One of the Main Causes of Illnesses.

The mail drops through your letterbox. Whether it's the slot through your front door here in the UK or the mailbox standing outside the front yard of your property over in the States, the principle is the same. You feel your emotions rise as you slit the envelope open. Your heart begins to beat faster, you feel a shiver pass down your spine as you examine the enclosed energy bill.

Your instincts were right. How could your creditors bill you for such a high energy use? Had your electric or gas meter gone haywire? Or is this yet another proof of inflation, and you're beginning to believe that your well-earned income will struggle to meet the required payment?

Gas and electric meters at a typical UK home.

Here in the UK, when our three major public-owned utility companies such as gas, electric and water were sold off to privatisation under Margaret Thatcher's administration spanning the 1980s, the funding was no longer subsidised by the taxpayer who was keeping our household bills in moderation. Instead, shareholders wanted to make for themselves greater profits, and it was the consumers who ended up footing the bill. And one of the cuts made in serving the customer was to do away with the meter man, the chap who called every quarter to read your meter, record on the clipboard the current meter reading, and then pass the displayed figures on to the billing dept of the supplier. 

Not anymore.

Instead, the company now hire "experts" - whoever they may be - to work out an estimation without leaving the office, and that's what is printed on the bill. In most cases, the estimation is only slightly out of sync with the actual meter reading. But within the last month, the gas bill came through the door carrying a vast overestimation of more than £500. Immediately, I went to the outside closet to read the meter. According to the "expert", I had consumed 1,547 more units of gas than I actually did, hence the way-out-of-sync overestimation. I contacted them straight away to give the correct reading. Unfortunately, that was done via automation.

However, I received no reply until I made an extra effort, including a wait, to speak to an actual human being, who turned out to be a female with an Asian accent, asking for the latest reading, which I was able to give her.

Then, assuming the issue will be resolved sooner or later, I allowed it to pass. However, behind her stoicism, surely my beloved was anxious for our future. But we gave it no more thought and we got on with our lives.

Then one afternoon this week, Alex began to develop severe pain in her lower abdomen. Fortunately, the district nurse had to make a regular call, and seeing her agony, it was her, and not us, who made an emergency call for an ambulance. I groaned. I have seen it all before. But despite her dosage of painkillers, her pain continued as she was led in a wheelchair to the waiting vehicle outside. Even our neighbour shook his head. He too had seen it all before. And now, as I write, I'm alone in the house - again.

Another CTS or Computed Tomography Scan was made of her affected region, just like last time. And like before, there was absolutely nothing amiss with any of her organs. The only way to keep the pain under control is through painkillers. It was then I managed to chat with the consultant over the phone. I asked him whether the pain is a message to the brain, informing it that there's something amiss. His reply was that this was not a necessity. Rather, she's suffering from chronic pain. It's the kind of natural discomfort that can't be treated by surgery.

Since she was taken in, I kept on praying, crying to God for mercy on both of us. Over the years, I have become sceptical over "the healing ministry" conducted by some charismatic churches. In truth, I had never witnessed supernatural healing, despite being a Christian believer for half a century! Indeed, I have heard tales of such incidents, plenty of them, but I have yet to see a miracle for myself. Therefore, it came as no real surprise that I felt discouraged during a Zoom prayer meeting - and said so.

The host, who was also one of our elders, reminded me of King David's agony, expressed in Psalm 13. His prayers also seemed wasted, unanswered, as if there was a barrier of solid brass between heaven and earth. Yet, he concluded that his trust and dependence on God's goodness will always stand firm. Well, if David can do it, so can I. Not to forget Job, too. He had lost nearly everything and his lack of health brought him to death's door, but still insisted on God's goodness. And should the reader confine these incidences to the Old Testament, then consider the Apostle Paul, one of the main New Testament writers. Throughout his ministry, his "thorn in the flesh" was most likely conjunctivitis, a delibating eye infection. Even his plea with God to have the "thorn" removed remained unanswered.

Atheists love to scoff at our faith, demonstrating that unanswered prayer is proof of the non-existence of God and that we as Christians hold to the belief that the earth is only a few thousand years old, and then present their convincing evidence of Darwinian evolution going back by billions of years, thus denying the reality of the Gospel.

However, I digress. The truth is, my faith is backed by science and not refuted. And thus, after prayer and a series of circumstantial evidence, Alex's pain, including the aches she suffers from her neurological ailments, can be blamed on two organs, each one sitting on each of her kidneys - the adrenal glands.

The Adrenal Glands each rests on a kidney.

