Stress Reduction

Do you feel continually stressed out, tense, anxious?

Stress Reduction Seminars and/or private sessions with Laurie Lynch, ND, CHt. allow you to experience the pleasant calm of being guided through relaxation and stress-reduction techniques, and you learn to do these techniques for yourself. You learn about stress, its symptoms, the body’s coping mechanisms, what causes them to malfunction, and how to nourish them so they can heal and appropriately handle stressful situations.

Controlling Stresses in Your Life

by Laurie Lynch, ND, CHt.

What is stress?

Stress, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is mental, emotional, or physical tension, strain, or distress — the “wear and tear” our bodies experience as we adjust to changes. Stress can be either beneficial and strengthening or harmful and health-damaging.

Good stress: Occasional physical and psychological challenges are not unhealthy for most people, and can actually be strengthening. Short-term stressors boost the immune system.

Bad stress: Research shows that long-term activation of the stress system can have a hazardous, even lethal, effect on the body, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, depression, and other illnesses. Chronic, long-term stress suppresses the immune system and can damage glands and organs.

Symptoms of stress

Psychological / behavioral: feeling rushed; worrying about the past or future; feeling overburdened; feeling depressed, agitated, or “on edge”; chronic insomnia, fatigue, or nightmares; decreased concentration; needing outside stimulation such as caffeine, junk food, alcohol, or TV to feel good.

Physiological: dizziness; rapid or irregular heartbeat; rapid breathing; twitching or trembling; diarrhea; frequent urination; sweating; and frequent tension in the neck, face, shoulders, back, chest, or abdomen.

The body’s response to stress

Acute stress activates the hypothalamus, which through a cascade of hormones raises blood levels of cortisol — the major steroid hormone that helps us get through stressful situations. The heart rate and blood pressure increase, breathing becomes rapid, blood flow may increase 300–400%, and the digestive system shuts down temporarily. Once the threat passes, the relaxation response is activated and the body’s systems normalize.

Causes of stress

• Circumstantial: tests, job interviews, loss of a loved one, arguments. A healthy body’s coping mechanisms usually handle these.
• Physical: illness, injury, trauma, or overwork; thyroid problems or low blood sugar; caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; junk food, fried foods, sugar, and white flour; malnutrition (especially B-complex and B12 deficiency); fungal infection; and man-made chemicals such as MSG, aspartame, food additives, certain drugs, paint fumes, and agricultural chemicals.

The medical approach and its side effects

The most common anti-stress medications — benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and buspirone — carry many harmful side effects, including drowsiness, dependence, memory loss, depression, and, in the case of antidepressants, a documented link with suicidal behavior and violence (which prompted warning labels).

A safe, natural alternative

The strategy that tends to work is gradually and gently changing one’s habits, plus regular practices that put the body in a relaxed state. Relaxation techniques are easy to learn but require practice:

• Progressive muscle relaxation;
• Slow, relaxed deep-breathing exercises;
• Visualization;
• Deflating the danger of your fears;
• Removing stressors and managing your time;
• Exercise — a long leisurely walk, yoga, tai chi, or dancing. Studies show exercise can be at least as effective as standard antidepressants;
• Socializing;
• Meditation, such as Dr. Herbert Benson’s relaxation response;
• The right nutritional supplements to restore exhausted adrenal glands;
• Maintaining a healthy diet that helps eliminate harmful stress.

In a Wellness Consultation with Laurie Lynch, ND, CHt., you can be guided through these stress-reduction techniques and learn to do them yourself; learn the underlying causes of your unique stress condition; learn how to eat to help relieve stress; and learn which glands and organs are weak and how to nourish them back to health with safe natural foods and herbs.

Laurie Lynch is a Naturopathic Doctor, Wellness Consultant, Nutrition Expert, Master Herbalist, Master Iridologist, Certified Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, and Time Line Therapist. Dr. Lynch can be reached at The Living Well Health & Education Center, (910) 426-5159.