Life can be stressful, but we can manage it in lots of ways. As I write this, we have just overcome an unprecedented Arkansas snowstorm after a heated presidential election cycle during the COVID pandemic. Outside stress from relationships, finances, and employment can become compounded in addition to internal stress of illness for many.
How does stress affect the body?
Not all stress is harmful and is a natural part of human survival. In a sudden dangerous situation, the increased heart rate, rapid breath, and tensed muscles push more oxygen to the brain increasing our ability to fight off the stressor. Having these quick responses improves our outcomes in life-or-death situations.
However, over the long term, major health problems arise and can affect everything from sleep, appetite, irritability, and even headaches with constant stress. With extended periods of stress, the immune system becomes depressed and causes spikes in blood sugar levels. Prolonged or chronic stress is associated with severe conditions like diabetes, depression, and heart disease. Also, vital nutrients are used rapidly and become extremely low.
What nutrients are depleted, and where do we get them?
Micronutrients are vital for optimal health. We know vitamins C and D play crucial roles in the immune system. Minerals such as Zinc, magnesium, and calcium also have significant impacts on health.
Research out of Australia shows these five essential nutrients are depleted.
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin B6
- Zinc
Magnesium and Zinc are common deficiencies, to begin with, and with stress, it is even more crucial to make sure adequate amounts are included in diet or supplementation.
What are some stress-fighting foods?
Herbal Teas such as lavender and chamomile.
Dark Chocolate is actually healthy food. Cocoa is an antioxidant and polyphenol powerhouse. Sugar and milk are what take away from such an extraordinary indulgence. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone which is very important in a wide range of functions with blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep cycle, and more. Excessively high levels for extended periods of time can cause major problems. There is evidence regular consumption of dark chocolate results in less cortisol being released into the body.
Avocados are another great addition to the arsenal of stress-fighting foods. They are loaded with good fats like omega 3’s, phytochemicals, fiber, and other essential nutrients.
Gut health and microbiome are always the core of our focus. Probiotics and prebiotics are ways to boost mood with serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The hormone serotonin stabilizes our mood and impacts happiness as well as affects the entire body enabling brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other.
Other ways to manage stress:
Adaptogens are plant and mushroom products that counteract the effects of stress in the body.
Supplements https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/smart-girls-guide-to-adaptogens#how-to-use-adaptogens
- Ashwagandha
- Rhodiola
- Cordyceps
- Turmeric
Exercise and movement are tremendous stress reduces. There is a multitude of health benefits. When Lander was in the middle of the treatments and the unknowns began to suffocate my thoughts, going to the gym was a significant way for me to work through the stress. I honestly believe it was one of the most significant contributors to keeping me level-headed.
Sunshine is quite possibly the most overlooked contributor to health. This is a topic I will go into in much more depth in the future—the different wavelengths of light act in many ways with the body. The most common way is the production of Vitamin D. Still, many more types are being studied such as early morning light and the effects on melatonin production in the evening and night.
Sleep is another topic deserving of its own article. A great book I recommend is The Power of When by Dr. Micheal Breus. Sleep helps us reset and recover.
Healing Points Acupuncture Clinic – North Little Rock, AR
Acupuncture is probably a scary or uncomfortable thought for most. I hope to demystify the ancient practice. I’m going to my friend Michele Fincher, L.Ac., Dipl. OM’s acupuncture clinic to visit and film a treatment.
Michele Fincher was born and raised in Little Rock, AR and has been a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist since 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine degree from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, CA, and she also received advanced clinical training in Hangzhou, China from the Zhejiang Medical University.
Michele’s private practice clinic, Healing Points Acupuncture, is in Downtown North Little Rock in the Argenta Arts District. She treats a variety of health conditions and offers individualized care to patients of all ages.
How can acupuncture help caregivers and cancer patients deal with stress?
The benefits of acupuncture for cancer patients reach far and wide. But it can also do wonders for those who are taking care of cancer patients. Many find acupuncture to be a crucial part of their self-care regimen.
Acupuncture restores the body’s stress equilibrium by inserting very thin needles along energy pathways in the body to stimulate the body’s innate healing ability. For thousands of years acupuncture has been used to help prevent disease, treat illness, and improve overall wellbeing. It treats the mind, body and spirt and views each structure in your body as an integral and necessary part of the whole.
Acupuncture can be a great stress reducer for any cancer patient. Cancer patients who use acupuncture report they feel calmer and happier. They also claim to feel more mentally alert and emotionally stable.
Learning that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer can be one of the most stressful things for someone to experience. As a caregiver you must be a rock for the person suffering with the disease and you must be there to support them physically, mentally, and emotionally. That is a heavy burden for someone who is dealing with the fact that someone they love is undergoing what is most likely going to be the hardest part of their life.
Acupuncture can proactively reduce stress in the following ways:
- By creating balance in the Nervous System. Acupuncture works by stimulating the Central Nervous System. This releases natural endorphins into the body like serotonin that help calm responses to stress by lowering cortisol levels which will increase under stress.
- By providing much needed respite for caregivers and cancer patients alike and it creates scheduled time for rest and self-care. Acupuncture is relaxing and makes you feel good! It is not scary nor painful.
- By boosting your own energy naturally which stress can deplete.
- By reducing inflammation which can lead to many different types of illness, both mental and physical. Acupuncture is inherently stress reducing and has a distinctly overall calming effect which lowers inflammation. The more consistently the treatment is given the greater the cumulative effect.
- By providing ongoing physical, mental, and emotional support. Acupuncturists also remind you of other ways to reduce stress too, such as breathing, movement, hydration, nutrition, sleep, laughter, and gratitude. Remember to count your blessings!
Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment
When performed by a trained and licensed professional acupuncture is extremely safe . It is a natural, non-drug therapy and is virtually side effect free and has helped people for centuries to reduce stress and improve health and wellness. Every patient is unique and so are their health concerns. At Healing Points Acupuncture we take this into consideration and treat patients accordingly by identifying imbalances in the body through pulse and tongue diagnosis.
In most cases it is not the stress that is the problem, but how you react to the stress.
Acupuncture is an effective therapy for the treatment of stress and anxiety disorders. Acupuncture redirects your qi (pronounced chee) or vital lifeforce energy into a more balanced flow helping to resolve the cause and effects of stress in your body. Acupuncture releases tension in the muscles and this allows increased flow of blood, lymph, and nerve impulses to affected areas, thus decreasing the stress experienced by the patient.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing emotional or physical distress from an illness or from caregiving acupuncture is a very effective treatment.