Added on 10/26/08

Read More By Rena There are a lot of urban myths and old wives’ tales about how stress directly affects the body. I’m guilty of thinking that stress will turn my hair white and even writing about it. But stress alone can’t turn your hair white or... See more

Read More By Rena There are a lot of urban myths and old wives’ tales about how stress directly affects the body. I’m guilty of thinking that stress will turn my hair white and even writing about it. But stress alone can’t turn your hair white or grey. Stress can aggravate some medical conditions, but it usually is not the main culprit for some maladies that we blame it for. So, if you think your stress will give you an ulcer or cancer or turn your hair white, you can relax. What About Ulcers? The common teaching is that stress and spicy food gave you ulcers. Actually, they don’t. Ulcers are caused by a certain bacteria called (get ready for it) helicobactor pylori (usually just referred to as “h. pylori” for sanity’s sake). Appropriately, h. pylori is shaped like a corkscrew. We all have it in our guts, but sometimes it can really bother us by giving us an ulcer. It is unknown exactly why we sometimes can’t tolerate our little tenant. Other causes include overuse of painkillers,... See less