10 Tips For Reducing Stress And Improving Your Health

Being stressed impacts on your health and wellbeing. It also impacts on your dental health increasing your risk of dental decay, gum disease, mouth ulcers, clenching and grinding, facial pain, cold sores and poor oral hygiene. A holistic approach deals with the underlying cause of a problem as well as the symptoms that result. When you feel under pressure try these fabulous tips to decrease your stress levels and take care of your health.

1. Stay calm and centered. Remember to stay calm and take it easy. When you feel stressed close your eyes and breathe gently in and out through your nose, make your breaths long and steady but gentle.

2. Care for yourself. No one can take care of you as well as you can. Say when you need a break, take time out for you and do things that help you unwind

3. Sleep well live well. Having the right amount of sleep changes your outlook on life. You feel more alive, less reactive, more productive and much more joyful. Aim to prepare well for sleep by winding down and relaxing before bed. Choosing not to stay up late and waking early leaves you feeling the most rejuvenated.

4. Eat well and avoid stimulants. Food is our best medicine or worst poison. A healthy diet keeps the body strong and is perfect for wellbeing. Watch those double shot lattes and avoid sugar and processed foods full of additives. Caffeine and nicotine put more stress on the nervous system by producing adrenalin and cortisol. Repeated use of stimulants adds to the stress of modern life.

5. Stop the clock. Constantly telling yourself that you are short of time speeds up your biological clock resulting in faster heart rate, increased blood pressure and more adrenalin production. Stay in the present moment and focus on the task at hand, your body clock will slow down, and time seems to expand for you.

6. Take control of anxiety. When we expect the worst and expect things to go badly it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of focusing on the negative, picture how you would like things to turn out and put a positive outcome in its place. This helps you to overcome negativity and feel less reactive to situations and people.

7. Avoid conflict and hostility. The stress of extended and unresolved conflict is as dangerous as smoking. So get honest, look at what is behind the conflict, deal with the issues and seek resolution.

8. Let go of perfection. There is no such thing as perfect. Be able to let things go and accept them for how they are without the need for control or perfection. Make mistakes and learn from them. Setting unrealistic expectations is setting you up for more stress.

9. Connect to nature and the Divine. Instead of drinking or using drugs, try walks in nature, meditation or prayer. Stress tends to dissolve away when you connect to your inner most.

10. Go with the flow. Stress is not something out there in the environment; it is in how you handle it. So prepare yourself to deal with life; have fun, laughter, connection, exercise, sleep, meditation, and love in your life and you will be better equipped to deal with whatever the World throws at you. -By Dr Rachel Hall

Stress Creates Neck and Shoulder Pain

Lately I've seen patients with a lot of muscle tension in their neck and shoulders. Their shoulders are hunched up under their ears, and their necks so stiff they can barely move them. Severe neck and shoulder stiffness and pain may require physical therapy to alleviate symptoms, but I'd like to share with you the things you can do to both prevent and alleviate neck and shoulder pain.

Causes of Neck and Shoulder Pain

My patients are surprised when I tell them that most neck and shoulder stress/pain is caused by structural stress, simple things we do everyday that can cause neck and shoulder pain:

o Bad posture - Sitting, or standing, with poor posture, or slouching, causes your head to tilt forward putting continual torque on neck and shoulder muscles to prevent your head from sliding forward.

o Raising the shoulder muscles - In our daily routine, we continuously, usually unknowingly, raise the levator scapulae, the major muscles of the shoulders. This creates tension of the neck and base of skull muscles. We do this in a few ways:

1. Typing at a keyboard that is too high - and/or resting your elbows on arm rests of a too low chair while you work at a desk causes your shoulders to ride up. Spend 8 hours everyday, 5 days a week doing this and you can cause pain in your neck and shoulders.

2. Cradling a phone between your ear and shoulder - many of us do this several times a day if our jobs require talking on the phone.

3. Doing overhead work that causes you to lift your arms above your head for long periods of time, like painting ceilings, lifting heavy boxes to high shelves, etc.

4. A constant state of anxiety brought on by chronic stress. This causes us to literally "get our back up", raising and holding our shoulders in a kind of self-protective posture, much like an animal will arch their back, and put their head down perceiving an attack.

Warning Symptoms of Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain

Most of us are familiar with that general uncomfortable feeling like a tight band is around our neck and shoulders and perhaps some very sore trigger points, areas that when touched makes us wince. In addition, we might not be able to move our head to either side without causing pain in our necks and shoulders. However, with poor repetitive structural habits, you could have symptoms of compressed nerves in your cervical spine that require a doctor:

oNumbness or tingling in hands and/or fingertips.

oBurning sensations in the muscles of the upper arms.

oWeakness lifting the arms, and/or dropping objects.

oHeadaches and/or constant tenderness in the occipital muscles, that band of muscles at the base of your head that extends from ear to ear.

