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REDUCING STRESS FOR HEALTH AND WELL BEING
Contrary
to nature's original intention, the level of stress inherent
in just being alive today can invoke the body's "flight or
fight" survival mechanism into nearly continous operation.
For many people in the late 20th Century, life feels more or
less like being trapped in a speeding car with one foot on
the brake and one foot on the accelerator at all times.
Eventually, the car is going to break down, which is exactly
what will happen to a body in continuous stress. According
to Dr. Hans Selye, the foremost researcher on the physiology
of stress, "Stress
is a nonspecific response of the body to any demand put on
it."
It could be as simple as shivering in response to cold air:
You shiver to produce more heat, and the blood vessels
contract to diminish the loss of heat from the body's
surface. Whether the stress is minor or traumatic, joyful or
heart-wrenching, every instance of stress requires a
response - an adaptation or adjustment - to re-establish
normalcy in the body. The
nervous system must adjust itself to
intrusions.
Dr. Selye calls this the General Adaptive Syndrome.
When
exposed to a stressor, the involuntary portion of our
nervous system (called the Sympathetic Nervous System),
prepares the body to defend itself. Once invoked, the
nervous system's Alarm
Reaction
stimulates the production of adrenaline which raises our
blood pressure, heart rate and general metabolism. This
reaction is natural for the body. However, since no human
being can constantly live in a state of alarm, the second
stage, Resistance,
follows wherein the body more or less regroups itself to
return to a more normal state. If the stressor overpowers
the body, or if the body's adaptive functions are
overextended, the body enters into a state of
Exhaustion.
In this stage, there can be premature ageing, illness and
death because the limits of the body's adaptation to stress
have been exceeded. The
length of time that it takes for the body to reach a state
of Exhaustion differs for each person, depending upon his or
her innate adaptability and on the nature of the stressor or
stressors. It can take years, an entire lifetime, or even
one single event for the body to go through all three
stages. But, once
the limits of adaptability are exceeded, an overall negative
effect on one's health is established that can be difficult
or impossible to reverse. When
the body can no longer adapt to stress, the result for some
people will be to develop cancer, and for others, arthritis,
asthma, ulcers or some other serious and/or chronic illness.
These illnesses usually develop in the body's weakest areas,
even though all parts may be equally exposed to stress. Dr.
Selye says: "Men
and women invariably die because one vital part has worn
out too early in proportion to the rest of the body.
Life, the biologic chain that holds our parts together,
is only as strong as its weakest link. When this breaks -
no matter which vital link it be - our parts can no
longer be held together as a single living
being." There
are many possible approaches to dealing with stress. As
noted in the discussion of The Pythagorean Center's
"Philosophy
of Health,"
Stress is one of a triad of factors contributing to the
state of a person's health, the others being
Physical
Structure
and Nutritional
Balance.
Each of these factors has an effect upon the others, both in
contributing to an imbalance and in working to alleviate the
symptoms and causes of illness. Of the three (and excepting
serious physical injury), however, Stress
can be said to have the most invasive and pernicious effect
on all aspects of health. To
follow is a discussion of some of the effects of stress on
the body and some of the remedies recommended and employed
by the Center. NUTRITION
AND METABOLISM Dietary
Choices The
food he was referring to, however, is that which exists in
its natural state as it did in his day, without processing
or additives. This means eating food that is "whole" and has
not been broken down into its component parts as when, for
instance, brown rice is converted to white rice. In the
"process-ing," essential B-Complex vitamins are lost to the
body. Re-introducing nutrients via even naturally-produced
vitamin supplements is but a limited substitute in the way
the body is able to assimilate and use them. For
food to support health, it must be also be free from
chemical treatment and preservatives that can affect
assimilation or compromise the body's natural processes.
Food that heals is food that promotes healthy metabolism and
elimination without adding stress to the body's digestive
system. For
an additional discussion of nutritional deficiencies and
digestive imbalances, please see the article,
"Nutritional
Healing." Nutrients It
is known that stress depletes the body of protein, Vitamins
A, E, B (particularly B-2, riboflavin), B-6, B-12, folic
acid, pantothenic acid, choline, Vitamin C and also
pituitary and adrenal hormones. Stress
increases the production of adrenal hormones which, in turn,
increases the metabolism of protein, fats, carbohydrates in
order to produce more energy for the crisis. As a result of
increased metabolism, there is also an increased excretion
of potassium and phosphorus, and a decreased storage of
calcium. It
should be noted that many of the disorders related to stress
are not a direct result of stress, itself, but are a result
of nutrient deficiencies caused by stress-induced increased
metabolism. Vitamin C, in particular, is utilized by the
adrenal glands during periods of prolonged stress, causing a
depletion of Vitamin C and a consequent weakening of the
immune system. Elimination Periodic
detoxification with juice fasting or special herbal programs
is helpful in eliminating the waste products (fatigue
poisons) generated by stress. In addition, the efficient
functioning of the large intestine or colon can have a
tremendous effect on the entire body. Improving colon
function can be done by increasing the bulk or fiber in
one's diet, and by cleansing herbs, enemas, or colonics. An
excellent book to read along these lines is Colon
Health, by Dr. Norman Walker. A
much overlooked factor in the body-mind's self-healing
mechanism is what Herbert Benson, M.D., described in his
classic text as "The
Relaxation Response."
