The Subtle Symptoms of Excess Stress
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to maintain a healthy work-life balance. With the merging of work and home, thanks to remote work, many individuals find themselves constantly connected to their jobs. This constant connectivity can lead to work fatigue and chronic stress, often without us even realizing it. It’s crucial to recognize the subtle signs of stress and understand their impact on our short and long-term health.
1. Forgetfulness
One of the most overlooked indicators of excess stress is forgetfulness. You may find yourself misplacing keys or missing important meetings, attributing it to a bad memory or fatigue. However, the lack of focus and concentration caused by long-term stress can gradually disrupt essential tasks. This is due to the effects of stress on cortisol levels, a hormone vital for memory and attention.
2. Back Pain
Back pain is another subtle sign of stress that often goes unnoticed. Research by NYU rehabilitation physician Dr. John Sarno suggests that psychological and stress reduction techniques can alleviate back pain in many cases. Studies have shown that abnormal back MRIs are not always correlated with actual back pain. Stress and strong emotions can trigger pain signals in different parts of the body, including the back, as a protective mechanism.
3. Rageful Moments
While it may seem obvious, rageful moments can sneak up on us as a result of excessive stress. Everyone experiences anger occasionally, but prolonged stress can lead to uncontrollable rage. This can negatively impact relationships at work, with family, and with friends. Our inability to manage stress effectively causes us to seek a release, often resulting in an overreaction to the situation at hand.
4. Headaches
Feeling overwhelmed triggers the body’s “fight or flight” response, releasing cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can increase tension in neck muscles, leading to headaches. Additionally, stress often disrupts sleep patterns, further exacerbating fatigue. The combination of high stress levels and poor sleep creates a challenging cycle that affects both physical and emotional well-being.
5. Binging
Excessive binge eating, drinking, or engaging in risk-taking behaviors can indicate high levels of stress. These activities trigger the brain’s chemical reward system, providing temporary pleasure. However, the need to constantly chase that “high” can lead to unhealthy habits. Binging can also extend to work-related behaviors, such as constantly checking notifications outside of work hours. The brain becomes activated by these notifications, intensifying the underlying emotions similar to rage.
How to Address Stress And Reduce the Impact on Long-Term Health
Recognizing these subtle signs of stress is crucial to prevent chronic health issues. The American Heart Association highlights the link between stress and high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Chronic stress can also contribute to memory loss and the progression of diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Start by becoming more body aware to better manage stress. Pay attention to physical cues, such as raised shoulders, teeth clenching, or squinting, as these can indicate stress. Trust your body and practice relaxation techniques.
While making a complete lifestyle change is ideal, it may not always be feasible. Instead, incorporate simple tools to recharge and reduce stress. Take short breaks, go for a walk, stay hydrated, or try a brief meditation session. Spending a few minutes outdoors, closing your eyes, and focusing on the surrounding sounds can help you refocus and alleviate stress.
Remember, life will always have some level of stress, but you can learn techniques to manage its impact. Consider working with a health or mindset coach who can provide you with effective tools and support. Ignoring stress can lead to overwhelming feelings. Treat your body as you would a good friend or partner – listen to its needs and give it the care it deserves.
Start recognizing the subtle signs of stress today and take steps to prioritize your well-being.
The post How These Subtle Signs of Stress Get Overlooked and Why Recognizing Them Matter appeared first on Alternative Medicine Magazine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the opposite of holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine refers to a holistic approach to health care. It considers all aspects and their emotional, spiritual, and environmental dimensions. It recognizes that each illness must have multiple causes, and therefore requires a combination or several treatments to be most effective.
Holistic medicine is a form of holistic medicine. They believe prevention is better than treatment. They are able to work closely with patients in order to ensure optimal wellness.
They identify the root causes of disease and help prevent it from happening again. Holistic physicians treat the entire body, not just its organs. They commonly refer to the entire person as “the body”.
They treat the whole body, not just the skin. The doctor may suggest changes to diet, lifestyle, and exercise. He may also recommend yoga and meditation, herbal supplements or massage, acupuncture treatment, or alternative medicine.
Why is holistic medicine better?
Holistic healthcare focuses on the whole person and not just individual symptoms. Holistic healthcare focuses on the whole person, not just individual symptoms. This includes how they feel, what they eat and where they live.
