The Loss

A grieving process comes as a result of a loss. This loss can be family, friends, colleagues, long-term and short-term friendships, loss of innocence, loss of self, and loss of a community. It can last anywhere from a few days to several years depending on the significance of the loss, the relationship to the loss and the circumstances surrounding the cause of the loss. The more violent the cause, the longer the process. The closer you were to the person, the longer the process. And finally, even if it was a short-term friendship or an acquaintance, if the relationship with the person created significance in terms of influence and inspiration to one’s life, then longer the grieving process.

What Happens in a Grieving Process?

There isn’t one general behavior in the process. Each person will have different but similar responses. Generally, numbness is experienced. There is a disconnect to one’s emotions (you are unable to cry, feel, process emotions rationally and express emotions). Sometimes a person may express inappropriate emotions. For instance a child who just lost their mother may find themselves smiling a lot – as a way of hiding their true emotions even from the self.

Some people will avoid places, topics of discussion, objects, and situations that remind them of the loss. A further disconnect is created. The reason behind this is that for some people, the grief is too much to bear and therefore they must protect themselves by creating a wall. If the grieving process goes smoothly, the person will slowly chip away at the wall until they are fully able to accept and feel the loss. Sometimes it doesn’t go smoothly and people find themselves stuck in life, unable to move forward and to live their life fully. The problem with creating a wall and avoidance is that it leads to isolation. Even if a person is surrounded by family and friends, if their emotions and identity are closed off to everyone, it still creates a space of isolation. It’s not about physical distance to other people, it’s about one’s distance to the inner self and an internal connection with others. The problem behind isolation is that it leads to depression.

Psychological Problems

Depression is the main psychological issue that arises in the grieving process. Along with depression, there may also be some anxiety associated with the day of the loss, the place where the loss occurred, objects associated with the loss etc. Other problems can sprout from depression – insomnia, too much sleep (avoidance), malnutrition (avoiding basic necessities such as food), overeating (emotional eating), various sexual disorders (which can hinder relationships and marriages), inappropriate behaviors (such as rowdiness, violence, sexual inapporpriateness, etc), and dangerous behaviors/addictions (drugs, alcohol, smoking).

The Healthy Process

1. Numbness – This is also the resting phase where the person needs to sleep, rest and remain calm.
2. Depression – depression isn’t always a bad thing. People need to feel sad and cry before moving forward. Depression becomes bad if it’s associated with risky behaviors and if a person remains stuck in the depression phase.
3. Slowly feel and express about general everyday things
4. Fully feel and express about everyday things and occurrences
5. Slowly talk about what happened (this doesn’t need to include emotions. It can be a talk of dry and practical statements)
6. Slowly talk about what happened while expressing emotions
7. Slowly feel the effects of what happened (this is different from depression. Depression is a state of extreme sadness that doesn’t need to be linked to anything. In this part of the process, the person needs to feel sad and cry about the specific loss)
8. Understand what happened, why it happened and rise above it (this takes a shift in attitude, a spiritual understanding of loss and a shift in awareness – lots of life coaching involved with this stage)
9. Moving forward (This can be living life again, feeling and expressing all emotions fully and sometimes even advocating on the part of the loss)

The Unhealthy Process

A person can get stuck in either #1, #2, or #3. Mostly it’s either #1 or #2 that people often find themselves stuck in for life. This is oftentimes when I see clients as well. They have been stuck in #1 or #2 for any length of time ranging from one month to thirty or more years.

Another aspect of the unhealthy process is if the person is experiencing and/or practicing risky behaviors such as: drugs, alcohol, violent crimes, risky sexual behaviors, eating disorders and sleep disorders.

Witnessing the Grieving Process

It’s not only the person experiencing the grieving process first hand that’s affected. Many times it’s also the person close to them such as a spouse, family members such as parents or children, friends and colleagues. What can you do? Many times you want to help but don’t know how. The best thing to do is to be a friend in the Healthy Process above. Let the one grieving feel numb, sleep and rest. Let them be depressed for some time (but again not too long. One to six months is plenty enough). Talk about everyday things and let them be a part of everyday things. Ask how certain everyday things make them feel – if they say they don’t know then that’s okay. Do not pressure them. Slowly help them open up through the Healthy Process. And also, make sure to help them avoid risky behaviors.