Benson, on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, performed
research on stress and meditation methods some 25 years ago.
What he formulated, now called the "Relaxation Response," is
used worldwide by people from all walks of life. Dr.
Benson suggests that there are two avenues to coping with
the bombardment by stress in our lives. One is to prevent
the stimulation of the Sympathetic Nervous System by
avoiding all stressful situations or by altering one's
response to them. For most people, this approach is not
feasible, although every attempt should be made to lead a
balanced life-style. The
second approach is to purposely stimulate the
Parasympathetic
Nervous System, which is the restorative or regenerative
portion of the body. Such deliberate activation of the
body's inherent self-righting mechanism will de-activate the
"flight-or-fight" response. Then, adrenaline will decrease,
blood vessels and muscles will relax, and healing will
occur. Dr. Benson developed the Relaxation Response to bring
this re-balancing mechanism into play. (Guidelines to
employing the Relaxation Response may be found in Dr.
Benson's book.) In
addition to relaxation and meditation techniques, methods
such as Hatha Yoga and Polarity Yoga and other physical
activity can greatly assist in the relief of mental and
physical fatigue. Exercise
and Rest Exercise
is tremendously beneficial in countering the effects of
stress and building stamina. We burn off a lot of fatigue
poisons through the skin and lungs with exercise. Proper
rest is also essential to counter stress, allowing the body
to regenerate. A body fatigued due to lack of rest will not
regenerate. If stress has progressed to the point of strain
(long-term chronic stress with a severe accumulation of
fatigue poisons), simply resting will not be adequate for
the body to heal. A strained body must have some type of
corrective care in order to get well. Chiropractic In
the chiropractic field, a strained body will show a spine
that is out of balance. One or more areas of the spine will
not have the proper range of motion. Postural balance will
be off as evidenced by a person seen to be leaning too far
forward, backwards, or to the side. Chiropractically, we
will also locate in a strained body tender areas on the
surface of the body that reflect the tension and exhaustion
of the adrenal, thyroid, or pituitary glands. By treating
these surface areas that are tender, by restructuring the
spine that has lost its proper balance of strain, fatigue
poisons will be eliminated, and vitality will be returned to
the body. In
addition, "light touch" techniques such as the Logan Basic
Chiropractic Technique, commuicate with the body-mind
complex and tell it that it is all right to relax; the
crisis is over and the "flight or fight" response is no
longer needed. A light, stroking touch to the body produces
a "Relaxation Response" that approximates Dr. Herbert
Benson's work with the mind. In essence, we "re-tone" the
nervous system; that is, we turn down the thermostat of
"flight or fight" and turn up the restorative portion of the
body's thermostat. When we do let go, internally the entire
organism has the potential for self-healing. (For additional
discussion on the "light touch" chiropractic technique
employed at the Center, please also see "The
Logan Basic Chiropractic Technique.") Allergies
may cause stress to the body or may, in fact, also be a
result of the stress syndrome. The well-known nutritionist,
Adele Davis, made the connection between exhaustion of the
adrenals and the body's consequent vulnerability to
allergens. She said: "If animals' adrenal glands are removed
to prevent cortisone from reaching the blood - simulating
adrenal exhaustion in humans - the allergic reaction to an
injection of a foreign substance is extremely severe and
fatal." (She went on to say that identical injections to
animals with healthy adrenals, had little effect.)
Thus,
a pituitary-thyroid-adrenal system worn out as a result of
stress leaves us susceptible to allergic reactions to drugs,
vaccines, serums, cosmetics, insects, plants, pollens, dust,
dandruff, bacteria, molds, foods, vitamins, etc. Reactions
to these substances may be skin rash, eczema, hives, hay
fever, asthma, headaches, runny or stuffy nose, sinus
infections, digestive disturbance, high blood pressure,
insomnia, depression, and many other symptoms. It
should be noted that, if our endocrine system is not
stressed or strained, we are more resistant to allergies,
but sometimes we are born with certain inherited or fixed
allergies, or we may have higher requirements of certain
nutrients in our diet than others. These fixed allergies or
higher nutritional requirements need to be isolated and
considered as a separate factor. The
famous writer, C.S. Lewis, wrote in his book,
Miracles, the following comments which fully support
the Center's philosophy of healing: In
our opinion the "re-set" button is a healthy, whole diet and
nutritional program; exercise and relaxation for stress
reduction; and "light touch" chiropractic methods (as
opposed to forceful heavy methods which only reinforce the
defensive Sympathetic Response). With a balanced approach to
health care and wellness, this medicatrix nature
(nature's medicine) is within our grasp. ©
Copyright 1999 The Friedman Chiropractic Center, Inc.. All
Rights Reserved.
1) Alarm Reaction, 2) Resistance, and 3)
Exhaustion.
EXERCISE.
What will recruit strength?
SLEEP.
What will alleviate incurable ills?
PATIENCE."
VOLTAIRE
"Thy food shall be thy remedy."
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