Stress

~~From the desk  of Ann Arbor Chiropractor Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.

At the initial visit with my patients I ask them a list of questions that help me understand their level of stress. I do this because emotional stress causes the body to release chemicals that cause pain, ill health and often makes existing conditions worse.
We experience stress when we feel a threat whether the threat is a real or a perceived. As a result of this threat we release chemicals causing a "fight-or-flight” response. This often causes are heart rate to increase, our blood pressure go up,  muscles to tighten and (one of the worse things) inflammation  throughout the body. Ongoing and or frequent stress may cause damage to our organs, and joints and make existing conditions such as back pain, neck pain and headaches even worse. Stress may cause chronic conditions to remain chronic. Some say stress is the number one killer of humans.

So how do we recognize stress and deal with in a healthful way?
Some signs of stress: 
-Energy

-Loss of appetite

-Easily agitated, frustrated, and moody

-Feeling overwhelmed, like you are losing control or need to take control

-Having difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind

-Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless, and depressed

-Avoiding others

There are lots of ways to reduce stress. You can Google search ways to reduce stress and there are many books on stress reduction. A few methods I recommend are:
 -Exercise             

-Read a good book          

-Talk to someone about what is causing the stress       

-Look at things on the bright side/look at the glass half full.      

-Try to avoid the stressor(s)           

-Eat a healthful diet           

-Learn to forgive.          

 -If the stressor is unavoidable, try to rationalize the stressor in a positive light and confront it in     a rational and positive way.

If you have any questions about this blog post, chiropractic, back pain, neck pain, or headaches I can be reached at my Ann Arbor office at [email protected].

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