How to stay healthy physically and mentally in this global pandemic

Humankind has been exposed to stress since the beginning of time. Usually, stress comes and goes away after a short period. However prolonged and continuous stress from the Covid19 pandemic has a negative impact on our mental, psychological and physical resilience.

Even the most resilient people are affected mentally and emotionally and physically. Some people are more vulnerable than others and that depends on a lot of factors like their pre-existing health conditions, genetic expressions, lifestyle, social networks, and support or lifestyle.

Traumatic events experienced by our grandparents can be factors in our genetic predisposition to the neurodegenerative stress response. Grandchildren of Holocaust survivors are displaying anxiety and hypersensitivity triggered by the horrors their grandparents experienced.

What impact does stress from Covid19 pandemic have on us?

Any prolonged stress:

• Reduces energy production
• Causes malabsorption
• Results in behaviour changes and impairs cognition
• Causes hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and
• Suppresses immune system

There is a time in everyone’s life when resilience reaches its threshold. It is not advised however to wait that long.

How do I know that my body is not coping with stress of every day?

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms your body is not coping with stress as you may need help from a naturopath:

• Putting on weight
• Elevated fasting sugar and elevated cholesterol
• Increase blood pressure and heart rate
• Joint pain
• Insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, depression
• Fatigue
• Tension headaches, visual problems
• Slow wound healing, acne, psoriasis

How a naturopath can help

Firstly, it needs to be established where your body is at in terms of adrenal fatigue and other and symptoms as the treatment protocol will depend on that information. The treatment will be based on a thorough case taking,  and  Health Analytical Tool  and /or  Specialised Screening Tool findings.

How you can help yourself

Research shows that an acidic body increases circulating cortisol – the major stress hormone. Your practitioner will discuss your diet and lifestyle and will make certain recommendations. A 2017 study shows that a Mediterranean-type diet was associated with psychological resilience. The Western diet on the other hand is pro-inflammatory and destroys the hippocampus in the brain.1.

The hippocampus is thought to be principally involved in storing long-term memories and in making those memories resistant to forgetting, though this is a matter of debate. It is also thought to play an important role in spatial processing and navigation. If the hippocampus is damaged by disease or injury or diet, it can influence a person’s memories as well as their ability to form new memories. Hippocampus damage can particularly affect spatial memory, or the ability to remember directions, locations, and orientations.2

Why stimulants are doing you damage

Stimulants like coffee, alcohol, soft drinks, smoking or recreational drugs will lower your nutritional resources and your resilience over time. Food, alcoholic drinks, or soft drinks also change our mood and genetic expression making you even more prone to chronic diseases. So let’s see what we can do to help you to bring your body to balance in these difficult times.

 

If you would like to know more about how the DH-Natural Medicine Clinic can help you,  please call us now on (02) 4854 0205