CALM DOWN

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Calm Down Taming the Flames of Stress-Related Illness

by Marlaina Donato

We are beings of neurochemical and hormonal intricacy, and within this mixed bag of biology lies our magic. Our human experience is visceral; we cry from sadness and joy, flush from embarrassment, laugh with amusement and exhibit quirky mannerisms when we lie. Whether we see it as a blessing or a curse, we’re hardwired to embody the sacred fire of our emotions.

It also means that stress and our bodies are in perpetual partnership. “Systematically, the mind and body work together. Grabbing your belly when you hear bad news and saying, ‘I feel sick,’ or having ‘butterflies in your stomach’ are a testament to how everyday stress affects us physically,” says Stephanie Mansour, Chicago fitness expert and host of the national PBS show Step It Up With Steph.

“Stress serves a useful purpose by increasing alertness—the sometimes lifesaving ‘fight-or-flight’ response—but chronic stress leads to elevated stress hormones like cortisol and catecholamines,” says emergency room physician Thomas Krisanda, at Northwest Hospital, in Randallstown, Maryland. “Cortisol can elevate blood glucose and suppress the immune system. Elevated catecholamines raise blood pressure and stress the heart. Over time, this can lead to hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes or strokes.”

According to The American Institute of Stress, 77 percent of people experience the physical backlash of emotional stress in the form of headaches, chronic migraines, fatigue, digestive woes, muscle tension, dizziness and changes in libido. Research published this year in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that children that experience severe adversity or live with alcoholics or drug addicts are at a 50 percent higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Experts agree that this statistic goes beyond poor lifestyle choices, and might point to a biological inability to cope with everyday pressures.

Working with—rather than against—the body’s nervous system by employing lifestyle changes, releasing trauma and considering options like a nourishing diet, safe herbal options and gentle energy modalities can help to break a vicious cycle.

Gut Instincts

Studies involving both mice and humans show that beneficial gut microorganisms are altered by emotional stress. The same bacteria responsible for bolstering the body’s fortress of immunity also generate neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These neurochemicals in the gut’s enteric nervous system control major biological functions that include heart rate, sleep cycles,

muscle movement and mood.

While commonly prescribed antibiotics eradicate infectious invaders, they also kill off beneficial bacteria and neurotransmitters, opening the door to depressive disorders. Because approximately 95 percent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, it’s not surprising that overuse of antibiotics has been associated with mental health conditions. British research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2015 documents case-control studies over an 18-year period involving 202,974 patients with depression. The findings show a high risk for anxiety and depression following repeated antibiotic use.

Connecting the dots further, 2018 research published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology correlates compromised intestinal permeability with a weakened blood-brain barrier and alcohol addiction. Research published in 2014 in the journal PLOS One involving patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reveals abnormalities in catecholamines, elevated plasma cortisol and hyperactivity of the amygdala—the part of the brain that can become stuck on overdrive from trauma and other life stresses.

In a nutshell, negative emotional states can suppress immunity and foster more frequent antibiotic prescriptions and in turn, promote neurological loops of chronic depression and anxiety, and even more compromised immune response.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS and inflammation-driven Crohn’s disease are often exacerbated by emotional upset and improved with stress management techniques like biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, meditation and breath work.

One Body, Many Selves

Resolving emotional trauma can offer unexpected hope for conditions that elude improvement or scientific understanding. A deeper look into how unrecognized or unreleased emotional pain can contribute to disease might help to solve the riddle of digestive problems, eczema, inflammatory bowel conditions and pain syndromes, including the multi-system agonies of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s a widespread misunderstanding that psychosomatic (mind-body) health conditions are imaginary or the product of mental instability. In actuality, the term psychosomatic simply refers to physical diseases with no organic origin that are presumed to have unconscious emotional taproots.

“We are made up of different types of energy,” explains LaStacia Ross, a reiki master and sound healer at Eclectic Soul Studio, in Pittsburg, Kansas. “Physical or sensory energy is the energy of the physical body. Our outer energy field is subtle energy which consists of layers and includes thoughts and emotions. I like to think of the subtle energy field as a library containing the records of everything we’ve ever experienced.”

Reiki, a form of non-touch therapy, is now deemed valuable by many respected hospitals, like the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in Manhattan. Springboarding from the philosophy that we are trinities of body, mind and spirit, reiki and other forms of energy medicine aim to encourage the flow of vital life force. Ross, who also uses sound resonance via tuning forks in her work, has witnessed significant improvement in her clients. “Energy work can help release stored energetic patterns of trauma and stress that no longer serve us,” she says. “Relaxation is an immediate benefit

of energy work. People often feel a huge mental weight lifted and report pain relief, sometimes after just one session.” Despite the many gains of energy work, Ross emphasizes individual timing. “On a subconscious level, pain or illness can serve us in some way without us realizing it. Sometimes we’re not ready to work through our issues or let them go, even if we think we are.”

Investing in Equilibrium

Stress-induced psychosomatic illness does not discriminate, and even affects members of the medical field. A 2009 study published in the Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that professional burnout in nurses can manifest as back and neck pain, acidity, anger and impaired memory.

Krisanda underscores the importance of self-care in all walks of life. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you are useless to care for others. Adopt a healthy diet and exercise and make it a routine. We live in a very materialistic society, and I believe this also leads to stress, unhappiness and a sense of being entitled and never being satisfied. Just let go.”