The most important part of this is not to pressure the one grieving by suggesting counselors right away or telling them to move on only after a short period of time. This can hurt the person further. Counselors are a great idea after an initial 1-2 month rest and if there’s any risky behaviors displayed.

The grieving process is a perfectly normal process that every human being experiences and must go through after a loss. The key phrase here is to go through, not get stuck in. It’s never an easy process or one that any of us likes to take but again, it’s a process that we will all take at least once in our lifetimes. It’s a part of being human and a part of being connected to a larger community beyond ourselves.

As a life coach who practiced in medical clinics, I understand that even the patients and people you save, sometimes are not able to enjoy their healed state for long. Things happen. Doctors save soliders lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, only for them to come home and committ suicide. There’s always a possibility that even the people I’ve helped or patients my physician colleagues have helped may pass on due to something as simple as a vehicle accident or something catastrophic such as this earthquake. Was it a waste?I don’t think so. I am a firm believer that the state of mind and heart in our lives affect our position in the afterlife. Whether you believe in heaven, reincarnation or something else, I believe in the Now. And I’m sure the people in Haiti, my friends touched with their kindness, smiles and perhaps even by just listening to their stories - my friends were able to leave a lasting positive and heartfelt impression in the Haiti community. Even though it was short lived, I’m sure the people who felt their warmth carried it with them from this life. Healing is never a waste.

I believe that if I can help someone attain happiness, growth, peace of mind, resolve and love (even if it’s short-lived), they are able to leave this place with love in their hearts instead of memories of nightmares and hardship. And that is a wonderful gift to give.

So I hope my friends know that their time in Haiti was not a waste and to keep touching the lives of others through their passions, hearts and smiles.

The second way is to become Jata’s JP customer. Jata has partnered with a whole food supplement company to improve the nutrition in individuals and families. Members of Jata JP can come from anywhere in the U.S. For more information about Jata JP, please visit: www.JataJuicePlus.com

A quarterly health newsletter, weekly health tips and monthly health seminars are all available excusively to Jata Health customers, clients, graduates and leaders.

The home page of Jata Health will continue to act as a blog but more for the Jata Health community. If you are interested in becoming a member, please email Juanita at: Jstreet@jatahealth.com or call 720-985-6424

For those of you who would like to continuously read health articles, I have a separate blogsite for that. So, basically, Jata Health News has moved to another site: www.urwakeupcall.blogspot.com. This site has articles and blogs on health, politics, life, relationship/dating, education, careers etc.

For the final article of Jata’s Stress Series, we explore different ways to manage stress. Stress is a natural human response to external and internal stimuli. Our nervous system reacts by initiating the fight or flight response and the rest of our biology and psychology follow suit. It’s a chain reaction which in the short term is a useful and positive element to have. In the long run though, it can cause an inexorable amount of problems both physically and psychologically. Therefore, stopping stress isn’t the answer. That’s impossible. Stress is natural both in body and in everyone’s lives. Stress needs to be managed for life.

To manage stress means to maintain a daily routine or habit of certain behaviors and lifestyles. Managing stress doesn’t come about when stress occurs. Once stress hits, if a person hasn’t practiced a routine of managing stress, then it becomes ineffective. Just like a person cannot eat unhealthy foods their whole life, find out they have a blocked artery and think a bowl of broccoli is going to suddenly cure it. It doesn’t work that way. Daily habits and choices contribute to future reactions and decisions.

So what daily practices can we began in order to help manage stress and the plethora of side effects of chronic stress? There are five categories: exercise, nutrition, relaxation, daily living, and prevention.Exercise

1. Practice at least 30 minutes of good exercise everyday. 50% to max heart rate. Speed walking, running, weight lifting, yoga, pilates, swimming, aerobics, cycling, martial arts, tai-chi, and any recreational activities such as hiking, dancing, sports, snowboarding, kayaking etc.

2. When exercising, the person’s heart rate and breathing should increase to at least 50%.

3. Make sure to mix low intensity (50% heart rate) and high intensity (max heart rate – this is different for each person) workouts throughout the week.

