In this world of ever present tension, stress management has become a very valuable component of everyday life. Without proper stress management we are much more likely to develop serious illness.
The famous Hungarian doctor, Hans Selye, wrote a terrific book about this phenomenon called “The Stress of Life.” I would recommend it as a good read.
Our adrenal glands are the organs through which we respond to stress. They are designed to respond in 20-30 minute bursts of adrenaline. This gives us 20-30 minutes to sort out the stressor and move on, 20-30 minutes to identify what the problem is and what we intend to do about it. After that the adrenals ideally are allowed to recharge for the next traumatic event.
This response worked well when the stressor was a predatory beast – for instance a saber toothed tiger. However, the stressors of this day and age can be a bit more insidious and a lot more persistent. They can push the limits of our adrenals. So, count to 10 and smell the roses.
More often these days a person does not allow their adrenal glands to recover. This sets up a situation where the adrenals overproduce it’s steroid/hormones and can predispose the person to illness. When the body’s attention is focused on one overwhelming “life threatening” event at the expense of managing the entire body, many of the everyday free radical activities will be left unchecked, thereby leaving those areas vulnerable to consequences such as cancer and autoimmune conditions. Basically, bad things are more likely to happen when our policing activities are distracted.
In the extreme, the stress response will last for months or even years. This condition has received a great deal of attention and has been given names like “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” and “Adrenal Fatigue or Adrenal Exhaustion.”
It is critical to get out of the perpetual stress mode. This mode is sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” mode. Psychologists refer to it as the Sympathetic Branch of the Autonomic Nervous System. This branch should ideally be balanced with the Para-sympathetic, or calming branch. A balanced system has as many inhibitory neurotransmitters as it does excitatory neurotransmitters.
There are as many techniques for managing stress as there are people. Some individuals use counseling or medications. Some get relief with exercise or massages or saunas. Some with friends and support groups and pets.
One technique that I find helpful is deep breathing through the diaphragm. This is along the lines of counting to 10. The diaphragm is directly connected to the autonomic nervous system. It is interesting that a person can shallow breathe when they are stressed AND they can feel stressed by shallow breathing. The body associates the shallow breathing with stress. When it senses shallow breathing it starts looking for a reason for this “stress response.” A person in this state can often feel that the world is a tense place with danger lurking around every corner.
Another approach to balancing out one’s autonomic nervous system is to ensure a good balance of neurotransmitters. In order to balance out the overproduction of “stress” neurotransmitters one could introduce more of the “calming” neurotransmitters like serotonin. This is most easily accomplished by taking l-tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin.
All right, it’s time for me to take a deep breath. Let’s all count to 10, take a deep breath and have a relaxing day.
Dr. Michael Miles’ Clinic is located at 15601 N. Oracle Rd. in Catalina behind Golf Cars of Arizona.You can learn more about the Catalina Clinic and Dr. Miles by visiting the website: www.catalinaclinic.com. To contact Dr. Miles or make an appointment at the clinic call 520-825-8100.