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Anxiety & Stress

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We live in a constant state of "go". With technology today, we are non-stop connected to information, obligations and distractions. Anxiety is a sign of poor stress resilience and an indication that the body is struggling. With naturopathic medicine you can explore root causes while also building more balance into your daily routines.

Stressed Woman
ANXIETY

Anxiety is the emotional component of stress. It includes worrying, ruminating, an anticipating in relation to a real or imagined stressor. 

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Want to investigate the root causes of your anxiety? I'm here to help you. A naturopathic approach to anxiety may include:

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  • Acupuncture (treating anxiety energetically using Traditional Chinese Medicine)

  • Herbal medicine (including lavendula, passiflora, hypericum, and many others)

  • Dietary modifications and/or nutrient supplementation

  • Functional assessments of adrenal glands, thyroid and other hormones

  • CBT/meditation/mindfulness therapies for stress reduction

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STRESS

Consider your body's ability to cope with stress as a cup, when that cup is overflowing you are no longer thriving.

 

Top 3 sources of stress - which ones affect you most? 

  • workplace/school,

  • family/relationships,

  • environment (including air pollution, toxins, diet and even exercise!)

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How do I know if stress is affecting my health?

Inflammation is a stress response by your body and chronic inflammation is an indicator of stress overload. Signs of chronic inflammation include:

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  • Body pain.

  • Constant fatigue. 

  • Insomnia.

  • Weight gain.

  • Frequent infections.

  • Depression, anxiety and mood changes.

  • Gastrointestinal issues like constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux.

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STOP RUNNING FROM THE BEAR 

The adrenal gland is a primary player in your body's stress response and it's functioning is essential to your stress resilience. It pumps out epinephrine (aka. adrenaline) acutely and then cortisol reactively to help your body mobilize and act. This is what I call the "run away from the bear" response (valuable in that instance). When your adrenals are over-burdened, your body may send the "bear" signal when there is no bear at all. When this happens too much, you'll eventually reach a state of burn-out. To balance stress, we need some quiet time in our caves to recover too.

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Reducing the stress burden on our bodies is a great way to improve health - even longstanding chronic issues.

Not sure where to start with stress reduction? Try optimizing these 3 pillars, in this order:

  1. sleep, 

  2. diet, 

  3. exercise

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Let's talk about how you can find greater stress resilience in your life! 

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