Holistic medicine addresses all aspects of the patient’s life, and treats them as a whole. It may sound simple, but in practice, this approach is very difficult to achieve because most doctors focus solely on the physical side of patients.
What’s the difference between holistic medicine versus alternative medicine?
Holistic medicine treats the whole person: body, mind, spirit, and soul. Holistic medicine examines every aspect of a person’s health. It also considers spiritual, physical, and environmental factors that may be overlooked by traditional medicine. Alternative medicine is used to treat conditions like arthritis, asthma, and allergies.
What’s the difference between alternative medicine or complementary medicine?
Alternative medicine refers to treatments not considered conventional by mainstream medical professionals but have been shown to provide benefits for certain conditions. These include homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy and reflexology as well as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Ayurveda and naturopathy. Complementary Medicines are treatments that add to the treatment of conventional medicine. They may also be used in combination with it. These include supplements like vitamins, minerals, herbs and amino acids as well probiotics and other natural substances.
Although both types of medicine are common, conventional doctors don’t recommend them because there isn’t enough evidence or safety concern.
There isn’t consensus among health-care providers on the best way to incorporate CAM into patient treatment.
Many CAM methods are based on theories that have been developed over thousands of year. But clinical trials in the past 20 years have suggested that these therapies might work.
As an example, several studies indicate that acupuncture may relieve pain. It may also reduce nausea and vomiting that are associated with chemotherapy, according to preliminary data. Studies have also shown that acupuncture may reduce symptoms of irritable-bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Other CAM methods may have therapeutic effects on conditions like HIV/AIDS and diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and rheumatoidarthritis.
Even though there are still gaps in our knowledge about the effectiveness of CAM, most experts agree that it can play a role in treating various ailments.
As a result, more and more people are turning to CAM practitioners for relief from common illnesses.
Despite this popularity, many people still have questions about “alternatives” and “complementary” medicine.
What are alternatives to medicine?
Alternative medicine refers specifically to any treatment that is not used in mainstream medicine. These include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), homeopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture as well as nutritional therapy such like reiki.
Alternative medicine can also be defined as a practice that is not supported by scientific evidence, but which has been proven effective in clinical practice. Meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and reflexology are some examples.
What does complementary medicine mean?
Complementary Medicine can be described as any treatment that is complementary to mainstream medicine. It covers therapies such as acupuncture.
Complementary medicine should not be considered in isolation of conventional medicine. They’re also sometimes called “alternative” or “integrative” medicine because they integrate Western scientific methods with other approaches that have been proven effective in healing people.
Statistics
- An assessment of conventional treatments found that 41.3% concluded positive or possibly positive effects, 20% concluded no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
- These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
- In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
- According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
- category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
doi.org
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING & TENSION-TYPE HEADADACHE – PubMed
- The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Hospital Anxiety and Depression in Female Older Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial – PubMed
cam.cancer.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- The rise and rise of complementary and alternative medicine: a sociological perspective – PubMed
- PubMed: Holistic Medicine – PubMed
How To
What type of products are used for holistic medicine?
These products are best described as “natural” although not necessarily organic. They may have been grown using natural fertilizers and pesticides, but they were also processed in ways that are less harmful to human health. Some herbs can cause allergic reactions and may need to have different preparations depending on the individual. Groceries sell more herbs than health food stores. These herbs often have higher levels of herbicides than those sold at grocery stores.
Herbal supplements are often made from dried herbs. People prefer to buy them in liquid form as they are cheaper. But this does not mean they are less safe. Liquid herbs can lose nutrients during processing. The product may lose its original potency. In addition, herbal supplements aren’t tested for quality before being placed on shelves.
Herbs and spices are generally added to foods after cooking. They are often found in condiments such ketchup or mustard, salad dressings and soup mixes.
Supplements are typically taken orally (by mouth). Most vitamins or minerals come in tablet format. Some vitamins and minerals are also available in capsules.
Homeopathic remedies are highly concentrated substances made from plants, animals, minerals, or synthetics. They can stimulate the body’s healing abilities. They can be called “homeopathic”, but they don’t work the same as regular medications. Instead, they act on the body’s immune system to restore balance and promote wellness. Homeopathic remedies are considered safe and non-toxic. They are popularly used in Europe and South America.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to insert into specific points along your meridians. The practice is based upon a traditional Chinese medical theory, which states that there are energy channels through the body through which life force flows. According to the theory, illness occurs when these channels become blocked. By stimulating energy flow along the meridian lines, the body is believed to recover its normal functioning.
