Stress In Our Lives ¤ Daily Grind Ä Local and world news is filled with Stress Ä Everyday existence is filled with Stressful Decisions Ä Work is physically and emotionally Stressful Ä Family pressure may result in Stress Purpose of this Workshop: (Sharing Ideas) Our goal is to share wellness ideas with our patients and community. Reaching out to you with this information may stimulate awareness and your search to either correct or better manage your life. Our fast paced lifestyles create negative survival values resulting in chronic irritation and decreased health. If this workshop stimulates you to question your daily routine and search elsewhere to improve it .. we have succeeded. Today¼s workshop relates to Stress Stress: (What Is It) Many people consider stress as an emotional problem. It¼s true that stress may include depression and/or anxiety, but the emotional aspect of stress is but one component. Consider the other components related to Stress: Chemical, Physical and Neurological. Understanding all these components, as well as assisting with the mental/emotional will allow you better control and management of daily stress and is the purpose of this class. Let¼s explore these areas. Emotional Stress: (Mental Wear and Tear) Our lifestyles and constant demands of our time produce a reactive existence. Be aware if you have become dependent on others rather than being independent of mind and spirit. Considering the demands of family and work ... little time is left for us to enjoy the blessings that each day brings. Personal relaxed time must be found (even for a few minutes) each day creating a pro-active approach to daily stress. If stress becomes overbearing it affects both mind and body. Chemical Stress: (Nutritional and Hormonal Imbalance) The daily grind of life force many of us to eat on the run. Fast foods have made life easier but at a cost. Denatured, highly processed, fat enriched foods are too often the stable of our diets. These non-foods and other toxic chemicals result in an imbalance and poor body function. The reactive body may produce an allergic reaction and at times a hormonal imbalance resulting in the need of over and under the counter medication. The excessive and improper use of medication is well documented. Both emotional and chemical stress play a role in your health potential. A close look at the „health¾ section of any supermarket or drugstore will illustrate that billions of dollars are spent yearly both in sales and marketing for products containing, not correcting, the ravages of stress related symptoms and diseases. Be wary of patching up the problem rather that correcting it. Physical Stress: (Wear and Tear) Each and every cell of the body works in support of the other. If the digestive system is not up to par, the body will be undernourished and retain toxic wastes. If the muscular system is not performing at its peak, the result is excessive labor on the adjoining parts. If the circulatory system is not up to speed, we have our vessels pumping harder and hypertension and heart disease will be the result. The physical interaction of body systems is the key to adaptation and health. Human ecology .. keeping our body at its peak performance is the key to health and wellness fighting sickness and disease. Each organ and tissue cell within must work in conjunction with its neighbor. Excessive irritation results in mismanagement, as with any endeavor, and therefore less health potential. Postural Stress: (Chronic -- Accumulative -- Wear and Tear) I¼m sure you heard the term „you¼re so uptight.¾- or- „The straw that broke the camel¼s back.¾ Your posture plays a huge role in how well you carry stress. The muscles and ligaments that create the supportive components of your spinal region (backbone) become defensive and uptight when they feel threatened. If your job, sports or home activity requires constant sitting, typing, telephone use, lifting, bending, and/or micro traumas you¼re prone to accumulative „wear and tear.¾ Muscles and ligaments supporting this lifeline must maintain its integrity or the neurological and vascular components will be compromised with structural misalignment and possible nerve root pressure. This pressure may eventually lead to discomfort or compromise your health. We call this a Subluxation. It is the purpose of chiropractic care to eliminate or manage it. So .. when your mother told you to stand up straight and not slouch .. she was so right. Neurological Stress: (Chronic Health Concerns) An unfortunate lapse in our educational system are classes relating to health. Yes, schools teach our children about dreaded diseases and epidemics .. they even know that relief is spelled R-O-L-A-I-D-S. They also realize that health comes from a bottle and when life becomes overbearing its a matter of reaching, as their parents do, into the „medicine¾ cabinet for a pill. Prevention is the buzzword for pro-active individuals attempting to stay fit and well. One step beyond prevention is Wellness .. keeping ourselves well. We¼ve been given our bodies in tip top shape and spend our entire life getting out of shape. Besides the obvious loss of form .. being overweight .. being out of shape also means not functioning well. The stress components above all take a piece of you .. making your existence less whole. Chronic wear and tear and malfunction results in decreased health potential and disease. Rather than running to pills and surgical procedures as the primary means to regain control .. look within and determine if stress has resulted in your decreased health potential. As a chiropractor .. a poor adapting body may result in increased subluxations. A word so poorly understood .. especially by the medical profession. Action Steps: (What to do now) Ä Review the above and determine where stress overtakes you Ä Create awareness and determine how best to adapt to this Stress Ä Share the „load¾ with others and seek professional assistance if necessary Ä Begin the pro-active process of weight control and toning exercises Ä Is there is chronic neurological stress .. have your spine checked Ä