Holiday Stress

As the holidays are upon us, it seems that stress levels tend to continue rising and end the year at an all time high. Are you one of those people who enjoy the holidays and all the activity and pace or are you someone who just makes it through and is glad when it’s over? As much as we all have good intentions, the holidays can be quite challenging for us.

Everyone uses the word “stress”, but what does the term really mean? How does stress relate to our nutritional status and abnormal deviations in our body chemistry which leads to a wide variety of metabolic dysfunctions? If that was too much for you just remember stress equals inflammation and inflammation is the precursor to all illness and disease. So let’s arm you with some tools you can utilize to get you through the holidays and apply in your daily life to obtain a higher level of health for the New Year.

Approximately ten to twenty percent of the American population is in the alarm stage of stress response at any one time. We all have stress, but how do we identify what stage of stress our bodies are in and what steps can we take for each stage to move us into a state of healing?

In certain cases, it is possible to identify the stage of stress through symptoms; however, a much more reliable method of determining one’s stage of stress is by a hair analysis test. A hair analysis is used to calculate the oxidation rate, thereby providing an accurate means to identify the stage of stress a person is currently in.

Once you have this information, Quantum Techniques (QT) is a highly effective tool to aid in the body’s healing process (www.QuantumTechniques.com). Let’s briefly discuss the stages:

The first stage of stress is known as the alarm stage: a stressor causes an initial activation of the body’s defense mechanism. What ensues is a complex physiological response involving several interacting systems within the body. This stage produces the release of epinephrine into the bloodstream, followed by an ACTH adrenal cortical response. The body recognizes that something has gone wrong and is under attack. This sets into motion the first line of defense, the sympathetic nervous system response. This produces an increased rate of metabolism and is synonymous with fast oxidation. In other words, the metabolic rate speeds up (energy production) to overcome the problem at hand whether it is an infection, psychological turmoil, nutritional stress, etc.

To overcome the stressor, the body requires an increase in energy output, which is generated by increasing the activity of the thyroid and adrenal glands. Increasing one’s energy level is the body’s first line of defense. A fast oxidator in general has a high energy level due to a high output of these glandular hormones. As a result of the body’s attempt to contain the stressor, acute symptoms such as pain, inflammation and fever commonly result. As long as a person remains in fast oxidation we know the body is continuing to defend itself and the disease process is still active. If the stressor is overcome, the alarm ceases and the body returns to its resting state.

What happens if, as a result of any kind of stress, the body fails to develop an initial corrective reaction? As a result the body goes into a resistance stage of stress which on a hair analysis is identified as a sodium/potassium inversion. During this stage, there is a dramatic reduction in alarm reactions, as full resistance to the stressor is developed. It is an attempt by the body to maintain balance in the presence of the stressor. Cortisol (potassium) secretion is elevated indicating the body is functioning at heightened levels. If the stressor prevails, then the mechanisms involved in supporting this stage of resistance will weaken. High circulating levels of cortisol begin to produce pronounced effects on the circulatory, digestive, immune and other systems of the body. Fatigue will start to reveal itself and the thyroid will become sluggish. The body has failed in its attempt to overcome the stress during the initial alarm stage. As a result, the body enters into a stage of resistance which can be identified on a hair analysis by the sodium/potassium inversion.

If the resistance stage is inadequate in overcoming the problem, then the body eventually passes into a steadily declining stage of exhaustion. The hair analysis will reveal either severely low sodium and potassium levels, or a sodium/potassium inversion amongst other readings.

Thyroid and adrenal hormone secretion increases to above normal levels. Blood pressure and blood sugar levels increase, the pulse can be rapid. These reactions are all part of the gearing-up phase.

The great majority of young children are fast oxidizers and hence they tend to be hyperactive, irritable, and emotionally oversensitive. All too often they suffer from sleeping problems. Some suffer from learning difficulties because they are unable to concentrate in school, due to a racing mind.

If you know stress is an issue for you and it’s affecting your health, I suggest you follow through with a hair analysis and find a QT practitioner to work with who can help your mind and body cope with the stress that can be preventing you from having a healthy and happy life.

For purposes right now lets discuss a few strategies you can implement today. These are part of the essentials of wellness and include proper food choices, water, rest, exercise, speaking your truth, and maintaining an interference free nervous system.