4. Choose exercises you enjoy! Do not make yourself exercise with an activity you dislike. That will only impede on the goal of making this a lifetime habit.

5. If you’re not sure what exercises to do or how to do it, instead of spending money later when ill, invest money now, practicing prevention and health by joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer, taking dance lessons, attending yoga classes, and joining a recreation group for hikes, and kayaking.

Nutrition

1. Eat a balanced meal. Each meal should have a food item from each of the categories of the food pyramid: bread/pasta/rice, protein (egg, lean meats, fish), fruit, vegetables and dairy.

2. Not every food in the food categories are healthy choices. Limit cheeses and instead have milk and yogurt. Limit fatty fishes (such as catfish) and fatty meats. Instead have lean meats, and fishes with lots of nutrients such as wild salmon (not farm grown – these do not have the appropriate nutrients), and tilapia. Eat mostly leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, chard, kale, and broccoli. Limit non leafy greens such as corn and carrots. Have more berries for antioxidants and limit high sugar fruits such as pineapples and grapes. With bread,pasta and rice – have more whole grain and limit enriched. Notice how it says limit – not exclude – just limit. Also be aware that canned vegetables are high in sodium and canned fruits high in sugar. Get natural fresh fruit and vegetables.

3. Drink more water!!! Water cleanses our systems of toxins and helps move the blood throughout the body. Water is extremely important to everyone.

4. Limit non-water beverages such as soda, bottled teas, energy drinks, even fruit juices. All of these have high amounts of sugar and sugar raises a person’s glycemic index which can later contribute to diseases such as hypoglycemia and diabetes. Not to mention that these beverage choices can also increase nervousness and anxiety.

5. Eat like a caveman. This is what my friend always says. Anything processed is unnatural to the body. Eating natural foods rather than processed foods can do a world of good for the body’s functions and operations; especially in the digestive system.

Relaxation

1. Stress and psychology do have a connection. It’s important to activate the parasympathetic division of the body and by establishing a routine – make this division the norm. Establish a daily relaxation routine. This can be anything.

2. Relax the physical body – exercises such as tai-chi and yoga are great for relaxing the body. Also stretches, hot baths, and massages.

3. Relax the mind – meditation and breathing exercises help to establish this. Relaxing the mind means literally quiet the mind. No daydreaming, thinking about what to do next, having a conversation in the head…nope none of that. This is very difficult for most people which is why exercises such as meditation and breath work are effective. Even recreational activities such as sewing and art is effective for quieting the mind. The mind is completely focused on following the lines of a drawing or painting. If using a recreational activity to quiet the mind, it needs to be a mundane activity which excludes reading a book.

4. Relax the heart – this is where reading a book comes in. Make sure it’s a book that doesn’t raise a person’s anxiety such as a thriller. Relaxing the heart can also be done through journaling, listening to pleasant music, gardening, cooking/baking, anything that feeds the soul but which is relaxing in that it doesn’t raise a person’s anxiety or heart rate.

5. Take time out for Self! Life is busy and hectic but don’t let that be an excuse not to enjoy life. Make sure to go outside, spend time with just you and even enjoy mid-afternoon naps once in a while.

Daily Living

1. Time management – have a planner, blackberry, wall calendar or a combination. Manage time effectively so that you don’t feel rushed, always running late or out of time. Remember to plan time for exercising, relaxing and time for you.

2. Say yes to the things and people that really matter. Learn to say no to things you don’t want to do, don’t have time for, and/or are non-priorities.Time is scarce – know how to invest in it.

3. Sleep! Relax about an hour before bed. Establishing a sleep routine is difficult for people with hectic schedules and constant travels. Try to have some routine for sleep. It doesn’t have to be 8 hours straight and it doesn’t always have to be at night from a certain time to a certain time. This is your schedule – the point is – try to have a schedule.

4. Prioritize! It’s amazing how often we think we have our priorities straight until we write it down and actually look at how much time is spent on each priority. Your number one priority is either the first thing you do when you wake up or is the thing where most of the time is spent. Many say health and family are their number one priorities. Looking at what is a priority – make sure this still rings true. If not then change it. Also, having lists helps to prioritize all todos whether at work or in your personal life.

