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Stress can be a very negative but yet very healthy thing to experience. It actually means a force impinging on the individual, which tends to strain or cause harm body. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, ongoing stress can cause us significant problems. Surveys have shown that 60% of the population of the Western countries believes that they are under a great deal of stress at least once per week. Stress can lead to the release of powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flight). If we don't take action, which the physiological activity of the hormones and compounds encourage, the stress response can lead to health problems. Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the most damaging types of stress. Some examples of different kinds of stress includes: chemical stress and environmental stress caused by environmental pollution or toxic chemicals; emotional stress such as anger, depression, fear, frustration, sadness, betrayal, bereavement; mental stress including high work responsibility, long hours and perfectionism; nutritional stress due to nutritional deficiency, fat excess, or food allergies; physical stress includes hard labor, birth and competitive exercise; traumatic stress include infection, injury, burns, surgery and extreme temperatures and psycho-spiritual stress include relationship pressures, financial pressures, career pressures, issues of life goals and issues with spiritual enlightenment. There is some speculation that an overactive stress response to every life can start when young. Early separation from mother can lead to altered stress responses and depression later in life. The stresses of the mother can affect the stress response of the fetus, and perhaps predispose the child to psychiatric illness later in life. Symptoms
of stress Diagnosis and Pharmaceutical Interventions Although there is
no medical diagnosis for stress, situations and other factors may
be evaluated for the ‘stress quotient’, a factor that
can give clues about a person’s relative risk to having health
problems as a result of too mush stress. An example of one such
stress quotient is via the Holmes stress scale. Pharmaceutical
Medications A host of potential
side-effects (or symptoms of withdrawal) accompany the use of many
if not all of these drugs. Some of the most serious of these are:
anxiety, asthenia – loss of bodily strength, blurred vision,
constipation , decreased ability to think clearly, development of
drug dependency, development or worsening of suicidal tendencies,
dizziness, dry mouth, insomnia , loss of libido and other sexual
side effects, nausea, nervousness, rash , somnolence – sleepiness
or a lack of energy and activity, and sustained increase in blood
pressure (hypertension). Lifestyle and Dietary Modifications Nutritional factors play an important role in how we respond to stress. A healthy diet that includes proper nutrients, protein and fibre while having high quality fats can promote a good mental outlook and strong functioning body to help us deal with the challenges that we face. Foods from plants are especially useful in that they contain high amounts of antioxidants. A good rule of thumb when selecting fruits and vegetables is to a include a range of colours: green (light and dark) which is abundant in the lettuce type vegetables as well as cabbage family plants; red as in red capsicums and apples, orange as in carrots and many types of squash, white or yellow for onion, garlic and bananas, and blue or purple for blueberries, and eggplant. It is also important to reduce the amount of pesticides by purchasing organic foods whenever possible. And last but not least, it is very important to lower refined sugar consumption. Sugar alone act as a stressor to the body; especially when combined with caffeine. While cigarette smokers often describe their habit as relaxing, smoking is associated with increased stress levels, and stopping the habit eventually results in reduced feelings of stress. Drinking alcohol can reduce feelings of stress, but using alcohol regularly in response to chronic or repetitive stress can lead to an unhealthy dependency. Many of our ways in dealing with stress -- drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking, and eating -- actually are counterproductive in that they can worsen the stress and can make us more sensitive to further stress. Exercise has long
been thought to have potential benefits to mental health and stress
reduction; however, exercise can also be stressful when it is intense
or competitive. Nutritional Factors Shown to be Beneficial Multiple
Vitamin/Mineral formula Vitamin
B complex Omega 3
Fish Oils Eleuthero
(Eleutherococcus senticosus) Rhodiola
rosea Ashwagandha
(Withania somifera) Adrenal
Glandular extracts Recommended NaturalMeds Products for Stress LifeForce
Multiple Omega
3 DHA
450 mg B
Vitamin Complex 50 |
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