A man in his fifties, living under constant pressure: demanding work, family responsibilities, financial worries, and nights without deep sleep. He sometimes feels chest pain, intermittent palpitations, digestive disturbance, and chronic fatigue. He goes to the doctor, has heart tests, and the results are normal or show minor changes that do not explain all his symptoms. The doctor says: “Maybe from stress.” But he wonders: how can stress cause real chest pain, palpitations, reflux, and fatigue? In the Tayyibat System, Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, provides a deep physiological explanation: chronic psychological stress is not just an “emotional state” that stays in the mind; it is a real physical alarm state that stimulates the release of stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline), increases chronic inflammation, and affects the heart, blood vessels, digestion, and nervous system. If you are new here, you may benefit from learning about What is the Tayyibat System? or reviewing the article on Allowed and Forbidden Foods in the Tayyibat System, as well as reading the Biography of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, and finally you can Download the Tayyibat System PDF.
Quick Navigation
Why Does Stress Not Stay Only in the Mind?
Many people think stress is just a “feeling” or “psychological state” that can be controlled through willpower or changing thinking. But Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, explains that chronic stress is a real physiological state that changes the body’s chemistry entirely. When a person feels threatened (real or imagined), their sympathetic nervous system secretes the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones were designed to deal with immediate danger (fight-or-flight response). But when stress becomes chronic (work pressures, financial worries, family problems, overthinking), cortisol levels remain high for months and years. High cortisol does not stay in the mind; it reaches every cell in the body, changing how the heart, blood vessels, digestive system, immune system, and nervous system work. This is why chronic stress translates into real physical symptoms.
How Does Dr. Diaa Understand Psychological Stress?
In the Tayyibat System, chronic psychological stress is viewed not as a “mental illness” in the traditional sense, but as an “overload on the nervous and hormonal systems.” Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, does not reduce stress to “negative thinking” alone but sees it as a link in a broader chain: chronic stress → elevated cortisol → increased inflammation → changes in organ function → appearance of physical symptoms (cardiac, digestive, neurological). This understanding frees a person from guilt (because it is not just “weak willpower”) and directs treatment toward reducing the load on the nervous system (by changing lifestyle, improving sleep, reducing stimulants, and supporting physiological relaxation, not just psychological). Real stress is not only in your head; it is in your body’s chemistry.
What Is the Relationship Between the Nervous System, Cortisol, and Inflammation?
Cortisol is a key hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress. In acute situations (short-term danger), cortisol is beneficial: it raises blood sugar to provide quick energy, temporarily suppresses inflammation, and increases focus. But in chronic stress, cortisol levels become abnormally high for long periods. This leads to a paradox: instead of suppressing inflammation (as it does in short-term doses), chronic cortisol is associated with increased low-grade chronic inflammation. Mechanisms include: disruption of cellular sensitivity to cortisol itself (cortisol resistance), stimulation of inflammatory cytokine production, and increased oxidative stress. This chronic inflammation is the link between stress and many diseases: atherosclerosis, weakened immunity, chronic digestive disorders, and even some types of cancer.
How Does Stress Affect the Heart and Blood Vessels?
The heart and blood vessels are very sensitive to chronic stress through multiple pathways. First pathway: cortisol and adrenaline chronically raise blood pressure and heart rate, increasing the burden on the heart and accelerating atherosclerosis. Second pathway: chronic inflammation associated with stress increases the deposition of fatty plaques in arteries and their instability, increasing the risk of angina and heart attacks. Third pathway: stress increases blood viscosity (through increased fibrinogen and clotting factors), increasing the risk of clots. Fourth pathway: stress creates incorrect breathing patterns (shallow and rapid) that increase abdominal and diaphragm pressure, which may cause chest pain mimicking angina. Some studies suggest that chronic stress may be an independent risk factor for heart disease, regardless of traditional risk factors. This does not mean every episode of fear causes a clot, but chronic stress creates fertile ground.
Why Is Digestion Quickly Affected by Psychological Stress?
The digestive system is one of the most stress-sensitive systems, and the reason is the vagus nerve, which directly connects the brain to the gut. Under stress, the nervous system shifts from “rest and digest” mode (parasympathetic) to “fight or flight” mode (sympathetic). Blood flow is diverted away from the digestive system to large muscles. Intestinal movement (peristalsis) slows down (constipation) or accelerates (diarrhea). Stomach acid and enzyme secretion become disrupted. Cortisol increases intestinal permeability (leaky gut), allowing undigested particles and bacterial toxins to cross into the blood, increasing general inflammation. Chronic stress also changes the composition of the microbiome (beneficial gut bacteria), affecting digestion, mood, and immunity. This explains why many people experience stomach or colon disturbance during periods of intense stress.
Can Inflammation Be a Continuous Response to Chronic Stress?
