Managing Your Stress Naturally
Managing Your Stress Response to Ensure Long Term Health
by Mary Miller-Wilson ANP-BC
“It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.”- Hans Selye, creator of the General Adaptation Syndrome
Remember, stress is a response to stimulation that makes you feel threatened and it is not always provoked by real circumstances, rather a perception that you are being attacked. A worry, thought, fear or projection into the future of what MIGHT go wrong can all become real stressors.
Regardless, stress is a real or imagined threat to your body or to your ego. While that might mean someone putting a gun to your head and threatening your life, it could also mean thinking your boss is upset with you (even when they aren’t). Stress creates hormonal responses that have the potential to cause weight gain and insulin resistance. Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that governs energy levels. Cortisol is our primary coping mechanism. It is the hormone that helps us survive in the face of true danger. It also shuts down digestion and slows metabolism. After all, if your body perceives danger and it’s time to run from a saber-tooth tiger, there’s no need to concentrate on digesting the chicken breast and broccoli you just had for lunch, right?
All of this is perfectly normal in the short-term, but if left unchecked across time (months and years), prolonged stress and high levels of circulating cortisol cause high blood sugar, increased belly fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and muscle loss. Interestingly enough, patients that I manage at the Institute of Neuromuscular Medicine, often comment that their sleep patterns are interrupted, and I explain to them that this can be due to an inappropriate release of cortisol during the night, when cortisol levels should be low and melatonin (the hormone of sleep) should be the prominent hormone.
Stress often leads to bad food choices. When we eat things like white flour, sugar, things out of boxes and bags, we actually increase inflammation and stress hormone (cortisol) production. We’re getting external stresses from our jobs, family responsibilities, financial worries, and many other places, and we’re compounding them with unhealthy lifestyle choices. The result is an epidemic of stress and increased risk for chronic diseases: type-2 diabetes, cancer and depression. But, there’s so much we can do to stop it.
Deep breathing is one easy, accessible practice that can help to balance the mind and body and reduce the stress response. Many well-designed studies also show physical and psychological stress reduction benefits from meditation and activities like yoga and tai-chi.
At the Institute of Neuromuscular Medicine, cortisol release can be spot-checked in blood, or if a patient is interested in a more in-depth look into the 24-hour cortisol slope, a saliva test can be conducted. This is a 4-point study throughout the day that looks at cortisol release and DHEA release (another hormone made and secreted by the adrenal glands that is very intimately tied to energy levels), and determines if inappropriate adrenal gland activity might be driving a patient’s symptoms.
Stress and our ability to successfully manage it across time is probably the singular biggest driver of health, wellness and the quality of the human aging process. Consider making an appointment and working on your inner stress response with a qualified Functional Medicine clinician.
Food Choices & Stress
by Lisa Mislevy MS, RD
As we know, the body reacts poorly to sustained, low-grade stress which will eventually lead to imbalances and disease progression in our bodies. We also know, now more than ever, that not all stressors can be controlled (pandemics, life events, etc.)! But there's good news here- we can influence our body's reaction and tolerance of stress using nutrition along with methods mentioned above.
Feeling stress can promote uncontrolled eating behaviors which lead to obesity, diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, depression and increased systemic inflammation. "Uncontrolled eating" can be described by excessively eating out, overeating, eating processed foods and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily. This type of diet is full of processed ingredients, additives, preservatives, and unhealthy fats and sugars- all of these things increase your liver's workload and add physical stressors on top of your emotionally-driven stress responses. Ugh.
Nutrition recommendations that reduce stress's impact on your health:
Cook your food from scratch, in your own kitchen
Eat out 1-2 x weekly, max, always making good choices
Limit how much you eat from boxes, cans or bags
Seriously limit or avoid all sugars in foods and beverages
These are not new and exciting recommendations- but do you do any of them? Have you really tried to cut out sugar or make more homemade meals? If you need help with this, make an appointment with me at the Institute of Neuromuscular Medicine and we'll get your diet situated. Call today!
Our office offers IV nutrition therapy which is a highly efficient and swift way to provide your cells the nutrition they may not be receiving from your diet or supplements. If you have an inflamed gut or impaired absorption of nutrition, IV therapy is the best way to get what you need to help you feel better, faster! Our IV's deliver hydration, nutrients and natural medications without any side effects. People use this therapy for specific complaints while others come in for routine treatments to boost overall health and wellness.
Try one of our IV treatments and get a FREE session on the BEMER mat!
BEMER (Bio Electric Magnetic Energy Regulator) is an innovative wellness technology that is proven to enhance general blood flow in only 8 minutes per session! The effects of each treatment will last up to 12 hours while increasing oxygen and nutrient delivery, ultimately improving detoxification and energy production.
Consider using the BEMER mat if you experience:
Numbness in your extremities
Varicose veins
Cold hands and feet
Swollen feet or ankles
Are slow to heal
Constant fatigue
Please call the front desk if you have questions on either of these or would like to set up your appointment today.
If you need help on any of the above topics, give us a call at 313-290-2250 to set up your appointment today!
Visit our website at www.inmmed.com to learn more about our services.
Thank you for reading,
Dr. Shah and team