31. Simplifying Stress
Stress is such an incredibly powerful influence that even if you
are doing everything right in terms of diet, nutrition and exercise, it
can still crush your efforts to stay healthy. Prolonged periods of too
much stress can contribute significantly and directly to many condi-
tions, ranging from reduced quality of life to deadly diseases such as
cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer ’s and many others.
Stress contributes to fatigue, bacterial and viral infections, inflam-
matory illness, blood-sugar problems, weight gain, intestinal distress,
headaches and most other disorders. Stress-related problems account
for more than 75 percent of all visits to primary-care physicians and
are responsible each day for millions of people needing to take time
off work and school. So stress comes with a monetary price tag as
well as a toll on your health.
Charles Darwin said it’s not the fittest who survive, nor the most
intelligent, but those who can best adapt to their environment. Today,
we refer to this adaptation as coping.
It’s important to remember that stress is a normal part of life and
health, and excess stress is not without a remedy. The body has a
great coping mechanism for stress — the hormones of the adrenal
glands and related nervous system function. However, when the
adrenal glands are overworked, bodywide problems can result.
Before discussing the adrenal glands and how we can help pro-
tect ourselves from stress, I want to describe what stress is. To simpli-
fy stress, I will address the three main types: physical, chemical and
mental/emotional. These types of stress can have many different
effects. Moreover, each individual responds differently to various
combinations of types of stress.