Undercut Your Psychological Stress by Reducing Your Biological Stress

Very few people are aware of it, but it could be that a significant part of your anxiety / stress is produced not psychologically, but biologically. In other words, poor lifestyle habits may be contributing to how bad you actually feel and to how much damage stress is able to do to your system. Some of the latest research at top medical facilities in the United States has concluded that stress goes right down to the cellular level and is measurable. The same research has also concluded that 1) your body can be under significant stress even if you don't feel stressed, and that 2) this stress compromises the functioning of your nervous system, your immune system and your body's energy circulation matrix. What are some of the worst life style habits that typically aggravate this situation? 1. Dehydration - Make sure you get plenty of good quality water to drink. That doesn't mean you should drown your poor kidneys, but that you should drink a reasonable amount of water per day. Many people drink coffee all day and alcohol at night - since both of these are diuretics (meaning you lose more water than you gain), that puts a major stress on your system. 2. Caffeine addiction - You'll never tone your nervous system if you're constantly putting this stuff into your system. A little caffeine is okay. You can still keep your morning cup of coffee (though I'd recommend a glass of room temperature water first). Just make sure your consumption doesn't get out of hand. And consider green tea as a healthier alternative. 3. Alcohol indulgence - I don't mean alcoholism (which is a very serious problem in itself), but just a constant, daily alcoholic intake. Alcohol is a super-sugar that puts significant strain on your system if you overdo it. A little red wine and beer may be okay, depending on your individual metabolism. But stay away from the hard stuff and your body will thank you. 4. Poor elimination - We live in the "constipation nation" and many of our health problems are related to the fact that our lower digestive tract isn't functioning at all well. In fact, nearly all illness can be traced to stress on the system originating in the bowel, where years of neglect have clogged your body's sewer system. Unless you're eliminating at least once a day, completely and without strain, you should consider a little help in the form of some psyllium fiber. 5. The White Devils - Eliminate all foods whose ingredients include white flour, white sugar, white rice and white table salt. White flour and white rice clog the bowel and send your blood sugar through the metaphorical roof. Replace them with the whole grain variety. White sugar suppresses the immune system wonderfully well and has (no surprise) been implicated as a chief culprit in several types of cancer and cardio-vascular disease. Table salt has also had its chemical composition altered in refinement. In general,sea salt is a safer alternative. 6. Poor Food Combining - We can't get into all the details here, but it's like this: digestion takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot less if you don't try to force the system to simultaneously digest incompatible food groups. Try to separate animal protein from carbohydrates, for example. In other words, you can eat meat and you can eat bread or potatoes, but it's easier on your body if you don't try to eat them at the same meal. 7. Low Fiber Diet - Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Most people in America don't. 8. No Nutritional Supplements - The idea that you can get all the nutrients your body needs from your food is increasingly a myth. The only way to be sure that your system is getting what it needs to support its immune and nervous systems (not to mention the rest) is to use nutritional supplements. And don't forget that you also need fresh air and sunshine. It's no good to spend all day indoors. You'll feel vastly more relaxed if you get outside for some exercise, even if that's just to take a walk. Speaking of exercise, if you're not getting it regularly, you need to start. We'll share more tips on this in later issues. So there you have it. The more you reduce the strain that your lifestyle habits are putting on your system, the less vulnerable you'll be to anxiety and panic attacks, and to stress of all kinds. Not only will you feel less stressed subjectively, but your system will also be more resilient and a much harder target for stress-related damage.
Dr. Symeon Rodger
ByeByeStress.com