Title: Your Health and Grief
Headings: Your Health and Grief
Your Health and Grief
How we Physically React to Stress
Taking Preventative Measures to Ward Off Health Concerns

Content: Your Health and Grief
Your Health and Grief
Medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board — Written by Tom Gray on May 17, 2016
The loss of a loved one is a life-shattering experience. But unbeknownst to many, it affects us physically as well as emotionally. The grief a person experiences is felt on an emotional level. The resulting stress of these emotions can create havoc within our bodies. If we had a physical illness before our loved one died, our grief can exacerbate the existing illness. It can also open the way for physical illness if we have been previously healthy. Grief makes us susceptible to diseases such as the common cold sore throats and other infections. Other diseases shown to be connected to the stress of grief are ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis asthma heart disease and cancer. The connection between the mind and body is not always recognized, but there is real scientific evidence that what we think and feel has a direct effect on our biological systems. This is an especially important issue for bereaved parents because the loss of a child is the ultimate in stress and a stress that lasts so very long.