Beating Stress & Living A Healthier Lifestyle

1. Beating Stress & Living A Healthier Lifestyle Presented By: Dr. Steven Mitchell Tulare Chiropractic Clinic, since 1994

2. Stress affects everybody every day, and for the most part, stress offers the push we need to respond to a pressing situation. From trying to get out of the house on time in the morning, to starting a new job or giving a presentation, stress is your response to physical, chemical, emotional or environmental factors. • Stresses can help keep our bodies strong and minds alert, but chronic stress can have devastating effects.

3. Some Statistics: • The American Medical Association stated that stress was involved in 80-85% of all human illness and disease, or at the very least had a detrimental effect on our health. • Every week, 95 million Americans suffer some kind of stress related symptom for which they take medication. • American businesses lose an estimated $200-$300 billion dollars per year to stress related productivity loss and other costs.

4. How Big of a Problem? • The American Institute of Stress in Yonkers, New York, estimates that 90 percent of all visits to doctors are for stress-related disorders. • Stress has been linked to fatigue, hair loss, skin problems, allergies, insomnia, back pain, neck pain, digestive disorders, etc.

5. There Are 3 types of Stress • Physical stress: Falls or accidents, or cumulative trauma that have occurred in the past, causing stress on the nervous system. • Emotional:Prolonged emotional stress leads to an imbalance of the major stress hormones, which can lead to high blood pressure, weight problems, digestive trouble, etc.). • Chemical:Pollutants in our environment. There are 82000 chemicals that can enter our bodies weekly, and cause stress on our systems.

6. 1. Physical Stress • Overt injuries cause obvious stress to our systems immediately, but there are possible long term repercussions worth looking at as well… • If one has developed uneven biomechanics, or sustained injuries, there is a good chance that “subluxations” may develop. Subluxations are misaligned or fixated vertebra that end up pinching on the surrounding nerves. If the nerves are not pain sensitive, pain does not result. However, tissue stress will slowly develop as the nerve which regulates that tissue is choked or irritated over time. This stress on the nervous system can be relieved with spinal manipulation, which helps to remove pressure on the nerves.

7. 2. Emotional Stress • Our autonomic nervous system is stimulated when we are stressed. It is designed to allow us to keep up with stressful situations for survival. For example, when we see a bear in the woods, our adrenal glands increase levels of adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that will dilate the pupils, shunt blood from our guts out to the legs so we can run, our heart rate increases, etc. All things that will help us survive the moment. When high adrenaline levels are sustained due to constant stress of modern life, our adrenal glands begin to weaken and we become fatigued, crave caffeine or other stimulants, and may have trouble losing weight.

8. Some Long-Term Effects… • High blood pressure, depression, skin problems, allergies, headaches, back pain, neck pain, insomnia, digestive disorders, fatigue, heart disease, obesity and stroke have all been related to extended periods of stress.

9. 3. Chemical Stress • As our bodies main filter, the liver accumulates a build up of toxins. This impairs the liver’s ability to function properly. The liver’s lymphocyte population constitutes our “innate immunity”, and therefore when the liver does not function well, we are more prone to disease and illness.

10. Effects On The Immune System… • Research findings indicate that stress (physical, chemical, and emotional) can have a negative effect on the immune system and the way the body functions. Therefore stressed people get sick more often.

11. Stress Relief: What Can I Do? • Fortunately there are a variety of natural, drug-free approaches to help with stress relief. • There is no one solution to handling stress. Everyone must focus on allowing their body to function properly so that they are better able to handle the stress they encounter. • The following are ways to address the three different kinds of stress:

12. Give Up Control! Easier said than done…but if we allow a power greater than ourselves to “take the wheel”, we would rid ourselves of a tremendous amount of life’s stresses. Each individual will have a different religious or spiritual method for achieving this goal, therefore this is beyond the scope of this talk, however it has to be mentioned, and is ultimately up to each individual to pursue.

13. Address the Stress! • If chronic stress is serious, please seek counseling from a qualified health professional. At times, there may be an underlying psychological issue which needs to be resolved! Don’t be shy about asking for help if you feel you need it. • However, most cases of stressed people do not fall into this more severe category, and are likely to respond to a more gentle approach:

14. Address The Physical Stress • Chiropractic Care. A variety of studies have shown that regular chiropractic spinal care can provide relief for irritated nerves and muscles, therefore reducing a major source of stress on our systems. • Massage. Massage can help to relieve tension in the muscle system, and also help stress emotionally, and help rid the body of toxins. • Regular exercise. Exercise (if you enjoy it even only a little bit!) can be a great stress reducer, and help to avoid injuries. It actually produces endorphins naturally, which have been shown to be more effective than antidepressants to elevate your mood…without any side effects!

15. Support and Repair The Stress Hormones As discussed earlier, emotional stress causes our adrenal glands to over-work. The adrenal glands secrete Adrenaline, DHEA, and Cortisol (simplified version) Chronic stress leads to an excess of these hormones, and eventually weakens their ability to produce and balance normal levels. The resulting weak adrenal glands can easily be tested with a sitting/standing blood pressure test.

16. Nutritional means can be used to repair and support the adrenal glands. • We must strive to repair the glands themselves, rather than to replace the hormones artificially (as with coffee) in order to achieve regular hormone balance. This will help energy levels, weight loss, sex drive, depression, and sleep patterns. • Supplements are available to support adrenal health, and include pregnenolone, DHEA, adrenal gland cortex, and high doses of the whole B complex, among many other ingredients. • These are easy to chew tablets, which usually provide the patient with an abundance of energy. • A healthy diet, however, should always be at the core of any plan to improve health.

17. Reduce “Toxicity” • Liver Toxicity can be a source of stress on our systems. • Reduce “toxicity” exposure: Having a diet free from (or very limited to) processed foods will reduce a large amount of foreign chemicals used in packaged foods. • A diet rich in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables will actually encourage the cleansing of the liver. • Drink bottled water, or filtered tap water from a good filter system. Try for 1/2 body weight (in oz.) per day! • Stop smoking or drinking. • A “Liver cleanse” program, which will help to detoxify the liver through a diet and supplement regimen.

18. Stress Can Be Managed! Stress is a normal part of life. Actually, life is stress! Once our bodies are free of nerve interference, and we can maintain a proper balance of stress hormones naturally, we will be better able to manage stress. Then instead of wearing us out, stress can actually make life more interesting in the long run.

19. Our purpose is to help you! Just call our office at 685-9391, mention this website, and ask for the free consultation. A consultation will give us a chance to evaluate your health situation, and make a recommendation to help. There is no charge…you’ve got nothing to lose.