5. Have a strong support system. Friends, colleagues, and family. Surround yourself with people who inspire, strengthen, support, and fill you with energy. Say goodbye to the ones who are toxic, abusive, uncaring, judgmental, and draining. Know that not everyone is perfect – we all have flaws, bad days and bad phases in life. Make sure to support others as they would support you.

Prevention

1. Yearly health screenings – making sure the body, mind, oral care and heart are all healthy is a good way to prevent an unknown problem from getting worse. It’s best to know and resolve than ignore and pay later.

2. When a problem is recognized – find out what it is. No pain, no gain. Helpful motto when the aforementioned pain is good pain. Foolish motto when it’s bad pain. There is such a thing as good pain versus bad pain. When bad pain is recognized, find out what it is by seeing a specialist, physician, counselor, dentist, or health provider.

3. When a problem does occur – resolve it! Sitting on problems only help to spread the problem, and worsen its intensity. It also causes a bundle of increasing stress. When a problem is recognized – find a way to resolve it.

The suggested tips above can also help to resolve stress. The most important part of stress is to recognize it. Is it normal and minimal stress that occurs on a daily basis. If yes, switching attitude and/or perception may be all that it takes to minimize it. Taking a deep breath or a walk outside can also help. If the stress is much more intense and severe, the next step is to recognize the type of stress – physical, emotional, mind/psychological, time, lack of sleep? What is it? Use the suggested tips above in the same category as the type of stress. Once the stress is managed, recognize the root cause of the stress. Is it job, family, relationship, money, time, etc. related? Recognize it and find a way to resolve it. If you’re unsure of how to resolve it, this is where a good support system comes in. A great support system can also be made up of a coach, mentor, doctor, counselor, trainer, and/or teacher.

If you feel that the above suggested list is perhaps too much for any one person to do. Think again. I do all of the above. It’s taken a good five to ten years to establish a routine of the above list but it is absolutely doable and a worthwhile investment of time and energy. Here’s the best suggestion I can offer – start with one. Once a routine is established with the one, take on a second. Before you know it, you’ll be managing stress and leading a healthier life.

There are numerous psychological disorders that can be caused and/or contributed by stress. Depression and anxiety are the most widely known and common pscyhological disorders. It’s quite intuitive to understand that increases in stress can increase the intensity, frequency and duration of depression and anxiety. But sometimes it helps to break it down in order to understand why certain solutions work and don’t work.

A person suffering from depression feels hopeless, melancholy, fatigued, and drained. A person with chronic stress can also feel these four emotions. A person suffering from anxiety feels panicked, fearful, worried, obssessed and nervous. As with depression, these symptoms of anxiety can also be found in chronic stress. Think about it. When you are stressed non-stop, 24/7, what specific emotions do you feel? Break it down. Some people will feel fatigued, hopeless and drained. Others may feel panicked, fearful and nervous. And there are those who feel a mixture of hopelessness, fear and panic. Deadlines are nearing for work. Exams are right around the corner with no time to study. Too much work, not enough time and not enough pay all put pressure on getting as much work done in as little time as possible and with low to zero margin of errors. Stress could even be walking into an overwhelming mess of dishes, dust, laundry, grime and clutter. No matter where stress comes from, it carries characteristics of depression and anxiety. So which comes first – stress or psychology?

So far in the Jata series, we’ve connected stress to biological reactions in the different systems of the body. Stress is both biological and psychological. Then again, so is depression and anxiety. Our bodies and minds exist as one. It cannot be separated. Even those suffering from low back pain can get depressed from experiencing constant pain and limited mobility. A person who suffers from anxiety will generally have high blood pressure, tight muscles (including the muscles in our lungs – asthma, and surrounding the coronary artery – cardiac arrest), and joint pain. Stress is generally something we feel and our biology responds.

