blog #4 stress and dis-ease
Blog #4 Stress and Dis-ease
In my previous 3 blogs, I dealt with glycation (similar to oxidation – antioxidants but involves the glucose (sugar) molecule. When one eats a high glycemic (carbohydrate) load and has no way to deal with it effectively, A.G.E’s (advanced glycated end products) can result in huge amounts. These are very toxic and have an affinity for collagenous (joint & artery make up) fibers. Your immune system (macrophages) does it’s best to eliminate these A.G.E’s. This is a major cause of the inflammatory cycle. You now A.G.E. rapidly.
My following blogs related to “physical inactivity” as being very toxic to our cells. So we eat high carbohydrate loads, sit at the computer and get fat thus leading to inflammatory conditions; very destructive for our health. We then take lots of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation. Believe me ill health does not result from absence of NSAIDS! These chemicals do not make you healthy despite what the T.V. and Internet ads imply. In fact you are likely lose your health as noted by the side effects of these drugs.
Meaney, M, PhD. 2001 Stress and Disease: Who Gets Sick, Who Stays Well. Cortex Educational Seminars.
“Chronic stress affects function at all levels, and what is particularly worth noting as we wind our way through a review of this topic is that regardless of the level of the system under consideration, the basic theme is the same: chronic stress produces a set of adaptive responses and these responses, however necessary, can ultimately serve to impair our own health and well-being.”
“The result of medical research over the past 20 years has clarified precisely how stress can promote various forms of illnesses.” These are heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression and anxiety, and most cancers. The leading killers and producers of disability are all preventable and lifestyle related.
What research is telling us is that although an acute stress response is both healthy and appropriate, if it is maintained in a state of chronicity, it will eventually harm the host. Living organisms as ourselves are meant to be stressed for very short periods of time in order for flight or fight. When stress becomes chronic, and especially when it takes place in the absence of physical exertion, the effects are globally detrimental.
It is also pointed out that physical stressors are regulated subcortically (not necessarily through consciousness as it appears more likely that the startle stimulus acts as an early trigger for subcortically stored prepared movements since movements that are prepared in advance can be initiated at such short latencies (<60>
The literature defines health as “homeostasis” and the stressors to health as the “allostatic load”. Inactivity as noted in my last blog is a monumental stressor on our cells as is the high carbohydrate load with inactivity. Keep track of what you eat and when you find that your knees swell, elbows hurt, wrists hurt, take a look at your recent carbohydrate load. And also keep tract of your exercise regime.
You cannot go wrong with eating lots of fresh organic vegetables and game meats, not the feed lot meats. Stick with the organic grass fed, range fed meats. Our genome (cells) came out of receiving100 grams of fiber per day. Most Americans get 12 to 13 grams per day and if you eat the recommended 5 to 8 servings of fruits and vegetables, you get 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day which is roughly 1/3 of which we need. So you gotta get more. Remember Jack LaLane and his juicer, lots of veggies. Look at him today.
So keep your spine functioning and in line in 09.
We need to eat really well, move really well and think really well!
We can change our lifestyles at the expense of allopathic care.
Let’s do it! It is our choice.
Click this link for a verbal explation of a mathematical expression of the Health Equation.
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http://www.screencast.com/t/4H1vLwNOK
Peter Thibodeau, DC, DACAN, CCWP
