Ageless and Going Strong!

By Dr. Laura Thompson

Ag-ing or age-less - it's a choice. Do you look in the mirror and wonder - who that is? Where'd the wrinkles come from? Sprouting grey hair everywhere? We laugh it off, saying something like --"it's because of the kids!" -- but probably more truthfully, it's because we've had stressful incidents in our lives and stress and trauma cause hormone decline.

Yes, stress. A buzz word that has turned into a worldwide epidemic. Cell phones to blame? - Overwhelm in the information age? Your work situation? Hormone imbalance? Well you may have answered yes to one or all, but it really boils down to adrenal hormone imbalance caused by the sum total of all the stressors in your life.

The brain recognizes "stress" as total input - both physical and mental. We release chemical messengers or "hormones" each time we experience what is known as the "fight/flight" mechanism - caused by frustration, anxiety, anger, fear.

A real-life, brief example would be: Someone in the car ahead of you slams on the breaks; your response causes a release of adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones). Everything stands still for a "brief minute". Focus is laser-sharp, the heart palpitates, muscles tighten; you feel the wave of adrenaline throughout your body. I realized this myself one day as I was driving. Someone stopped short; I had to slam on the brakes, and with that rushing of adrenalin throughout my body, came total body pain - like my nerves were all raw. It disappeared quickly, but I said to myself - "yikes, the stress in my life has worn my "protective" layers, thin". And with vulnerability to physical pain, comes vulnerability to emotional pain too. It's all rolled up together.

The funny thing is though, that you can feel physical pain. You can't always detect "brain pain". It's nebulous and mysterious. Emotions and cognitive issues like memory, focus, and concentration are fairly intangible. There is a delayed realization about them. Since it's not physical pain, we don't always see or feel a cause and effect.

Adrenaline provides the first burst of energy in a crisis situation. Cortisol assists in this phase and then continues working for hours afterward. An analogy would be the firing of a gun: the initial trigger is adrenaline; the projectile continuing until it reaches the target is cortisol. Both are irreplaceable, but both are extremely damaging when misused and over-stimulated.

Dr. Laura Thompson, Family Nutritionist and Naturopathic Endocrinologist has a nationwide practice by phone, and locally in Carlsbad, California. Call for in-home testing info, 800-608-5602.  

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products suggested, are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please check with your health care practitioner for your best health options.

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