Stress and psychology are things we feel in our minds, hearts and body. Stress is a part of psychology; therefore intimately linked with many psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Now let’s take this from a physical standpoint. Have you ever noticed towards the end of a long day of constantly pounding stress – your shoulders are rolled forward, the core is collapsed, upper body is hunched forward causing the chest to collapse and the head is hanging low. Now think about what a depressed person’s body looks like. If you were in acting class and had to act depressed while sitting in your chair reading this, how would you act depressed? Probably about the same as I just described. But as mentioned above, not everyone under stress reacts with fatigue. Some people react with nervousness and fear, so their bodies are crunched in, muscles tight, joints stiff, neck stiff and hands clenched. Now act like a person who has anxiety. What does their body look like? Again, about the same as the aforementioned stress response.

One way of healing and/or managing depression and anxiety is to manage stress. Increases in stress can activate psychological responses of hopelessness and fear. Chronic stress can lead to depressive disorders and anxiety disorders. So what are some ways to healing and managing stress? Is there a difference? If yes, what are they?

Visit us next week for the conclusion of Jata’s Stress Series – Stress Be Gone!

How does stress affect the immune system?

The fight or flight response of the Central Nervous System (and more specifically the sympathetic division), boosts the immune system in order to prepare for any injuries and/or infections that may be received during the fight. But, this is only short-term. A fight or flight response is meant to exist only in the short-term (acutely), not in the long-term (chronically). With long-term stress, the immune system can be suppressed.

This area of stress and the immune system has received a lot of attention in recent years and much research. Research has been done by physicians, psychologists and psychoneuroimmunologist (psychoneuroimmunology – study of how the mind affects the body). The studies conducted show that the immune system receives a boost in the short-term but is suppressed in the long-term.The immune system consists of many elements. There are a variety of defense mechanisms in the body. Our skin is a defense mechanism or barrier. The mucus in our nasal cavity traps foreign particles so that we can either sneeze it out or blow the mucus out. Our lungs also have mechanisms that trap foreign particles – we cough it up. Tears in our eyes clean away bacteria and our urine carries waste products discarded by cells out of the body (hence why it’s so important to drink water). These are all physical mechanisms in defending the body. There are also mechanisms deep inside the body such as specific immune cells – B cells, white blood cells, T cells (a type of white blood cell) and even our red blood cells. These aren’t all the cells that defend the body but it’s some of the main ones. T cells are further divided into specific T cells such as helper T cells and killer T cells.

With long-term stress, research has shown that certain substances such as corticosteroids (which suppress the immune system) are produced in the body. Immune enhancing hormones such as growth hormones, which are released initially with the fight or flight response, is later suppressed with chronic stress. When the immune system is suppressed, the elements that make up the immune system such as the white blood cells (T cells), B cells, and even our physical defense mechanisms are unable to function at an optimal level.

In regards to the immune system – there are two main problems that can occur. Either the immune system is suppressed so that diseases, infections, bacteria, foreign particles and viruses can attack the body in severity, duration and frequency – OR – the immune system is unable to recognize friend from foe and starts attacking our normal tissues. This second problem results in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and thyroiditis (where the immune system attacks a normal thyroid).

Jata has spent the last eight weeks covering stress in America not because stress is a short-term problem but because it’s a long-term or chronic problem. With chronic stress, the immune system is functioning at a below optimal level, is suppressed or is unable to identify normal and infected tissues. Decreasing stress is only the first part of strengthening the immune system. Stress is a natural response and stress is a natural aspect of everyone’s lives. The key is learning to manage stress and allowing the parasympathetic, or the relaxation phase, be the norm.

Next Week: Psychology and the Physical Stress Responses

Additional resources and information:

APA – Psychologhy Matters: http://www.psychologymatters.org/stressimmune.html

AAC – Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy: http://aac.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/38/1/1

Does stress cause and/or contribute to infertility in both men and women? This is still a controversial topic due to the lack of research conducted in this area. But with the new formation of psychoneuroimmunology (a study of how the mind affects the body) – we may start to see some answers develop. For now, we can only hypothesize and infer.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) published statistics on infertility from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. In 2002, it was reported that approximately 2.1 million women, ages 15-44, have infertility – approximately 7.4% in the United States. There is a higher number for impaired fecundity. Fecundity is a women’s potential to have children whereas infertility is the women’s actual inability to have children. Approximately 7.3 million women, ages 15-44, have impaired fecundity – approximately 11.8%. And the number is growing. According to the CDC, the infertility rates in 1982 was 4.5 million, then in 1988 4.9 million and in 1995 6.2 million. About 7.3 million women use infertility services, which include In Vitro Fertilization.In Vitro is a process where the egg and sperm is fertilized outside the women’s body and then inserted back into the women’s body, positioned around the upper area of the uterus. Even though In Vitro is one of the most sought after procedures – it’s not always the most successful.

