This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Tips for Taming Killer Stress


by Dr. Minerva Santos, MD I n the early 20th century, Walter Can-


non found that people exposed to various stressful events, both mental and physical, secreted large amounts of the hormone epinephrine, which prepared their body for “fight or flight.” It turns out that when humans are ex- posed to any perceived stress—wheth- er it’s the good stress that goes along with a wedding or new job, or the bad stress that’s a byproduct of divorce or financial hardship—a cascade of hormones and their interactions lead to increased blood flow to muscles, increased heart rate and higher blood pressure. The hormone cortisol plays a significant role in this cascade. It distributes energy, in the form of glu- cose, to areas that need it most: brain, muscles or digestive system. Cortisone increases our hunger and our cravings for carbohydrates, and it suppresses our immune function. While short- term spikes in cortisol do not present a health issue, the effects of long-term stress, with its relentlessly high cortisol levels, can be devastating. In today’s world, many of us walk around in a state of chronic stress; we rush about in the morning to get to our jobs, where we rush until it’s time to


but similar to hypertension and ab- dominal obesity. This risk was the same for people regardless of sex, age or geographical area.


Learning to control your body’s response to stress, therefore, is critical to good health. Various techniques fa- cilitate what is known as the “relaxation response,” which is the opposite of “fight or flight”: your breathing slows, your heart rate decreases, even your brain waves change. To fight the onset of acute stress, first stop the cascade of hormones with a deep breath—a breath deep enough to make your belly pop out! I teach a class in stress reduction through breath- ing, which is a particularly helpful tech- nique because it requires no special tools, so you can “take” it anywhere. For chronic stress, the best remedy


is regular exercise, whether it is tai chi, yoga or Qi Gong. Meditation promotes the relaxation response, as do journal- ing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery. Ignathia and argentium are two homeopathic remedies that help relieve anxiety, and I often recom- mend valerian tea as well as lavender in the form of aromatherapy.


go home … and very often, the stress does not end there. Everywhere you look there are books, lectures, even Dr. Oz discussing the effects of this chronic adrenal stimulation. “Adre- nal fatigue,” “adrenal burnout”—call it what you like, but its effects are ruinous to our health. In fact, one of the largest global cardiology studies, INTERHEART, found that psychosocial factors put people at significant risk for heart attacks—less than smoking,


When it comes to managing stress, one size does not fit all. So it’s impor- tant that you recognize your stressors and try several techniques to learn what works for you.


The office of Dr. Minerva Santos is located at 48 Rt. 6 and Mahopac Ave., Yorktown Heights, NY. Contact Dr. Santos at 914.248.5556, or for more info, visit MinervaSantosMD.com. See ad, page 38.


Learn to


Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) Monthly Meditation Gathering.


De-Stress


ALL WELCOME! $10 Fee


NAN Members FREE MEDITATION LEADERS: Dr. Michael Finkelstein & Robin Queen natural awakenings Updates: WakeUpNaturally.com May 2012 41


Guided Meditation at Sunraven Thursday, May 17, 7pm


LOCATION: SunRaven 501 Guard Hill Rd. Bedford, NY RSVP: 914.772.1257


NEXT MONTH Wednesday, June 20 Bernadette Bloom President, The JJ Esoteric Foundation


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