Stress is a continuously present factor in our lives; it can be obvious as the loss of a job or a loved one, or it can be hidden as the consequence of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Stress has become such a commonplace thing in our hurried world that most people feel it on a daily basis. In actuality, the term stress refers to any reaction to a change occurring in or to the body – on a physical, intellectual, mental, emotional, and environmental level; it is any of this kind of reaction to a stimulus that upsets the body's natural balance.

In end of itself, stress can actually be positive as it compels us to action but unfortunately, more often than not, it causes more harm than good. Stress is thus, most of the time, an unavoidable part of life, at every stage in life. It may be a result of many situations, both physical and psychological; pressures and deadlines of work or in school, problems with loved ones, financial burdens, and the holiday season – are obvious stressors for many people. Less obvious sources include everyday encounters with crowds, noise, traffic, pain, temperature extremes, starting a new job, changing schools, moving, getting married, or giving birth.

When stressed, the whole biochemistry of the body is disturbed: cortisone levels increase, interferon decreases, resulting in a diminished ability of the body to fight off disease. We don't need specific studies to observe that people chronically stressed get sicker more often than others who seem to manage stress better. However, studies have linked workaholic stressed out people to a higher incidence of cancer. The mere diagnosis of cancer will throw one into the worst possible stressful time; reality is by the time a diagnosis is made, stress has already taken a toll on your body: it weakened your immune system, it disturbed your hormonal balance, and it already caused cascade reactions of neurotransmitters resulting in damage all over the body.

Because of the multitude of effects stress has on the body and the complexity of factors involved in the formation of cancer, it is difficult to label stress as a precise cause of cancer.

Given that cancer takes about 20 years to develop, it is best to take all precautions to prevent it, including reducing your stress levels as much as possible. Remember: the stress factors around you are never going to go away, so the only thing to do is manage your reaction to them; this you can do for sure! Meditation, a walk around the block on a nice day, music, getting good quality sleep, having a regular schedule, a warm bath, exercise, massage, and spending time with loves ones – are all easy-to-do strategies to manage your stress level in order to reduce cancer risk.