Yes. Inflammation is a natural part of the body’s response to acute stress (as a defense mechanism). But when stress becomes chronic, inflammation transforms from a limited acute response to a chronic low-grade state. Chronically elevated cortisol loses its ability to suppress inflammation and instead becomes associated with increased production of inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha). This chronic inflammation is not just a number in a lab test (elevated CRP); it is an active state that causes: chronic fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog, sleep disturbances, insulin resistance, and visceral fat accumulation. Breaking this cycle requires addressing the source of stress (lifestyle changes) and supporting physiological relaxation mechanisms (deep breathing, adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and reducing stimulants).
What Is the Difference Between Temporary Stress and Chronic Stress?
This distinction is very important for credibility. Temporary stress (such as a job interview, public speaking, a minor accident) is a normal and beneficial response. Cortisol rises and then returns to normal after the cause disappears. This type of stress does not cause long-term harm and may even be stimulating. Chronic stress (such as years of work in a toxic environment, ongoing financial worry, an abusive relationship, chronic sleep deprivation, endless overthinking) is what causes harm. Here, cortisol and inflammation levels remain permanently elevated, and the body never returns to a rest state. This type is associated with increased risk of cardiac, digestive, and immune diseases. The article discusses chronic stress, not every transient episode of tension. This distinction protects the article from appearing exaggerated or unnecessarily frightening.
How Does This Understanding Change Our View of Stress?
The biggest change is moving from a view of “stress is only a psychological problem” to “chronic stress is a physiological load that affects the entire body.” This does not mean neglecting the psychological aspect, but adding its physical dimension. A person suffering from chronic stress and physical symptoms is not “weak” or “imagining” their symptoms. Their symptoms are real, but their source is not always organ damage (such as artery narrowing), but rather a dysfunction in the regulation of the nervous, hormonal, and inflammatory systems. Understanding this directs treatment: not only heart or digestive medications, but also strategies to reduce the load on the nervous system: improving sleep, breathing exercises, regular physical activity, reducing stimulants (caffeine, sugar, hot spices), and addressing sources of chronic stress in life. This understanding integrates care for the body with care for the nervous system as an inseparable part of health.
Conclusion
Psychological stress and inflammation are two sides of the same coin in the body under chronic stress. Psychological stress is not just a passing feeling; it is a real physical alarm state that stimulates the secretion of cortisol and adrenaline, increases low-grade chronic inflammation, and affects the heart and blood vessels (pressure, palpitations, angina, silent clots), the digestive system (movement disturbance, reflux, colon), and the nervous system (fatigue, brain fog, anxiety). The difference between temporary stress (normal and beneficial) and chronic stress (harmful) is the key to understanding. Chronic inflammation associated with stress may be the link between stressful daily life and physical diseases. This understanding does not eliminate the importance of conventional medicine but adds new dimensions to treatment: reducing the load on the nervous system, improving sleep, learning to breathe, changing lifestyle, while continuing necessary medical follow-up.
Read Also
- What is the Tayyibat System?
- List of Forbidden and Allowed Foods in the Tayyibat System
- Biography of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi
- Download the Tayyibat System PDF
This article is a simplified and organized summary of the video content, aiming to arrange the ideas and concepts mentioned in it and connect them to their context within the Tayyibat System. You can watch the video on YouTube here.
Through the secretion of stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) that reach every cell in the body, increase chronic inflammation, and affect the heart, blood vessels, digestion, and nervous system, causing real symptoms like palpitations, chest pain, digestive disturbance, and fatigue.
Temporary stress is a normal and beneficial response to short-term danger. Chronic stress is a continuous state for weeks and months (work pressures, financial worry, sleep deprivation), where cortisol and inflammation levels remain persistently high and harmful.
Through multiple pathways: chronically raising blood pressure and heart rate, increasing inflammation that accelerates atherosclerosis, increasing blood viscosity (clotting factors), and incorrect breathing patterns that cause chest pain mimicking angina.
Because of the vagus nerve, which directly connects the brain to the gut. Under stress, blood flow is diverted away from digestion, intestinal movement is disrupted, intestinal permeability increases (leaky gut), and the microbiome changes.
Yes. Chronically elevated cortisol loses its ability to suppress inflammation and instead increases inflammatory cytokine production. This chronic low-grade inflammation causes fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog, and insulin resistance.
No. Chronic stress is a contributing risk factor, not the sole cause of any disease. Diseases are complex and multi-factorial. The article explains how stress can affect the body, not that it is the only or primary cause of every condition.
Through strategies that reduce the load on the nervous system: improving sleep, deep breathing exercises, regular physical activity, reducing stimulants (caffeine, sugar), addressing sources of stress in life, and seeking medical follow-up when needed.
No. Ignoring stress does not prevent its physical effects. Conscious understanding of stress as a physiological load allows dealing with it seriously, integrating stress reduction strategies with conventional medical care when needed.
