That old devil called Stress

I read today that Mad Men star, Jon Hamm (he plays Don Draper) is suffering from a skin disease called vitiligo, which is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the cells that cause skin pigmentation. He says that it is due to the stress involved with filming the show. And you know what, he may be on to something...
We chiropractors talk about 3 types of stresses:

1. Chemical - the food we eat, the air we breath, medications, alcohol, vaccinations, pesticides...you get the picture
2. Physical - bumps, falls, knocks, birth trauma, poor posture, stepping off a curb wrong, wearing the wrong shoes, the way you walk and move
3. Emotional - this is the one we all think about when we thing about stress, and the one Don Draper is talking about. What we think, how we feel and react towards everyone and everything around us. 

Emotional stress is perhaps the most important stress of all. We've all worried ourselves sick over something, the kids, the mortgage, what to wear on Saturday night, but does it really impact on our health? Of course it does! Just think about what went on in your body the last time you felt really stressed.

Headache? Dizzy? Nausea? Teary? Upset stomach? 

And why? 

The nervous system, brain, spinal cord and all the nerves in your body, control everything, including your digestive system and immune system, so a negative thought, which originates in your brain, is transmitted to every system in your body.
Plus, when you stress, your body releases Cortisol the stress hormone. Cortisol helps your body deal with the clear and present danger your body is facing. To do that it dials down the systems you don't need to survive the danger in front of you (such as a man-eating tiger), systems such as the immune system. But what if your stress isn't a tiger? It's a dead line that's 2 weeks away, or filming a hit TV show? These stresses don't go away as quickly as a tiger and the longer they are around, the longer cortisol is in your system, the longer your immune system is suppressed and the sicker you get. You may not have visible marks like Don Draper, but is emotional stress taking its toll on your health?