Stress Myth Busted: Why Some Stress Is Essential For Staying Healthy
Holistic doctor explains why some stress is good for health. When managed strategically, stress can help ward off the effects of aging and make people stronger, healthier and smarter.
Online, October 28, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Integrative medicine pioneer Dr. Michael E. Rosenbaum busts open one of the myths of stress. As Dr. Rosenbaum explains not all stress is bad and some of it may be vital for good health.
In this high-paced unpredictable world, stress is a constant facet of many people's lives. It has been identified as a major health threat by organizations such as the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association.
"However," explains Dr. Rosenbaum, "Not all stress is the same. There's a difference between chronic stress and the short-term strain we experience when we're taking an exam or exercising, for example. This kind of stress triggers growth, adaptation and ultimately increased capacity to survive and thrive."
Scientists call this phenomenon hormesis from the Greek word for "to urge forward" or "to excite". Essentially hormesis means "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
German pharmacologist Hugo Schultz originally coined this term when he exposed yeast to small doses of disinfectants and noticed surprising results . . . the yeast grew. Further toxicology research revealed similar results - that small doses of some lethal toxins actually promoted growth or strengthened organisms.
While use of the term "hormesis" started in the realm of toxicology, it's since been extended to other discussions on health.
Says Dr. Rosenbaum, "Exercise is a great example of hormesis and good stress. The first time you go for 2-mile run, for example, it's hard. Your legs get tired, your heart's pounding and you run out of breath. However, as you go running more and more, this changes. You can go farther before your legs hurt. Your breathing becomes less labored. And when you take your pulse your heart rate hasn't climbed as high. Every time you put your body through the stress of exercising, your body gets the message from you that it better increase its capacity to run. As a result you get stronger."
The strain of exercising damages muscles at the microscopic level at first. Then these muscles become stronger by repairing these tiny muscle tears. Similarly, exercise pushes the lungs and heart to increase capacity as well.
"Brain strain also improves cognitive health," points out Dr. Rosenbaum. "Do a little research on how to prevent dementia and you'll soon come across suggestions like learn a language, take up a new hobby, use the opposite hand when you brush your teeth . . . Doing challenging brain games like Sudoko have been linked to better brain health as you get older. Why do these activities help? Because they tax your brain. They challenge it, requiring it to stretch and grow."
Two interesting studies on the onset of Alzheimer's disease highlight this. Researchers found that people who were bilingual and had Alzheimer's displayed a phenomenally slower rate of decline than people who only spoke one language.
As researchers explained, it seems that the challenge of switching back and forth between languages used parts of the brain single-language speakers don't use. This challenging lingual feat pushed the development of new neural pathways and better concentration skills than speaking only one language did.
Furthermore, research has also shown that small doses of acute stress seem to provoke the brain to produce special chaperone molecules that protect the brain from damage
Concludes Dr. Rosenbaum, "Chronic stress isn't good for your health. You want to manage stress better if it's a constant in your life. But don't get rid of it completely. In moderate amounts, it's good for you. It tells your body to adjust, adapt, grow stronger and get smarter. The key is to limit stress to manageable doses and set aside rest and recuperation time. And - very crucially - nourish your body with good nutrition to help it rebuild after dealing with stress. For countering the taxing effects of stress, I particularly recommend supplementing with Sun Chlorella and Sun Eleuthero."
For more information or to read the entire article, please go to https://www.sunchlorellausa.com/blog/myth-buster-what-good-stress-and-why-you-need-it
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