COLUMN BY MARK W. EARNHART, D. C.

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REDUCE THE RAVAGES OF STRESS

posted 04/14/2008
Did you know that the overproduction of CORTISOL, produced in your body in response to chronic stress, can lead to adredal fatigue, diabetes, memory loss and faster aging? Chronic stress (pain, emotions, raising kids, work etc.) lead to what is termed "silent inflammation."

Silent inflammation is simply inflammation that falls below the threshold of perceived pain and that is why it is so dangerous. If you don't take steps to stop it, it smolders for years. Research now shows that chronic stress is the number one cause of chronic disease.

Cortisol is an anti-stress hormone produced by our adrenal glands when we are under chronic stress. Its job is to deal with inflammatory responses that stress cause in your body. Adrenalin is also produced by the adrenal glands in response to the fight or flight syndrome (when you are about to be eaten by a lion).

High cortisol levels over time leads to a host of health ills those already mentioned plus nerve cell death, weight gain and a depressed immune system.

• Prolonged or intense exercise
  
  
• Stuffing yourself with large meals
  
  
• Excess intake of stimulants such as caffeine
  
  
• Being overweight
  
  
• Low blood sugar from a very low carbohydrate diet

One of the problems with high cortisol levels from a chiropractic view point is that adjustments don't hold as well as they should. The reason for this is that one of the places this silent inflammation shows up is in the joints, which leads to joint instability.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP REDUCE CORTISOL LEVELS

1. Eat a balancecd diet with low levels of refined carbohydrates (THE SCHWARTZBEIN PRINCIPLE, by Diana Schwartzbein, M.D. is an excellent way to eat). We have it in stock.
   
   
2. Do regular, moderate exercise.
   
   
3. Use meditation or other relaxation techniques.
   
   
4. Get tested for adrenal exhaustion. We use muscle response testing, postural blood pressure tests and saliva tests.
   
   
5. If you have stress along with other hormone imbalances such as PMS or low libido, have a saliva test done to see how bad your cortisol levels really are.

If you have any questions, please feel to contact us at 378-5660 or sjcc@rockisland.com. You may also go to our website at sanjuanholistichealthcare.com for more information on this and other health concerns.

Yours in Health,
Mark W. Earnhart, D.C.

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