Stress is NOT a Way of Life

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC, ND
We live stress filled lives. We eat on the go, and our days are unending. We can’t stop thinking and let ourselves relax and enjoy. We are always working or doing something. We wait for vacations, and then need a vacation after our vacation. We have forgotten how to relax and enjoy life. In our world today stress has become a way of life, but it should NOT be so. The right amount of stress helps motivate us to take action. Too much stress can cause us to feel overwhelmed, overworked, fatigued, and emotionally and physically drained. The adrenal glands, part of the endocrine system, primarily deal with stress. These glands are located on top of each kidney, which is how they get their name, the adrenals.

There are 3 categories of stress   that can cause the adrenals to react. The first is physical stress from poor posture, injuries or trauma. The second is chemical and environmental stress that can be in the form of food, toxic chemicals, insufficient water, missing vitamins or minerals, electromagnetic pollution or allergic reactions. The third type of stress is what most people think of when stress is mentioned – the emotional reaction. We create emotional stress by saying “No Problem”, when we really mean, “No Way.” Stress is cumulative, meaning the different types of stress add up to feeling overload. When the brain determines that it is stressed, it believes everything is an emergency.

There is a natural solution to this 21^st century stress overload phenomenon. First identify the different stressors that are causing a stress reaction in your body. Next reduce the stressors that you can by changing your diet, and lifestyle habits. Here are six ways to help you win the battle against adrenal stress burnout.

1. Follow your natural body instinct to go to bed early, when you first feel tired. Do not stress yourself by staying up late and allowing yourself to get that second wind. 
2. Eat real whole foods and the correct protein requirement for your body type, instead of eating convenience and fast foods. Do not give into sugar, chocolate and carbohydrate cravings.
3. Avoid dietary stimulants that keep the body in a “stress emergency” state. Do not allow yourself to become dependent upon coffee, pop or caffeine stimulants.
4. Your body needs water to bathe the inside to flush out as many toxins as it can. When the body cannot flush out the toxins, they are stored in your body fat, adding to weight gain. Do not drink less water than half your body weight in ounces.
5. Avoid foods made with hydrogenated oils or trans fats. These bad fats damage the cells on the inside of your body. Do not eat junk food, packaged or processed foods that have these bad oils.
6. How long it will take for you to have your energy return varies from person to person. Have patience and allow your body time to heal. You will know when you are ready to get back into a regular routine. As your body heals your energy will return. Do not force yourself to exercise when you are exhausted, as this will only slow your recovery.

Chiropractic care is an essential tool to help reset the adrenals. Chiropractic reduces the accumulated physical stress on the nervous system, by taking the body out of the “stress emergency” state. Once the body had been de-stressed by chiropractic, exercise can then help to keep the physical stress level down. Nutrition is another essential tool to provide the necessary building blocks for the body to repair weak adrenal glands. Finding and fixing nutritional deficiencies allows the body to heal itself once it has the correct nutrients. Identifying and reducing the toxic burden the body has accumulated is another important component of stress reduction.

The goal of stress reduction and adrenal regeneration is to give the body the necessary tools and opportunity to rebuild and repair the adrenals. Avoid becoming dependent upon natural or synthetic hormone therapy. The hormones produced by your endocrine glands are very potent chemical messengers. High doses of natural, bio-identical or synthetic hormones prevent your body from actually healing. Change your diet and lifestyle habits to remove the interferences that have created the stress. Give your body what it needs to begin to make its own hormones again. Allow your body the time it needs to renew and repair. Your reward will be a new life, filled with energy, vitality and less stress!

Call (734) 664 - 0339 today for a FREE adrenal test to see how your body is handling stress. Visit www.TLCHolisticWellness.com to learn more about natural hormone balancing, and to see our schedule of Free classes. 

Life Essentials

 Posted on September 22, 2014 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

                                         Life Essentials

                                              By Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

The essential requirements for survival have not changed. There are four key factors that determine how long and how well you survive. Theses are unchangeable, and essential to life: air, water, food and motion.  Posted on September 22, 2014 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

You need oxygen to survive, which you get from breathing the air. Most people do not breathe deeply, but breathe shallowly. Without deep breathing, you can have difficulty getting sufficient oxygen. This is why exercise is important. You breathe deeper during and after exercise. Without sufficient air, you cannot survive more than 3 minutes.

Your body is 70-75%. Without sufficient water you cannot survive more than 3 days. It is estimated that over 80% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration has been linked to most major common conditions like allergies, headaches, back pain, digestive disorders, fatigue, depression, arthritis, skin issues, degenerative diseases and more. The type of water that you consume influences the efficiency of your hydration. You lose ½ your weight in ounces daily through normal body function. If you do not replace this amount with water that can get into your cells to hydrate and flush out toxins, you become dehydrated.

Water that cam actually get into the cels to hydrate the body is essential. Not all waters are created equal. All the man-made chemicals, toxins, pesticides and cleaners end up in our city and well water. 

The most efficient way to get the best water is to use a water processor to remove these contaminants. A good water system not only filters the water, but it also changes the water so it is more hydrating.

You cannot survive more than 3 weeks without food. Food is an essential component to life, but the type of food consumed matters. Food in its whole and raw form is the most natural food for the body. Processed, manmade food with chemicals and preservatives, composed of artificial ingredients, cannot nourish and rebuild your body. Nutritional supplements made from foods are most utilized by your body, compared to synthetic manmade products. The type of food and nutrients consumed determines the quality of your survival.

The last ingredient essential for survival is motion. Your body was designed to move daily. Current cultural habits require people to sit 80% of the time. Sitting with little motion decreases the mobility of spinal joints, and body fluids. While the heart pumps blood, lymphatic fluid needs body motion. Both spinal joints and lymphatic fluid rely on your movement and exercise for health. Without sufficient motion, joints become stiff and arthritic, and lymphatic fluid flow becomes sluggish, weakening your immune system.

Exercise moves the muscles. If there is stiffness and soreness with movement, it indicates that the joints are fixed in their motion. Chiropractic is the simplest. safest and most effective way to gently mobilize stiff and limited joints, allowing freer motion, and reducing joint pain while exercising. 

If any of these 4 essentials are non-optimal, your body experiences stress. The stress response is an inherent body reaction that releases hormones to deal with stress. This results in a hormonal imbalance that creates physical indicators like fatigue, unwanted weight gain, pain, digestive issues, allergies and more.

The solution to longevity is to decrease the stress on the body by ensuring that the 4 key essential ingredients to survival are at optimal levels. By fixing the cause of your body stress, the stress response reduces, your body can repair, and survival is enhanced. 

Visit www.TLCHolisticWellness.com for more information and free public workshop dates on Life Essentials, or call (734) 664-0339.