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A Naturopathic Approach to Stress

A Naturopathic Approach to Stress. Raza Shah, ND Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine St. Jacobs Naturopathic Clinic 519-664-1050. Topics of Discussion. What is Stress? “Fight or Flight” Physiology of Stress Stress Hormones The Results of Chronic Stress General Adaptation Syndrome

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A Naturopathic Approach to Stress

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  1. A Naturopathic Approach to Stress Raza Shah, ND Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine St. Jacobs Naturopathic Clinic 519-664-1050

  2. Topics of Discussion • What is Stress? • “Fight or Flight” • Physiology of Stress • Stress Hormones • The Results of Chronic Stress • General Adaptation Syndrome • Clinical Manifestations of Stress Reactions • Stress Signs and Symptoms

  3. Topics of Discussion • Chronic Stress & Immunity • How Pharmaceuticals Manage Stress • Nutrition • Vitamin Supplementation • Botanical Adaptogens • Chinese Medicine • Physical Exercise

  4. Have a hard time making decisions Have trouble meeting important deadlines Experience feelings of fatigue or sleepiness even with enough sleep Have low self-esteem Feel that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get the job done Tend to criticize and be argumentative Experience moodiness or depression Are you forgetful STRESS SYMPTOMSWork related stress has a way of creeping into our lives, sometimes without our even realizing it. Some of the symptoms are minor, while others are more serious and even hazardous to your health. You may be stressed out if you…

  5. STRESS SYMPTOMS II • Get the constant feeling that something is wrong or missing • Have a change in appetite so that you eat more or less than usual • Find yourself smoking, drinking, or using drugs to cope with your job • Experience rapid, irregular heartbeats or heart pounding • Experience rapid breathing or hyperventilation • Get muscle aches, headaches, or migraines • Have high blood pressure • Break out in skin rashes

  6. Naturopathic Medicine Naturopathic Medicine is the art and science of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease using natural therapies with a focus on optimizing health and well-being through individualized patient care.

  7. Principles of Naturopathic Medicine • Do No Harm • Healing Power of Nature • Identify and treat the Cause • Doctor as Teacher • Treat the Whole Person • Health Promotion is the Best Prevention

  8. Education • Pre-Medical University Studies • 4 Year Post-Graduate Program at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine; only accredited school in Canada.

  9. Is Naturopathic Medicine Scientific? Many current research studies have been conducted on all modalities used by NDs. These studies have shown the effectiveness of naturopathic therapies on their own, in combination with, or instead of conventional therapies.

  10. Naturopathic Therapies • Clinical Nutrition – assessment of the dietary influences on a given condition. Intervention can be in the form of changes in eating choices, habits, or vitamin mineral supplementation. • Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine – The use of Oriental System of energy meridians in the body to assess and treat from an eastern perspective. Therapeutic intervention includes the use of eastern botanicals and acupuncture • Botanical Medicine – The use of herbs in the treatment of conditions. Can be in the form of teas, tinctures, essential oils or capsules

  11. Naturopathic Therapies • Homeopathic Medicine – The use of dilute amounts of plant, animal or mineral substances used to stimulate the body’s healing reactions. • Physical Therapies – The use of interferential, ultrasound, manipulation, bodywork, and hydrotherapy. • Lifestyle Counseling – An assessment of risk factors and programs to modify behavior emphasizing self-responsibility.

  12. What is Stress? • Any change in the environment (mechanical, chemical, electro-magnetic, thermal, psychological) that provokes the stress response • Can be minor or major, good or bad events • Can be perceived or anticipated events

  13. “Fight or Flight” • Mobilize energy from reserves moves to muscles, does not store. • Diverts energy from non-essential tasks such as growth and maintenance. • Improved Memory and Cognition. • Increase Blood Sugar and Fats. • Increase Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Respiration. • Increases Propensity for blood clot formation.

  14. Flight or Flight • Mobilize energy from reserves • Deliver to muscles as fast as possible • Divert energy from non-essential maintenance • Sharpen senses and improve memory and cognition

  15. Flight or Flight • Increase blood sugar • Increase blood fats • Increase heart rate, blood pressure, respiration • Evacuate bowels and bladder • Make blood clots easier • Inhibit vegetative functions

  16. Stress Response • Why do we need stress? • Change in external or internal environment = possible threat to security / safety • Requires short term response to change in environment • Psychological effect: motivation for action • Physical effect: energy redirected to concentrate on that action

  17. Stress Response • Alarm reaction – epinephrine (adrenaline) & norepinephrine: immediate • Resistance reaction – cortisol & aldosterone : short term • Exhaustion – after continued / prolonged resistance

  18. Stress Response • Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) • Flight or Fight (emergency response) • Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) • Relaxation, Digestion, Repair (maintenance)

  19. Stress Response Symptoms / conditions associated with stress: Fatigue, heart disease, anxiety, appetite loss, weakness, insomnia, pain, low libido, asthma, allergies, eczema, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, depression, impaired memory/learning, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea or constipation, ulcers, inflammatory bowel diseases (eg. Crohn’s Disease), loss of muscle tone/ stamina, skin disorders, low immunity, auto-immune conditions (eg. rheumatoid arthritis), poor injury/illness recovery, reduced sex hormone levels, infertility, weight gain, poor concentration, menstrual irregularities (PMS, pain), hair loss, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, cancer …

  20. Stress Response Limbic brain hypothalamus CRH pituitary gland kidneys ACTH aldosterone digestion adrenal glands immunity epinephrine norepinephrine inflammation cortisol liver thyroid bone reproduction brain muscle heart

