STRESS REDUCTION

Stress reduction is a vital and necessary component of making therapeutic lifestyle changes.  Stress has been linked to heart disease and has also been implicated as a root cause in many other diseases as well. When faced with stressful situations, our bodies prepare for the “Fight or Flight Response,” a response in which the body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones not only cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure but the high levels of cortisol is also correlated with increased abdominal fat and interferes with insulin utilization. Emotional and physical stress also activates immune and endocrine pathways that are involved in the release of inflammatory molecules creating inflammation inside the body.

In the 1970s, Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School introduced a simple mind-body approach to relieving stress. Since then, millions of people have learned the Relaxation Response and this therapeutic technique is now routinely recommended and prescribed by physicians to help treat patients suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic pain, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, depression, and many other ailments. The Relaxation Response is a physiological state of quietude, which counteracts and is the antidote to the stress response. There is abundant scientific evidence that supports the benefits of stress reduction in treating the harmful effects of stress. Relaxation can be evoked by a number of different techniques including: Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, Tai Chi and Chi Gong, walking, swimming, knitting, or even gazing at art.