Stress, Stress, Stress!
Our lives are full of stressors--deadlines, bills, children, taxes, and other hassles and frustrations. All of these cause a stress response in our nervous system. For many people, this stress reaction is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress in and of itself is not always bad--in small doses, it can help you to perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best--but our minds and bodies pay the price when we are constantly operating in emergency mode. That's why our office now offers a Stress Response Evaluation so you can see how your body operates regularly, during a stressful situation, and how quickly and effectively your nervous system recovers from that stressor.
What is Stress?
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger--whether it's real or imagined--the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the "fight-or-flight" reaction, or the stress response. The stress response is the body's way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life by giving you the extra strength to defend yourself or the speed to slam on the brakes to avoid and accident. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.
What is the Stress Response?
When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, into your body. These hormones trigger several responses that prepare your body for emergency action. For example, your heart rate increases, your muscles tense, your blood pressure rises, your respiratory rate quickens, and your senses become sharper. Your hands and feet drop in temperature as the body is pulling the blood to the central organs for more efficient functioning. Your skin also perspires so that you may more easily slip away from whatever danger may be trying to trap you. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed up your reaction time, and enhance your concentration, preparing you to either fight of flee from the dangerous situation.
Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress
The body makes no distinction between physical and psychological threats. When you're stressed out about an argument with your spouse, being stuck in a traffic jam when you're late for an appointment, or frustrated because you left something you needed at home, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a mountain lion. If your body doesn't recover well from stressful situations, your emergency stress response may be "on" most of the time. This means your body is devoting less energy to digestion, healing, immunity, reproduction, etc. Also, the more your body's stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off because you already have such an excess of those stress hormones in your body.
When the body continually resides in the stress response state, serious health problems can arise. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, exacerbate headaches, and speed-up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the functioning of the brain, making you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
Stress Response Evaluation
Using the NeuroInfiniti software, we can perform a short test to determine your level of neurological arousal. The test is painless and non-invasive. We will hook up a number of sensors to various parts of your body to monitor your respiration, blood volume and pulse, hand temperature, skin conductance, muscle tension, and brain wave patterns. The test is extremely informative and helps Dr. Gardner to know what kind of adjustments and treatments to perform on you. It also helps you to know the areas in which your body is having a difficult time letting go of the stress response, so you can choose to improve the functioning of those body systems through biofeedback and neurofeedback, also offered in our office. We are currently offering this test for $50. We are the only chiropractic office in Idaho offering this informative evaluation.
Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Packages
You do not have to be the victim of an imbalanced nervous system. You can take control. Learn how to calm your body's stress responses through biofeedback and neurofeedback training. Improve your health and quality of life. We are currently offering a package deal of 6 sessions for $120.