I have been helping patients for the past 13 years obtain optimal health and wellness without drugs and surgery.  Too many people rely on masking symptoms with drugs that at best just cover up symptoms, but result in many other healthy problems with their side effects.   In our Freehold, NJ office, Hometown Family Wellness Center, we take a different approach to your health with a multiple pronged approach including chiropractic, nutrition, stress reduction, weight loss, detoxification/cleansing and adrenal function.

I started this blog series several weeks ago to help others be more healthy naturally.  You can read the first of this series of blog posts by clicking here:  Freehold Chiropractor Shares Health Myths and how you can be Healthy Naturally without Drugs or Surgery.

The follow up to that post you can read here:  Be Health Naturally without Drugs or Surgery: Step 1 Proper Sleep discussed by Chiropractor in Freehold NJ.
This is just the start to you taking control of your health and making it a priority.  By following these steps, you will be healthy more naturally and won’t run to the doctor for medications.  The next step to taking control of your health is stress reduction.

I’m sure you have many ways that you reduce stress, but take this little quiz to see if any of these very stressful situations have cropped up in your life.  In the questions that ask about three or four items, give yourself a check in the “True” column for every one of the items that apply to you (#8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16)

True     False

___      ___      1. Sometimes at night or during the day, I catch myself gritting my teeth.

___      ___      2. Lately, I’ve noticed that my reactions to other people’s mistakes or other people’s bad choices result in overreacting or flying into a rage.

___      ___      3. After an argument or heated discussion with someone, it takes me a long time to get over it.

___      ___      4.  At night, it’s difficult for me to fall asleep quickly.

___      ___      5. The old methods I’ve used for reducing stress don’t really work well anymore.

___      ___      6. While working on a project, I feel like the clock is ticking and am rushed to finish it in time.

___      ___      7. There are a few upcoming events in my life that cause social anxiety.

___      ___      8. In the last year, I’ve had a jail term or minor violations of the law.

___      ___      9. In the last year, I’ve moved, experienced a marriage or divorce, had a death in my family or amongst my friends, or experienced a foreclosure or had to take out a loan.  (Give yourself a check for each stress mentioned.)

___      ___      10. In the last year, I’ve experienced a son or daughter leaving home, trouble with in-laws, retirement or a pregnancy. (Give yourself a check for each stress.)

___      ___      11. In the past year, my income has not improved.

___      ___      12. In the past year, I was fired, changed to a different line of work, experienced trouble with the boss or co-workers, or had more jobs piled onto my regular workload. (Give yourself a check for each stress.)

___      ___      13. I recently started or ended school.

___      ___      14. I recently experienced a personal injury or illness myself or had a family member who has been ill or needs caretaking. (Give yourself a checkmark for each stress.)

___      ___      15. I recently experienced an incident of prejudice, social injustice or had a crime committed on me. (Give yourself a check for each stress.)

___      ___      16. I have diabetes, cancer, blood sugar problems, high blood pressure, or memory problems. (Give yourself a check for each stress.)

___      ___      17. I am overweight or seriously underweight.

___      ___      18. I was recently diagnosed with a sexually-transmitted disease.

Stress Score:   _______ True       ______ False

How did you do? The higher your number of “True” statements or “True” checkmarks, the higher your level of stress.

What Can You Change in Your Life to Decrease Your Stress?

The big question is how to arm yourself against the stress that occurs in life, because one thing that every one of us can count on is stress.

The reason why doctors like myself are so concerned about your stress level and the skills you have to decrease your stress is because stress makes the body kick out hormones such as cortisol that destroys your ability to rejuvenate your body.

High levels of stress hormones make it easy for you to put on weight around your waist, decrease your lifespan, and accelerate the progression of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and dementia.

So now, let’s look at ways you can relax.  Check off the methods below you use to relax.   At the end of the list, there are blank lines for you to write in any other methods you use to relax.

___      Fishing              ___      Schedule and take a long vacation

___      Listening to music         ___      Playing a musical instrument

___      Reading            ___      Watching sports games or attending sporting events

___      Singing             ___      Watching entertaining movies

___      Driving             ___      Attending concerts, plays or going to art museums

___      Praying             ___      Spending time outside in the fresh air

___      Socializing               ___      Laughing, cheering up friends, comedy shows

___      Hiking                          ___      Spending time with pets

___      Exercising

_______________________________________________________________      ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

I’ll bet that you already have ways to relax but I will ask you this, though:  When was the last time you took the time to do some of these things that de-stress you?

Now don’t tell me that you don’t have time!  You know that you have to make time for these things, just to keep your sanity.  So now in the space below, I want you to decide what you are going to do for stress reduction in the next week.

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Commit to it and stick to your word. You will feel better – I guarantee it!

Now earlier I discussed stress hormones.  We have glands in our body called the adrenal glands, nicknamed the “stress glands” because they regulate 4 of the main hormones of the body that regulate stress to the body.  These hormones are adrenaline, norepenephrine, cortisol and DHEA.  When these hormones are in balance your body will deal with stress more easily and be healthy naturally.

Unfortunately, most people consume 2 products that destroy these glands and the balance of these hormones.  Too many people consume coffee and other caffeine products.  The caffeine dehydrates the tissues of the body and “kills” the adrenal glands.  The other products are refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc.

When your adrenaline levels are off for too long, it leads to heart conditions.  Imbalance norepenephrine levels leads to digestive issues like IBS, acid reflux and colitis.  Cortisol imbalance leads to allergies, weight problems, diabetes, immune problems, joint problems, fatigue and sleep issues..just to name a few.  The final hormone affected is DHEA which helps control the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels and when off balance leads to libido issues, PMS, Menopause, fertility problems and more.  So I guess you can see all the health issues that can be created by stress if the adrenal glands aren’t working optimally.

I get from many patients that they only drink one cup of coffee a day… hmmm, well is it a grande?  Seriously though, one cup a day over many days, months and years will destroy your adrenal glands.  It is the accumulative affects of the caffeine.  Just like if you told me you only smoked one or two cigarettes in a day.. you know over time that would destroy your lungs and lead to higher incidence of cancer.

In our office as part of your initial consultation, I evaluate your adrenal glands to make sure your body is regulating the hormones and stress levels properly so you will be healthy naturally.

Finally, it is scientifically proven that internal and external stressors lead to many health issues from heart conditions, digestive issues, headaches, fibromyalgia, skin conditions,  anxiety, depression, many dependencies like smoking and eating and so much more.  We are one of only 5 offices in NJ that has technology to analyze your body for over 50,000 stressors or sensitivities that can be causing many of your health symptoms.  Through bio-energetic stress reduction therapy, we are able to see how severely acute or chronic your sensitivities are.  We print you out a report then using the therapy, we positively recondition  your body to reduce the stress.

So, are you ready to lead a more healthy lifestyle without drugs or surgery?  Are you ready to enjoy your family and normal daily activities once again?  Taking care of these areas discussed is important to live a healthy long life.

We have been  helping people be healthy naturally in Freehold and the surrounding towns of Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck, Jackson, Morganville and Millstone as well as other nearby towns in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Watch for our next blog on this series…Until next time, check out our website for more health info:  www.chiropractorfreehold.com or take advantage of our consultation and 4 pronged approach to help you reach your health goals!