What Your Symptoms Could Really Be Saying...

Tired of Taking Painkillers, Feeling Exhausted, Overstressed and still have Unresolved pain? Here’s why...and What you might not have tried….

Five factors most cited in surveys as sources of stress were money, work, family, economy and relationships. Make no mistake, we are living in the middle of a stress epidemic. Things have got to bad that the World Health Organisation calls stress the epidemic of the 21st century. And although stress is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing in short bursts and can be motivating, prepare people to perform or be life-saving. The challenge is when our bodies go into a state of stress in inappropriate situations and the ‘fight and flight’ response stays stuck ‘On’ in what is called ‘Sympathetic Dominance’.

Do you suffer from any of the following? ‘low libido’, ‘anxiety’, ‘poor memory’, ‘inability to concentrate’, ‘tight shoulders, neck and jaw muscles’, ‘regular headaches that worsen as the day progresses’, ‘sensitivity to light or sound’’ ‘feeling of cold’, ‘feeling tired’, ‘brittle skin, nails, hair falling out’ , digestive/hormonal issues and many gut problems all seemingly unrelated but often have stress as a root cause and it’s sickening literally.

This month is stress awareness month and every day, I see patients who are literally stressing themselves to an early grave.

So first what is Sympathetic dominance? Well, you have the brain and spinal cord - the nervous system which controls and coordinates every cell, tissue, organ, gland and muscle in the body. The part we are interested in is the Autonomic or (Automatic) nervous system which has two divisions. Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. Sympathetic is the ‘Accelerator’ ‘fight and flight’ that keeps you safe and protected. Parasympathetic ‘Brake’ controls all the good things like rest, digest, healing, reproduction, immune system and more. Under a state of stress, the fight and flight are turned ‘On’ and the Parasympathetic is turned ‘Off’ Off for long periods is what is causing so many of these seemingly unrelated chronic health conditions. Sympathetic is ok in a crisis, but when it stays locked on and Parasympathetic locked off, this is when you see chronic conditions and have devastating long-term consequences for health. It can contribute to the development of obesity, insomnia, burn-out, type 2 diabetes, auto-immune disease, depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, strokes and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Despite these risks, far too many are blasé about stress. The way we’re living our modern lifestyle is causing us a lot of problems. To combat this epidemic, I am writing my first book ‘BALANCE IN 5’. As a sneak peek here are some of our practical solutions and simple interventions to help you de-stress and take back your life.

Combatting stress can be easier than you think. Many people don’t realise that by implementing small changes to their daily routine can reduce and overcome the effects of most stress.

Most of these solutions are simple and take less than 5 minutes a day. I’ve seen these tools change the lives of thousands of my patients. I know they’ll do the same for you. ‘BALANCE IN 5’ will help you to get your life back and live a happier, more balanced and stress-free life.

So without further ado here are Some strategies for coping with this particular silent scourge that you can do today and a sneak peek of what I will be taking a deep dive in the book.

How to observe stress awareness month

For your Mind - Practice Meditation and Deep Breathing techniques
Quieting the mind is a powerful way to achieving this calm. Breathing deeply can reset the nerve system. I personally us headspace and the Wim Hof method.
Make exercise work for you in less than 20 mins a day. If your brave Cold water immersion - combat stress and balance the nervous system in less than 20 mins per day with whatever you enjoy. Fresh air, nature and moving are critical. I use FIIT app, jog or try to...or try to keep up with joe wicks on youtube.
Who’s your local Chiropractor? They're really in the best position to get you started on the path to a stress-free lifestyle. Make an appointment today. Get your pain or symptoms resolved, feel better, Increase your energy, Calm and Get Your Life Back.
Design your morning routine effectively it starts the night before. Practice gratitude to eliminate fear and anxiety about the future and guilt and resentment about the past.
Keep a touch diary and nurture connection We have lost the human touch. Find it with those around you.
Go on a digital detox and have a no screen time after 8 pm. Your mind needs a rest as much as your body.
Eat your way through the alphabet The more colourful the food the better. Try to get at least 3 different colours per meal.
Prioritise sleep and adjusting your circadian rhythms - walk first thing to help your body adjust, use blue blocking glasses to minimise the blue light emitted from phones and screen time that stops the brain producing melatonin, vital for sleep., Supplement magnesium to help you sleep better.