Stress Defined
How is stress defined or more importantly, what conditions does our body perceive as stress? Stress is defined as the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response. Many things can cause the above responses like jobs, bills, kids, spouses etc. but is there more? The answer is, yes. There are many other things that our body considers stress eg. toxin overload(mercury, lead, BPA, aluminum, uranium, household and work place chemicals etc.), metabolic stress (sugar dis-regulation), surgeries, injuries and injuries resulting in chronic pain, post traumatic stress, deaths of loved ones, caregiving, etc. You can see that the list can go on and on. Many people experience multiple issues simultaneously, which further compounds the problem. So how does stress manifest itself in the myriad of different symptoms both mental and physical that so often accompany it?
How is stress defined or more importantly, what conditions does our body perceive as stress? Stress is defined as the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response. Many things can cause the above responses like jobs, bills, kids, spouses etc. but is there more? The answer is, yes. There are many other things that our body considers stress eg. toxin overload(mercury, lead, BPA, aluminum, uranium, household and work place chemicals etc.), metabolic stress (sugar dis-regulation), surgeries, injuries and injuries resulting in chronic pain, post traumatic stress, deaths of loved ones, caregiving, etc. You can see that the list can go on and on. Many people experience multiple issues simultaneously, which further compounds the problem. So how does stress manifest itself in the myriad of different symptoms both mental and physical that so often accompany it?
Stress- A Symptom, Not A Cause
Stress is primarily a hormone response. Our brain perceives stress and initiates a complex string of chemical reactions which lead to the production of various hormones. One of the most important of these is Cortisol. If you look at the pdf file that we have on our website listing symptoms and hormone dis-regulations you’ll notice many symptoms under Cortisol. Elevated or deficient levels of Cortisol can cause a wide variety of symptoms that can seriously erode quality of life. In some extreme instances it can even cause death. With the New Year upon us many people are making resolutions on weight loss. In my next blog I will discuss some of the issues relating to stress and weight gain. There is a direct connection, which we will explore.
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