“Please pay attention to the tapping of the toothpick instead of requiring the blow of the baseball bat.”
Dr. Keith Jordan
Why Should You Read More?
A big part of the holistic approach to the effects of stress on inflammatory response and the immune system is being open to change one’s behavior. Knowledge is based in the word “Know,” to be aware. And within the experience of greater knowing, learning and change must take place, or greater consequence becomes necessary. I have long taught my patients, “Please listen to the tapping of the toothpick instead of feeling the blow of the baseball bat.” The more you are aware of how stress affects inflammatory response and immune system, the more proactive you can be.
Holistic Approach Proven… Again
Sometimes it takes science a little time to prove what intuition and common sense have been telling holistically-minded clinicians and patients for quite some time. In the case of increased levels of stress playing a role in certain diseases (and in my humble opinion, all diseases), leading to an imbalance in the inflammatory and immune system response, the scientific jury is in and the verdict appears to be ‘guilty as charged’ on all counts. This outcome validates the knowing of many holistic, forward-thinking naturalists.
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Receive Knowledge – Change – Heal
I will start by making you aware of various chronic stress-related diseases that involve the inflammatory response and immune system. Next, providing you with some key takeaways that you can start applying immediately to better initially manage your stress, rebalance the inflammatory response, and modulate and focus the immune system. I will then offer you whole food and herbal options to support your body in healing itself. Yes, you have a key role to play, and you can make all the difference in the your health outcomes. Imagine that! Exciting!
Chronic Diseases with an Underlying Stress Component
Here is a short list of diseases found to have a stress-related component. I would venture to say all diseases have stress-related components, but I will list these as a start.
Eating can become stressful in itself for those who struggle with food issues, so let’s keep it simple and structured. Common sense rules apply, so until you are feeling better you just cannot eat a lot of what makes you feel worse. Follow a Mediterranean Diet – it lowers inflammation, balances blood sugar levels, and helps bring the body back into balance. If you are looking to lose a few pounds, you won’t be unhappy there either. As you follow all these recommendations, you will lower your cortisol levels and that will lower the occurrence of insulin resistance, which causes insulin levels to rise, leading to various metabolic syndromes, including weight gain and increased belly fat.
Mind-Body Connection
Thoughts have consequences, so if you find yourself easily agitated, depressed, or tending toward anxiety or worry, start a daily meditation practice. If you find it difficult to be still, just start taking a 20 minute slow walk 1 to 2 times per day. While walking, focus on every step along with your breath. Keep the pace of both slow and steady. Be present – if you can do it without shoes, all the better, but being bundled up works as well. See the weather as something to enjoy, no matter what the day offers. Different temperatures make the body’s thermostat adjust, this is a good form of stress and helps build Heat ShockProteins.
Negative Emotions Create Stress Chemistry – Intuition Is A Better Way
Candice Pert does an amazing job of showing the connection between emotion and physical chemistry in her book, Molecules of Emotion. I teach my patients/students that emotional reactions are very subjective in nature, many times triggered by past trauma and future events. Using them as guidance system leads to a more stressful life, full of increased levels of fear and worry. Negative emotions generate greater levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, that increase inflammatory response and suppresses immune system function. Ask yourself, is what you’re feeling worth feeling sick and stressed over? If not, let go of using emotions to navigate, and begin using your intuition, coming from a place of greater peace, balance, and knowing. A complete guide to living this way is found on my nonprofit site The Practice Heals. org. Free to receive, enjoy.
Using Standard Process and MediHerb in a Holistic Approach to Effects of Stress on Inflammatory Response and Immune System
Knowledge is indeed a key to unlock the door to good health and healing. And practicing positive change based in that knowledge is the hand that turns that key. So now its. on you to use this key, unlock the door, and then walk through into a better healthier more peaceful life.
Are you tired? Do you struggle with weight gain or trouble losing weight through the mid section? Do you lack energy to exercise and get work done? Do you find yourself reaching for and relying on caffeine and sugar for energy? You may be suffering from adrenal fatigue. Help is here. Treating Adrenal Fatigue with Standard Process and lifestyle changes is easy.
