MANILA, Philippines?Stress has been blamed for many illnesses modern man has been suffering from?insomnia, headaches, migraines, ulcers, hypertension, gastritis, constipation and even some forms of cancer, heart problems, which were thought to have been caused by organic pathogens.

The harmful effects of constant stress on our health can be devastating. They can render even the most potent medicines ineffective.

Take the case of a healthy 12-year-old boy living in Camp Crame. The camp came under siege during a coup attempt in the ?80s. Terrified, the boy ran out of the house. The family ran after him to bring him back to safety.

Soon after this incident, he ran high fever, its cause undetermined. After two weeks, he died. Doctors were puzzled because the boy was not suffering from any ailment.

This must have been a case of traumatic stress, which caused his immune system to shut down, causing his death in two weeks. His lack of coping mechanism or resiliency apparently proved fatal.

Since Dr. Hans Selye discovered in the ?30s that stress was actually a defense or survival mechanism of an animal or human being (i.e. the fight or flight syndrome), scientists have been in search of a way to understand stress better and how to control it.

A pioneering study by Dr. Vaishnav Krishnan of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center showed that a mechanism in the brain might explain why some people keep their cool while others crumble under stress. It is a question of having a coping mechanism, without which a person may suffer the harmful effects of stress or tension.

Krishnan and his colleagues wanted to know why some people could cope with stress well, while others couldn?t.

According to a Reuters story, ?they subjected a group of genetically similar mice to stress by placing them in a cage with a large aggressive mouse?basically a bully. Then they recorded the ability of the mice to interact socially, especially when exposed to other more aggressive mice.

?While some mice behaved timidly even 30 days after the bully encounter, others had shaken it off and were able to interact normally.?

What accounted for this difference was two of the brain?s reward centers??the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens.? The researchers found that ?neurons (brain cells) were firing rapidly in the stressed-out mice, releasing a nerve growth factor called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that has been linked with poor coping skills.?

Vulnerable mice showed an increase of BDNF with nucleus accumbens; the resilient ones did not.

?The researchers also found high concentrations of BDNF in tissue taken from the same brain region in depressed people.?

What is the significance of this finding? Since exposure to constant stress can lead to depression, this finding might lead to new therapies to help people cope with stress by building up their resiliency.

But if the new therapy is limited to bio-chemical solutions, it may not go that far. Treatment of depression should be holistic, to be lasting. But understanding this neurological coping mechanism is a helpful start.

Burning candle

Reader Mariz is puzzled why the candle she lit on Sept. 8 (Mama Mary?s birthday) at the Grotto of the Blessed Mother was still burning 24 hours later, even through a storm. Before they left, she asked the Blessed Mother to look after the candle and because of the rain, they decided to stay in the church and prayed the rosary, but she was thinking of the candle all the time.

When they came back later, the candle was still burning. When they went back the next day, it was still lit, having melted only halfway. Another candle, which was not blessed, lasted no more than five minutes?although there was no wind at the time. She asked what I thought of it.

Assuming that you looked into all possible rational explanation why the candle would last that long (for example, it is a special type which does not easily get blown by the wind), we can start looking at some nonrational (not irrational) explanation. Maybe it was an angel or some invisible supernatural creature that heard your prayer and protected the candle. As they always say here, ?Prayers can work wonders!?

Note: The next Inner Mind Development seminar will be held Oct. 4-5, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Soulmates, Karma & Reincarnation, Oct. 11, 1-7 p.m., at Rm. 308 Prince Plaza I Cond., 106 Legaspi St., Greenbelt, Makati. Call 8107245, 8926806; fax 8159890; e-mail jaimetlicauco@yahoo.com.