Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts

   I will admit it, I am stressed out. Seriously stressed out to the point that even though I have had 100 hundreds of sessions of qEEG Guided Neurofeedback, I still need some support. This comes from being stuck with 15 plus diagnoses to manage, and most of them chronic. It’s far from fun.
   Stress does funny things to you that turn into not so funny things if it goes on too long. It’s damaging in multiple ways. You have acute stress, chronic stress, eustress, and distress. Reading about stress is stressing me out.
Acute Stress : The“Fight or Flight” reflex is a short term response as the body prepares to defend itself. It’s so intense, that it can take 90 minutes for your metabolism to return to normal.
Chronic Stress : Defined as the cost of daily living…bills,kids,job, chronic health issues, relationships, etc…. You know what I am talking about ! It’s all the things that leave you drained by the end of the day and no matter how tired you, you can’t get to sleep. If it’s left unchecked, it can cause some serious problems. Why ? Because it means the immediate response is now long term.
    Acute stress over a long period of time changes your metabolism in such a way that it damages important systems in your body. It definitely raises your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes. If you have any other inherited health conditions, it will certainly make those worse.  
    Adaptogens are nontoxic plants that help the body handle stress, i.e. adapt. They do so by interacting with the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Axis (HPA) and the sympathoadrenal system, which are both involved in our body’s stress response system. Alternative practitioners says they may tweak your hormones to ensure appropriate bodily functions. I am sure mainstream medical is shaking it’s head. There is so much they don’t know  and they are just plain afraid to admit it. I digress….
There are a number of different adaptogens out there
   Alternative practitioners say that what you eat effects your health, mainstream says there isn’t enough research on them regarding human health. I think mainstream is missing the boat on this. This is just my unlicensed opinion…I am NOT a medical professional. I am a professional patient.
Our favorite adaptogen is Ashwagandha Supreme by Supreme Nutrition Products. It lists multiple pieces of published research right on the website where it explains what it does.

https://www.supremenutritionproducts.com/AshwagandhaSupreme/index.html

  It is only available directly from the manufacturer or a licensed provider….like an MD, DO,DC,Naturopath…etc . I have seen it on Amazon, and no, Amazon doesn’t send it to you via Prime 1 day shipping. It comes from the manufacturer so you still have to wait 5 days. However, it’s soooooo worth the wait.
    When I could take the Ashwagandha, it was a dream product. It woke me up, helped me stay functioning, and let me go to sleep at the end of the day. Disasters would happen and it would be okay, because I was okay. Then I developed a Solanine sensitivity, and that was it. No more Ashwagandha. I like holy basil and Schisandra, but they did different things in my body than Ashwagandha. However, I am happy to report that I have other ways of coping with said stress….
     Chocolate. Stress management by dark chocolate dates back to 2000 B.C. I am going to go bake a cake now.