Stress

Struggling with STRESS for long periods can drain you physically, emotionally, and mentally where you feel terrible much of the time and your body has lost the ability to regulate itself in a normal healthy way.

Is it possible to worry yourself sick? According to the Mayo Clinic, it is. Your body has a hard-wired self-defense system called  the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. The response is supposed to kick in when you encounter an immediate physical threat and turn off when the threat passes. However, your body can get stuck in fight-or flight-mode because of stress or chronic pain and this can cause health problems; hypertension, sick all the time, anxious, can't sleep, digestive troubles.

A relaxation response  will follow the fight-or-flight response, if your body is handling stress properly. This occurs due to a release of countering hormones. During the relaxation response of the  parasympathetic nervous system (Resting, Digesting, Sleeping functions), your body shifts back into equilibrium. It allows your heart rate and blood pressure to return to normal and enables activities such as digestion and sleep to resume to normal.

Prolonged stress puts your body in a continuous state readiness for physical action. When your body has no time to re-establish equilibrium, it becomes overworked and your immune system weakens, making you susceptible to sickness. Many essential bodily processes are disrupted leaving people with health problems. Some effects include:

FATIGUE / DEPRESSION / ANXIETY / HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

BAD SLEEP / POOR DIGESTION / WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM-CHRONIC INFECTIONS

ADAPT

Licorice Root, Eleuthero Root, Fresh Ashwagandha Root, GreenTea Leaf Extract

Adapt is a stress axis (adrenals, pituitary and hypothalamus) tonic, which means it is counteracts the effects of too much stress. Conditions commonly helped include: fatigue, tiredness, depression, exhaustion, brain fog, burned out, crabby, overwhelmed, and weak immune system (prevents sickness and reduces sick time).

Dosage: 60-90 drops per day in water. 

JOYFUL

Fresh Valerian, Hops Strobiles, Vanuatu Kava, Passion Flower, Chamomile Flowers, Lobelia, Pulsatilla

There is an epidemic of excessive flight or fight autonomic brain function in people. Almost everything BAD in your life causes a neurologic stimulation of extra fight or flight; chronic and acute body pain, inflammation in any organ, food allergies, poor sleep, and the many social problems at work and with family (present and past). This formula elevates mood and general happy feelings. Decreases anxiety and depression associated with stress. Calms compulsive thinking and panic attacks. Increases parasympathetic function (resting, digesting, relaxing). Counteracts crabby, burnt out, irritable feelings. 

Reduces fight-or-flight. Emotional and mental stress. Slows a racing mind. Herbal Valium. Strongest herbal pain killer. Pain reduction. Relaxes skeletal muscle spasms and smooth muscles of organs (uterine cramps, gallbladder, colon). Relaxes bladder to urinate better.  

These herbs were used in studies to improve sleep. They measured how long to get to sleep, how long the sleep duration was, and how much restorative REM sleep. It improves every parameter. 

Can reduce hypertension. Considered to work like beta blocking drugs for hypertension. The result of less fight or flight chemistry is more vasodilation of blood vessels which can lower high BP.

Dosage: 60-90 drops per day in water.

Chiropractic Adjustments

Each chiropractic adjustment decreases the Fight or Flight response and stimulates the Resting, Digesting, Sleep Response (parasympathetic nervous system). Upregulates the Central Nervous System and balances autonomic response to stress.

Common stress related problems we see get better daily include; sleeping better, a general feeling of relaxation, heartburn and gastric reflux clearing, blood pressure lowering, heart arrhythmia lessening, acute and chronic infections clearing quickly, lessening of allergy response/symptoms, and bowel and bladder dysfunctions improving.