Healthy Concepts Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 1
Winter/Spring 2008

Stress:  What is it?  How do I handle it better?

Stress is the body’s adaptation to change. When you are under stress, your breathing and heart rate speed up; your muscles get ready to run (flee) or fight; and your digestive system slows down. When the stressful period is over, the body returns to a state of balance (“homeostasis”). 

People tend to think of stress mostly in terms of worry or hurry. Some examples include financial or relationship problems, ill health, concern about friends or family, expecting the worst, deadlines, not enough time, or too much to do. Stress can come from other sources as well, like the environment. For example, extreme weather conditions, fluorescent lights, noise, traffic, air-borne chemicals (pollen, pesticides, pollution). Still other sources of stress involve changes in our bodies (adolescence, menopause, growth spurts, injury, illness), or lack of exercise, poor nutrition, or poor quality sleep.

Stress can have a detrimental effect on the body over time. The adrenal glands help direct the body changes that occur during stress. However, they can stop doing their job if pushed too hard. This is called “adrenal exhaustion” (chronic fatigue, loss of motivation and energy). Chronic stress can also negatively affect the heart, muscles, stomach, intestines, blood pressure, blood flow to the head, reproduction, lungs, how the body handles sugar, bone density, and more. To prevent this, the first step starts with awareness. Check in with yourself daily. Are you feeling happy and motivated; do you have plenty of energy; do you feel good in your body? Or are you exhausted, tired, unmotivated, sick, quick to get angry or tense, or otherwise not happy with your life?

There are many ways to reduce or relieve the stress in your life. Things like deep breathing, exercise, rest, relaxation, and proper nutrition can usually help no matter what the cause. Other effective methods include progressive relaxation of muscles, thought stopping, worry control, time management, and meditation.

These methods are described in the book, The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook by Davis, Eshelman, and McKay. Other resources include Stress Management for Dummies  by Allen Elkin (I would not consider anyone a “dummy” for consulting this book!), and  Stress Reduction Workshop for Women by Jacquelyn Ferguson (audio cassettes). For specific instructions on deep breathing and progressive relaxation, plus other ideas for reducing stress, see page 3 and 4.

Hands-on Therapies for Reducing Stress

Being able to handle stress on your own is very important, but if you need a little help in getting there, you might want to try some natural therapies.

Natural hands-on therapies allow you to relax and let someone else help you return to a balanced, calm, relaxed, and peaceful state of body and mind. These therapies move the fluids of the body (blood, lymph and cerebrospinal fluid) and balance the nervous systems. Since all body parts affect each other, though each may have a different focus, every one of these therapies can help your body and mind return to a place of well being and give you the ability to respond better to whatever happens in your life. 

When we are under stress, the “sympathetic” nervous system is activated. The body is “on call” to take care of dangerous situations. After the stressful situation is over, the “parasympathetic” nervous system resumes its functions, allowing us to return to a restful state and start digesting food again. In other words we go from feeling our heart pounding, our muscles tightening, and having butterflies in our stomach to a place of calm and relaxation.

Chiropractic adjustments help us return to a calmer state of being by opening up nerve flow so the two nervous systems can balance out. They also can get the lymphatic system going to clear or recycle chemicals that have been produced by the stress response. They help the circulation return to normal as well. People often feel a greater sense of well being after receiving chiropractic adjustments.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) releases tensions deep in the body and allows the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to function normally. CST can bring stored emotions up and out of the body. People often reach a very profound state of relaxation during treatment.

Massage and other body work help relieve tense muscles that have been overworked or fatigued from too much “fight or flight.” Massage releases endorphins and increases circulation and lymph flow (making it easier to transport toxins and waste materials out of the body). Massage relaxes the mind and muscles, helping you feel relaxed and renewed.

In my practice, I often combine these three hands-on therapies to help people return to a more balanced state of being in mind and body. Any one of these therapies can also be used on their own as well, depending on the needs of the individual person. 

Follow-up to “Want More Energy?  Hold The Coffee!”

     After writing the last newsletter about coffee, I talked with two people who had already reduced their coffee intake. One of them told me she noticed a reduction in aches and pains. The other had noticed a reduction in breast cysts. Drinking too much coffee is like taking too much medication. It may help one thing but make something else worse. In each of these situations, avoiding coffee allowed the body to return to homeostasis so it could heal itself.

Ways to Reduce Stress

A.  Deep Breathing

     When you are under stress, you breathe quickly and more shallowly. Your heart rate speeds up. To reverse this, simply stop and take several deep breaths. When you have more time, practice deep breathing for a longer period of time. It will help you deeply relax and restore your body and mind to a more balanced state.

1.  Lie down on the floor or bed with legs straight and slightly apart, arms down but not touching your body, palms up. Close your eyes.

