Psychosomatic disease involves the mind and the body; it is a real disease and not "just in the mind."
Psychogenic psychosomatic disease is a physical disease caused by emotional stress. There is no invasion of disease-causing microorganisms; the mind changes the physiology so that parts of the body break down.
Somatogenic psychosomatic disease occurs when the mind increases the body's susceptibility to disease-causing microbes or a natural degenerative process.
Stress-related diseases include hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, ulcers, migraine headaches, tension headaches, cancer, allergies, asthma, hay fever, rheumatoid arthritis, backache, TMJ syndrome, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Since stress increases blood pressure and serum cholesterol, it is no surprise that studies have found it associated with hypertension, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
Stress decreases the effectiveness of the immunological system by decreasing the number of T-lymphocytes. A less-effective immunological system is suspected of resulting in allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and even cancer.
Stress results in increased muscle tension and bracing. It is this phenomenon that is thought to be the cause of tension headaches, backaches, and neck and shoulder pain.
