Health

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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