The biggest barrier to recovery and healing is stress – the activation of the flight or fight mechanism. It is called the sympathetic nervous system. When you are in sympathetic dominance, you have high levels of cortisol and high levels of adrenaline. Both are produced by the adrenal gland.
Why does stress trigger the fight-or-flight mechanism?
The activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the activation of cortisol was not designed to go more than 90 seconds. The problem is nowadays it is on all day long. Our environment, our life, is filled with things that keep us in stress mode. When the body is in flight-or-fight, it is preparing for emergency survival, running away from something or fighting. You will not heal a hundred percent if you are in this mode.
Symptoms of chronic stress and fight-or-flight mode
It talks about the function of cortisol and what happens if you have too much cortisol, which is activated by stress.
It says, (cortisol) “diverts amino acids from lymphoid tissue (in the lymphic system) leading to marked (prominent) reduction in size and actual lysis (breakdown) of the (lymph) nodes.”
The lymph nodes are where the immune reactions take place. This reaction protects you from pathogens.
High cortisol will divert amino acids from the lymphatic systems leading to a noticeable reduction in the size and actual breakdown of the nodes.
This shrinks your immune system.
This is not good because now you are going loose your defense mechanism. It is making you immune system smaller.
The next quote from the book says, “this is accompanied by a marked (emphasized) decrease in overall antibody production, which together with breakdown of inter-and extracellular (inside and outside the cell) barriers… raises susceptibility to viral and bacterial infection.”
Antibodies are produced by your immune system they help develop immunity. Antibodies don’t necessarily kill, but they actually put a little tag on the pathogen for other immune cells to kill them. With enough antibodies in your system you are protected. But with high cortisol you have decrease in antibody production, which together with a breakdown in inter- and intra- cellular (between the cells and within the cells) barriers.
High cortisol causes a breakdown in your cellular barriers, which will raise your susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections.
To keep your immune system strong it’s not just about nutrition it’s also about keeping your stress as low as possible.
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Hans Selye, MD was endocrinologist known for his studies of the effects of stress on the human body. He concluded that to reduce stress we must adopt habits that minimize stressful demands.
He discovered that the body’s ability to control or reduce the stress has limits. This limited ability to adapt to stress is even more noticeable when the body is exposed to the stressor continuously.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS):
Stage 1: Alarm reaction
The immediate reaction to a stressor, is the “flight or fight response”. The body perceives a stressor as a threat or danger and releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones enable the body to perform activities beyond the range of normal ability.
Stage 2: Resistance
This occurs after the body has responded to a stressor, and the stress level has been reduced or removed. The body’s defenses become weaker, as it needs to divert energy to the damaged tissues and lower the production of stress hormones.
The body remains vigilant, especially when the stressors persist and the body is required to fight them continuously, although the response is weaker than the initial response.
Stage 3: Exhaustion
With long-term exposure to a stressor, the body starts to lose the ability to combat the stressor and to reduce its harmful impact; the adaptive energy is drained. It leads to “burnout” or “stress overload,” the individual is vulnerable to health problems. Catastrophic disease may occur.
How Stress Affects The Body
Musculoskeletal system
When the body is stressed, muscles become tense; it’s an automatic response, the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain. With the sudden onset of stress, the muscles tense all at once, then release their tension when the stress passes.
Chronic stresscauses the body to be in a constant state of guardedness. When muscles are tense over a long period of time, it may trigger other reactions of the body and promote stress-related disorders. Tension-type and migraine headaches are associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck, and head.
Relaxation techniques have been shown to effectively reduce muscle tension, decrease the incidence of certain stress-related disorders, such as headache, and increase a sense of well-being.
Respiratory system
Stress can affect your breathing patterns and your respiratory system. For those with asthma or a lung disease such as emphysema, getting the oxygen needed to breathe can be difficult, the stress can actually trigger asthma attacks.
Cardiovascular system
The heart and blood vessels work together to provide nourishment and oxygen throughout the body, and they play an important role in the stress response. Acute stress causes an increase in heart rate and stronger contractions of the heart muscle. The stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline) mediate the response.
Blood vessels to the large muscles and the heart dilate, increasing the amount of blood flow to those parts of the body and elevating blood pressure. Once the acute stress is removed, the body returns to its normal state.
Chronic, long-term stress can contribute to problems of the heart and blood vessels.The consistent increase in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as the higher level of circulating stress hormones, take a toll on health. They increase the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), heart attack and stroke.
Recurrent acute and persistent chronic stress can contribute to inflammation in the circulatory system, especially the coronary arteries.It is believed that it’s such inflammation that ties stress to heart attacks. Chronic stress can also elevate total cholesterol levels.
How Stress Affects Your Health
The stress response is automatic, developed in our ancestors to protect them from predators. Faced with danger, stress hormones flood the body, boosting energy, and readying it to fight the problem. People face multiple challenges every day. Regardless of the source of the stress, the body reacts in much the same way.
When stress interferes with daily life for an extended period of time, it gradually takes a greater and greater toll on the body and mind, leading to fatigue, inability to concentrate, and irritable mood. Chronic stress can cause disease, either because of changes in the body or because of the overeating, smoking, and other high-risk behaviors people employ to cope with stress. Job strain is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease. Depression and low levels of social support increase risk for cardiovascular disease. When illness occurs, stress can make it harder to recover.