  21. FOUR TYPES OF STRESS 1. General Stress: • Everyone has this kind of stress • It resolves itself within a day or two • No intervention is necessarily required

  22. FOUR TYPES OF STRESS 2. Cumulative Stress: • Stress builds up in your body • It becomes more difficult to alleviate your symptoms • You may have more serious physical symptoms • You may have more serious mental anguish

  23. FOUR TYPES OF STRESS 3. Acute Traumatic Stress: • Critical Incident Stress • Produces considerable psychological distress • A normal reaction to abnormal events

  24. FOUR TYPES OF STRESS 4. Post Traumatic Stress: • Severe stress produced by severe psychological trauma • Created by unresolved Critical Incident Stress • Produces lasting changes

  25. Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome – 3 Stages • Arousal • Adaptation • Exhaustion

  26. Manifestations of Stress Reactions • Signs non-specific • Involves Many Organs • Can vary person to person

  27. Manifestations of Stress Reactions • GI Distress • Mood Changes • Sleep Disturbances

  28. Are we living in uncertain times? Business Bankruptcies up 40.7% in 14 yrs in Canada Source: Office Superintendent of Bankruptcies

  29. Uncertainty and stress • Uncertainty • “It is the not knowing that is the worst” • Unsure how to react • Unable to prepare • Unable to reassure others

  30. How might you feel in each of these circumstances? • You are stuck in a traffic jam and are about to be late for an important meeting • You are having your family to stay for Christmas • Your partner of the last twenty years announces they are leaving you for your best friend • You go to hospital for a major and risky procedure

  31. Prevalence and Magnitude of Stress • 43% of all adults suffer stress related adverse affects • 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders • Estimated 100 000 workers are absent each day with stress related complaints

  32. Nutrients Depleted by Stress • Vitamin C • Used to make stress hormones • Deficiency: lowered immunity, fatigue/weakness, bleeding gums, easy bruising, poor wound healing • Vitamin B5 • Used to make stress hormones • Deficiency: insomnia, leg cramps, numbness/tingling of hands & feet, depression, lowered immunity, poor stamina, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems

  33. Nutrients Depleted by Stress • Magnesium • Used up to produce hormones and energy • Deficiency: muscle cramps, fatigue, irritability, painful periods, heart disease, sugar cravings, insomnia, anxiety • Potassium • Increased excretion during stress response • Deficiency: muscle cramps, heart disease, bloating, irritability

  34. Nutrients Depleted by Stress • Other nutrients used to support damage to the body from stress: • Glutamine (amino acid) • Probiotics (good gut bacteria) • Vitamin B6, B12 & Folic Acid • Essential Fatty Acids (good fats) • Antioxidants • Water

  35. Increase Your Resistance-DIET-

  36. Increase Your Resistance-DIET-

  37. Increase Your Resistance-DIET- • Hydration – dehydration is a chemical stressor. Drink 1-2 litres of filtered water each day, more if you are active or in hot weather • Eat fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains to get the most nutrients out of your diet

  38. Increase Your Resistance-DIET- • Avoid chemical stressors & nutrient thieves: • Caffeine • Alcohol • Refined carbohydrates & processed foods • Saturated fats and deep fried foods

  39. Increase Your Resistance-Lifestyle- • Diaphragmatic Breathing • Triggers PNS response • Exercise • Vigorous or slower paced (eg. Yoga, Tai Chi) • Anything that makes YOU relax – even 10 minutes out of the day • Meditation, music, journals, different relaxation techniques

  40. Increase Your Resistance • Adaptogenic Herbs – increase your threshold of resistance • Ginsengs • Rhodiola Rosea • Ashwaganda • Holy Basil • Licorice Root (caution) • Kava Kava (caution)

  41. Stress and illness: The common cold • Cohen et al (1991, 93, etc) • Life events (death, divorce, moving house, changing jobs, the Australians losing a cricket test) predict clinical colds • Just “feeling” stressed does not predict getting a cold

  42. SICK STRESS RESISTANCE AVERAGE STRESS RESISTANCE STRESS RESISTANCE Who Gets Sick? Where Is Your Threshold of Resistance? HEALTHY If you cannot reduce your stress, you must maximize your resistance!!

  43. Relaxation, meditation and exercise • Exercise and stress management courses do seem to result in temporary mood improvements • Relaxation, distraction or social support

  44. Combating stress • Reactive approaches • Counselling • Relaxation • Stress management • Proactive approaches • Change work environments (people, places and culture

  45. Proactive approaches • Better management • Training supervisors • Recruiting and selecting the right people • Better understanding of jobs and how they relate to company performance • Increasing job control for individuals • Engendering trust in management • Uncertainty = lack of information • Provide certainty through proper communication

  46. Avoid the quick fixes • It is relatively easy to change someone’s behaviour for up to a few weeks • Lasting behavior change normally needs longer term interventions • And.. • Ongoing reinforcement and support

  47. Can we fix it – yes we can! • Use proactive approaches to stress • Understanding the job demands • Understanding and improving the company culture • Selecting the appropriate staff • Training managers and their staff • Redesigning work environments • Measuring work performance • Developing commercially aware work-life balance solutions • Providing employees with personal insight via EQ

  48. It’s not all management! • Take control • Do a personal life audit • Work-life balance, recreation, social support • Identify training issues • Develop strategies to cope • Delegate, distance, plan, set goals, seek support (informational, social, physical), time management • Introduce personal rewards for goals • Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself too seriously!

  49. Increase Your Resistance-Lifestyle- EVERY DAY LAUGH & PLAY!!

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