A Simple Exercise To Relieve Tightness

Below is a simple stretching exercise you can do a few times a day while working to relax neck and shoulder muscles:

oBend head forward, chin on chest, then back to original position.

oHead forward, bend your head to the right, then back to original position; bend to the left, then back to original position.

oBend head slightly backward, then to the original position.

oBend head forward, chin to chest, tilt head to the right, then to the left.

Other Things You Can Do

Simple, common sense will help keep your neck and shoulder muscles healthy:

oObserve correct workspace ergonomics for your job. Adjust chair and keyboard height. Use a headset or speakerphone to avoid phone cradling.

oObserve good overhead mechanics. Take frequent stretching breaks to relax the neck and shoulder muscles. Practice correct lifting of heavy items. Most of us don't have forklifts at home or in our offices, so break down heavy boxes into more manageable sizes.

oDo aerobic exercise like walking, running, rebounding, to reduce tension.

oDrink water. Muscles and joints need adequate water to function properly. At least eight, 8 oz glasses per day, or more depending on your weight, environment (very cold, very hot needs more) and activity.

oGet a massage - acupressure massage done by a professional practitioner can work wonders on tight neck and shoulder muscles, relieving pain.

oA warm bath in Epsom salts will help remove lactic acid build up in stiff and sore muscles that can cause pain. An analgesic cream containing menthol can help relax tight muscles further.

oCalcium and magnesium supplements can also help relieve tension and pain in tight muscles.

Even though you might not be able to remove stress from your life, or completely avoid physical maneuvers that strain your neck and shoulder muscles, you can remove, or greatly alleviate, the tension in your neck and shoulders that can develop. Adhering to good neck and shoulder habits, and spending a few minutes each day doing simple stretching exercises can help you manage muscle tension so it doesn't continue to be a serious pain in your neck.

By Mark Bromson, M.D.

Natural Stress Remedies From Your Fridge - Nutrition As Stress Relief

Powerful and natural stress remedies are available to you with every meal! Let's look at the role nutrition plays in relieving stress naturally. In simple and personal terms, when I eat well, I feel healthy and less stressed. I am emotionally resilient and usually handle whatever circumstances life throws at me. When I make poor nutritional choices, however, I tend to feel tired, lethargic, irritable and unable to manage stress as effectively. There's science behind this, of course, but for me, the proof really is in the pudding! I know personally that wholesome foods support my emotional well being while sugar and processed foods do not.
If you want to know how to relieve stress, you'll find some of the best natural stress remedies in your refrigerator! Just open the door and you'll find a bonanza of stress-fighting foods. There's so much to choose from, even folks with the most discerning palates will find foods that will work for your stress relief efforts. Here are some suggestions:
Protein
Consuming protein throughout the day stabilizes blood sugar and will prevent emotional swings and fatigue. Good protein sources include: cottage cheese, turkey, nut butters, almonds, cheese, whey protein powder, hard boiled eggs.
B Vitamin Rich Foods
B vitamins are important for a healthy nervous system which in turn boosts mood and mental performance. You can get your "B's" from any of these common foods: dark leafy green vegetables, dairy (cheese and eggs), pork, beef, turkey and whole grains.
Foods with L-Tryptophan
L-Tryptophan is an amino acid which causes the body to release serotonin which, in laymen's terms, makes you feel good. This is why you feel so relaxed after eating Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Get your tryptophan fix with these foods during the rest of the year: tofu and other soy products, dairy, fish and shellfish, chicken, lamb, beef, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, beans and legumes, eggs, avocado and bananas.
Essential Fatty Acids too!
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) like Omega 3s are great natural stress remedies because they can alleviate and even prevent anxiety and depression. Fish oil pills are good too but you can also get EFAs from your diet. Good choices include: salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies and walnuts.
The above is by no means an exhaustive list of foods to eat for relieving stress naturally. In short, foods that act as natural stress remedies are whole and unprocessed. So if it comes in a box and is made with ingredients you can't pronounce, it's probably not a good choice for your natural stress relief. Furthermore, junk food cravings will subside with consistent healthful eating. Your appetite will normalize and you many even lose weight over time. So never underestimate the power of natural stress remedies like food for making you feel and look better!

By Jennifer Purcell