Second Nature Care Blog

Getting Stress Under Control

[fa icon="calendar'] Jun 17, 2016 9:56:40 AM / by Winter Ninivaggi

What is stress doing to you?

As a college student (and a millennial) I know the toll stress can take on a person. Spending countless sleepless night to touch up that paper, studying for an exam and having the constant looming reminder that after all this there could be no future job for you. Even our social lives can get stressful so how do we balance our jobs, school and friends/family?

With the world and life getting more and more competitive, anxiety and tension levels are rising we are eating away at our health. Here are a few of the ways that living with stress can be affecting your life. 

 

Cognitive Ability:

A recent study actually found a hormone that causes cognitive decline after experiencing social stress. There is a specific brain mechanism that explains the reduction of cognitive performance after being exposed to stress. It is the Corticotropin - releasing factor. This controls our reaction in the prefrontal cortex.If we are stressed all the time we are gravely effecting our cognitive abilities.

Weight Gain:

Stress could also be making you fat! Especially in your belly. Acute and chronic stress are recognized barriers to healthy dietary choices. Stress actually makes you eat the wrong things while turning on your obesity genes. Numerous studies have addressed the fact that stress is largely related to junk food and foods high in fat and or sugar. Emotional eaters have elevated cortisol responses to stress along with the increase intake of sweet and fatty foods. By decreasing stress and separating your emotions from hunger, individuals can begin to restore healthy eating habits and achieve a balanced endocrine system. 

Baldness:

Male-pattern baldness could be the result of high stress.

Stress can effect your digestion, your immune system, sexuality, mood and production of energy, how you store that energy and how you spend the stored energy.  It is time to take control of your stress. Figure out what works for you, it could be meditating, exercise or even watching a little T.V.

It is important to deal with stress in the healthiest way possible. There are many herbs and nutraceuticals that I integrate into the treatment protocol.  Almost everyone gets HPA homeopathic RX meds and a complex B vitamin with MTHFR.  Magnolia, ashwagandha, bacopa and rhodiola, eleuthero and maca have been well-studied adaptogenic herbs that regulate the HPA axis.  Some patients take a neurotransmitter tests (only in CT.) to be more accurate with specific treatment formulas. Dosage is individualized based on gender, weight and genomics.  

Let's get your chronic stress under control!

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Topics: Healthy Living

Winter Ninivaggi

Written by Winter Ninivaggi

Isadora Guggenheim, ND, FNP, RN, MS, CNS, LMT, owner of Second Nature Naturopathic Care, LLC
For all appointments: Tel: 845 358-8385 Fax: 845 358-2963 drguggenheim@msn.com