The human body was not made to thrive in this modern world. Yes, eras of the past were challenging but in a different way than the one in which we are living. Today many of us are under constant pressure. Although almost none of them are true crisis,your body treats them as though your life is at risk.
The human body’s response to stressful conditions is to release hormones that boost our energy in the short term to help us get away. Many people however use this short-term energy boost to function on a daily basis. The body tries to keep up by producing more but this result in imbalance because the stress is never normalized with periods of relaxation.
Stress affects many systems of the body. Mostly it is associated with mental symptoms such asnervousness,poor concentration, restlessness and fatigue, moodiness, mental fog and forgetfulness, nausea, obsessive patterns, social withdrawal, and hopelessness or depression. It affects other system too though like musculoskeletal system resulting in headaches, jaw clinching and grinding, tense muscles and spasms. Even worse, this increased muscle tension can produce cardiovascular symptoms such as a racing heart and high blood pressure. It doesn’t stop there; in the digestive system many people experience decreased appetite, compulsive eating, indigestion, heartburn, nausea and diarrhea. On top of all of these it can also cause decreased sex drive, menstrual irregularities, erectile dysfunction, acne and hair loss.
Many people experience some of these but if you are finding that they are becoming overwhelming or problematic for you I can help get you back on a better course. Each person has his or her own challenges to overcome and, therefore, each person needs an individualized approach to manage their stress. Naturopathic medicine has many tools that can help you stand up to stress and make whatever your challenge is less threatening. Let’s discuss what is the best way to get you back on track – sometimes you need acute relief and other times a simple restorative strategy to work on the underlying factor is the best route.