Being Well

Monthly Naturopathic Newsletter Promoting Wellness
in Our Community

DEMYSTIFYING STRESS:
PART I OF III

January 2008

Section 1

Section 2

1.FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
2.HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS

Section 3

1.DIGESTIVE FUNCTION, incl: indigestion, irregular bowel movements, bloating, gas
2.INTELLECTUAL FUNCTION, incl: short term memory
3.REPRODUCTIVE HORMONE FUNCTION, inclu: lidibo, fertility, PMS
4.METABOLIC SYNDROME X, incl: type II diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol
5.WILSON’S TEMPERATURE SYNDROME, incl: fatigue, weight gain, dry hair and skin, constipation, depression, insomnia, …

Section4

6.PAIN
7.INSOMNIA
8.DEPRESSION
9.ANXIETY

HOMEWORK:

To deepen your understanding of how stress affects your life, I suggest completing the following exercise. Divide a sheet of paper into 3 columns, labeled accordingly: stressor, reaction, and coping mechanism. Bring attention to the situations that trigger a stress response in you and describe the situation in the stressor column (example: traffic, appointments, family member, …). Then note how this situation is affecting your physiology and psychology in the reactions column (example: shallow breathing, heart palpitations, sweating, …). Thirdly, note how you cope with the stressful situation in the third column (example: eating, crying, suppressing, etc …).

First and foremost, a Happy New Year and wishes of health, joy and prosperity to you and yours for 2008!!

With the holidays behind us, and a new year before us, many are resolving to take charge of their health in 2008. Whether it’s to join the gym, lose 10 pounds, seek emotional counsel, or make dietary changes, you cannot escape the impact of stress on your health. As I have explained to many of you in the past, with my lengthy descriptions and schematic drawings, stress often significantly influences the manifestation of ailments and disease. We can all relate to the experience of stress, however few of us understand how stress affects our physiology and our psychology. For this reason, I have decided to demystify stress in a 3 part series starting with a foundation in the physiology of stress, highlighting how stress alters the function of the body and the mind. Part II (February newsletter) will highlight common vitamins, minerals, and herbs used to support the effects of the stress response. Part III (March newsletter) will discuss the use of mindfulness techniques in mediating the negative effects of the stress response.

The human body is wired in such a way that when a stressful event is perceived at the brain level, the rest of the body is to alerted to this event. This mind-body communication occurs through a series of biochemical reactions, which ultimately shift the body’s physiology into an alerted state that will maximize our chances of survival. These reactions are principally governed by 2 mechanisms:

1. fight-or-flight response (FOF), and
2. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA).

1. FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT RESPONSE
Put within the context of evolution, it only makes sense that we developed a branch of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). While in the Savannah and encountered by a lion, tiger, or bear, the SNS acts as a flip switch turning on the physiological and psychological pathways that maximize our chances of survival when faced with such a threat, to either fight for our lives or to run for our lives. Once the lion, tiger or bear is no longer in front of us, the SNS is switched off, and our biochemistry is to return to it’s normal resting state of relaxation.

2. HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS
THE HPA axis represents a cable connecting the brain with the endocrine organ called the adrenal glands. These small grape-like glands sit above the kidneys and secrete certain hormones in response to stress, principally cortisol. Cortisol then makes its way into the various body systems to induce changes that are conducive to maximizing survival. Similar to the switching off of the SNS, the absence of stress gives the adrenal glands and the various body systems a rest from cortisol. However, keep in mind that the half life of cortisol is 100 minutes. This means that once 1 single molecule of this stress hormone is released from the adrenal glands into the blood, it takes 100 minutes (almost 2 hours) for the potency of the acting cortisol to diminish by 50%! Translation: the effects of stress on the body and mind are long acting!

A great number of physiological changes occur in the body as a reaction to stress. To list just a few:

EFFECTS ON THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
· DECREASED blood flow to the gastrointestinal system
· DECREASED hydrochloric acid secretion from the stomach’s parietal cells, causing an overall decrease in the secretion of digestive enzymes
· DECREASED small intestine motility, contributing to indigestion
· INCREASED large intestine motility, contributing to irregular bowel movements
· CHANGE in the pH (acid/base) balance of the gastrointestinal tract, unbalancing the relationship between the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ bacteria, resulting in a condition known as dysbiosis. Signs and symptoms of dysbiosis include: bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, etc …

EFFECTS ON INTELLECTUAL FUNCTION
The instinctual, or primitive, part of our brain is favored over the more intellectual part, shunting blood away from the prefrontal cortex (at the forehead) to the hind brain (towards the occiput), resulting in:

· DECREASED short term memory
· DECREASED name recall
· DECREASED ability to spell


EFFECTS ON REPRODUCTION FUNCTION
· DECREASED blood flow to the placenta
· DECREASED libido, because cortisol inhibits testosterone production and/or effect
· DECREASED fertility
· UNBALANCED female reproductive hormones, resulting in estrogen dominance:

o Premenstrual Syndrome

(lasting up to 2 weeks before onset of menses), including: breast tenderness, breast distention, acne, headaches, sugar/salt cravings, impatience, depression, insomnia, bloating, irregular bowel movements, pelvic pain, low back pain, …
o Uterine fibroids
o Endometriosis

METABOLIC X SYNDROME
Many of us don’t realize that stress can result in abdominal weight gain. The fat tissue in the abdominal region is highly concentrated with receptors for cortisol. The more the adrenal glands secrete cortisol, the more cortisol binds to the abdominal fat tissue receptors, the more the abdominal fat tissue is stimulated, and the more abdominal weight is gained. This increase in waist to hip ratio sets the stage for Metabolic Syndrome X, a syndrome characterized by the following triad:

· Insulin resistance, leading to type II diabetes
· High blood pressure (hypertension)
· High cholesterol levels in the blood (hypercholesterolemia or dyslipidemia)


WILSON TEMPERATURE SYNDROME
The stress response alters thyroid hormonal function by decreasing the peripheral conversion of thyroid hormones T4 to T3. Upon stimulation by TSH, the thyroid gland produces T4, which then goes into circulation, where 85% of T4 is converted to T3. The T3 then binds the appropriate receptors and induces activity akin to thyroid function. Since excessive levels of cortisol can interfere with this peripheral conversion, an individual can experience signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism while having normal TSH levels (a condition called Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome), including:

· SLOWED metabolism (weight gain)
· Cold hands and feet
· Constipation
· Depression
· Insomnia
· Dry skin
· Thinning of hair, etc …

A great number of psychological changes occur as well as a reaction to stress. To list just a few:

Stress can increase the perception of pain by increasing circulating levels of Substance P, a neurochemical involved in the perception of pain.

Stress results in the decreased production of melatonin from the pineal gland, resulting in insomnia.

On an emotional level, stress influences neurotransmitter activity contributing to depression and anxiety.

As you can see, stress is not a figment of your imagination, but rather an extensive experience of both your body and your mind. Tune in next month to learn how to minimize the affects of stress.

Be well, pdc