He also stresses the importance of support. “An emergency room is an incredibly

6 Tips to Reduce Stress

There is no doubt that these are stressful times, and elevated stress levels can make us irritable and less productive, and contribute to illness. Research has validated practices that counteract the “fight, flight or freeze” sympathetic nervous system response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to decreases in anxiety, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. Here are 10 methods to help move from a stressed-out sympathetic place to a relaxed and peaceful parasympathetic place: Exercise: This can be as simple as a brisk walk for 30 minutes, five days a week. Qigong exercise, tai chi and yoga are also excellent for producing a relaxation response. Always exercise within personal limitations and follow advice from your physician when beginning an exercise program. Prayer/meditation: Try choosing a sacred/affirming word or mantra such as peace, love, joy or strength, and repeating it for 20 minutes twice daily. Diaphragmatic breathing: Slow, deep breathing can be combined with meditative prayer by repeatedly breathing in a selected word and then breathing it out. Guided imagery: Guided imagery involves listening to positive, guided meditations and can be wonderfully relaxing. There are many options online. Creative expression through journaling, artwork, dancing and singing can be cathartic and can reveal new insights that were previously unconscious. Socialization is challenging as we engage in social distancing. Telephone conversations, video chats, drive-by birthday parties and limited, masked-face-to-maskedface interaction can help us stay close.

Suzy Edmonson, LOT, RMT, C-AK, SNC, CHC, is an occupational therapist, massage therapist and plant-based health coach practicing at Somar Massage and Natural Therapies in Grapevine. For more, information, call 817 996-9961, HealingSynergies.com.

Plant Power for Combatting Stress

Sarah Kate Benjamin’s Personal Favorites:

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) soothes restless minds from anxiety and insomnia, and eases menstrual cramps or muscle spasms. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) helps to strengthen the brain and revitalize the central nervous system, and helps to calm the mind and relieve nervous stress and headaches. It is even more beneficial when combined with lavender or chamomile. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) helps to soothe emotional and muscle tension; relieve stress-related gut symptoms like gas, cramping, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers; calm heat-related emotional and physical issues such as eczema, anger and frustration; and generally promote a sense of calm. Wonderful in baths, teas and as an herbal garnish.

hectic, frightening and sometimes violent place. I rely on my colleagues, and we support each other. For me, the most important thing is to realize that I’m not in it alone.” Krisanda also finds balance by taking a few minutes in a quiet place to collect his thoughts and enjoy a peaceful moment.

Basic, whole foods can help to maintain homeostasis. “Make sure that food is fueling you,” says Mansour. “Cooked vegetables and broths are very soothing. Instead of a juice cleanse or an extreme diet, focus on nourishing, calming foods like soups, lean proteins to stabilize blood sugar levels and healthy fats to support brain function. Reducing alcohol can help improve liver function.”

Sarah Kate Benjamin, a holistic chef and herbalist in Sebastopol, California, finds her own healing rhythms by eating with the seasons and using medicinal plants in inspired, everyday dishes. Co-author of The Kosmic Kitchen Cookbook: Everyday Herbalism and Recipes for Radical Wellness, she sees herbs as life-giving examples of resilience. “Herbs have been here long before us and have experienced their own form of stressors. Working with nervous system-supportive herbs in my food, beverages or even as tinctures really help me find balance when I’m overwhelmed.”

Some of her allies are oat tops, lemon balm, skullcap, chamomile and passionflower. For Benjamin, everyday choices play a huge role in healing. “Making small lifestyle shifts in your work or home life can really help you move into a more relaxed state. I like to think of it as a sort of mantra: ‘Help the herbs help you,’” she says. In a world that is fixated on external validation, little things matter. “If I give myself permission to do the things that really nourish me, I’ll be the best version of myself. Perhaps most importantly, I will like me, and that matters tremendously.”

Marlaina Donato is an author and recording artist. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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Reduce Stress with Mindful Meditation

by Dorsey Standish

Mindfulness is a secular, scienceof emotional exhaustion, psychological backed practice of paying distress, depression anxiety and occupanonjudgmental attention to tional stress, as well as better cardiovasthe present moment. It may be practiced cular and immune health, and improved informally by bringing our full attention cognitive skill. to any part of daily life, such as washing Long-term meditators also benefit the dishes, talking to a friend or eating from positive neuroplasticity, including dinner. Formally, mindfulness can be larger amounts of folding in the brain, practiced through mindful meditation— which helps with processing, decisionsetting aside specific time to train the making and memory; increased grey brain to keep coming back to some aspect matter density associated with self-awareof the present moment like breath, physiness, compassion and introspection; and cal sensations or sensory inputs. reduced grey matter density related to

A regular practice of mindful meditaanxiety and stress. tion has been shown to reduce levels Anyone can learn and practice mindful meditation, especially people dealing with chronic stressors such as intensive work demands, home life challenges or caring for an ill relative. Many people believe that they can’t meditate because they don’t know how to turn their mind off, but that is not true. Our brain is continually thinking and processing, even in our sleep. Having a busy mind is part of being human. Practicing mindful meditation is good for busy minds because it heightens awareness and acknowledgement of thoughts and feelings allowing them to pass without judgement or attachment.

The best way to begin a mindfulness journey is to start small for a few minutes each day. Designate a cozy corner at home for mindfulness practice. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor. Gaze four to six feet ahead or close the eyes. Feel the body resting and notice the sensations of breathing. Anchor attention wherever we feel the breath most strongly and stay with it. When we notice any distraction, return to the breath. Every time we come back to our object of focus, it strengthens the brain’s networks for peaceful, presentmoment awareness.

Dorsey Standish is the chief mindfulness officer of Mastermind Meditate, a Dallasbased mindfulness and emotional intelligence resource. For more information, visit Better Dental Care MasterMindMeditate.com. for a better lifestyle!

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