Easy to follow steps to reduce your stress levels

Added: (Tue Oct 06 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Easy to follow steps to reduce your stress levels

Meditation ca be a key to reducing stress. The key is to make it a part of your life. Keep it simple do it daily.

October 6, 2009 - How many times have you heard, “I feel stressed today.” It is only natural to feel stressed at times. Stress is part of a natural biological reaction known as the “fight or flight” response. Your body prepares itself either to fight incoming enemies or to run away from them. It does this by releasing a series of naturally occurring chemicals into your body.

Epinephrine which makes the body react faster and increases aggression. It is responsible for what we call the “adrenaline rush.” Endorphins which give us pleasurable feelings and blocks pain and causes what is commonly called the “runners high”. And cortisol which releases extra sugar into the bloodstream to give us more energy.

The stress response only becomes problematic when dealing with issues with no physiological release. Take for example the recent economic crisis; many people have lost jobs, had their salaries reduced, lost their savings, and had to drastically alter their lifestyles. Just thinking about these issues, whether they directly affect us or not, can cause damaging stress. Unless we take steps and intervene these chemicals will continue to build up in our bodies causing untold damages.

In this way stress can be rightfully called is a disease. It creates a multitude of symptoms such as headaches, stomach pain, high blood pressure, acne, back aches, insomnia and shortness of breath. Mentally it can cause anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and effects concentration. In the long term it may even lead to diabetes, strokes, and heart attacks.

All too often we deal with the symptoms of stress without dealing with the cause. Many people think that taking aspirin every day can help reduce headaches; unless we address and deal with the root causes of stress the cycle of disease will continue.

From an information point of view, both exercise and good nutrition have potent and dramatic effects on your health.1,2,3 Both can reduce inflammation. Both neutralize circulating free radicals, reducing a number of health risks, and both provide new energy resources, making us healthier and happier.

The best way to deal with stress is to avoid or resolve the circumstances that initiate it. Exercise, especially cardiovascular, is also a great way to reduce stress. These options are directly correlated to the “fight or flight” response. Meditation can be a great way to reduce stress since it releases tension in the body, whilst calming the mind.

Chiropractic care is without doubt a great way to reduce stress. Since chiropractic adjustments regulate both the nervous and muscular system simultaneously one receives the added benefits of relaxing tension in the muscle and at the same time assists your nervous system to flush out excess chemicals and hormones. Regular chiropractic adjustments can help prevent harmful chemical build-up in the body..

Buddhist Walking Meditation

Most people envision meditation as sitting still for long period of times. Many beginners complain that they can not sit still long enough to create a meditative state. What they do not realize is the true purpose of meditation is not to still the body, but rather to still the mind. Various methods of meditation exist that incorporates movement. For example Tai – Chi which is a series of continuous motion, and yoga which is based on positions and poses. I prefer one of the simplest forms of meditation known to man; the Buddhist walking meditation.

Simply clear a space where you can walk in a straight line. The distance is not important, but preferably at least ten to fifteen feet.
Remove your shoes, clasp your hands together pressed directly in front of you, and close your eyes. Begin to walk very slowly in a controlled manner, placing one foot in front of the other touching heel to toe as you go. Pay special attention to your breathing. It should be in through the nose and out through the mouth in steady, deep breaths. When you reach your forward destination point, slowly reverse the movement as before, placing one foot behind the other touching toe to heel as you go. Do not turn around, simply retrace your steps, walking backwards as before.
The slower the better! Buddhist monks can take up to an hour to traverse a fifteen foot area in a straight line and back.


1Appel LJ, et al: Effects of comprehensive lifestyle modification on blood pressure control: main results of the PREMIER clinical trial. JAMA 289(16):2083-2093, 2003
2Elmer PJ, et al: Effects of comprehensive lifestyle modification on diet, weight, physical fitness, and blood pressure control: 18-month results of a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 144(7):485-495, 2006
3Viera AJ, et al: Lifestyle modifications to lower or control high blood pressure: is advice associated with action? The behavioral risk factor surveillance survey. J Clin Hypertens 10(2):105-111, 2008

Dr. David Parker is an International speaker, Author of Power Workshops, Host of the TV program Light the Fire Within, Chiropractic Coach, Host of the Blog Talk Radio program Inspiration 4 Healthy Living..... Husband and father of 5 amazing children!!

Dr. David Parker
Family Tree Chiropractic
904 Dawn Ave. Ephrata, PA 17522
(717) 738-2555
http://familytreechiro.com

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