STRESS

Welcome to www.nutritionhelp.com.

Did you know that your reaction to stress and your ability to cope with it can often be helped by Nutritional Therapy? In my clinical practice, I have seen it happen time and time again - and now you can receive tailor-made advice online from www.nutritionhelp.com!

My name is Erica White. I’m Nutritional Director of Nutritionhelp, and also a Fellow of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and an Honorary Fellow of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy. I have now retired from clinical practice, but we have set up an online Questionnaire and Report system which can give you all the advice you need, with an optional facility to have contact with one of our associate team of qualified Nutritionists.

I’m going to answer a few questions about stress and how to overcome its effects, which I hope might be helpful to you.

Q. What are the main reactions when we experience stress?

They can be fear, or anger or frustration – or even excitement! You only have to think of the example of an early caveman and the fight or flight syndrome. When he turned a corner and was faced with a big woolly mammoth, his reactions either prepared him either to run away very fast or else gave him the strength to stay and fight!

Q. But surely these reactions are normal? Are you saying they are bad for us?

To some extent our stress reactions play a protective role. But if they happen too often or over a long period of time, they give rise to problems. The adrenal glands release adrenaline, which produces a 'high' in the same way as a drug. They also release two long-term stress hormones called cortisol and DHEA. Together, the adrenal hormones gear the whole body for action. Digestion shuts down. Glucose is released into the bloodstream to fuel the nerves and muscles, and there’s an increase in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, ready to deliver oxygen to the cells in order to burn up the 'fuel' (glucose) and produce energy. However, another effect of glucose in the blood is that it 'feeds' yeast in the body, thus encouraging yeast infection, an overgrowth of Candida albicans, which can cause all sorts of problems, both physical and mental - so stress can be a 'cork in the bottle' if you’re trying to bring Candida under control.

Other unhelpful side-effects are that nutrients get used up and resistance to infection declines. You suffer with minor problems such as headaches, stiffness, insomnia or moodiness, and if nothing is done to reduce these effects, it’s possible that major problems can follow, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and even cancer.

Q. So the health of the adrenal glands is important for controlling the effects of stress?

Yes, very, and the problem is that the adrenals can become exhausted from over-stimulation, yet more and more stimulation is needed to keep them working, so there may be cravings for stimulants like sugar, salt, coffee, chocolate or alcohol. As the adrenals get worn down, there may be an increase in weight and cholesterol levels, but a decrease in energy and thought processes.

Q. But are there ways of supporting the adrenal glands if you are living through times of unavoidable stress?

Yes, a lot can be done. For instance, exercise can help to burn up the excess glucose which has been released into the blood, and nutritionally you can support the adrenal glands so that they don’t become exhausted. This can be done by ensuring an adequate intake of certain nutrients, particularly Vitamins C and B5, as part of an all-round tailor-made programme of supplements. It’s also helpful to take herbal supplements like Skullcap or Passiflora.

Q. What would you say to someone who feels that stressful circumstances have already played a part in causing or increasing their health problems?

If you feel that your health is being affected by long-term stress, whether it is happening now or has happened in the past, you might like to consider an Adrenal Stress Hormone laboratory test using saliva specimens. The test looks at your output of the long-term stress hormones, cortisol and DHEA, and compares them with a normal reference range. This allows you to be given an appropriate nutritional programme to help regulate the situation, which can make a tremendous difference to your adrenal function and therefore to your overall well-being, including immunity and energy levels. The test can be ordered through www.nutritionhelp.com.

When your adrenals are working efficiently, you will find yourself able to cope much more easily with the stresses and strains of life, and this means that far less sugar from your body’s stores will find its way into your bloodstream and feed your overgrowth of Candida, if you have one!

If you haven’t considered it before, you may well find that appropriate Nutritional Therapy could be very helpful. Of course, we can make no claims for you as an individual, but we can say that many people have seen significant improvement.

Besides considering the laboratory test, maybe you would like to register for an online report from www.nutritionhelp.com. A detailed Questionnaire enables you to be provided with personalised advice based on my clinical experience over nearly twenty years. In addition, it will tell you about various optional supplements which can help to relieve your symptoms while you are tackling the root cause.

For just £47 you will receive an extremely detailed report giving tailor-made nutritional advice to help you on your road to recovery. Read how the system works on www.nutritionhelp.com/quest_more.php.

Register for an online Questionnaire on www.nutritionhelp.com.

I wish you well!

Erica White, Dip.ION, FBANT
Nutritional Director, Nutritionhelp Ltd