Mental Emotional Stress and Your Health

The Stress Epidemic

Mental Emotional

Stress and your Health

A Leading Health Problem

Time magazine's June 6, 1983 cover story called stress "The Epidemic of the Eighties" and referred to it as our leading health problem; there can be little doubt that the situation has progressively worsened since then. Numerous surveys confirm that adult Americans perceive they are under much more stress than a decade or two ago. A 1996 Prevention magazine survey found that almost 75% feel they have "great stress" at least one day a week. An estimated 75-90% of all doctor visits are for stress related problems…

Mission Statement

Our commitment is to help people develop a better understanding of how to tap into the vast innate potential that resides in each of us for preventing disease and promoting health.

Good health is more than the absence of illness. It is peak physical, chemical and emotional health that acknowledges the importance and connection of mind/body relationships. Join us in learning how to increase your ability to constructively adapt to stress, so that it can work for you, make you more productive and insure your future health.

Which Of These Is Stress?

You get a promotion at work

Your dog gets sick New furniture is being

delivered Your best friend and his

wife come to stay with you at your house for a week

It’s the holidays You go on vacation There’s a new addition to

your family

All Of These Are Stress!

To your body, stress is CHANGE.

Anything that causes a change in your life can be stressful.

If it is a “good” stress, it is called Eu-stress.

If it is “bad” stress, it is called Dis-stress.

Even imagined change is stressful. Imagined change is called worry.

Whether it is the daily grind of the commute to and from work or just the traffic jam itself…is it the predicament or how we react to it that determines how stressful it is?

Some Causes ofMental & Emotional Stress

There’s a difference between being angry about something and being angry at someone. There’s also a difference between holding it in and letting it out. Does anger control you or do you control it?


Gambling and having a gambling addiction are two different things but…both are stressful.

Are you also gambling with your health…your job…your future…your relationship? All are equally stressful.


Money can be stressful:

1.Not having enough

2.Having too much

3.Winning the lottery

4.Being unable to pay bills

5.Not knowing where the next dollar is coming from

6.Not setting priorities


Running late again?

No time to do all that needs to be done?

Too much on your plate?

Procrastination?

No time to plan?

No time for your health?

When will it be your turn?


Do you often feel as if you’re just hanging on?

Let’s take a stress test and see how stress may be affecting your health…

Causes ofMental & Emotional

Stress

The Life Stress Testby Dr. Tim Lowenstein

• In the past 12 months, which of the following major life events have taken place in your life?

• Make a check mark next to each event that you have experienced this year.

• When you're done, add up the points for each event.

• Check your score at the end.

The Life Stress Testby Dr. Tim Lowenstein• ___ Death of Spouse 100• ___ Divorce 73• ___ Marital Separation 65• ___ Jail Term 63• ___ Death of close family

member 63• ___ Personal injury or illness 53• ___ Marriage 50• ___ Fired from work 47• ___ Marital reconciliation 45• ___ Retirement 45• ___ Change in family member's

health 44• ___ Pregnancy 40


• ___ Sex difficulties 39• ___ Addition to family 39• ___ Business readjustment 39• ___ Change in financial status 38• ___ Death of close friend 37• ___ Change to a different line of

work 36• ___ Change in # of marital

arguments 35• ___ Mortgage or loan over

$10,000 31 • ___ Foreclosure of mortgage or

loan 30• ___ Change in work

responsibilities 29• ___ Trouble with in-laws 29


• ___ Outstanding personal achievement 28

• ___ Spouse begins or stops work 26

• ___ Starting or finishing school 26• ___ Change in living conditions 25• ___ Revision of personal habits 24• ___ Trouble with your employer 23• ___ Change in work hours or

conditions 20• ___ Change in residence 20• ___ Change in schools 20• ___ Change in recreational habits

19


• ___ Change in church activities 19• ___ Change in social activities 18• ___ Mortgage or loan under

$10,000 17• ___ Change in sleeping habits 16• ___ Change in # of family

gatherings 15• ___ Change in eating habits 15• ___ Vacation 13• ___ Christmas season 12• ___ Minor violations of the law 11

• ___ Your Total Score

Life Stress Test Scores:

• 0-149: Low susceptibility to stress related illnesses

• 150-299: Moderate susceptibility

• 300 or more: High susceptibility to stress related illnesses

• But is it the stress or your body’s ability to handle the stress?

Examples Of Stress-Caused Health Problems:

•Indecision•Depression•Anxiety•Forgetfulness•Heart disease•Eating problems•Sleep disturbances•Sexual/reproductive malfunction•Problems with memory, concentration and learning

So, Is Stress Good or Bad?So, Is Stress Good or Bad?It’s Neither.It’s Neither.

Is Stress Ever Going Away?Is Stress Ever Going Away?Stress May Change But It Stress May Change But It

Doesn’t Go Away.Doesn’t Go Away.

If It’s Not The Stress, What If It’s Not The Stress, What Is It?Is It?

It’s Your Ability To It’s Your Ability To Constructively Adapt To The Constructively Adapt To The

Change.Change.

What Governs Our Ability What Governs Our Ability To Adapt?To Adapt?

What Governs Our Ability What Governs Our Ability To Adapt?To Adapt?