How many work parties and other events are you attending and eating the food that might taste good but is depleting your energy? Enjoy yourself but cut your portion in half and if possible eat some raw vegetables with the treats as they contain digestive enzymes that will help break down the other foods you are eating.
Make sure you are drinking water. Remember your body is over 80% water and that means your cells need water to function well. How well does something work when it’s dry and brittle? That’s what your cells will do if they do not receive proper amounts of water on a daily basis. As a general rule for every 50 pounds of body weight one quart of water should be consumed.

We are all trying to do so many things but remember to get your rest. Set a goal to be in bed and asleep by 11:00 pm. Every hour of sleep you get between 11:00 pm and 2:00 am counts for double. These are critical hours of sleep that allow the body to repair and rejuvenate itself for the upcoming day.

Who has time for exercise during this time of year? We all should. If you find yourself skipping exercise or just don’t exercise, get to it! Here’s a quick four minute cardio workout everyone has time to do in the morning. You can pick the exercises but I will suggest a few. For one minute you do pushups of your choice. The next full minute settle into a “plank” position which means getting into a push up position, except resting on your forearms and holding that form. The next minute you can jump and try to touch the ceiling. Finally, end with one minute of grasping a weight or some type of safe object that is somewhat heavy and lifting it from the ground over your head. Believe me as easy as it might sound check your heart rate when you’re done and I guarantee you it will prove you’ve had good exercise. If you want more exercise, go two rounds for a total of eight minutes. Obviously work within your limits and remember this routine is only a suggestion.

We tend to spend more time with family this time of year. Speak your truth to yourself and others constructively and kindly and you will find that sharing will help your health. Repressed emotions are as harmful to us as viruses and sugary foods. Don’t underestimate the power of a thought, either positive or negative.

Lastly, one the easiest things to do is breathe. You can do it anywhere and nobody will even notice. We so often don’t realize we are hardly breathing. Make it a rule every day to check in with yourself and see how you are breathing. Is it shallow because you are so busy doing a task or are you angry and hardly even breathing? Take 10 deep breathes from your diaphragm so you see your stomach rise and then fall. Notice how you feel when you are done. Do this once in the morning, afternoon and at night, as it will help you to relax before bedtime. There are many simple breathing exercises to do to help with stress but this is one example you can implement today.

This time of year I frequently hear from clients that they will just take a supplement or vitamin and that will help them. A word of caution: not all supplements, vitamins and minerals aid in the body’s healing process. There are many people who are taking supplements/vitamins that are actually toxic to the body and are more harmful than helpful. If you want to take supplements/vitamins make sure they are being tested to see if they are beneficial for you. Here is another example where it is invaluable to utilize a QT practitioner to identify what products will be helpful to your body’s healing process upfront.

Once that is established, QT can take this one step further. QT can be used to specifically deal with the organs and glands that are affected by the stress. The adrenal glands are the stress glands of the body. They are two pea sized glands right above the kidneys that deal with all the stress in our lives. QT can be used to balance these adrenal/stress glands through a code designed specifically for your own glands or along with other work that is being done in the body through other QT codes you may be using. The more specific you get the better the body heals.

Now for a couple of examples. Let’s first discuss the person who is chronically in the first, or alarm stage of stress. Typically the addition of supplemental calcium, magnesium, zinc, and copper assists the person to return to a normal state. B vitamins are also vital to restoration.

For the person who is in the exhaustion stage of stress, they will feel better by restricting their dietary intake of simple sugars and carbohydrates. Extra quantities of certain vitamins such as B1, B3 and B6 are much needed, as are manganese, zinc, vitamins C and E and often potassium.

Stress is a part of our daily lives and it is in our best interest to deal with the effects stress has on our minds and bodies. Implementing the simple strategies mentioned can be very helpful. Take it a step further and gather the information from having a hair analysis, and work with a QT practitioner to identify what supplements would be helpful and develop a specific code for your body’s healing as this will make it possible to begin reversing the stress responses in the body. This, in conjunction with the essentials of wellness, will provide the mind and body the sacred space to live in a state of healing rather than a constant state of stress. Which do you choose? Have a happy, healthy and balanced holiday season!

For more information regarding having a hair analysis, contact Dr. Jenny Sechler (Drjenny@QuantumTechniques.com). For the month of December receive a 20 minute free consultation to review the results and develop a plan to reduce the stress in your mind and body.