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· Impaired cognitive performance
· Suppressed thyroid function
· Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
· Decreased bone density
· Decrease in muscle tissue
· Higher blood pressure
· Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
· Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!
Dr. Hans Selye more than a century ago after studying stress concluded that what really kills us is not stress, but distress. Distress occurs when prolong emotional stress is not solved in a positive manner. He also refers to our bodies’ response to stress or distress as general Adaptation Syndrome GAS. This consists of three stages; alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Diagram of the General Adaptation Syndrome GAS
The positive thing is that today we can chose to avoid most stressful situations by preparing ourselves mentally and physically to avoid negative stress.
Small increases of Cortisol levels by hormonal replacement therapy have some positive effects:
· Burst of energy for survival reasons
· Increase levels of memory functions
· Increased immunity
· Lower the sensitivity to pain
· Helps maintain homeostasis in the body
While Cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it is important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body does not always have a chance to return to normal levels, resulting in a state of chronic stress.
Drug companies offer medications to treat the symptoms of anxiety, but fears of addiction and side effects cause most health conscious people to avoid them. Fortunately at The Wellington Institute, we have developed other alternatives to fight stress in form of natural supplementation, acupuncture, physiotherapy, and hormone replacement therapy HRT to balance Cortisol levels, which has shown to be as effective as some leading prescription medications without the side effects.
TAKE THE STRESS TEST NOW
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