Stress.  I know – we all attempt to live with it.  It’s practically unavoidable.  Perhaps you are unaware that your stress might be making you sick?

This is the first of a three-article series, in which I will cover stress in detail.  In this article, I’ll go over the symptoms of stress; how to know that you might be pushing too hard.  The next article will break down the physiology of stress and, lastly, I’ll cover simple stress reduction techniques.

Let’s start with a look at what stress actually is.  We generally think of stress as the daily “to do” list that only ever seems to get longer and never shorter.  It is stressful to fit everything into your day but stress often comes in other forms.  It is also tricky to define because everyone experiences stress differently.  What is stressful for you may be a wonderful experience for someone else.  According to my Mosby’s Medical Dictionary (5th ed. – yes… I did actually just pull a real book off the shelf!) stress is “ANY emotional, physical, social, economic or other factor that requires a response or change.”   Stress is a non-specific response that pushes your body to adapt.  Stress can be good or bad and sources can include:

• Environmental: weather, seasonal changes, noise, pollution, radiation (cell phones, computers, sunlight, electrical equipment, power lines, air travel, X-rays);

• Biological: viruses, bacteria, parasites, spirochetes;

• Psychological and social: performance stress (school, job, home), financial, emotional worry, relationship issues, lack of support network, unable to outlet your emotions;

• Physiological: nutritional deficiencies, biological aging, illness, surgery, trauma, toxicity, lack of sleep, dehydration, food allergies, air born allergies.

As you can see there are many forms of stress.   When stress is present for long periods you might experience some, or many, of the stress symptoms listed below:

1. General: low body temperature,  tense muscles, trouble falling or staying asleep, lacking energy in the mornings (need coffee or other stimulants), accelerated aging,  lacking energy, decreased ability to handle stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, low energy in the afternoon, tired at 9 pm but resist going to bed, decreased memory especially short term, increase REM (dreaming) sleep.
2. Emotional: feeling “stressed,” nervousness, general anxiety, anxiety attacks, mood swings, depression, feeling exhausted or “burnt out”.
3. Immune: immune suppression, chronic infections, frequent and recurrent infections, food and inhalant allergies, autoimmune diseases.
4. Cardiovascular: high or low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, heart palpitations, light headed or dizzy, especially after standing.
5. Metabolic: insulin resistance, obesity, tendency to gain weight, trouble losing weight especially around the waist, osteoporosis, hypoglycemia, crave salt, fat or sugar.
6. Digestive: gas, bloating, fullness, constipation, pain, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammation.
7. Reproductive: infertility, impotence, decreased libido, menopause, andropause, PMS, painful periods.

The effects of stress on the body are powerful and widespread.  Find out, in my second article of this series, how stress affects your body.  If you are experiencing a number of the symptoms of stress above, it might be a good idea to check with your Naturopathic or family doctor to determine how your stress level is affecting your health and what can be done about it.

Stay tuned for: “The Physiology of Stress – the Eye of the Tiger” and “Stress Reduction Techniques – Breath or Die and I’m Dead Serious“.

Naturopathic medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health.  Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease.  Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.

We’ve all heard about menopause.  We’ve all heard about the symptoms that some women experience: hot flashes, dry mucous membranes, insomnia, anxiety, depression, decreased libido.  We typically associate these symptoms with decreasing levels of hormones: mainly estrogen and progesterone.  While this is true, it is not the whole story.  Our hormonal system is complex, and while we usually think of “hormones” as our reproductive hormones there are several others, all of which have important functions in the body.  When we are thinking of menopause relief we have to look at hormones beyond those of the reproductive system.

The main hormonal system I want to bring to your attention is that of the adrenal glands.  These small glands sit above our kidneys and are comprised of two main sections.  The outer section produces two main hormones important to this discussion: cortisol (2, in figure) and DHEA (3), both are derived from cholesterol (1).  In general, cortisol is active during stress and DHEA is active during relaxation.  More specifically cortisol increases our blood sugar, stores fat around the belly, suppresses the immune system, decreases inflammation and inhibits proper thyroid function.  DHEA, on the other hand, regenerates tissue, restores our energy, improves our mood, increases immune function and builds bone and muscle.

As you can see in the figure, DHEA leads to the production of sex hormones (4).  During and after menopause (5), when the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone, the adrenal glands step up to take on this job.  BUT, when we are chronically stressed (which is common in our fast-paced, North American society), our adrenal glands are too busy producing cortisol. In fact, your body will choose to produce cortisol over DHEA in the face of chronic stress! This is compounded by a natural decrease in DHEA with age.  Don’t get me wrong, cortisol is an important hormone.  However, when it is chronically elevated at the expense of DHEA then it becomes a problem.  Without DHEA, we cannot produce our reproductive hormones after menopause.  Our menopausal-induced reproductive hormone deficiency is made even worse by our chronic stress!

What does all this jargon mean for your menopausal symptoms? I hope I have made it clear that stress relief is an important part of menopause relief.  Give your adrenal glands a chance to support the normal hormonal pathways. The adrenal glands LOVE routine and the best ways to support them include:

• maintain steady blood sugar levels.  Eat a small meal containing fiber and protein every 2-3 hours.
• get adequate sleep at the right time – go to bed at 10 pm in a completely dark room.
• exercise regularly.
• avoid stimulants, including sugar and coffee.
• practice deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
• consume adequate essential fatty acids, minerals and protein.
• see your local Naturopathic Doctor for the perfect treatment plan to suit your menopause relief needs.

It is important to support our adrenal glands all the time as they have a big job to perform.  However, it is especially important to support them as we age because their job gets even bigger!

Naturopathic medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health.  Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease.  Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.