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Emotional Stress: Yes, It Can Affect Your Health
By Dr. Christine Benner
Have you ever noticed that you get sick or injure yourself
just as you are recovering from an emotionally trying event? In one way
or another, you manage to stay pulled together and focused through the
crisis -- then, just when you can let down and relax a little, your low
back goes into spasm, you get a migraine, or you come down with the worst
flu imaginable! How can we explain the body's reactions to emotional change
and stress? And better yet, what can we do about it? True, we cannot avoid
change and its associated stress if we want to live full and eventful
lives. Nor would we want to -- it is unhealthy and unrewarding to reach
a plateau and never move from it. Closing a relationship, learning to
be alone, and forming new relationships are all major life changes and
deserve to be acknowledged as such. However, they don't need to make us
sick! When we are going through periods of change, there are three things
to remember in order to preserve good health.
First acknowledge that this is a time of transition. It
is not the time to coast along and simply hope for the best. This is the
time to assess your physical and mental strengths, and to make the most
of them. Use your faith, insight and sense of humor for all they are worth.
These intangible qualities are part of what make you unique. And they
play a tremendously important role in your ability to maintain physical
health.
Secondly, don't be afraid to seek out a qualified team of
professionals to help you maintain your health. Look for chiropractors
and other hands-on professionals who will work with you as an individual,
not as a set of symptoms. Try different practitioners and techniques until
you find the right team for you. If you are in transition, anxious or
depressed, your nervous system is already overloaded. As with any overloaded
electrical system, it will only handle so much before it breaks down,
resulting in illness or injury. Your nervous system is capable of handling
huge amounts of information input. It takes in all it is given, filters
it, and creates appropriate reactions. These may take the form of actions
and verbal responses, or such things as changes in blood pressure, body
temperature or immune responses. Since the nervous system is the monitor
of the immune system, it is essential that it remain fully functioning.
A depressed nervous system will invariably result in a poor immune response
to outside invaders. A person who is tried, nervous, and worried will
be susceptible to colds, flus and the like.
How to keep a healthy nervous system? What could be better
than a regular routine consisting of proper diet, exercise, adequate rest,
positive mental and spiritual work, and qualified hands-on healing work,
such as chiropractic?
All of the above listed habits, done on a regular basis,
will dramatically increase your resilience. As you begin to feel more
physically strong and flexible, your emotional strength and flexibility
will increase as well. Others will notice your newfound health and self-confidence
radiating from you. Which brings us to point number three in the quest
for excellent health while your life is in transition. Take time to step
back and notice your progress. A healthy and integrated body/mind should
be applauded. Don't just avoid illness, maximize your health!
Dr. Christine Benner is a chiropractor in private practice
in Manhattan. A former dancer, personal trainer and Trager practitioner,
she emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach to health and personal growth
issues. For further information about chiropractic and other related health
care techniques, call Chiropractic Health Services at (212) 929-2424.
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