Stress

Stress
The term stress refers to any reaction to a physical, mental, or emotional stimulus that upsets (dis-eases) the body’s natural balance. Stress is an unavoidable part of life. It can result from many things, both physical and psychological. Pressures and deadlines at work, problems with loved ones, the need to pay bills, and getting ready for the holidays are the obvious sources of stress for many people. Less obvious sources include everyday encounters with crowds, noise, traffic, pain, extremes of temperatures, and even welcome events such as starting a new job or the birth of a child. Overwork, lack of sleep, physical illness, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking are common physical factors that put stress on the body. Some people create their own stress; whether there is anything objectively wrong in their lives or not, they find things to worry about.
Some people handle stress well. Others are very negatively influenced by it. Stress can cause fatigue, chronic headaches, irritability, changes in appetite, memory loss, low self-esteem, withdrawal, tooth-grinding, cold hands, high blood pressure, shallow breathing, nervous twitches, lowered sexual drive, insomnia or other changes in sleep patterns, and/or gastrointestinal disorders. Stress creates an excellent breeding ground for illness. Researchers estimate that stress contributes to as many as 80 percent of all major illnesses, including cardiovascular dis-ease, cancer, endocrine and metabolic dis-ease, skin disorders, and infectious ailments of all kinds. Many psychiatrists believe that the majority of back problems-one of the most common adult ailments in the United States- are related to stress. Stress is also a common precursor of psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression.
While stress is often viewed as a mental or psychological problem, it has very real physical effects. The body responds to stress with a series of physiological changes that include increased secretion of adrenaline, elevation of blood pressure, acceleration of heartbeat, and greater tension in the muscles. Digestion slows or stops, fats and sugars are released from stores in the body, cholesterol levels rise, and the composition of blood changes slightly, making it more prone to clotting. Almost all body functions and organs react to stress. The pituitary gland increases its production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turns stimulates the release of the hormones cortisone and cortisol. These have the effect of inhibiting the functioning of disease-fighting white blood cells and suppressing the immune response. This complex of physical changes is called the fight or flight response, and is apparently designed to prepare one to face an immediate danger. Today, most of our stresses are not the result of physical threats, but the body still responds as if they were.
The increased production of adrenal hormones is responsible for most of the symptoms associated with stress. It is also the reason that stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Increased adrenaline production causes the body to step up its metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to quickly produce energy for the body to use. This response causes the body to excrete amino acids, potassium, and phosphorus; to deplete magnesium stored in muscle tissue; and to store less calcium. Further, the body does not absorb ingested nutrients well under stress. The result is that, especially with polonged or recurrent stress, the body becomes at once deficient in many nutrients and unable to replace them adequately. Many of the disorders that arise from stress are the result of nutritional deficiencies, especially of b-complex vitamins, which are very important for proper functioning of the nervous system, and of certain electrolytes, which are depleted by the body’s stress response. Stress also promotes the formation of free radicals that can become oxidized and damage body tissues, especially cell membranes.
Many people attribute their stress-related symptoms to nerves, and in fact stress usuall does affect the parts of the body that are related to the nervous system first, especially through the digestive organs. Symptoms of stress-related disorders may be a flare-up of an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome. If stress that produces such symptoms is not handled properly, then more serious illnesses may result.
Stress can be either acute or long-term. Long-term stress is particularly dangerous. A state of continual stress eventually wears out the body. Because of its effect on the immune response, stress increases susceptibility to illness and slows healing.
Nutritional support
1. Vitamin B complex
2. all B vitamins
3. Licorice root
4. Schizandra

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