Stress

The Effect of Chronic Stress & Anxiety on Overall Health

Stress is the most common threat to overall health in contemporary times. Chronic, unmanaged stress can lead to a wide variety of illnesses including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, thyroid dysfunction, weight gain, and blood sugar abnormalities like Type II Diabetes and hypoglycemia. Stress contributes to premature aging, the chronic inflammation that exacerbates arthritis, allergies, and even neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. One of the main impediments to timely recovery from physical injury and surgery is widely recognized to be the emotional stress that accompanies these events. Most of us take chronic, high levels of stress for granted in our lives. Unfortunately the contemporary combination of a stressful work environment, insufficient exercise, inadequate rest, and a poor diet composed largely of processed or prepared foods does not come without a cost. 48 million Americans report experiencing health problems related to stress and over 30 million Americans take drugs to ameliorate anxiety and depression. Millions more take drugs for stress related issues such as insomnia, headaches, chronic pain conditions, gastrointestinal problems, and the like .

What is Stress?

Stress is a state of increased “sympathetic tone.” We need stress to cope with threatening conditions. Our bodies respond to stressful situations by secreting Cortisol and other stress hormones, and releasing sugar into the blood. The combination of high levels of stress hormones and blood sugar gives us a sudden and profound increase in alertness and energy. Evolutionarily, this boost of energy allows humans to escape physically threatening situations quickly.

Why is Chronic Stress a Threat to Overall Health?

In contemporary times, stress is chronic rather then situational. Today, daily stress comes from anxiety due to financial strain, deadlines, family conflicts, and the like, as well as poor diet and toxic environments. These stressors cue our bodies to secrete Cortisol and release sugar into the blood but do not require sudden, intense exertion like running from a physical threat or doing heavy manual labor. Because most of us do not get enough exercise, or enough sleep, we are left in a constant state of sympathetic stimulation, with a steady baseline of stress hormones and elevated sugar levels circulating in our blood.

Constant sympathetic stimulation actually makes the body less capable of responding to stress and contributes to chronic illnesses both minor and severe. Cortisol is a steroid and, with prolonged exposure, contributes to tissue degeneration, hormonal imbalances and compromised immunity. Stress is physically and emotionally depleting. Stress makes us tired, causes us to gain weight, and makes it more difficult for our bones to heal if broken, and our muscles to mend if torn. Stress compromises immunity making us more susceptible to viruses, bacterial attack, environmental toxins, and dietary allergens that cause skin problems, digestive complaints, and chronic congestion, to name only a few.

How Acupuncture Combats Stress and Helps the Body Heal Itself

The opposite of sympathetic stimulation, or stress, is parasympathetic stimulation, or relaxation. The parasympathetic system, often known as the “rest and relax” or “rest and digest” system, allows for better sleep, easier digestion, tissue repair, pain relief, and enhanced immunity. To help relieve stress, the parasympathetic system releases powerful hormones called endorphins. Often known as the pleasure hormones, endorphins create a feeling of relaxation, calm, and well being in the body and mind.

Acupuncture is proven to stimulate the release of endorphins into the body. This is the reason why people often feel a sense of profound calm after an acupuncture treatment.

A Plan to Relieve Stress and Enhance Overall Wellbeing

The tools to manage stress effectively are present within all of us. Chinese Medicine can teach your body how to manage stress on its own, and give your body the strength to initiate its own healing process. By determining why and how stress is impacting your physical and psychological health, and pinpointing habits that exacerbate stress, acupuncture treatments help your body gain access to intrinsic and long forgotten self-care mechanisms that guard against the detrimental effects of chronic stress.

Managing Acute Stress Conditions

Just one or two acupuncture treatments may be enough to curb a panic attack or bout of severe insomnia. A stress and anxiety maintenance plan that includes acupuncture and Chinese herbs will have a preventative and far reaching effect on such conditions.

Self Care Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety

Exercise!

Exercising actually relieves the body of sympathetic tone by using stress hormones and blood sugar as they are intended; for physical exertion. If you think you don’t have time to exercise try slipping it in to your daily routine: walk to work if possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and go out to get lunch rather then ordering in.

Eat Meals Quietly and Calmly

Sympathetic tone redirects blood out of the digestive organs and into the extremities making digestion difficult and contributing to gastrointestinal discomfort. Do not eat at your desk. Try to eat three meals each day without reading, talking on the phone, or typing. Your food will taste better and you will feel better!

Relax Before Bed:

Avoid watching TV or working right up until you go to sleep. Even 5 minutes of quiet breathing and relaxation in bed before slipping off to sleep will make your rest deeper and more restorative. If you suffer from insomnia, give yourself 15 minutes to breathe deeply and focus your mind on your breath or the simple task of counting to ten before “trying” to fall asleep. This technique seems to simple to work but you will be amazed how profoundly your body responds to the most subtle cues.

A Few Illnesses That are Caused or Exacerbated by Stress

Chronic Headaches, Neck, & Back Pain Irritable Bowel Syndrome TMJ & Teeth Grinding Panic Attacks Insomnia Depression Fibromyalgia Infertility & Sexual Dysfunction Premenstrual Syndrome, Painful Menstruation, & Irregular Menstruation Hormonal Conditions: Diabetes Hypothyroid Hyperthyroid Pre and Post Operative Anxiety