Chiropractors manipulate the spine to correct misalignments of the bones. American doctor Daniel David Palmer developed this technique in 1895. He claimed he could diagnose ailments and cure diseases through manipulating the vertebrae. His methods included spinal adjustments as well as muscle tests and percussion.
Chiropractic has gained popularity in recent years. Many people think it is more effective than traditional medicine for back pain.
Massage therapy uses rubbing, kneading and tapping to massage muscles, joints, as well as other body parts. Massage can help loosen tight muscles, ease tension, and relax sore muscle. The massage therapists may use deep tissue, sports and reflexology, myofascial releases, trigger point therapy, or other techniques.
Reflexology refers to alternative medicine that uses pressure to apply pressure to specific areas of your feet and hands using thumb pads and fingers. Reflexologists claim that this method stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal.
Aromatherapy uses essential oils extracted from plants to relieve stress, improve well-being, and enhance moods. Essential oils are also therapeutic because their chemical composition can benefit health conditions ranging from headache relief to arthritis treatment. There are many kinds of aromatherapy.
Craniosacral Therapist uses gentle touch and pressure to alleviate discomfort and pain. The skull is called Cranial, while the Latin word sacrum refers to the sacrum. Cranial sacral therapy combines both. The therapist uses light pressure to the head, neck, shoulders and arms of the patient while moving her/his fingers across their body.
Cupping therapy works by placing cups on the skin to create a vacuum and draw out toxins. Cupping therapy can also be combined with moxibustion (burning of herbs) or acupuncture to help detoxify.
Dietary supplements are oral or topical products that contain vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants, and fatty acids. Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1992 regulates dietary supplements. Two criteria must be met before a dietary supplement can be legally sold. To be legally sold, a dietary supplement must meet two requirements. First, it must contain a “dietary element,” which is a supplement that contains more than one percent of a Vitamin, Mineral, Herb, or Other Botanical listed on the Food and Drug Administration’s Generally Recognized AS Safe List. It must be manufactured in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices. That means its ingredients were properly handled at every stage of production.
Electrotherapy uses currents to stimulate nerves, and muscles. The most common form of electrotherapy is transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS). Low-level electrical pulses can be delivered to the skin by TENS devices. These pulses activate receptors in the brain that block pain signals. There are also electromagnetic therapy options such as magnetic field therapy, interferential current therapy, and ultrasound therapy.
Energy healing relies on the belief system that all of us have innate healing abilities. In addition, our thoughts and feelings can impact our physical health. Modern practitioners accept that energy healing is possible, even though it has been practiced since ancient times. However, there are many layers to energy. One layer of energy is called emotional. Another is called mental energy. Others include psychic, spiritual and chakras. Vital, life force, prana. Kundalini, biofield. Aura, quantum fields, and prana. These energies could be linked to the larger universe according to some. Some people claim they can heal others with the power of their mind. But, there is limited scientific evidence to support the use of energy medicine.
Energy psychology involves studying how human emotions affect physiological functions and vice versa. It is sometimes considered an alternative to psychotherapy because it focuses less on discussing past events and more on helping clients change present behavior. Although energy psychology doesn’t require a specific theoretical framework, it draws on many disciplines such as cognitive behavioral therapy and transactional analysis.
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If you or another person is suffering from a medical issue and you are concerned, consult your doctor or seek out other medical professional treatment as soon as possible. Do not disregard medical advice from a professional or delay seeking it due to information you seen on the blog or website or in any of the linked materials. If you’re experiencing an emergency medical situation, dial 911 or seek emergency medical assistance on the closest phone immediately.
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By: Dick Benson
Title: Recognizing Subtle Signs of Stress and Why They Matter
Sourced From: alternativemedicine.com/conditions/brain-health/stress/how-these-subtle-signs-of-stress-get-overlooked-and-why-recognizing-them-matter/
Published Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2024 18:04:23 +0000
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the opposite of holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine refers to a holistic approach to health care. It considers all aspects and their emotional, spiritual, and environmental dimensions. It recognizes that each illness must have multiple causes, and therefore requires a combination or several treatments to be most effective.
