Stress 101: Rebuilding the Engines Part 2

By Evie Breedlove-Mangapora, ARNP
& Deborah J. Post, ARNP

SURVIAL OF THE FITTEST:  We were given a spectacular brain to observe the world, to learn and interact with life. The most important part of our body to protect is the brain.  Our brain remembers what the heck stressed us out in the first place and hopefully we learn not to do that again! We were given a system of brakes (Inhibitory) and accelerators (Excitatory) chemicals in the body to control this awesome vehicle.

Think about this:
1)    What gives out first in your car? The brakes or the accelerator?  Answer:  The Brakes!

2)     What happens if your transmission is in trouble?  Answer: You have poor control of your vehicle when you accelerate or brake.

Well the same things happen in your body when stress becomes overwhelming.

The inhibitory neurotransmitters, our brakes, get a nonstop workout in today’s fast pace, always multi-tasking world.  Eventually our brakes wear out.  Today, people attack their daily schedules and deadlines like saber tooth tigers.  This stress is like being in your car with one foot flooring the accelerator and the other foot slamming on the brakes.  When we do this for extended period of times, you burn out the engine!

So Where Do We Start?   
1)    How can I make more ‘brakes’ and calm down my ‘accelerators?’  Answer: Take care of your gut!
Wait!  Aren’t we talking about our brain?  Yes, but your neurotransmitters are created in your gut.   Neurotransmitter chemicals like Dopamine, ACTH, Adrenaline, Glutamate, GABA, Serotonin, Glycine, Taurine and Cortisol.

Some of these accelerate your system by increasing your heart rate, increasing blood flow to your muscles, increasing oxygen to your brain, increasing blood sugar and breaking down fat so you can run (flight) or stand your ground (fight).  Other brain chemicals relax you, calm your heart, stabilize the brain, repair the body after stress reactions, regulate mood, sleep, anger, aggression and sexuality and help our immune system to recover from shock.

So what do we do??  
The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.  Do something different!  What?

Get data: The eleventh commandment is “thou shall not kid thyself.” Take a good inventory of what is stressing you out and start learning about the things you don’t know, like how your body works.  We all want to live a long live but we require a working body to do so.  Get a good exam and look at prevention markers preferably with a functional practitioner.

A functional practitioner will look at the causes of things and not just jump for medications (unless it’s an emergency) and will keep blood hormone and chemical levels in optimal levels not just “within normal limits.”

Take stock in what do you control: Air, Water, Sleep, Exercise, Diet,  Attitude.
• Learn about nutrition
• Take dairy and gluten out of your diet (this may not mean forever)
• Avoid all GMO’s
• Drink filtered water but not from plastic bottles
• Learn about toxins that may be seriously harming you in your environment,
• Learn about xenobiotics (look it up on your smart phone!)
• Breath deeper,
• Exercise more,
• Yoga
• Sleep

If you can’t seem to get a grip on these things on your own, seek out a functional practitioner to develop a personal understanding these issues.

Nutruceuticals (food as medicine), Supplements, and NON Invasive Therapies. Be real about what you will and will not eat, learn what good supplements can support holes in your diet.

As unbelievable as it may seem, more than one  third of middle class American children, and the vast majority of adults, are severely malnourished.   The most often consumed foods are coffee, white bread, processed foods and sugar. It is a sad commentary that many of our pets have a more nutritionally sound daily diet than we do. You would think, for Instance, that with all the press on Vitamin C that no one would be deficient in this Vitamin. Yet 30% do not even get the current RDA levels from their diets.  The topsoil over much of the planet is exhausted or severely depleted.  So our food is weak, both plant and animal products – unless it’s harvested from the wild, or organically grown. Make up the difference in good high quality supplementation including adaptogenic herbs.

Work with a functional medicine practitioner to look at good quality brands and appropriate dosages.

Pharmaceuticals – Drug City:  Here the options in conventional medicine are endless and seeing that no human has a deficiency in any pharmaceutical drug, why would you start there?? But many people do and then jump right to surgery and invasive treatments when the drugs basically turn off the “check engine” light so you feel different but didn’t’ solve the original issue. If you’re in pain, consider:
• Massage,
• Chiropractic personal trainers
• Acupuncture,
• Pilates,
• Tai Chi
• Chi Gong
• Yoga
• Therapy (physical and emotional)
• Meditation

Functional practitioners look to find the underlying cause of your health conditions.  They don’t simply mask the symptoms with pharmaceutical drugs.

Surgery and Invasive Treatments/ Hospitalization
Don’t start here, unless it’s an emergency situation. Many people start here and it takes much more energy to go back and regain your health. The body wants JOY, HEALTH, STRENGTH, and PEACE, so let’s find our way back so that we can help ourselves and our kids. The kids today are aging at exponential rates with the stress on their bodies and minds, so let’s slow that down and give them the immune systems that work, brains that think, and hearts that love.

How Can We Help:
Seek out the help of a functional practitioner.  We make it easy to see what functional medicine is all about.  Join us for a free educational presentation:  “Stress, Hormones & Health” Call (239) 560-8334 or (239) 777-4647  to Reserve Your Seat!

Stress, Hormones & Health.
CALL NOW to reserve a seat.
RSVP is required
(239)560-8334

August 16 at 6:30 p.m.
9200 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs

August 18 at 6:30 p.m.
9200 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs
Free $10 gift card to Food & Thought for first 10 people to register and attend.

August 30 at 6:30 p.m.
9200 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs

Evie Breedlove-Mangapora, ARNP
Inner Essence Health, LLC
(239) 777-4647
inneressencehealth.com

Deborah J. Post, ARNP
Wellbridges, Inc.,
(239) 481-5600
Debpost.com