Filed under: Advice, Happiness, Health, Hormone Diet
Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That’s Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.
Most of us are all too familiar with the feeling of being stressed — your heart races, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, your blood pressure rises and your hands become cold or clammy as blood flow is directed to your limbs to prepare for escape. However, most of the time there is no escape, as we sit in front of our computers or trapped in traffic!
This is our initial response to stress, otherwise known as an adrenalin rush or sympathetic nervous system response. The parasympathetic nervous system response, or relaxation response, is just the opposite; your breathing slows and deepens, your muscles relax, your blood pressure lowers, your pulse rate slows and blood flow is directed to the organs of digestion and elimination. If you always feel tense or anxious, your body will remain in a constant state of heightened arousal. As new studies have found, chronic stress, particularly psychological stress, is most detrimental to our health.
Effects of Chronic Stress after the jump…
Continue reading Chronic Stress Causes Damage: 5 Ways to Protect Your Brain