Holistic medicine is a form of holistic medicine. They believe prevention is better than treatment. They are able to work closely with patients in order to ensure optimal wellness.
They identify the root causes of disease and help prevent it from happening again. Holistic physicians treat the entire body, not just its organs. They commonly refer to the entire person as “the body”.
They treat the whole body, not just the skin. The doctor may suggest changes to diet, lifestyle, and exercise. He may also recommend yoga and meditation, herbal supplements or massage, acupuncture treatment, or alternative medicine.
Why is holistic medicine better?
Holistic healthcare focuses on the whole person and not just individual symptoms. Holistic healthcare focuses on the whole person, not just individual symptoms. This includes how they feel, what they eat and where they live.
Holistic medicine addresses all aspects of the patient’s life, and treats them as a whole. It may sound simple, but in practice, this approach is very difficult to achieve because most doctors focus solely on the physical side of patients.
What’s the difference between holistic medicine versus alternative medicine?
Holistic medicine treats the whole person: body, mind, spirit, and soul. Holistic medicine examines every aspect of a person’s health. It also considers spiritual, physical, and environmental factors that may be overlooked by traditional medicine. Alternative medicine is used to treat conditions like arthritis, asthma, and allergies.
What’s the difference between alternative medicine or complementary medicine?
Alternative medicine refers to treatments not considered conventional by mainstream medical professionals but have been shown to provide benefits for certain conditions. These include homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy and reflexology as well as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Ayurveda and naturopathy. Complementary Medicines are treatments that add to the treatment of conventional medicine. They may also be used in combination with it. These include supplements like vitamins, minerals, herbs and amino acids as well probiotics and other natural substances.
Although both types of medicine are common, conventional doctors don’t recommend them because there isn’t enough evidence or safety concern.
There isn’t consensus among health-care providers on the best way to incorporate CAM into patient treatment.
Many CAM methods are based on theories that have been developed over thousands of year. But clinical trials in the past 20 years have suggested that these therapies might work.
As an example, several studies indicate that acupuncture may relieve pain. It may also reduce nausea and vomiting that are associated with chemotherapy, according to preliminary data. Studies have also shown that acupuncture may reduce symptoms of irritable-bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Other CAM methods may have therapeutic effects on conditions like HIV/AIDS and diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and rheumatoidarthritis.
Even though there are still gaps in our knowledge about the effectiveness of CAM, most experts agree that it can play a role in treating various ailments.
As a result, more and more people are turning to CAM practitioners for relief from common illnesses.
Despite this popularity, many people still have questions about “alternatives” and “complementary” medicine.
What are alternatives to medicine?
Alternative medicine refers specifically to any treatment that is not used in mainstream medicine. These include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), homeopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture as well as nutritional therapy such like reiki.
Alternative medicine can also be defined as a practice that is not supported by scientific evidence, but which has been proven effective in clinical practice. Meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and reflexology are some examples.
What does complementary medicine mean?
Complementary Medicine can be described as any treatment that is complementary to mainstream medicine. It covers therapies such as acupuncture.
Complementary medicine should not be considered in isolation of conventional medicine. They’re also sometimes called “alternative” or “integrative” medicine because they integrate Western scientific methods with other approaches that have been proven effective in healing people.
Statistics
- An assessment of conventional treatments found that 41.3% concluded positive or possibly positive effects, 20% concluded no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
- These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
- In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
- According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
- category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
doi.org
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING & TENSION-TYPE HEADADACHE – PubMed
- The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Hospital Anxiety and Depression in Female Older Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial – PubMed
cam.cancer.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- The rise and rise of complementary and alternative medicine: a sociological perspective – PubMed
- PubMed: Holistic Medicine – PubMed
How To
What type of products are used for holistic medicine?
These products are best described as “natural” although not necessarily organic. They may have been grown using natural fertilizers and pesticides, but they were also processed in ways that are less harmful to human health. Some herbs can cause allergic reactions and may need to have different preparations depending on the individual. Groceries sell more herbs than health food stores. These herbs often have higher levels of herbicides than those sold at grocery stores.
Herbal supplements are often made from dried herbs. People prefer to buy them in liquid form as they are cheaper. But this does not mean they are less safe. Liquid herbs can lose nutrients during processing. The product may lose its original potency. In addition, herbal supplements aren’t tested for quality before being placed on shelves.
