My friend, Allie, bless her heart, felt sorry for this SO non-techie soul and helped me set up a blog over a year ago, over the phone, nonetheless. I am just now getting started on my blogging adventures, so bear with me.
" ) Currently, I am working as a certified herbalist and taking classes to further my knowledge in natural health. I enjoy teaching classes on natural health, both in Phoenix and in our mountain community. I am passionate about helping others serve the Creator with health and vitality!
Today, I'd like to talk about stress. All of us know what stress feels like...Worry. Stress. Tight shoulders. Sleeplessness, for some. Traffic jams, financial troubles, work deadlines and struggles, family and marriage issues, just to name a few. Approximatley 75-90% of all visits to the primary care doctor are for stress-related health issues. That leads me to believe learning to manage stress in our lives should take high priority and become a major way to maintain optimal health.
In order to come up with a game plan to manage stress, we first need to define it. When stress affects our system, the brain sends a chemical reaction to the pituitary gland by way of the hypothalamus, which releases ACTH or adrenocorticotropic hormone (the thousand dollar word for the day). ACTH causes the adrenal glands to start making hormones like adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. Adrenaline is both a hormone & neurotransmitter. Our bodies response to it being introduced to our system includes: increased heart-rate, breathing becomes more rapid, rise in blood pressure, our muscles become tense, digestion shuts down, along with other functions that aren't essential for immediate survival, and it prepares the body for ACTION.
Another key response to stress is our body produces something called cortisol. Cortisol reduces inflammation and helps us to address pain and injury better. Even though it's role is important in our system to reduce inflammation, too much of it can cause a depressed immune system, muscle loss, weight gain, and premature aging. Rise in these stress hormones also causes our blood sugar to rise and increases our the chances of getting blood clots.
As you can see, unmanaged long-term stress can be a leading cause of numerous health problems, such as: tension headaches, high blood pressure, blood clotting, neck & shoulder pain, low back pain, ulcers, poor digestion, increased risk of infections, asthma, cancer, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, & even cancer. It is probably a BIG key to most of our illesses. Cutting down our stress is one of the most important things we can do to improve our general health. Relaxation is a key component to help the body recover and heal from stressful seasons in life.
Obviously, with so much stress, most of us lack ways to deal with and reduce its affects in our lives. Perhaps we can't remove completely the things that cause us stress, but by paying careful attention to managing it, we can reduce the harmful affects it has on our bodies.
I will address some key ways to managing stress in my next post, so stay tuned.
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2 comments:
It's been a YEAR???? Wow. I'm really looking forward to your next post on stress my friend - something I really need to manage, although I don't have a third of the stress you do! Love ya!
Nah...no stress here...only life:
dealing with a mentally ill family member, caring for my aging parents,serving as their power of attorney and chief overseer of their needs from 2 hours away, working in our 2 family businesses, homeschooling our son, and enjoying life as much as I can. " ) God IS good and faithful to meet every single need, but I DO have to work at minimizing my stress if I let life weigh me down. Sharing some of my secrets in the next post.
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