Adapting to stress
Adapting to Stress
By Dr. Kate Rhéaume-Bleue
We are all too familiar with feeling stressed, but what is stress, exactly? Stressors range from extraordinary events (e.g. a car accident, a death in the family) to banal, everyday situations (fighting traffic, losing your keys, being late for an appointment).
The stress response is a complex system involving the brain and almost every organ in the body, including the adrenal glands. In an alarming situation, these cone-shaped glands that sit atop the kidneys release cortisol and adrenaline which prepare the organism for a flight or fight reaction. Those hormones produce the symptoms that we typically associate with stress: a racing pulse, sweaty palms, anxiety, and even angry, aggressive behavior like road rage.
Our response to stress is designed to be effective for a finite period of time. In other words, the stressor (say, a lion on the prowl) appears, we respond by fighting or fleeing, and then the stress is over. However, today we are confronted with repeated stressors throughout the day with little opportunity to respond (you can’t escape or fight back when you’re stuck in traffic). Prolonged stress over weeks and months can exhaust the adrenal glands’ ability to produce hormones appropriately and can lead to adrenal fatigue, otherwise known as “burn-out”.
Adrenal fatigue is increasingly common in today’s hectic world and is often recognized by its telltale symptoms. These include pronounced fatigue, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, frequent dizziness or light-headedness on standing, feeling run-down, craving for sweets and caffeine to boost energy.
Fortunately nature has provided us with a selection of botanical medicines whose main action is to strengthen our ability to cope with stress. The term adaptogen refers to any herb that increases the body’s resistance to emotional trauma, anxiety and fatigue. In order for an herb to be considered an adaptogen it must increase the body’s defenses against adverse influences and have an overall normalizing effect by ameliorating a wide range of conditions. Adaptogenic herbs typically work not by a specific action, but by a variety of physical and biochemical factors that ultimately balance endocrine hormones and the immune system. All adaptogens work, either directly or indirectly, by supporting the function of the adrenal glands. Some of the most effective adaptogens include Siberian Ginseng (Eleutheroccocus senticosus), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), and Rhodiola rosea (Roseroot).
A relative newcomer to the stress-support scene is L-Theanine, an amino acid extracted from green tea. Although L-Theanine is not technically an adaptogen, it does play a very useful role in coping with anxiety, a frequent component of stress.
In the words of Dr. Hans Selye, founder of modern stress theory, “no one can live without some degree of stress all the time. Stress is not necessarily bad for you; it is the spice of life, for any emotion, any activity causes stress. But, of course, your system must be prepared to take it.” In addition to regular exercise and relaxation, taking a combination of adaptogenic herbs is the most effective way to resist the unrelenting stress of modern life.
For more information, please visit Natural Factors.com