Herbs and spices are generally added to foods after cooking. They are often found in condiments such ketchup or mustard, salad dressings and soup mixes.
Supplements are typically taken orally (by mouth). Most vitamins or minerals come in tablet format. Some vitamins and minerals are also available in capsules.
Homeopathic remedies are highly concentrated substances made from plants, animals, minerals, or synthetics. They can stimulate the body’s healing abilities. They can be called “homeopathic”, but they don’t work the same as regular medications. Instead, they act on the body’s immune system to restore balance and promote wellness. Homeopathic remedies are considered safe and non-toxic. They are popularly used in Europe and South America.
Acupuncture uses fine needles to insert into specific points along your meridians. The practice is based upon a traditional Chinese medical theory, which states that there are energy channels through the body through which life force flows. According to the theory, illness occurs when these channels become blocked. By stimulating energy flow along the meridian lines, the body is believed to recover its normal functioning.
Chiropractors manipulate the spine to correct misalignments of the bones. American doctor Daniel David Palmer developed this technique in 1895. He claimed he could diagnose ailments and cure diseases through manipulating the vertebrae. His methods included spinal adjustments as well as muscle tests and percussion.
Chiropractic has gained popularity in recent years. Many people think it is more effective than traditional medicine for back pain.
Massage therapy uses rubbing, kneading and tapping to massage muscles, joints, as well as other body parts. Massage can help loosen tight muscles, ease tension, and relax sore muscle. The massage therapists may use deep tissue, sports and reflexology, myofascial releases, trigger point therapy, or other techniques.
Reflexology refers to alternative medicine that uses pressure to apply pressure to specific areas of your feet and hands using thumb pads and fingers. Reflexologists claim that this method stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal.
Aromatherapy uses essential oils extracted from plants to relieve stress, improve well-being, and enhance moods. Essential oils are also therapeutic because their chemical composition can benefit health conditions ranging from headache relief to arthritis treatment. There are many kinds of aromatherapy.
Craniosacral Therapist uses gentle touch and pressure to alleviate discomfort and pain. The skull is called Cranial, while the Latin word sacrum refers to the sacrum. Cranial sacral therapy combines both. The therapist uses light pressure to the head, neck, shoulders and arms of the patient while moving her/his fingers across their body.
Cupping therapy works by placing cups on the skin to create a vacuum and draw out toxins. Cupping therapy can also be combined with moxibustion (burning of herbs) or acupuncture to help detoxify.
Dietary supplements are oral or topical products that contain vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics, antioxidants, and fatty acids. Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1992 regulates dietary supplements. Two criteria must be met before a dietary supplement can be legally sold. To be legally sold, a dietary supplement must meet two requirements. First, it must contain a “dietary element,” which is a supplement that contains more than one percent of a Vitamin, Mineral, Herb, or Other Botanical listed on the Food and Drug Administration’s Generally Recognized AS Safe List. It must be manufactured in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices. That means its ingredients were properly handled at every stage of production.
Electrotherapy uses currents to stimulate nerves, and muscles. The most common form of electrotherapy is transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS). Low-level electrical pulses can be delivered to the skin by TENS devices. These pulses activate receptors in the brain that block pain signals. There are also electromagnetic therapy options such as magnetic field therapy, interferential current therapy, and ultrasound therapy.
Energy healing relies on the belief system that all of us have innate healing abilities. In addition, our thoughts and feelings can impact our physical health. Modern practitioners accept that energy healing is possible, even though it has been practiced since ancient times. However, there are many layers to energy. One layer of energy is called emotional. Another is called mental energy. Others include psychic, spiritual and chakras. Vital, life force, prana. Kundalini, biofield. Aura, quantum fields, and prana. These energies could be linked to the larger universe according to some. Some people claim they can heal others with the power of their mind. But, there is limited scientific evidence to support the use of energy medicine.
Energy psychology involves studying how human emotions affect physiological functions and vice versa. It is sometimes considered an alternative to psychotherapy because it focuses less on discussing past events and more on helping clients change present behavior. Although energy psychology doesn’t require a specific theoretical framework, it draws on many disciplines such as cognitive behavioral therapy and transactional analysis.