According to CDC’s Faststats: the percentage of live births per transfer procedure range from 38.4% of women aged 35 and older, to 6% of women aged 42 and older. The success rate of IVF  for women aged 36-39 is approximately 28% and for women over 40, about 13%. For a procedure that costs around $12,000 – $14,000 per procedure, it’s not a very high success rate, not to mention that IVF can be emotionally traumatic for those with no success in the procedure.

Continuing with Jata’s talk on stress. The previous article, Anatomy of Stress explained that biologically during a stress “fight or flight” response, the body reverts its energy,  nutrients and additional resources away from the reproductive system. No one needs to be getting pregnant during threatening circumstances, so the reproductive system either slows down or in chronic stress cases, may even shut down. For instance, female marathon runners sometimes develop runner’s amenorrhea, or cessation of menstruation (menstrual cycle).

If you are interested in the detailed hormonal and biological response of how stress can affect sex hormones – please read the following article by clicking here.

I have known women whose stress levels increased dramatically during an IVF procedure. How affective can IVF be when the body is still contiuously affected by chronic stress? Can this be one of the reasons for such a low success rate? Again, we can only hypothesize and my opinion would be yes. When you understand how the body works and how it responds to different stimuli, its easy to see how stress can contribute to infertility, impaired fecundity and failure of an IVF procedure. There is medication to be taken while going through IVF. But as a physician assistant friend of mine (who specializes in women’s wellness and menopause) once told me, medication comes last. If a person does not have a good diet, lifestyle, physical activity and mental well-being in order first – there is not much medication can do.

So what are some options?

I’m sure throughout all the articles – you’ve seen a common theme. What solution is there for activating the sympathetic “stress” division? Activate the parasympathetic “relaxation” division. Sounds simple but if it was simple, the problem of infertility would be decreasing, not increasing. It’s simple to understand the need to relax, it’s another thing to actually do.

There are fertility centers that offer yoga classes, massage therapy and meditation classes. But as mentioned in, Anatomy of Stress, a person cannot suddenly change a decade long chronic stress habit by taking 1-3 one hour yoga classes a week and then remain stressed for the remainder of the time. The body and mind must be taught a new habit of being in the parasympathetic division most of the time and the sympathetic division only when needed. This takes a more rigorous approach.

• Establishing a daily physical activity/exercise routine that reaches both a max target heart rate and 50% of target heart rate (basically a high and low intensity exercise)
• Changing one’s diet to include more whole fruit and vegetables, decreased fat, higher nutrients (vitamins and minerals), decreased sugar, limiting processed foods, eating more wholesome foods and eating a balanced diet
• Establishing a daily mental and emotional well-being routine: meditation, yoga, breathing techniques, any relaxing activities such as leisurely walks outsides, reading a book, spa baths, massage etc.
• Revisiting one’s sleep pattern and routine. The parasympathetic division rules the night during sleep but not if the sleep cycle is anxiety stricken
• Healing any previous pains (throwing out past baggage) and learning to live a newer and more rejuvenated life

This process of changing one’s life can take anywhere from 3 months to a year (depending on the person’s committment to the plan). This may help establish a normal menstrual cycle or it may help to increase the chances of an IVF procedure. One thing is for certain: During the parasympathetic stage of the body, resources are utilized in the reproductive system and during stress, it’s taken away. This biological statistic has already been established so wellness being the solution to infertility may not be too far off.