2.  To become more aware of your breathing, you may want to place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest. Notice which hand rises the most as you breathe in. In order to breathe deeply, your abdomen and/or back lower ribs should expand considerably. If you feel that your chest is expanding more than your abdomen, consciously push the air out of the bottom of your lungs and allow your abdomen to naturally expand with the next inhalation. Your diaphragm expands downward when you breathe deeply, so this is aptly called “diaphragmatic breathing.” As you practice this exercise, it should become easy and effortless.  As you exhale, your chest and abdomen will fall.

3.  After you become familiar with what it means to breathe deeply, you can breathe without conscious effort. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. If you breathe out through your mouth, you will make a “whooshing” sound as you gently blow out. Do not force your breathing, but just notice it. Notice the sounds that come with breathing, and the movement your body makes.

4.  Even 5 minutes of deep breathing can be very relaxing. If it feels right, you may want to work up to 20 minutes. This can be a form of meditation as you breathe deeply and focus on your breath.  When you lose focus, just be aware that you’ve done so, and start again. 

B.  Progressive Relaxation

     In this exercise, you will be tightening and relaxing each body part sequentially. Be careful not to tighten up too much so as to avoid cramping.

1.  Sit on a chair or lie down. Take a few deep breaths. 

2.  Clench your fists for about 3 to 5 seconds, then relax 5 to 10 seconds, letting your muscles suddenly (not gradually) go limp. Feel the difference between tightening and relaxing.

3.  Tense your forearms for 3 to 5 seconds, then let them go limp. Repeat with your upper arms and shoulders.

4.  Continue with your face, tensing and releasing the forehead, mouth and lips, eyes, nose, and jaw. As before, notice the difference between tensing and relaxing.

5.  Do the same with your neck and each body part down to your feet. (You can also start with your feet and work up to your face. Don’t forget your arms.)

6.  After you’ve taken care of each body part in turn, you can also tense your whole body at once, and then completely let go, relaxing into the floor or bed.

7.  Continuing lying down for a minute or longer, paying attention to your breath and continuing to relax. When you get up, turn on your side and get up slowly.

C.  Other Stress Reducing Activities and Remedies Not Widely Known 

1.  Emotional Freedom Technique. Gary Craig teaches a technique to help reduce stress around emotionally charged situations by tapping on acupuncture points. See www.emofree.com for downloadable instructions. 

2.  Radical Forgiveness. Colin Tipping has developed a way to help people release negative emotions toward others and toward oneself, naturally letting go of blame. He has an easy to use, step by step form that goes along with his book. See www.radicalforgiveness.com.

3.  “Rescue Remedy” and other flower essences are natural energy remedies taken orally or massaged into the body to help people heal on an emotional and mental level. Rescue Remedy is especially helpful for anxiety, nervousness, and stress. Read more about flower essences at www.fesflowers.com. See the “FAQ” section. 

4.  Holding “emotional points.” On the forehead, there are 2 areas on either side of the forehead slightly more prominent than the rest called “frontal eminences.” When you are in a highly emotional state and want help calming down, you can hold these points and think or talk out loud about your situation. Go through the situation three times and notice if the intensity of your emotions starts to diminish. You can also have someone else hold these points for you while you are thinking or talking about the situation.

5.  Vitamins and minerals. There are vitamin, mineral, and herbal combinations that help relax the body and restore the adrenal glands. The specific nutrients and amounts recommended depend on your particular situation. It’s important to use good quality supplements and appropriate amounts. If you would like help with this, you may contact me at (410) 880-4215, x104 or consult another practitioner proficient in nutrition and the use of food supplementation.

Volume 2, Issue 3 
Fall 2007

Want More Energy?  Hold the Coffee!

Many people start drinking coffee in their late teens as a way of jumpstarting themselves in the morning.  As the years go by, however, they may notice that they need more and more coffee to get the same results.

Caffeine seems like it gives you energy, and may be okay for occasional use, but it can actually be energy-depleting if used regularly over a long period of time.  Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to constrict your blood vessels so blood moves more quickly through your body and to your brain.  Caffeine also stimulates the adrenal glands to release glucose into the cells for fuel; which, among other things, helps your muscles to contract to get ready to “flee or fight.”  Your body gears up to respond to danger. You’re hyper-alert and tense, preparing to react, and not able to relax. 

Day after day of this caffeine stimulation and/or stress can wear out the adrenal glands.  Chances are that, eventually, you won’t be able to get going in the morning even with coffee.  Your adrenal glands won’t be able to respond to stress because they are all worn out from over stimulation, and you will be even more tired – chronically fatigued – than before you started drinking coffee.

Here are some signs that you are probably overly dependent on coffee and maybe even addicted to it: 

• When you don’t drink coffee for a few days, you get a headache. 

