Helpful Ways To Control Stress

Stress is a common struggle for us all. In fact, it is even more so now than many remember in their recent life time. Trying to come to terms with the Covid-19 virus as well as balancing home, children being home, some of us being home and trying to function as though we were still at work, stressed relationships, maintaining an adequate diet, possible job loss and reduced interaction with others can certainly cause a negative effect not only on our psyche but our physical well-being.

Stress can usually be manageable but, life does not always allow for that.

The “technical” definition of stress can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable or, the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. Fortunately, the body reacts to these changes with physical, mental or emotional responses. You can experience stress from your environment, your body or your thoughts.

When experiencing stress, your body begins to activate responses that are largely controlled by your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands then release hormones that can increase your heart rate, increase your breathing, cause you to perspire, experience muscle tension, chest pain, dizziness, clouded thinking and feeling anxious. Normally, we are able to manage these physical and emotional feelings but, when these added “pressures” are ongoing, they can have serious and even long term negative effects on our health. Chronic stress has been known to contribute to a range of even more serious health concerns including depressed mood, poor sleep patterns, changes in blood pressure and blood sugar, weight gain, chest pain and lightheadedness.

Scientists have recently begun to study and better understand the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and its relationship to stress. To begin, we all know the ECS is closely integrated with the adrenal system which plays a major role in how we experience, process and react to stress. This is due to the ECS role in maintaining balance and homeostasis. When it comes to modulating stress, things can go both ways as the ECS both alters and is altered by varying types of stress. A healthy endocannabinoid system helps keep our stress response from being too extreme. Even if the situation is unpleasant, our ECS helps us not to over react. It also helps us put unpleasant memories behind us and bolster our emotional well-being.

The “fly in the ointment”, to coin a saying my Grandma used to use, is the method present medicine approaches dealing with a person’s stress when it becomes too much for them to handle. While there have been strides made recently in the application of various homeopathic remedies such as supplements and CBD, Big Pharma and the FDA have been slow to approve cannabinoid based products, including those that contain zero or less than .03% THC and were determined “legal” with the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill.  Instead, they prescribe anti-depressants or serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro and Celexa. The sad part here is these various FDA approved remedies only work to reduce the symptoms and do nothing to address the part of the body that is “out of balance” in the first place. You may ask why Big Pharma and the FDA are so slow to recognize this when the answer is simple, money and lots of it.

When you experience stress, your neuroendocrine sub-system, called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis goes into overdrive. The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that regulates the pituitary gland and automatic functions like breathing, sleep, fear and other emotional functions.

Endocannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body’s adrenal axis as well as in parts of the brain particularly the limbic system which is the part of the brain that controls our behavioral and emotional responses. While the opioids we mentioned above work to increase levels of serotonin in the brain, they do so with a certain amount of risk. Some of the possible side effects are: Insomnia, headaches, rashes, blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, agitation, dizziness, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, reduced sexual desire and reduced immunity. Now you may find yourself returning to you medical “expert” to determine a cure for the malady that is nothing more than a response by the body due to the previously prescribed “cure”. Now you find yourself on that vicious carrousel which is not only affecting your well-being further but is also very expensive to maintain. Couple that with the fact that in 2018 over thirty-two thousand people died from opioid overdoses in the United States alone and it makes you question which is worse, the malady or the cure.

The best way to return to a state of homeostasis is to develop a lifestyle that helps to nourish your endocannabinoid system strengthening it, so to speak, so your ECS can help you reduce your stress and restore balance.

Here are a few ways you do to help reduce your stress and strengthen your ECS. Give some of them a try as it can help improve your health as well as your attitude about life.

·         Exercise. All kinds of physical exercise can help to reduce stress. If you are not big on exercising, try taking the dog for a walk or even mowing the grass. Even small bursts can really help.

·         Get outside and soak up some sun. Sunshine helps the body to produce vitamin D which is necessary to help keep your immune system in shape. It also helps to slow osteoporosis and strengthens bones. With most people quarantining to help control the Covid-19 virus, you may not be getting as much “D” as you were. If that is the case, try taking a supplement and adding foods high in vitamin D to your diet. Foods like fatty fish, nuts and seeds provide the building blocks for endocannabinoids. Also choose foods that contain phytocannabinoids such as dark chocolate, clove, oregano, basil, lavender and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. All of these can help, especially for those that are over 50 years of age.

·         Try seeking counselling if you are still experiencing symptoms that you cannot control. Including anyone from a good friend to a counselor, therapist or other health professional. Once this virus is under control, you may even want to consider joining a self-help group.

·         Make sure you get adequate sleep. Turn off the television and get the rest you need. One hint I have is, remove the television from your bedroom. That way, you are not tempted to stay up to watch your late night news or talk show. Some recommend purchasing or downloading a noise cancelling unit or application. Give it a try, it may be just what you need to get a better nights rest.

·         Round out your diet with supplements that have been shown to aid in improving your sleep such as products that contain melatonin. While melatonin is not recommended for long term use as your body becomes somewhat immune after a while, it can help in the short term. Talk you your local health professional for what brand of supplement and dosage they recommend. But please, give this a try before you resort to prescription medications.

Well, that is about it for this week. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and good health to you.

CBD Doc.