What To Do
Reducing stress makes a person feel better immediately, and can help protect health long-term.
Some simple methods for reducing stress include:
Identify what’s causing the stress. Be aware of your state of mind throughout the day. If you feel stressed, write down the cause, your thoughts and mood. When you know what’s bothering you, you can develop a plan for coping. That may mean more realistic expectations of yourself and others, and perhaps asking for help with your job or your home. Determine your priorities and eliminate nonessential tasks. Make sure you have some time each day that is your own and nobody else’s.
Build strong relationships. Relationships can be a source of stress or serve as stress relievers. Reach out to family members and close friends. They can offer practical advice, emotional support and perhaps a different perspective on the stressor.
Walk away. When you’re angry, walk away and reconsider before you react.
Physical activity can help you work off steam. It’s a natural stress-reliever and increases endorphins. Commit to a daily walk or other form of exercise.
Rest your mind. Stress interferes with sleep. Practice good sleep hygiene and try to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Cut back on caffeine and stimulating activity. Eliminate the use of computers or television before bed; even better, take them out of the bedroom entirely. Yoga and relaxation exercises will help to reduce stress and boost the immune system.
Get help from a professional. A mental health professional can teach you how to identify situations or behaviors that act as stressors. Develop an action plan for change.
In this Blog I discuss the Ketogenic and GAPS (for gut health) diets, supplements and Super-slow High Resistance Training.
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Are there solutions to stress? In this Post I selected four experts to show us how.
SOLUTION ONE: To restore cells to normal and reverse disease, you have to address why cells are malfunctioning. Cells malfunction only if they suffer from a lack of nutrients (deficiency) or excess of something not needed (toxicity), and usually a combination of both.
Manufacturing stress chemicals depletes the body of critical nutrients, causing deficiency, and the buildup of stress chemicals has a toxic effect on the body.
You have a power to prevent the two causes of the disease because you are able to choose how you live your life. All you have to do is give your cells what they need and protect them from what they don’t need.
Dr. Raymond Francisis described as “one of the few scientists who has achieved a breakthrough understanding of health and disease,” Raymond Francis draws deeply from his years of personal experience and professional training. He is a chemist and a graduate of MIT.
SOLUTION TWO:How Stress Impacts Your Gut
Chronic stress results in alterations in your brain-gut connection, which can cause or worsen numerous gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, GERD and more.
In a very real sense you have two brains, one inside your skull and one in your gut. Interestingly, these two organs are actually created out of the same type of tissue during fetal development.
These two systems are connected via the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from your brain stem down to your abdomen. This “brain-gut axis” is what connects your two brains together, and explains why you get butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous, for example.
Imbalances in Your Gut Can Make You Depressed, Anxious and More
Increasingly, scientific evidence shows that nourishing your gut flora with the friendly bacteria with fermented foods or probiotics is extremely important for proper brain function, and that includes psychological well-being and mood control. For instance, the probiotic known as Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 has been shown to normalize anxiety-like behavior in mice with infectious colitis.i
Research published in 2011 also demonstrated that probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry under normal conditions — in such a way that can impact your feelings of anxiety or depression. In short, the probiotic ** Lactobacillus rhamnosus*had a marked effect on GABA [an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is significantly involved in regulating many physiological and psychological processes] levels in certain brain regions and lowered the stress-induced hormone corticosterone, resulting in reduced anxiety- and depression-related behavior.ii
Stress-reduction tools used in combination with dietary approaches to heal and support your gut can help improve your overall health on physical and emotional levels. ***
Next search for: How Stress Wreaks Havoc on Your Gut
** Lactobacillus rhamnosus may be in other products but I found it in Dr. Tennant’s Gut Pro-B. For more information visit http://senergy.us/nutritional-products.html When I order them I call 972-580-0545. I do not make a profit from sales.
SOLUTION THREE:Dr. McGuff, an Emergency Doctor and exercise expert, shares to the tools he uses to prepare for the most stressful situations. If it works for him, perhaps it will work for you too. To learn about Dr. McGuff visit http://www.drmcguff.com/about-doug/
Source:How to Survive High Stress, Difficult Situations | Doug McGuff M.D.
Controlling inner stress helps you deal with external stress. Here is an overview of the tools he uses:
B Breathe – calm yourself using Box-Breathing
T Talk – Talk yourself through the stressful situation. You can do this?
C Visualize your Desired Outcome
F Focus
P Posture
You have heard from these experts on how to handle stress. Now it is your time to take action. What is your solution?
SOLUTION FOUR: This is where YOU fill in the blank. “I reduce stress by ________.”
Disclaimer: The content of this email or Post is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations is at the choice and risk of the reader.
It will be the same posting that I email, but you can search the Blog using key words. In the Blog I discuss the Ketogenic and GAPS (for gut health) diets, supplements and Super-slow High Resistance Training.
If you are interested in following my postings, please click the Follow button to receive an email when the next posting is available. Hint: You may have to click the Accept and Close button before follow is available.
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As always, I am interested in your thoughts on these topics.
2HealthyHabits 