The adrenal glands are essential for self-preservation. For example, if threatened by a gang in a narrow alley, you will either fight or flee. More likely the latter. When confronted with such danger, the brain sends a message to the two glands via the nerves to produce the hormone adrenaline. Its presence in the bloodstream causes the lungs to breathe heavier for greater oxygenation, the heart to beat faster to supply extra oxygenated blood, and the widening of the arteries to provide a greater blood flow to the muscles, allowing the victim to run faster and for a longer distance to safety. At any bleeding wound, with adrenaline, the blood will also congeal more quickly, saving on excess blood loss.

Fright can take many forms, such as being chased by a large barking dog, such as an Alsation or German Shepherd. Or waking up in the middle of the night to see a silhouette of a man gazing at you from the window beyond the foot of the bed. Or in the case of my younger brother many years ago. As an arachnophobic, he picked up a cup at random from the kitchen shelf to make coffee. He peered into the cup to see a huge house spider nestling at the bottom. His adrenal glands responded to the sudden fright by throwing the cup violently, smashing it to pieces on the hard thermoplastic-tiled floor. The spider was then nowhere to be seen.

Or the case when I was a pool lifeguard back in 1973. My attention was drawn by a group of school children near a corner of the pool, all taking fright of a huge cockroach floating on the water. Fortunately, I didn't have to get into the pool, as I was able to kneel down at the edge and reach for the insect and dispose of it. Nothing heroic, it was part of my job. Had I been afraid, then I wouldn't have qualified for that particular vocation.

But should I give an exaggerated expression of myself, I have fears of two specific situations. One is walking or cycling through a flock of geese, especially when rearing their young. This was after reading in a newspaper about a man who was attacked by an angry swan and had one of his arm bones broken. I have known to divert onto a different trail if I see a flock of geese ahead. 

The other fear I have is of lifts or elevators. In Singapore, the lift to my hostel dormitory stopped between floors and I fell into a near-panic as a punched the alarm, which got the lift moving. And again more recently, with Alex in her wheelchair at Waterloo Station. The lift jammed between floors and by punching the alarm, the lift dropped to the bottom of the shaft with a sharp jolt and the doors opened. We couldn't get out quick enough! Thus, in all cases, my adrenal glands were called into action when faced with potential danger. Whenever possible, I use the stairs instead.

Thus the purpose of these two glands, created to respond to dangerous situations in lifesaving fright. During such situations, the glands produce enough adrenaline to deal with the problem. Afterwards, the body has a way of flushing the hormone from the bloodstream, mainly through urination.

However, excess stress can prompt the glands to keep on producing adrenaline on a steady basis. Stressors can come in all forms. For example, the inner stress brought about by the overestimation of the gas bill by over £500 could have led to my wife's severe abdominal pain which had put her in hospital. Added to her stress is her constant fear of me having a sudden heart attack. This form of stress developed in her after I had an aorta valve replacement in 2015, and relying on medication ever since.

Thus it can be concluded:-

Stressor >> Emotional turmoil >> Adrenal glands reacting >> Illness.

Thus, taking two living examples:-

Husband's heart failure >> Emotional turmoil >> Adrenal glands reacting >> Pain.

Low self-esteem >> Emotional turmoil >> Adrenal glands reacting >> Heart failure.

Those wonderful glands, specifically designed as a lifesaver, can be activated by prolonged stress and unlike with the fright situation, adrenaline remains in the bloodstream throughout its steady production and flow. It's this constant presence of the excess hormone that causes a variety of illnesses - fatigue, irritability, constipation, bloating, diarrhoea, high blood pressure, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, irregular menstruation periods, along with more serious ailments including a lower immune system, a greater target for infections, diabetes, arthritis, ulcerative colitis, cancer and heart failure. And there are many more.*

A lateral flow test device.

Hence, the importance of the Gospel. It not only leads to salvation, but its application can also help the believer cope with stress. I have found that prayer - the heartfelt calling to God for help - is psychologically beneficial. Coupled with this is the warm support from other church members, especially when it comes to solving various problems. Thus building friendships within the church environment makes a big difference in handling stressful situations when each has a common denominator, a God who loves us enough to save us through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.

Right now, unless my result is negative on the Covid lateral flow test, I won't be able to visit my beloved at her ward. This has the potential to increase her stress levels, prolong her pain and delay any recovery. I hope I can be tested easily and pass, allowing me to visit her. After all, it's the state of my own health which had contributed to her ailments.

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*Dr S.I. McMillen M.D. - None Of These Diseases, 1966, 1980. Lakeland Publishers.

London Museum of Natural History, Gallery of Human Biology, 1982.