• If you have a headache, drinking coffee relieves it.

• You feel like you can’t function without coffee in the morning.

• You need more and more coffee to get the same “jolt”. 

In his book Caffeine Blues, Stephen Cherniske suggests a gradual weaning off of coffee so that you don’t get a headache.  This involves replacing some of your caffeinated coffee with either decaf or organic “coffee” (which is really an herbal alternative but according to Cherniske a very good tasting, satisfying one for coffee drinkers who like a robust flavor).  Each day, replace more and more until there’s no caffeine in your beverage.  This system can take as little as 2 weeks. 

“But,” you may be thinking, “now what do I do to get going in the morning?”  Having enough energy for everything you want to do, including easily getting up in the morning, is largely about establishing healthy habits and having balance and purpose in your life.  See “Tips for Creating More Energy in Your Life” on page 3.   If you’d like some individual help or have questions about these, please call Maria at (410) 880-4215, x104.

Stop Pain Fast with a Simple Hands-on Energy Technique

Holding my patient’s arm where he was feeling pain, I could feel heat releasing and energy moving and settling down.  After 10 to 20 minutes, his pain was pretty much gone and has remained so for over a year.  The same thing has happened when working with patients with hip, knee, and other areas of pain.  This does not happen every time I use this technique, but when it does it can be dramatic and permanent.       

I may not be using all the correct chemistry terms here, but this is my idea of how something like this works.  When you injure a body part, whether from a single physical trauma or repetitive motion or a psychologically stressful situation, the energy in the area can become unordered and chaotic. 

Think of high school chemistry class and the electrons moving around a particular energy field.  It makes sense to me that this field can be disrupted and become disorganized.  Somehow, holding your hands on the area causes the energy to reorganize.  This affects the physiology of the body part, making it more balanced and able to function normally so that it can heal itself, just as the body was meant to do.

If you are interested in learning this technique, please give Maria a call at (410) 880-4215, x104.

• Chiropractic adjustments

• Massage

• CranioSacral Therapy

• Nutrition

• Muscle balancing

• Kinesiology

Tips for Creating More Energy in Your Life

1. Get more rest.  Develop a habit of going to bed the same time every night and get about 6 to 8 hours of sleep (some people may need more).  If you can’t get 8 hours, take a nap in the afternoon.  If you can’t take a nap in the afternoon, close your eyes, sit, and do nothing for 5 to 10 minutes once or twice a day.  Meditation is also very restful and may help you get by on less sleep.
    
2. Give yourself a suggestion before you go to bed at night that you will feel awake and happy, ready to start your day when you get up in the morning.  Remind yourself again when you wake up. Try this for 3 to 4 weeks until it becomes a habit.
    
3. Make better food choices.   Cut out bread, crackers, and pastries from your meals (at least some of them).  Try it for a week, or even a day and you may be pleasantly surprised.  Some people are sensitive to these foods and get sleepy after eating them.  The same goes for sugar.  Eat a healthy, high protein snack (eggs, raw nuts, fish, chicken, beef, protein shakes) in the middle of the afternoon. 
    
4. Drink hot or warm water in the morning.  Add some lemon juice (no sugar) to it for a simple “detox.” Drinking more water in general can help you feel more awake and less “draggy.”
    
5. In addition to drinking more water, there are other ways to “detox.”  Some involve something simple like drinking once-a-day herbal detox teas.  Others are more involved like going on a 3 week program of special foods and supplements.  Detoxing rids your body of waste products and toxins which overtax the body and drains it of energy.
    
6. Add some exercise to your routine, even if it’s only walking for 10 minutes outside or even in your house to get the blood moving and your brain waking up.   Take breaks at work and stretch or walk around.
    
7. Take Epsom salt (or other salt) baths.  These salts are very relaxing and rejuvenating.  As an extra added bonus, they can be detoxifying as well.
    
8. Be aware of how your body feels.  Sleep when you need it, eat when you’re hungry, and move every day.  When possible, find ways of helping your body feel better that don’t involve popping a pill.  Breathe, and let go of tense muscles.
    
9. Live your life’s purpose.  Fill your time with things you want to do, are inspiring, or that bring you closer to your goals.  Be organized and focused.  Say “no.”  Don’t commit yourself to more things than you can handle well.  Delegate or share responsibilities.
    
10. Appreciate what you like about yourself, others, and about your life.  Negative emotions will wear you down.  Feel them, acknowledge them, and let them go if you can.  If you can’t, understand that, just like pain, negative emotions are trying to get your attention and tell you something.  See if you can learn from them.  What are they telling you that you don’t want?  What are they telling you that you do want?

Maria Petrucci, D.C., 9145 Guilford Road, Suite 100, Columbia, MD  21046  (410) 880-4215, x104