A Holistic Approach to Treating Adrenal Fatigue With Standard Process
A guided proven holistic approach to adrenal health gives you the greatest chance of success in healing and maintaining a vital glandular system of the body. In the following article, I will be going over the 5 keys to treating adrenal fatigue successfully. Anatomically, the adrenal glands sit right on top of each kidney.
Treating Adrenal Fatigue With Standard
Table of Contents: Treating Adrenal Fatigue With Standard Process
If I had a nickel for every time one of my patients told me they were tired, I would be a very rich doctor. Getting an ample amount of sleep is the first step. And getting it at the right times is second.
People who suffer from adrenal fatigue, adrenal stress, or adrenal gland exhaustion go to bed far too late and don’t get enough sleep. They tend to be “night owls,” enjoying that second wind that comes around 9-10 AM. “I’m so productive late at night.” Staying up till 12-1 AM before going to bed and then waking up for work or school @ 5-6 AM. I ask them, “Do you feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning?” All people with any level of adrenal fatigue or adrenal stress will answer “no.”
How Much Sleep? Bed Time!
The body is made to be asleep from 9-10 PM until 5-6 AM, getting an average of 8-9 hours of sleep per night. To some of you, that much sleep may sound ridiculous, but a lack of sleep is by far the biggest reason for any level of fatigue. That includes mental fatigue showing up as memory problems, and even depression in some cases. There is no replacement for good sleep.
And sugar and caffeine overuse are nothing more than a short term fix that leads to dependence, then addiction. Make a healthy habit of getting to bed by 9-10 PM. Establish a good bedtime routine. You will thank yourself in the morning when to your surprise you start getting up without an alarm clock. I haven’t used one in 25 years.
Lowering Your Stress
Everyone knows stress is a major contributor, and many times, a cause in disease processes. In the case of the adrenal glands, it’s a killer. Anytime you are mentally or emotionally stressed, this stress affects the adrenal glands, leading to a more anxious experience. Working in high-stress environments like finance, project management, healthcare, and parenting young children stimulate these types of stressed adrenal responses. The adrenal glands work overtime as they try to prepare for what the next moment may bring.
You are in prolonged “fight/flight” state for survival, many times seeing that state as normal. It is not! It doesn’t matter if the stress is mental or physical; the mind and body are connected, and the chemical reactions are real and have a real effect.
Stress and Weight Gain
One of the chemicals that increases during times of stress is cortisol. High cortisol levels can lead to increased fat deposition in the mid-section, as well as disrupt blood-sugar metabolism and hormonal balance. This chemical imbalance leads to weight gain and difficulty losing weight, even with good dietary habits. The adrenal stress must be addressed as a part of any holistic healthy weight loss plan. Managing first, then lowering and eliminating stress longterm is one of the 5 keys to treating adrenal fatigue.
Stress Management
Meditating, deep breathing, and keeping a healthy perspective are good starting points. But, if you’re ready to take it to the next level, I created a non-profit called The Practice Heals.org. This online platform takes you through a transformative experience, teaching you how to live and align with the order of life and its power to heal you. Check it out. It’s free. You have to commit to change for anything to change. I highly recommend you enroll now in the free classes and begin.
Diet: What and When You Eat
When you are eating to help heal and support your adrenal glands, it is all about balance. Eliminating the highs and lows from your emotions and from your blood sugar levels goes a long way in helping the adrenals rest and recuperate.
This is accomplished by not going too long between meals, eating every 2-3 hours of your waking day. Now the what: I recommend following a Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy eating plan. And stay away from more than one cup of coffee or green tea per day. That cup should be preferably in the morning with breakfast, and not after 2 PM. If you are tired in the afternoon (1-3 PM), it is a sign you are in adrenal fatigue and the last thing you need to do is to jolt those already-tired glands with caffeine.
Take it to the Next Level
The Standard Process 21 Day Purification program is amazing when you are ready to take treating adrenal fatigue with Standard Process to the next level and include a detoxification program with a 21-day adrenal rehabilitation endeavor.
Exercise in Moderation
There is no doubt that exercise is an important component of the 5 keys to healing adrenal fatigue. Exercise is one of the best ways to alleviate stress. And a regular exercise program consisting of various forms of exercise -cardiovascular, yoga, tai chi, weight training – is crucial to achieving and maintaining good adrenal health.