Next Week: Stress and the Immune System

When I first started my journey to exploring what I could possibly be interested in life, I was extremely unsure and lost.  Once I attempted to focus my energy more on my passions, the decision became very clear and easy.  As a child and into my teen years, I was athletic and loved being active.  I started to excel in many different sports but very quickly saw that I began to excel specifically at tennis and later played on the varsity team as a sophomore and continued to become a stronger player as the years passed.  My doubles partner and I even finished 9^th in the state of Illinois at the state tournament my senior year.  When I entered college though, I was not involved in any organized sports but continued to express a strong interest in outdoor activities such as snowboarding, hiking, rollerblading, and general fitness.  I also experimented with yoga, Pilates, life counseling, reflexology, and other wellness activities that peaked my interests.As a sophomore in college, I decided to focus my studies on health and wellness and use it as my topic for my major, journalism.  Through my health/wellness classes, visits to different wellness centers, wellness activities, and travels abroad, I learned a lot more about what being “well” truly means.  At a younger age, I used to think that wellness was mostly about staying in shape and working out.  But what I soon learned is that being well is more about an overall state of mind and your lifestyle.  It is impossible to fully understand what wellness is when you lack good mental health, and a calm and confident overall state of being.

The place that I truly discovered what it means to be mentally well came from my 6-month travel abroad experience.  As a junior, I decided to spend 6 months studying at a University just south of Sydney in Australia.  Here, I lived on the beach while spending time studying health and brushing up on my journalism skills.  Life experiences are the best teachers.  While abroad, I strengthened my independence, engaged in new friendships and relationships, and realized what things truly made me happy.  My travels helped me learn how important happiness is for your mental wellness and never to discredit allowing yourself personal time to enjoy things that you love.  If you are passionate about a hobby, then you should express it as often as you can.  Learning to let go, be selfless and happy, can vastly improve ones overall wellness.

As important as mental wellness is, we do not want to forget the health portion of it all.  Working out, having a healthy diet, and practicing things such as yoga and meditation are also important parts of keeping yourself well.  Maintaining a healthy diet can change your overall mood and the way your body feels – in turn changing your attitude and outlook on life.

The most important thing that I have learned over the years about wellness is that it is all about balance.  You may be working out 5 times a week and zeroing in on your diet but if you do nothing to satisfy your mind, you may still be unhappy.  This logic can also be applied in reverse – if you are indulging in your guilty pleasures too much and not focusing on taking care of your body, you will not have balance.  Being well is all about balance, accepting things as they come and doing everything in moderation because too much of a good thing can be detrimental as well.

Through my experiences with yoga, meditation, and reflexology, I have become a true believer in natural therapies and what they can do for you.  I have learned that using medication is not always the answer and isn’t always what a person needs to recover.  Sometimes, sitting down with a counselor or therapist and reevaluating your life can help so much more than any pill.  Through my classes and experiences, I have learned just how powerful the mind can be and what people are capable of if they have a little faith and believe in their potential.

I feel fortunate to have studied a subject in college that I am passionate about and believe in.  Informing others about health and ways to better oneself is definitely something that I love doing and hope to continue into the future.  Even though I have learned so much more about what it means to be well and the many ways to achieve it, I also realize that I have so much more to learn.  There are hundreds of methods and techniques out there that I have never even heard of.  If we can all do a better job of educating ourselves on these wellness techniques and therapies, you will find what works best for you and develop a life plan that will help you get through any problem that life throws at you.

Wellness techniques can be something you turn to when you are having a life crisis, or something that you may use on a daily basis.  Regardless, it is important to see what works for you as an individual and find your own personal balance of discipline and pleasure in life.  As a graduate from the University of Denver, who has studied health and wellness for the past 4 years, this is what it means to me to be truly well.  I hope that in another 5 years my perceptions will change and I will have found a new view on all this. I wish all the same for you on your journey of lifelong health and wellness.

During fight or flight (sympathetic) response, resources are redirected from several systems in the body including the digestive system to the muscles and respiratory system. Times of fighting or running are not times to be worrying about digesting food – that can wait. But with chronic stress, where the relaxation phase or the parasympathetic system is rarely activated, how does it affect the digestive system in the long run?

The digestive system, also called gastrointestinal tract, does more than just digestion. The digestive system’s role is separated into four parts: ingestion, digestion, absorption and defecation. The fact that the digestive system has these roles also show that it is made up of more than just our stomach. It also includes: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines (both small and large as well as the colon) and anus.

