Stressed Out?

What you need to know about stress and health

Kirk Johnson B.S., D.C., F.A.S.A.

Stress 101

Does your pulse increase? Are you anxious? Do you have to use the bathroom all of a

sudden? Are your palms sweaty? Are you agitated or foggy? Do you have a hard time going to sleep?

Stress 101

Do you feel like your eyes are going to pop out of your head?

Stress 101

If you answered yes to any of the questions, you are stressed.

Pay attention, this lecture will help you understand the stress response in the body and how to get yourself back on track.

Don’t try this, it just won’t work

Statistics

Stress has a physiological and psychological impact.

43% of all adults suffer adverse effects due to stress.

75% - 90% of all medical visits are in some way related to stress.

Anatomy

The adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney.

The adrenal glands have an extensive nerve supply.

There is a non-stop direct connection from the brain to the adrenal glands, thus allowing the adrenals to respond to minute changes in neurological function.

The adrenal glands produce epinephrine, which give us the fight or flight response when we are startled.

They also produce cortisol, and cortisol tells the hypothalamus important information that will be discussed later.

Hans Selye, General Adaptation Syndrome

Hans Selye broke down the bodies reaction to stress in 3 steps:

1. The Alarm Reaction/Shock stage

2. The Counter Shock/Resistance Stage

3. The Exhaustion Stage

Alarm Reaction/Shock Stage

Alarm Reaction/Shock Stage

Alarm reaction is like fight or flight, you either run to get lunch, or run to get away from becoming lunch.

Stress triggers a response in our hypothalamus, and via the sympathetic nervous system this stress is directed toward the adrenal medulla

The adrenal medulla then secretes epinephrine During this fight or flight response, certain systems of our body

decrease activity: Digestive system, reproductive system, skin vessels, spleen function, and elimination systems such as the colon, kidneys and bladder.

At this same time some systems increase function, heart rate, blood supply to muscles, respiration and sweating.

The problem with the alarm stage is that our body runs out of raw materials, thus leading us to the second stage, the resistance stage.

Counter Shock/Resistance Stage

Resistance Stage

STH

Liver

GlycogenolysisIncreased catabolism of carbohydrates

Stress

Hypothalamus

Anterior Pituitary

ACTH

Adrenal Cortex

MineralcorticoidsReduced H+Na retentionIncreased water conservation

GlucocorticoidsConversion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to glucose.Reduced InflammationBlood vessel constrict.

TSH

Thyroid

ThyroxineIncreased catabolism of fats

Shock/Resistance Stage

When the body cannot handle the alarm stage anymore, the hypothalamus releases somatotrophic hormone which instructs the liver to break down energy from glycogen.

The anterior pituitary gland secretes thyroid stimulating hormone causing the secretion of throxine.

There is also a complicated response from the adrenal glands which will be discussed in a second.

Exhaustion Stage

Exhaustion Phase

STRESS

STRESS RESPONSE

Decreased K+Increased adrenal cortical hormonesDisturbance of cellular water balanceDecreased nutrients to cellsIncreased cortisol production

Excessive Stimulation

Nutrient Depletion

Exhaustion Phase

When stress continues to this point, the organs in your body start to shut down.

Potassium ions decrease, which is important because it can cause serious intestinal diseases.

This constant stress is also causing cellular water balance problems.

You will have decreased nutrient delivery to the cells. Finally, stress affects the central nervous system, the control

system of your body through the hypothalamus. The chain of events is linked to the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-

Adrenal-Axis (HPAA).

Chronic Stress

Large amounts of cortisol is released in response to physical and psychological stress

Long term effects of chronic elevations of cortisol and other stress hormones can have negative health consequence

HPAA

This is a complex feedback mechanism Basically, cortisol released from the adrenal glands

provides a negative feedback inhibition loop that tells the hypothalamus to shut down.

When you have excess stress you have excess cortisol.

This excess cortisol then keeps the hypothalamus shut down.

Thus, a stressor can cause your hypothalamus to shut down.

HPAA

Recommendations to reduce stress

Sleep, during certain sleep stages cortisol levels are elevated because protein is being recycled.

Controlling cortisol is an essential part of controlling stress. There is a great supplement from Nurti-West that is called Pro-Cortisol Balance. This will help that HPAA axis that we talked about earlier.

There are certain tests that are performed during a new patient exam that will further evaluate your stress systems status.

Diet

Animal foods should be the largest part of you diet, from 56-64% of total calories.

Fruits should make up 17-22% of your total calories Vegetables should make up 17-22% of total calories Nuts and berries should make up 5% or less of your diet. This is much different than the traditional American diet. Notice that grains are not included in this list, it is because

carbohydrates from processed foods such as grains are mostly sugar, and sugar is pro-inflammatory.

A good rule of thumb is if you could hunt it or gather it, the food is worthy of eating.

If a food comes in a cardboard box, don’t eat it. This food is highly refined and always high in sugar.

How to get your diet back on track

Stay away from processed foods, anything in a box is usually processed. Don’t just look at no fat, or reduced fat labels, this is a fad that does not

necessarily mean the food is healthy. These always contain sugar and unhealthy additives.

In the winter eat less, you are usually less active and traditionally it is the hibernation period.

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. If you can’t get fresh, frozen is the next best thing.

Drink Water, you should drink half of you body weight in ounces of water per day, so if you weight 170 pounds, divide by 2, so 85 ounces of water per day.

Be careful when drinking sports drinks and soda, it is just bottled sugar. When eating out, choose a salad instead of a potato or fries, and try to eat a

vegetable at every meal with a good amount of protein.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy

Chiropractic Overview

Chiropractic is a branch of the healing arts that believes in the bodies ability to heal from within, without the use of drugs and surgery.

Chiropractic care utilizes specific adjustments to the skeletal system to reduce nerve interference and restore normal biomechanics to the area of dysfunction.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care will also aid in the reduction of stress.

Applied Kinesiology technique can assess and test for dysfunction of the adrenal glands and HPAA.

Nutritional support is also a main issue for those with a stressed out system. Dr. Johnson can recommend nutritional supplements that will aid in the reduction of stress and normalize the function of the adrenal glands and HPAA.

Chiropractic adjustments will help free up the nervous system and reduce stress in tissues.

Applied Kinesiology

As you can see from the logo to the right, Applied Kinesiology addresses the structure, chemical, and mental aspects of health.

In AK, the practitioner will treat the patient by treating the nervous system, neurolymphatic reflexes, neurovascular reflexes, cerebrospinal fluid, and acupuncture meridian connectors.

AK addresses the body as a whole, which would help any person that is stressed out.

Chiropractic care is the first stepping stone to reduction of stress and understanding how to help you body cope with the high stress life we live today.

Stress Relievers

Brueggers Posture– Stand up tall,

externally rotate your arms and take deep breaths in while trying to make yourself taller.

Chin tucks– This can be done

sitting or standing.– Tuck your chin in

towards your neck, this stretches the posterior neck muscles which are usually tight from working on a computer.

Links of Interest

www.drkirkjohnson.com www.erchonia.com www.icakusa.com www.nutri-west.com www.metagenics.com