The Vertebral The Vertebral Subluxation Process is a Subluxation Process is a pattern of unmanaged pattern of unmanaged stress caused by an stress caused by an overwhelm of physical, overwhelm of physical, chemical and/or chemical and/or emotional stress ON emotional stress ON THE NERVOUS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.SYSTEM.

This causes a vicious This causes a vicious cycle of stress which, in cycle of stress which, in turn, causes a downward turn, causes a downward spiral in the health and spiral in the health and vitality of the individual.vitality of the individual.

Nerve

Stress

A stress A stress beyond the beyond the ability of the ability of the nerve system to nerve system to adapt produces adapt produces muscle muscle imbalance imbalance which causes which causes skeletal skeletal distortion distortion which then which then negatively negatively affects the affects the nerve system nerve system which reduces which reduces our ability to our ability to adapt to stress adapt to stress and a and a downward downward spiral ensues.spiral ensues.

Muscle Imbala

nce

Skeletal Distorti

on

The Stress Cycle

What Governs Our What Governs Our Ability To Adapt?Ability To Adapt?

The Chiropractic The Chiropractic Spinal Adjustment acts Spinal Adjustment acts to begin releasing to begin releasing stored tension in the stored tension in the nervous system which nervous system which improves our ability to improves our ability to constructively adapt to constructively adapt to the stress in our lives.the stress in our lives.

This contributes to a This contributes to a process of positive process of positive responses by the body responses by the body causing an upward causing an upward spiral in the person’s spiral in the person’s ability to be healthy. ability to be healthy.

Nerve

Stress

Chiropractic Chiropractic puts a puts a constructive constructive impulse into the impulse into the nerve system nerve system resulting in resulting in muscle muscle balance, balance, skeletal skeletal integrity and integrity and positive positive feedback to the feedback to the nerve system nerve system causing an causing an upward spiral in upward spiral in a person’s a person’s health and health and vitality.vitality.

Muscle Imbala

nce

Skeletal Distorti

on

The Health Cycle

Expanded (Healthy) Range of Stress Adaptability

Reduced (Sick) Range of Stress Adaptability

So, It’s Your Range of Adaptability That Determines Whether Stress Causes Your

Body and Health To Break Down and Deteriorate Over

Time.

Stress range

during an hour, day,

week, month, year or lifetime.

Stress is Sometimes Unrelenting. Most

Experience Stress As Bearable, Tolerable, Terrible

or Worse.

We All Experience Varying Degrees of Stress During An

Hour, Day, Week, Month, Year and Lifetime.

Range of Adaptability to Stress is less than the stress level so health becomes compromised

Gets Sick

Stays Healthy

Gets Sick

This Person’s Range of Adaptability is Far Less Than Their Stress Level Much of

the Time.

Are They Likely To Be Healthy?

This Range of Adaptability is Average. Stress is

Occasionally Greater Than Their Range of Adaptability.

They Are Likely To Not Be Sick. But, Are They

Healthy? Gets Sick

Stays Healthy

Gets Sick

Range of Adaptability to Stress is less than the stress level so health becomes compromised

Range of Adaptability to Stress is MORE than the stress level so health is unaffected by stress.

Stays Healthy

This Range of Adaptability is Ideal. Stress is Rarely, If Ever Greater Than Their Range of

Adaptability.

They Are Likely To Be Truly Healthy With Their Health

Improving Year After Year!

Would You Rather Be Healthy

or Just Not Sick?

Most people would answer, “Healthy.”

But, what really is the difference?

Do you know?

HealthyJust Not Sick

No Symptoms

Symptoms

Sick

The dots represent two people. One has

symptoms, the other doesn’t. In order to have symptoms,

health has had to deteriorate over time.


No Symptoms

Symptoms

Sick

Our objective is to turn the direction of your health

around so it moves towards Healthy. With the relief of symptoms, is this person healthy or just not sick?


No Symptoms

Symptoms

Sick

Just because there are no symptoms doesn’t mean that

the person is healthy. Healthy is the continuous movement of health in the

right direction.

Solutions To Mental and Emotional Stress

What you focus on and fuel with

emotion… you create.

Do you focus on avoiding what you

do not want? Or Do you focus on

getting what you do want?

Solutions To Chemical and Organic

Stress1.Chiroprac

tic

2.Counseling

3.Massage

4.Exercise

5.Meditation

6.Biofeedback

7.Relaxation programs

8.Reduce obligations

9.Set your priorities

10.Nutritional evaluations and recommendations

11.Enjoy reading, arts, crafts, music, etc.

Protecting Your Mental Environment

• What are you telling yourself?• Are you trying to avoid what you do

not want or trying to attract what you do want.

• Positive self-talk outweighs negative.• Releases self-limiting thoughts and

behaviors.• Integrates information on a deeper

level allowing your unconscious mind to advance you towards your goals.

• Promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

What Did You Learn Today?

1.Chiropractic Does Not Remove Stress From Your Life.

2.Chiropractic increases your ability to adapt to stress because the balance between your internal and external environments is controlled by your nerve system integrity.

What Did You Learn Today?

1. It is unlikely that you will have no stress in the future so…

2.Your health future depends on your ability to constructively adapt to the stress in your life.

3.Other lifestyle changes may be needed to insure continuous improvement of your health future.

Health & Medicine

Mental Emotional Stress and Your Health