An intimate relationship exists between the digestive system (most importantly the stomach) and the nervous system. The stomach is also called the second brain because it holds the most nerve cells (compared to other systems) in the body and therefore has a direct link to the brain. This also alludes to the challenge of identifying cause and effect – does stress cause digestive disorders or do digestive disorders cause stress and emotional disorders? Many of the relationships/links in the body are rarely one-way – it’s safe to assume that both occur.

During a stress response, muscles in the body contract (shorten/tighten) in order to get ready for fight or flight. This is no different in the digestive system. During stress, muscles along the intestines, stomach and esophagus also contract. How does food move smoothly and comfortably through the system when it is being impeded by tight spaces along the digestive tract? It can’t. The common result or problem is indigestion. Another problem that can occur with slowed digestion is constipation. When food moves through the digestive tract too slowly, the colon has a tendency to absorb too much water during that time, resulting in hard and dry feces. The result is painful bowel movements and excretion of feces.

Another response of stress is an increase in stomach acid. The production of gastric acid is regulated by the autonomous nervous system (The Anatomy of Stress article mentions how this system contains the sympathetic and parasympathetic division). With an increase in stress, there is an increase in stomach acid. When this increase in gastric acid is prolonged by chronic stress, it can contribute to heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (also called acid reflux disease). There are other contributors to heartburn such as spicy foods and foods high in acidity. As mentioned in the beginning of the article, stress and digestive problems can go both ways. Heartburn can cause pain in the chest, stomach, and bowel. Acid reflux disease can also cause pain when swallowing foods. These responses contribute to increased anxiety and stress, which in turn increases even more stomach acid. The process becomes cyclical.

Stress also produces numerous hormones all corresponding to different systems in the body including the digestive system. Some of these hormones will cause the stomach to feel full and even nauseated. Ever wonder why right before a stressful event such as a business presentation, or exam, you are unable to eat? A person shouldn’t eat while running or fighting therefore hormones are produced to prevent this hunger. Some other hormones though might cause cravings once the stress is somewhat alleviated – hence why some people turn to comfort foods in times of stress. Once the initial danger (sympathetic response) is gone, there is a need to quickly replenish the body before the next stress reaction, therefore hormones are produced for a quick and focused craving. People with chronic stress will have frequent mixed periods of skipping meals, cravings, and eating little to large portions of food. This type of schedule can further contribute to negatively affecting insulin levels (hypo or hyper – glycemia, diabetes), weight gain, and thyroid to name a few.

The key to having a healthy digestive system is quite simple but hard to practice in our culture of busy schedules, random routines, chronic stress and poor diet. But the costs of not practicing is a slew of disorders and illnesses that can develop as well as the financial costs of these diseases. Here are some simple tips to maintaining a healthy digestive system:

• Do Not Eat on the Run! – Sit down and actually enjoy the food you are eating.
• Avoid foods that upset your stomach. Know what you can handle and can’t handle and LISTEN to your body.
• RELAX!!! Before, during and after you eat. Take a 5 minute breather to meditate, read, close the eyes or stretch. About 30 minutes after the meal, go for an easy leisurely walk outside.
• If you are stressed – don’t eat too much. Wait until you are able to enjoy the food. Or grab a protein shake for on-the-go meals.
• Try to have a routine for when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (even if it’s a protein shake). Try not to skip meals or eat at random times throughout the week.
• Eat foods that feel good not only emotionally but also good for the stomach.
• And finally – De-Stress! Relax the muscles in the body. Exercise, walk, yoga, meditation, listening to calming music, reading a non-stressful book, breathing exercises and meaningful mini-vacations for the self (such as going to the bookstore, watching a favorite movie, etc.)

Next Week: Infertility and Stress

There’s much more to learn on this subject. For more information on this topic, check out these articles:

Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Digestive-System-Diseases-and-Nervous-Disorders&id=269459

CVS Caremark: https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/HEALTH_RESOURCES?topic=stressdigestion

AARP: http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions/articles/harvard__the-sensitive-gut_2.html

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