Stress Trumps Everything

A good friend of mine and Naturopathic Doctor, Dale Tamminga, used to tell me all the time, "Stress trumps everything." If you're a card player you know that trump cards can't be beaten. It is like that with stress and our health.

What Dr. Tamminga meant is stress can beat out healthy diet and even supplements to an extent. If we don't get our stress under control it will undermine everything else we do. We cannot lead health-filled lives if we are constantly beaten up by a stressful lifestyle.

Me personally, I have a built-in barometer to the amount of stress I'm putting on my body -- I get sick. When I get ill it's almost always following a period of major mental / emotional stress or physical stress (like 'holiday' eating). This can often explain why even those considered "health nuts", or those in the natural health field, still get sick occasionally. The other major reason is typically a "cleansing" action of the body, where the body stirs up some accumulated toxins and pushes them out.

Following a healthy lifestyle helps offset stress tremendously. Providing the body good nutrition goes a long way to helping it cope with stress. However, following certain practices geared specifically for relieving stress is what is usually required.

As I sit and write this I have a head cold. I can look back and see exactly what happened as my stress accumulated more and more and I didn't do anything to offset it. Here are a few suggestions to look into.

1. Regular massage: (Or any bodywork like cranialsacral, energy work, etc). Bodywork and massage are fantastic ways to reduce stress. Done regularly is the best -- once a week or once every other week. Not only does it reduce stress but it makes the body feel great!

2. Bach Flower Remedies: These remedies are easy to obtain (found at most health stores), easy to use, and very effective. A little research is needed to obtain the right remedies and it's often best to have a blend made up by a knowledgeable practitioner. However, Bach remedies are very do-it-yourself for the health-minded person.

3. Meridian Tapping Techniques (EFT, etc): This is one of my favorites. Very easy to do, very effective, and can be done anytime, anywhere. There is just a ton of information on meridian tapping on the internet if you look for it.

4. Exercise: Exercise is another great way to reduce stress. Whether you go for slow focused movements of yoga, tai chi, or chi gung or you're more into the high-intensity exercises like running or competitive sports it all works to decrease stress.

There are also numerous herbs, vitamins, and minerals which are fairly specific for helping the body cope with stress. Some of the best ones are labeled 'adaptagens'. Adaptagens help the body 'adapt' to stress (both physical and mental). Ginseng, eleuthero, suma, and maca are a few of the well known ones. These work best when taken on a regular basis.

The only problem with these methods come from NOT doing them. At times it seems like I am the poster-child for quietly allowing my stress to climb out of control. Don't be like me! Don't wait until you get sick to start managing your stress! Your body will send you many small signals, like colds and flu, telling you your stress level has gotten too crazy, until finally you'll get a BIG signal -- heart attack, cancer, or other major disease. Keep that stress under control!

I think it's time for me to get a massage....