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Chronic Stress Destroys Health Part 2

February 18th, 2009 | Author: acupunk62

Okay, this ain’t rocket science its common sense, but as Mark Twain once wrote, “Common sense is very uncommon”.

Go on a “low information diet”. Turn off the TV and Radio News. Its all crap anyways and designed to induce fear. The old saying in the TV news biz is “If it bleeds it leads”. Suffering and bad news seems inevitable in the world, but do we have to immerse ourselves in it? Focus on what you can change in the world. If something is important, and you NEED to know about it, believe me you will hear about it. In the mean time turn off the news and violent TV shows!

Learn to breath! Most of us breath with our upper chest. Sort of a chronic hyperventilation style breathing. The problem is, we are designed to breath with our abdominal muscles. The chest muscles are secondary muscles of respiration. Using them to breath sends a signal to the adrenal glands that the body is under stress causing adrenaline to be released constantly. Anxiety attack anyone??

Instead, use your belly to breath. Push out your belly and that allows your diaphragm muscle to drop pulling the lungs open. It feels unnatural at first but with practice becomes second nature. If you doubt me, watch any child under the age of 6 years old breath. Their bellies go in and out. Not much stress in their lives!!

Take time to meditate, there are plenty of resources that can teach you how both on the web or in print. There are great CD’s that will guide you through meditation. My personal favorite is one by Rod Stryker, “Relax into Greatness“.  I keep it on my iPod and when I need a recharge I sit quietly and follow along. No chanting or burning incense is involved. You don’t have to sit in lotus position. Just listen and relax. I highly recommend it.

Exercise: this is a big stumbling block for most people, but it doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to join a gym or spend lots of money on fancy running shoes and gear. Simple things like taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator or parking farther from the store and walking a bit farther add up to increased fitness. A study at UC Berkeley in 1996 showed that a 10 minute walk can enhance mood for up to 2 hours!

Nutrition: Another big stumbling block for many people. Eating is not as simple as it used to be! It is in fact as easy or as hard as we choose it to be. I like to follow the “9 Simple Rules For Eating“.

If eating right is too complicated then supplement with whole food nutrition. Avoid vitamin supplements, the evidence is showing clearly that isolated vitamins have little if any effect on health. Whole food nutritional’s provide concentrated foods and are naturally high in antioxidants and can reduce the effects of oxidative stress on the body.

Acupuncture! It is, quite simply, a great stress reducer. Acupuncture stimulates the movement of the vital energy Qi  in the body. When Qi flows unimpeded in the body you are more resilient to daily stresses. You have more energy and are focused. Stress can lead to blockages in this energetic movement which ultimately can create dis-function and dis-ease in the body.

Regular acupuncture treatment can help reduce, overall chronic stress, increase your sense of well being and resiliency. Typically when combined with some of the above suggestions a regular monthly visit can reduce the toxic effects of stress!

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