How to reverse the negative effects of chronic stress By Pharm Eyitayo Adenuga NSCDC NHQ

INTRODUCTION
It has been discovered that Stress is Responsible for about 60% to 90% of Diseases known to man many of which are debilitating and deadly

Stress Related Disorders

Chronic pain Migraines Ulcers Heartburn High blood pressure

Heart disease Diabetes Asthma PMS Obesity

Infertility Autoimmune diseases Irritable bowel syndrome Skin problems

Cancer

So, What is Stress?

Stress is the bodys fight/flight response due to the

activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. These stress hormones race through the bloodstream, readying us to either flee the scene or battle it out.

What is Stress Continued

Heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles

increase so we can run faster and fight harder. Blood vessels under the skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, pupils dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up, giving us an energy boost and speeding up reaction time However, body processes not essential to immediate survival are suppressed. The digestive and reproductive systems slow down, growth hormones are switched off, and the immune response is inhibited.

What is the purpose of Stress

The purpose of the stress response is to increase our

energy levels to tackle physical threats or situations like we would encounter in our task as rescuers. Unfortunately our bodies do not know the difference between a physical threat and one that is purely in the mind. That is the source of stress becoming a problem Stress becomes a problem when it is triggered by negative emotional responses to people, situations and conditions. This includes such things as holding a grudge, hatred, malice, bitterness, fear and worry.

The Missing Link

In talking about the human body system we are all

familiar with the following: Circulatory system Respiratory system Lymphatic system Central nervous system Skeletomuscular system Digestive system Excretory system etc..

Now introducing
The Energy system!!! This is a literal energy

circulatory system with definite pathways that supplies our organs with energy to function, much like electrical supply to the organs. EEGs and ECGs are proofs of the bodies dependence on bio-electricity. The existence of this system has been known by the Chinese for close to 5000 years Some modern proofs of the existence of this subtle energy system include Kirlian photography and special electrical gadgets used to detect points of reduced electrical resistance on the surface of the body.

Energy system continued

The West is just beginning to acknowledge the

existence of this system and have already come up with different complementary and alternative medical techniques that utilize this knowledge e.g. acupressure, kinesiology etc. Also the growing field of quantum physics and the new medical field of psychoneuroimmunology can help to further buttress this point.

How does Chronic Stress Cause so much damage?

The excess energy produced by the unmanaged stress

response ends up being accumulated in the energy system and creates an effect similar to the effect of high voltage on our electrical/electronic appliances. This will help you understand how the stress related disorders come about. Its all in the excess energy and which organ it happens to affect.

How to solve this energetic problem

The key to this problem is to find a system or

technique that helps us to get rid of the excess energy and give the body the opportunity to heal. The following systems address this problem directly but before presenting them we need to introduce another new concept

The Four States Of The Mind

MIND STATES AND FREQUENCY

Name
Beta State

Range (cycles per second)

14 100

Alpha State
Theta State Delta State

8 13
47 3 and lower

Mind States continued

The Beta state is our normal awake state of mind

when we are aware of multiple things in our environment. The Alpha, Theta and Delta are the states of our minds during light meditation/day dreaming, deep meditation and deep dreamless sleep respectively. It has been discovered that when our brain frequencies are lower, serotonin among other helpful chemicals are secreted and this chemicals help us recover from the effects of chronic stress and slow down the aging process.

Techniques to use to release excess energy and allow the body to heal
Meditation/breathing exercises Deep Relaxation

Brain entrainment technology

Subconscious programming e.g. Neuro-linguistic

programming, affirmations Emotional Freedom Techniques by Gary Craig

Some detailed explanations

Meditation: One of the most practical ways to acknowledge and experience the power within is through meditation. Meditation can be defined as a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the reflexive, analytical thinking mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation often involves turning attention to a single point of reference. There are different ways to meditate and I would encourage you to learn about meditation and adapt what you learn to your own belief system. Your ability to easily apply the first principle above (the gap) is greatly enhanced with meditation. Meditation increases your internal strength which in turn gives you the ability to remain cool and calm under any situation. Ten to twenty (10-20) minutes daily meditation will change your life for good. A simple meditation method is called chanting meditation. For this form of meditation you need what is known as a mantra, which is simply a word or phrase you repeat to yourself in the quietness of your heart. For example, you can use a scripture based on your beliefs, or develop a word or phrase for yourself. Then you repeat this word or phrase for 10 15 minutes twice or thrice a day with a relaxed state of mind. Twice is the recommended dosage for meditation according to Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2. Do this regularly and you will notice the difference like 7up. I say it boldly, it is impossible for one who truly meditates on daily basis to have hypertension or any other stress related disorder. And if they had before they started, it will resolve. The reason is this, meditation tends to produce deep relaxation...

Examples of breathing exercises

Method 1 Do abdominal breathing Inhale slowly and retain air for one second Exhale slowly and retain air for one second before repeating step 2

Method 2 Do abdominal breathing Inhale slowly for a count of 6 seconds then retain air for 3

seconds Exhale slowly for a count of 6 seconds then retain air for 3 seconds before repeating step 2.

Proper breathing/Deep breathing

Fig 1: Abdominal Breathing (A) inhaling (B) exhaling

EFT in a nutshell
All negative emotions are caused by a disruption in the

bodys energy system The goal of EFT is to balance out these disruptions by tapping on the major energy meridians while tuning in to the specific negative emotion you want to resolve. EFT addresses the two key cornerstone for effective CAM treatments namely the role of the subconscious mind and the energy system.

Conditions EFT has been known to address

Pain Relief Anger Addictions Weight Loss Anxiety Trauma Depression Fears & Phobias Allergies Respiratory Problems Blood Pressure Relationship Issues Womens Issues Childrens Issues School, sports and sexual performance issues Serious Diseases ( from migraines to cancer)

In Addition
The key to handling stress properly is to alter our

responses to things that trigger chronic stress. E.g. traffic jams, peoples insults, deadlines, etc Write a list of things that stress you and device means of handling them. Exercise the gap between stimulus and response. Forgive Manage yourself in time, put first things first

In Conclusion
Stress has its place in our lives, however too much of a

good thing is bad especially if youre dealing with stress. By learning to control our responses and eliminate chronic stress we stand to gain a lot in terms of our health and productivity. The new concepts introduce in this lecture gives hope that certain conditions regarded as incurable are actually curable including the mighty cancer. If we apply our selves to these principles and new concepts we will reap great dividends