Tuesday, May 26, 2009

High Stress? Fatigue? Want Pain Relief? Then Listen Up...


Right now in our economy, more individuals and families are directly affected by job layoffs, financial deficits, unstable markets, graduates not being able to find jobs, and I could go on... We know this is a trying time for many and no one is quite sure what to do. I see frustration everyday in my patients and individuals in general. Every time I go to Starbucks, or the grocery store, it is inevitable to not hear a conversation about the state of our economy or of our local communities and the families and friends that we all know who may be struggling right now. Maybe it's even you.

I am here to offer you something for free. Nothing attached, no gimmicks, but because I see the frustration everyday, in and out of my office I want to offer some practical information to help relieve perhaps some of your physical, mental, and emotional stress. The fact is that if you let this stress get the best of you it will get the best of your health. If you are someone who might already be suffering with chronic aches and pains, stress will make you worse. Stress physiologically will induce anxiety,inflammation and thereby result in more pain and it will reduce your body's ability to perform the functions it needs to do to help you heal.

So here are 5 easy steps you can begin to do today to help get you back on track to better health with less stress, anxiety, and offer you perhaps some pain relief.

4 Steps To Better Health:

1. Take 10; that's take 10 minutes to walk outside, get out of the office and walk around the block or the neighborhood. Get in the sunshine, even if it's cloudy fresh air and a little time in the sun will increase the chemical release of Serotonin in the brain (that "feel good" naturally occurring neurotransmitter). The higher levels of this chemical in the brain the less fatigue and depression you experience. Things that rob your body of serotonin are smoking, not enough sleep, and poor eating habits (lay off the fast food).

2. Drink your H2O (water). O.k. I'm getting specific here. It's not drink 8 glasses or 12 glasses anymore. It's take your body weight, divide that in half and drink that in ounces. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to drink throughout the day 80 ounces of water. 90% of the population walk around dehydrated. Dehydration sets you up for injury, even when carrying out daily activities at work or at home. Muscle sprains and ligament strains, headaches, bodily pains may all be a direct result of dehydration, so the best thing you can do is to drink water through out the day to prevent pain and injury.

3. Be forgiving and giving in all that you do. If you go around in a negative manner or feel things are unjust in life and you feel lousy, you will continue to perpetuate this cycle. You need to do something different and it doesn't have to be big, but do something for someone else and put effort into it. Buy someone a cup of coffee in line at Starbucks, help a friend out or a neighbor. Life is a revolving door and if you only keep eyes on "yourself" and "your situation" and how "you" feel, you are finding excuses to be the way you are. Trust me on this, you will experience great results emotionally, physically, and mentally by acting in kindness to someone else.

4. Chronic pain, inflammation, and feeling of fatigue are results of nutrient deficiencies as well. When you are stressed or anxious or worried, do you eat the best foods? You probably go for sweets, colas, fast foods, anything to make you feel better. These things may feel the void for awhile, but I betcha within a few hours you're back feeling miserable and tired. Make a conscious choice to eat "clean foods," the less tampered with or processed the better. Try it for 4 days and I guarantee you will feel more energy, less discomfort, and you will save money in the long run. Go to the grocery store and stock up on organic lean meats like chicken, fish, and beef. Go for vegetables, choose three different ones. Buy some brown rice, eggs, sweet potatoes, and don't skip a nutritious breakfast! To promote healing and prevent pain and injuries, the body needs nutritious fuel, if you deny yourself it, you will suffer. No excuses!