Gò0dNews for Health & Fitness
Stress and The Body tress isn’t a new idea for anyone of us; however how much do we really know about stress and what it does to the body? Stress actually isnt bad for the body, it is stress that we cannot handle or unwanted stress that may affect us negatively. We are constantly putting stress on our bodies. This can be in the form of eating when the body has to produce different hormones, excite different organs/glands, and produce energy to breakdown the food. It can also be when we are working-out when sweat glands have to work more and the cardiovascular system has to respond to what we are doing. Everyday stress can be good, but what happens if we cannot handle everyday stress, or unwanted stress creeps up in our lives? On the most basic level when the body comes in contact when a particular stress it will try to maintain homeostasis ( balancing the body where it naturally should be). This is where the different body systems come in and do there job(s), from producing different hormones (cortisol, cortisone, epinephrine, etc) to activating cardiovascular or immunological systems. The key issue to remember is that the BRAIN is responsible for every single one of these interactions! If the brain cannot handle the stressor it will immediately start having issues with breathing, producing more hormones then there should be, increase hear rate, etc. We need to make sure that we are taking care of our brain and nervous system. Yoga, breathing exercises, chiropractic neurology, massage, Tai-Chi, acupuncture, food intake, exercising, and just talking and laughing with loved ones are just some tools that can be used to help return to homeostasis. Chronic stress that the body cannot handle is what we really do not like. This is when, just like described above, different body systems work over time and can experience the following: • Feel drained • Run down
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• Constantly fatigued • Hold onto adipose tissue (fat) more • Trouble concentrating • Aches/pain • Inability to sleep • Concentration issues • Even sexual dysfunction(s) occur These may describe you or someone you know. These are individuals that haven’t done anything new, working out more or hard a major injury, but a lot of these symptoms
seem to just come on instantly. It may feel like this, but I can promise you that the body has been trying to tell you that it is feeling run down but you may not have been listening. This is why the above mentioned modalities may help because they may be relaxing muscles, helping with letting go of the stressors, or targeting the brain in a way that is allowing it to get back to homeostasis. Make sure you are taking care of your brain, so it can do the same for you!
About The Author
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by Dr. Zach Walker
Dr. Zach Walker is a chiropractic neurologist in the Ringgold, Georgia, area. He utilizes a chiropractic brain-based module to help his patients. He is the owner of BrainSpineConnection.