That being said, I would like to share some insights I have gained over the last 25 years of practice treating adrenal stress, adrenal fatigue, and adrenal exhaustion. The typical personality types that end up with any of the aforementioned adrenal issues tend to be The Overachiever, Type A, Adrenaline Junkies. They tend to overdo it, and they tend to do the same when it comes to exercise. Not resting enough, not varying workout routines, and not taking days off push the body to the limit and don’t allow it a chance to heal. Remember, too much of a good thing turns anything into a bad thing.
And moderation in all things is the key. I recommend doing more walking than running for a week or two, more yoga or tai chi than weight training. Take a break and rest for a weekend. Get a massage, take an Epsom salt bath, just chill. In addition, everyone’s schedule is different, but do your best not to exercise past 7 PM at night, when you should be winding down and getting ready for bed soon.
Adrenal Fatigue – Nutritional and Herbal Support
When talking about what supplements are needed for adrenal treatment, I begin by following the classifications developed by Hans Selye, M.D. in the 1920s and 30s when he researched and described it as the general adaption syndrome or GAS. Depending on what level you fall into the most decides which supplements you may need, and for how long. The higher the level, the longer you will need that supplement support.
Level 1 Adrenal Stress – Alarm Reaction – Activated by any stress mental, physical, or emotional. Call to action. Get Ready!
Level 2 Adrenal Stress – Resistance – A prolonged Alarm Reaction. Again think of anything causing Level 1, but for a longer time, a week to a month. For example, getting through a renovation project, taking care of a loved one after surgery, dealing with a project at work that requires overtime. Your “fuse is very short and quick.”
Level 3 Adrenal Stress – Exhaustion – This is the stage of depletion. Now you are going into glandular failure and decreasing function. You are losing the ability to deal with stress in a healthy manner, you find yourself overwhelmed and shutting down.
There are many options when it comes to adrenal support products. I will be talking about Treating Adrenal Fatigue With Standard Process products manufactured by Standard Process and MediHerb. I have used these products in practice for over 25 years with great success. These products are available through my site, www.hearthealthyhomes.com.
Level 1 Adrenal Stress (Alarm State) Standard Process Support Supplements
Daily Fundamentals – Adrenal Health Packs – This product pack contains Drenamin, which, taken twice per day, gives the adrenals glands what they need to deal with daily stress of all kinds. Please click on the link to see all the benefits listed; it is truly a whole body, whole food support in convenient grab-and go-packs.
Symplex M / Symplex F – These products names relate to M as Male, F as Female. They support functioning and communication between what is called the HPAH Axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Hormonal Axis). Beyond the scope of this article, this axis works together to deal with stress and adaption and should be supported holistically as well as supporting the adrenal glands as well.
Level 2 Adrenal Stress (Resistance) Standard Process Support Supplements
Rhodiola & Ginseng Complex – This herbal blend becomes crucial when you find yourself in Level 2. You begin to lack physical stamina at this level. This level also has a characteristic of chronicity, meaning you have been in it, or in-and-out of it for a longer period of time and need additional support to get out and stay out. For increased energy, ability to handle stress and optimize exercise performance, this product is a MUST for Level 2.
Level 3 Adrenal Stress (Exhaustion) – Standard ProcessSupport Supplements
Ashwagandha Complex– This herbal blend becomes crucial when you find yourself in Level 3. At this level, you begin to lack stamina mentally and physically. A tonic for the entire body, including the immune system, which begins to be compromised more severely at this level of adrenal stress. A MUST for Level 3.
Adrenal Desiccated – I have used this product for many years for the treatment of extreme fatigue. Adrenal Desiccated is to be used short term to get the adrenals out of Level 3 Exhaustion and into Level 2 Resistance. Every person is different, but 4-6 weeks should be the limit on this product. Watch the video above.
Adrenal Health is a Key to Good Health!
I hope you can appreciate how important those little glands that sit on top of your kidneys really are. They play a very important role in your health and well-being on every level. So take the time to take care of them and they will take care of you. And once you have them healthy, keep them healthy, by living a life that takes into consideration the 5 keys to treating adrenal fatigue. If there is one old adage that always rings true, it is “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
I am all about putting the power to heal into the hands of the patients. So, if you found this article educational and empowering, please spread the word and help another person heal. I like “Likes” but I love “Shares.”
