Doc Watson

In today’s world stress is the number one reason individuals seek out the advice of their physicians. That’s right. According to statistics more than 90% of trips to the doctor are stress-related. In many cases patients aren’t even aware they are under stress it is so pervasive in our society. Stress comes in all forms and affects people of all ages and walks of life. And, stress isn’t always bad for us. When carrying out a task or an important assignment a mild degree of stress can be helpful in that it often compels us to do a good job and work energetically. But that isn’t the kind of stress referred to here. This stress can be disruptive to the body’s balance and function eventually leading to illness, in some cases, of a serious nature (ex: cancer, heart disease, etc).

So who is most susceptible to stress? The degree of stress in our lives is dependent upon a number of individual factors such as our physical wellness, the number of traumatic events or changes that have recently taken place in our lives, the quality of our interpersonal relationships, the degree to which others are dependent upon us or their expectations of us, and the amount of support we receive from others. We can make some generalizations such as, persons with adequate social support networks report less stress and overall improved mental health in comparison to those without these social contacts. Individuals with poor nutrition, inadequate sleep, or illness also have a reduced ability to handle pressure and stresses of everyday life and may report higher stress levels. Often times, the transitional periods of our life cycle, children to teens, adults to seniors can have stressors peculiar to that group.

Symptoms of poorly managed stress can manifest themselves in a number of ways. Many individuals report that stress induces headaches, sleep disturbances, feelings of anxiety or tension. Anger, depression or lack of concentration can also be indicative of stress related problems. Lack of interest in food or increased appetite can both be signals of increased intolerance to stress. In severe cases individuals can experience overwhelming stress and then “burnout” results with a loss of interest in normal activities. All of this can have a negative impact on our immune system so we are more likely to experience frequent colds or other infections. Overall, chronic stress can lead to decreased quality of life; mentally, physically, and spiritually

So what is a person to do? The first thing we need to recognize is that stress is hazardous to our health. Most people are unaware that serious chronic stress can lead to serious illness and that stress, although not considered a disease process, is worthy of consideration. A 2001 study reported that treatments that reduce psychological distress after a heart attack appeared to improve long-term outlooks. Some evidence exists that stress management programs may reduce the risk of heart events (ex: heart attack) by up to 75% in people with heart disease.

• Here are some recommendations to help reduce stress. As in all areas of stress management, making a plan and executing it successfully develops feelings of mastery and control, which are very beneficial in and of themselves.
• Eat a Healthy Diet. A healthy lifestyle is an essential companion to any stress-reduction program. A diet rich in a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and by avoiding excessive alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.
• Exercise. Exercise in combination with stress management techniques is extremely important for many reasons. Exercise is an effective distraction from stressful events. And most importantly, stress itself poses significantly less danger to overall health in the physically active individual. The heart and circulation are able to work harder for longer stretches of time, and the muscles, ligaments, bones, and joints become stronger and more flexible
• Identifying Sources of Stress. It is useful to start the process of stress reduction with a diary that keeps an informal inventory of daily events and activities. A few words accompanying a time and date will usually be enough to serve as reminders of significant events or activities.
• Restructuring Priorities: Adding Stress Reducing Activities. Eliminating stress is rarely practical or feasible, but there are many ways to reduce its impact. One study indicated, in fact, that adding daily pleasant events has more positive effects on the immune system than reducing stressful or negative ones. In most cases, small daily decisions for improvement accumulate and reconstruct a stressed existence into a pleasant and productive one.
• Discuss Feelings. Feelings of anger or frustration that are not expressed in an acceptable way may lead to hostility, a sense of helplessness, and depression.
• Keep Perspective and Look for the Positive. Reversing negative ideas and learning to focus on positive outcomes helps reduce tension and achieve goals.
• Use Humor. Research has shown that humor is a very effective mechanism for coping with acute stress. Laughter not only releases the tension of pent-up feelings and helps keep perspective, but it appears to have actual physical effects that reduce stress hormone levels.
• Use Natural Remedies to Nourish the Body’s Systems Nutritional supplements can be helpful additions to any program dealing with stress. You can gently soothe away tension with a preventive wellness approach. L-Theanine is an amazing amino acid that promotes non-drowsy relaxation by crossing the blood-brain barrier to increase levels of relaxation neurotransmitters, dopamine and GABA, in the brain. This increases alpha-brain wave activity associated with alert relaxation. L-Theanine also protects your body by supporting your immune system. It also helps lower cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a critical hormone secreted by the adrenal glands in the body in response to stress. Many experts now theorize that high cortisol levels from ongoing stress can contribute to imbalances in our body’s systems. Along with Theanine taking a good multi vitamin will help the body with general good health. And, Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids can help the brain with cognition and development of proper cell membranes throughout the body.

For more information about this and other health issues and supplements that might be helpful, you can write to me at docwatson@docwatson.com or go to my website docwatson.com