Chronic Stress
From everyday annoyances such as dealing with traffic or feeling rushed, to major life changes such as changing jobs, moving or getting married or divorced, stress is something that each of us copes with daily. Stress affects each of us, but often in very different ways.
Stress can make you sick
Evidence of stress-related illness in all age groups is becoming more and more common. Abnormal stress is the major contributing factor in 75% of all human illnesses.
When stress takes over
All of us suffer from occasional stress. However, even seemingly run-of-the-mill stresses can become chronic (long lasting). Chronic stress causes the body to respond and dap in ways that are often unhealthy.
The source of chronic stress can be emotional, from the death of a loved one or the loss of a job. Stress can also have a physical source, such as from an accident, overexertion, or illness. Chronic stress produces some common reactions. Emotionally, stress can lead to depression, anxiety, and anger. Physically, stress has been implicated in conditions ranging from backaches to headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, poor immune system response, asthma, colds, infections, and digestive disorders.
A major cause of stress
Vertebrae of the spine can move from their normal position due to trauma, chemical imbalances, poor posture, emotional or physical stress, and other problems. The resulting disturbances to the spinal cord interferes with normal nerve flow. This starts a degenerative chain reaction that can affect the health and function or virtually every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body. Doctors call this the vertebral subluxation complex. It is one of the most damaging stresses you can experience. Untreated, it can limit your ability to react and adapt to stresses you encounter in daily life.
How Chiropractic can help
Doctors of Chiropractic are the only professionals trained and educated in the diagnosis and correction of the vertebral subluxation complex. Too often, medicine treats the symptoms of illness rather than the causes. The chiropractic approach is based on finding and correcting interferences to your body's natural state of good health. By removing vertebral subluxations from your body by performing an adjustment, your nervous system can function as it should, leaving you better able to cope with stress, both physical and mental.
Your chiropractor can also counsel you regarding lifestyle changes and relaxation techniques to help you better deal with stress.
What you can do to improve your ability to handle stress
Begin with a chiropractic checkup to find any vertebral subluxations you may have.
Work with your chiropractor to examine your life for sources of stress.
Talk with your chiropractor about relaxation and medication techniques for reducing stress.
Make moderate exercise a regular part of your life. As simple as it sounds, walking for 30 minutes most days of a week can be a remarkable stress-reliever. You can even break this up into 3 sessions of just 10 minutes each.
Get the right amount of sleep. For most people, this is seven or eight hours nightly.
Adopt healthier eating habits. People living busy lives may not treat what they put into their bodies with the importance it deserves.
Positive Attitude. Your own attitude is the one thing you can control that can make everything else in life better.