Stress and Your Health
Consider the following statistics regarding stress:
- It is responsible for 43 percent of adults who suffer ill health.
- It is responsible for 75 to 90 percent of all visits to doctors.
- It is known to cause headaches, neck pain, back pain, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression and anxiousness.
- OSHA says that it costs American businesses $300,000,000 annually
Cannons to the Left of Me
Cannons to the Right of Me
NO WAY OUT OF THIS
Physical Stress
Stress comes from many directions, work, family, friends, and finances are common sources. While emotional stress symptoms can sometimes be difficult to diagnose, the signs of Physical Stress (PS) are easy for most people to identify. PS expresses itself as tight muscles, headaches, high blood pressure, loss of sleep, stroke and even heart attacks.
Thankfully the symptoms associated with PS are more likely to be mild vs. severe – at least in the short term.
Stressful situations cause muscle tension which lead to tension which can lead to neck pain, headaches, back pain, general fatigue and body aches.
Stress Management
Managing stressful situations is easier said than done. Depending on the source, there may be little that we can do unless we are willing to go through some major life changes (quitting a stressful job, leaving an unfulfilling relationship, etc).
We can, however, do quite a bit about our PS. For example, sugar, caffeine and nicotine all increase inflammation which negatively affects PS. From a dietary standpoint, eating clean while avoiding fast food, fried foods, fatty foods and foods containing artificial flavors and coloring will help reduce PS.
Exercising on a regular basis helps calm the mind which in turn helps reduce muscle tightness – which is a hallmark of PS. Stretching also has a similar effect on the body and mind and can help tremendously when done with regularity.
The symptoms of stress that I commonly see in my San Diego chiropractic office include muscle tension headaches, migraine headaches, tight shoulders, tenderness in the back of the neck, pain between the shoulder blades and neck pain. These symptoms usually come from a combination of a demanding boss, long hours of sitting in front of a computer and bad posture.
For more on stress and neck pain click the link below.
http://www.chiropractorsandiegomissionvalley.com/neck-pain/
