Stressed out??

We live in a stressful society.  This is not news, is it?  We can see stress on some level in every aspect of our lives.  Most everything we see about stress is negative:  “Stress is bad for you;” “Stress can kill you;” “You need to avoid stress.”  And with The Holidays coming around, thoughts of stress are everywhere!  The main message:  STRESS IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.  In fact, there’s an entire industry on stress management, making over $10 BILLION dollars a year.

Here’s a little known truth:  STRESS IS GOOD FOR YOU!!

Stress, while generally viewed negatively, can indirectly support and enhance several positive functions.  Here are the top three:

1. Focus and Performance: When facing a challenge, stress increases focus, motivation, and energy, helping you complete important tasks.  It’s also essential for top athletic performance.
2. Promotes Physical Adaptation: Physical stress like exercise or cold exposure leads to muscle growth, improved cardiovascular health, better immune responses, and overall fitness.  That immune function is also important to helping the body defend 
3. Improves Learning and Problem-Solving Skills: Moderate stress can be a catalyst for learning new skills, achieving goals, managing complex situations, making decisions, and fostering self confidence.

On top of all that, stress prepares your brain for future stressors.  Small, manageable doses of stress can actually prepare the brain to deal with future stressors more effectively. 

The problem with stress comes when we live under stress for too long.  Being stressed for too long actually breaks down our body’s defenses, leaving us open to all sorts of health issues like anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, digestive issues, and chronic pain syndromes.  As our bodies break down, we start looking outside ourselves for help.  In fact, there’s an entire stress management industry that capitalizes on this fact, making over $10 BILLION a year on you and your family members being stressed out.

Often, that leads to the use of pharmaceuticals such as anxiety medications like Xanex, Valium, Adivan, and Klonopin to relieve stress.  These come with a number of side effects.  Commonly, people experience drowsiness and constipation.  Others may experience more concerning effects like low blood pressure, changes in sex drive, and trouble with balance/coordination.  As dependency develops, a side effect can be suicidal thoughts or actions.

That is frightening.

Of course, we know that the fewer medications we take, the healthier we are.  Most people want to live without taking medications, and they want to avoid invasive medical procedures like surgery.  The best way to do that is to PREVENT issues before they become a problem.  We have an innate ability to manage stress on our own, and we can do that without drugs—prescription and over-the-counter.

We know that the best time to improve our health is NOW.  Chiropractic care is an excellent option for anyone looking to bolster their health routine.  People think chiropractic is only for pain and injury.  The truth is:  Chiropractic is essential for optimal health, quality of life, and longevity.  

Chiropractic adjustments:  

People of all ages—from newborns to the elderly—benefit from regular chiropractic care.  It’s more than just popping and cracking the spine.  Chiropractic care is all about improving body function to ensure the highest level of health possible.  And

If you agree that now is the time to better manage stress in your life and take control of your health, reach out to us at Rising Chiropractic.  See how we can help you and your family achieve the highest level of health and well-being you deserve!