Stress

Ahh, stress. There would be almost no-one out there who was immune to the effects of stress – it could almost be considered the epidemic of the modern world.

Stress used to serve a vital purpose for our cave-dwelling ancestors. If they stumbled across a sabre-toothed tiger, or perhaps a woolly mammoth gazing in the field, the ‘flight or fight’ response that their body kicked into enable them to fight for their lives, or get as far away as possible from that threat. But in the modern world, when the many little stresses we are exposed to each day kick-start the same physical response in the body, this can be exhausting and damaging to health.

Granted, even now, some stress may be healthy and beneficial (such as the excitement felt before a running race); but overall, we are subjected to far greater amounts of persistent low-grade stress that the body has simply not evolved to handle.

Stress may be defined as a person’s response to a taxing physical, emotional or environmental situation. It begins in the brain, which, upon sensing threat, sends signals to the adrenal glands to pump out hormones including adrenalin, noradrenalin and cortisol. These make you more alert, give you a burst of strength and energy, cause heat, sweating and produce a variety of other bodily responses, such as increased blood pressure and increased blood sugar. They also temporarily shut down the immune system and digestive system, so that all of the body’s energy can be focused on dealing with the threat.

So you can imagine that, if this cascade of events is activated many times a day, eventually the body begins to be unable to cope. At this point, a person may become worn out, run down, have low energy and get sick more frequently. In other words, they hit burnout or may be heading for a 'nervous breakdown’.

Natural Remedies.

Luckily, there are many natural products that can help to ameliorate (cope with) the effects of stress, and to revitalise a person who is reaching burnout.

There are groups of herbs known as adrenal tonics and adaptogens that help the body to cope with stress, increase energy and stamina, and refresh the adrenal glands. Liquorice, Rehmannia, Rhodiola, Withania and all of the ginsengs fall into this category. Herbs of Gold Stress Ease Adrenal Support and Herbs of Gold Ginseng 4 Energy are stand out formulas that will help to soothe stress whilst increasing energy. Vitamin C is released from the adrenal glands in times of stress, so taking extra amounts of Wonderfoods Vitamin C with Hesperidin Powder or Herbs of Gold Vitamin C 1000 + Zinc and Flavonoids is important too. Mental worry is a form of stress, so herbs and nutrients that soothe and calm the nervous system may help – these include such things as Herbs of Gold Extra Strength St John’s Wort, Herbs of Gold B Complete Sustained Release, Oats, Passionflower and Herbs of Gold Muscle Resuscitation (magnesium). Both  B vitamins and Magnesium are depleted when you are stressed, and this can make things worse. Surrounding yourself with relaxing scents like Lavender, taking a soothing bath with Magnesium Soak – Relax & Rejuvenate and having a massage with Riddell's Creek Relaxing Massage Oil are all lifestyle choices that you can make to deal with stress in healthy ways.

Also, flower essences, like Bach Rescue Remedy, Australian Bush Flowers Emergency Essence or homeopathic products like Brauer Nervatona are all very fast acting emergency relief of stress that you can take whenever you feel it starting to well up.

Research Updates - June 2011

Kennedy, D et al (2010), ‘Effects of high-dose B vitamin complex with vitamin C and minerals on subjective mood and performance in healthy males’, Psychopharmacology (Berl),  211(1), pp:55-68.

You might not think that you’re particularly affected by stress, but it appears even healthy people may benefit from supplementation.  In this study, 215 healthy men were split into two groups and monitored after a month of receiving either supplements or placebo. Those who took Vitamin C and Vitamin B supplementation (low dose) had significant improvements on their general stress and overall health questionnaires. They also rated themselves as being less ‘mentally tired’ than the other group, both before and after a stressful mental task.

Just goes to show, your health may be good, but it can always be enhanced! And stress is one of those conditions that many of us can fall prey to, so it’s good to have a nutritional “back-up plan”.

Vive Health Naturopaths recommend the following products for Stress:

NOTE: Consideration should always be given to individual requirements.  Please consider seeing a qualified practitioner before commencing a new treatment protocol or when combining supplements with pharmaceutical medication.

For more information on Stress or to ask a Qualified Naturopath a question Click Here.