After months of military escalation and intemperance on the Ukrainian border, Russia attacked the Eastern European country on February 24. Russian forces carry out bombings in different regions of the country – follow the special coverage on CNN.
In this Wednesday’s edition (2) of the Medical Correspondentfrom Novo Dia, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes explained how fear of war can have negative impacts on human health.
Faced with a stressful situation, the body releases a series of substances, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which will allow the body to respond more quickly as a defense mechanism. However, prolonging the frame can be harmful to the body.
“It is a situation of extreme tension, which causes concern and can imply the compromise of health, physical integrity by the physical and chemical elements of the war itself, as well as by this whole issue that involves great insecurity and such a fragile destruction of this war. our false sense of security that we have when we are inside our own home”, he explained.
Reaction to fear and uncertainty
Feelings such as fear and uncertainty arouse different reactions in the human body.
While the adrenal glands act in the release of the hormone adrenaline, the brain puts itself in a situation of alert or flight. The heart has an increased heart rate, which makes the muscles receive more blood and can react immediately to any threat. The lungs may also have an increased respiratory rate, leading to more panting to take in as much oxygen as possible.
“When you see a father, a mother, a soldier in the military or whoever is in a situation of fear, they can perform better than average physically. At this moment, he is putting his entire physical body towards the preservation of his physical and mental integrity,” he states.
According to Gomes, although the reaction is a natural process of the organism’s defense, the prolongation of the state of alert – as occurs in conflict situations, can cause health problems.
Source: CNN Brasil
