior pattern associated with the development of coronary heart disease. (aggressive, competitive, time-urgent, and hostile.)

rheumatoid factor

a blood protein associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

antigen

a foreign substance irritating to the body.

apoplexy

a lack of oxygen to the brain resulting from a blockage or rupture of blood vessel; stroke.

psychogenic

a physical disease caused by emotional stress without a microorganism involved.

t cells

a type of lymphocyte whose purpose is to destroy substances foreign to the body by puncturing invaded body cells and killing the cells and the foreign substances.

phagocytes

a type of white blood cell whose purpose is to destroy substances foreign to the body.

sphygmomanometer

an instrument used to measure blood pressure.

carcinogens

cancer-causing agents.

psychosomatic (psychophsysiological)

conditions that have both a mind and body component.

plaque

debris that clogs coronary arteries.

hypercholesterolemia

high levels of cholesterol in the blood- can lead to accumulation around blood vessels and block flow to heart (heart attack) or brain (stroke). Increases risk of developing heart disease.

essential hypertension

hypertension with no known cause.

arteriosclerosis

loss of elasticity of the coronary arteries.

hot reactors

people who react to stress with an all-out physiological response.

antibodies

substances produced by the body to fight antigens. Histamine is one of the chemicals antibodies stimulate.

systolic blood pressure

the pressure of the blood as it leaves the heart.

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of the illness-causing and healing effects of the mind on the body.

somatogenic

a psychosomatic disease that results from the mind increasing the body's susceptibility to disease-causing microbes or natural degenerative processes.

cerebral hemorrhage

a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain.

b cells

a type of lymphocyte that produces antibodies.

memory T and B cells

cells left in the bloodstream and the lymphatic system to recognize and respond to future attacks to the body by the same invader.

suppressor t cells

cells whose purpose is to halt the immune response.

high-density lipoprotein (HDL)

cholesterol is sometimes called good cholesterol. HDL carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver that removes it, lowering the chances of developing coronary heart disease.

atherosclerosis

clogging of the coronary arteries.

hypertension

excessive and damaging pressure of the blood against the walls of the arterial blood vessels.

low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

sometimes termed bad cholesterol, too much LDL leads to clogging of the arteries, and, therefore, is related to the development of coronary heart disease.

temporomandibular (TMJ) syndrome

the interference with the smooth functioning of the jaw. (facial pain, clicking or popping when opening and closing mouth, migraine headaches, earring aches, dizziness, or sensitive teeth. Happens with gum chewing, nail biting, jaw jutting, or bruxism.)

diastolic blood pressure

the pressure of the blood against the arterial walls when the heart is relaxed.

myocardial infarction

when a part of the heart dies because of a lack of oxygen.

T-lymphocytes

a par of the immune system that destroys mutant cells.

autoimmune response

a physiological response in which the body turns on itself.