Easing the Body Burden of The Economic Crisis

Let’s face it—we’re all stressed.  The economic woe of the entire country has affected everyone and most of us personally.  Recent surveys indicate that 75% of Americans are angry, worried or depressed about the economy. People are out of work or in fear of losing what income they have left.

The news is bleak and offers little to boost the confidence of the average American.  Seems like a dark cloud has descended on us all.

Double Whammy

Stress has a negative impact on health, particularly when it involves emotional stress.  In a country like ours where heart disease claims the #2 spot for illness related mortality, anything that increases emotional stress will increase the severity of the physical illness of heart disease.

Yet, a little awareness of all the factors involved can often help to prevent it from accelerating us down that path and even stop it from happening in the first place.

When we encounter a stressful situation fight or flight kicks in.  The body reacts by releasing stress hormone and adrenalin to prepare us for a life-threatening situation.  Our mind is peaked, blood rushes to our muscles, and glucose is released for the extra energy need for fight or flight and we are ready to do battle.  The only problem is that we are probably sitting at our desk or watching the evening news.

Instead of engaging in a physical activity to protect ourselves and burn up the surge of glucose, we’re just sitting around worrying.  This is where all the trouble begins.

What’s Happening?

The release of cortisol (stress hormone) raises blood glucose to prepare the body for stress.  Constant stress causes prolonged   increases in glucose levels, which leads to glucose intolerance or the inability to utilize sugar.  The body now cranks up insulin levels to compensate and remove the glucose.

Excess insulin promotes insulin resistance or the inability of cells to respond to insulin.  Now your glucose levels remain elevated and you’re on your way to type 2 diabetes.  Stay there for very long and you can add obesity to the list.

Excessive glucose also damages kidney function and leads to HBP—high blood pressure—and now you know why it often follows diabetes and heart disease.

It gets worse.

When you have excessive stress hormone release it makes the heart beat more forcefully.  Each time it pumps blood out into the body it moves it with more pressure and this puts tremendous strain on the arteries at every juncture throughout the circulatory system.

Muscle builds up around the vessels to support the extra pressure and sends blood back more forcefully to the heart and it all begins again.  This added force causes the heart muscle to enlarge and could lead to irregular heartbeat.  This also adds to possibility of HBP and on and on and on…….

I know it sounds a lot like doom and gloom.  What’s going on in our bodies in response to stress sounds a lot like what’s happening to the economy.  The stress is breaking it down on every level and it seems like there is no hope in sight.

But just like the economy it’s the little things that will keep it from falling apart completely and allow it to regroup and move forward despite seemingly overwhelming odds.
Stress has an effect on the body very much like having a car that’s idling too fast.  It burns up an inappropriate amount of fuel doing nothing.  In your body that means your nutritional requirements go way up so you have to eat better not worse.

But that is exactly the opposite of what we usually do!

Stress always leads to excessive consumption of sugar, alcohol, drugs and caffeine.

Why?

Because all of those things change the way you feel instantly and when your afraid and depressed that seems like a good thing but it accelerates the internal damage going on that wrecks your physical body.

By being aware and cleaning up your diet you can actually negate most of the damage, feel better and not need to reach for something that immediately changes the way you feel.

It all starts with food.

When you’re stressed and the body already cranks up the release of glucose and insulin the worst thing you can do is eat a meal containing a lot of sugar and fat.  Your body is having a hard time dealing with the stuff it just released and is overwhelm by the extra you just put in it.

That just accelerates you chances of getting heart disease and diabetes.

The opposite occurs if you had a healthy meal of vegetables and balance good fats and protein.  Not only does the body regulate the release of sugar into the system, the added nutrients in the meal stop the production if inflammatory chemicals the body produces under stress.

In fact if you make a point of eating mostly plant food you can actually negate almost all of the negative effects of stress.

All of the added stress you put on the circulatory system when your under stress cause excess wear and tear and the body maintains that system using antioxidants from plant food—fruits and berries, vegetables —basic maintenance food.

Just remember you have to eat better to offset the added requirements from stress.  That’s why supplements are so important.

It’s almost impossible to get it all entirely from food.  We have this amazing programming we’re born with called homeostasis.  This internal “ wisdom of the body” regulates everything that goes on.

Through a system of checks and balances it keeps everything in working order at every moment to ensure survival.  The whole thing is dependant on nutrients to run this incredible balancing act and if we don’t supply them it wears out.  Then we wear out.

So…..

Eat a lot of plants.  You don’t need the extra worry about getting it exactly right either.  Salads, onions, radishes, garlic, kale, broccoli, chard, carrots, beets, blueberries, raspberries, etc…if it fresh and preferably organic, just eat lots of it.

Filling up on plant food will crowd out the rest of the stuff you don’t need anyway.  Soon you’ll feel better and won’t be craving the rest anyway.

Entertainment?

One more thing about stress.  We already have enough of it without piling on extra activities that peak adrenal function.  Watching the evening news will just about depress anybody.  They latch onto you with the latest tragedies to hook you in and then dump the latest gloom and doom on us about the economy.  It’s all designed to trigger adrenal response because that’s what draws you in.

When your body is already locked into stress response the news can be like a drug—we need just a little more.

• Avoid the news and you’ll feel better in a week.
• Avoid movies and programs centered on violence.  They are all based on adrenal stimulation—the last thing you need when stressed.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Engage in activities that make you happy.  The main chemical the body produces in response to inflammation is C-reative protein.  It’s a primary indicator of heart disease.  Research shows that feelings of hopelessness and anger have a direct effect on it.

Negative people have the highest amounts of it in their system.  Avoid them—it’s more contagious than the flu and worse for you.

Reread my article “The Heart is a Many Splendored Thing”

It’s all up to you.

Be Well –

Roger

p.s.  Please share this with everyone you care about.  I know that all of you truly appreciate what I do.  The best way you can thank me is to spread the word.

Our journey in life is short – let the truth be known.