DEPRESSION THE WAY OUT - Short-Term strategies for Reducing Stress

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PAHaworth
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Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:47 pm

DEPRESSION THE WAY OUT - Short-Term strategies for Reducing Stress

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Short-Term strategies for Reducing Stress
In addition to adopting long-range lifestyle strategies for combating stress, there are a number of short-term strategies that are helpful. These strategies can be employed in one of two ways. First, they can be employed to help you during an acutely stressful time in your life. They can also be used to help in optimising your coping skills in general.
1. Herbal therapies
2. Fasting
3. Biofeedback
4. Relaxation
5. Calcium relieves Pre-Menstrual Syndrome

Research on most herbs has been limited, but some herbs appear to be helpful in alleviating stress.
Dr Nedley considers these to be effective.
Kava-kava is helpful for nervousness, stress, and anxiety.60
Lavender is suggested for loss of appetite, nervousness, and insomnia.61
Lemon Balm is recommended for nervousness and insomnia.62
Valerian can help nervousness, insomnia, stress, and anxiety.63
Just as some herbs may have a role in combating anxiety, other herbs can actually perpetuate problems. Guarana provides one such example. Guarana is a product from the seeds of the Amazonian liana Paullinia cupana, and has recently gained enough popularity to become a cultivated product. It is rich in caffeine and is widely used in Brazil for the production of stimulants, soft drinks, and sweets. It has recently been introduced in certain American products and herbals. Guarana is a fairly potent central nervous system stimulant, most likely due to its caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine content. In the May 2000 issue of Herb & Dietary Supplement Report, registered pharmacist Daniel T. Wagner makes an important connection with depression and the use of guarana. There he warns that certain antidepressants, specifically Wellbutrin, could theoretically be dangerous if used in conjunction with guarana.
Fasting Stress
There is definite merit in certain dietary modifications in dealing with stress over the long haul, and there is evidence that caloric restriction or even short-term fasting may have a beneficial effect in short-term stress processes.
Perhaps one of the most interesting examples of the benefits of fasting is provided by a group of compounds called heat shock proteins (HSP). These compounds made by your body actually can help you deal with the stress of severe heat as well as other physical trauma. Interestingly, fasting augments production of an important heat shock protein. Whether this has implications for helping us deal with other aspects of stress is unclear but it does raise questions about the practice of fasting that has been historically linked with seeking spiritual resources - often in the context of stressful situations.
Rats that had their calorie intake restricted by 60% had an extended mean and maximum life span and a decrease in the onset of age-related diseases such as heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. Caloric restriction lowers the body temperature set point and allows the body to utilise nutrients by metabolising body fats instead of carbohydrates. Also, calorie restriction is thought to retard the activity of aging related to free radical reactions.
Relaxation Training and the Immune Response
Training a patient how to relax has been demonstrated to prevent stress-related declines in immune function. 34 medical student volunteers had their blood tested for cellular immunity one month before school exams and again on the 2nd day of exams. Half of the group took relaxation therapy between the 2 blood samples. On the 2nd blood test, their blood showed significantly higher immunity than the group that did not participate in relaxation training.
Biofeedback is a tool that monitors body functions such as heart rate, skin electrical resistance, etc. as the patient is exposed to various life situations. The measurements are correlated with such reactions as the degree of relaxation the patient feels. Relaxation techniques help the patient learn how to relax.
Sensors are attached to the skin at various locations and they measure muscle tone, skin resistance, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., which vary according to the amount of stress. The individual hooked to the machine can then identify how different strategies affect the measured stress indicators. The intent is to help the them improve awareness of stress-inducing cues and become more aware of the symptoms of stress, and gain more effective skills to manage stress.
Biofeedback has been shown to help address a number of conditions that may have connections with stress. These include headaches, high blood pressure, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), urinary incontinence and Raynaud’s disease (a painful cold-induced hand condition).
Research on Raynaud’s disease and biofeedback is particularly interesting as it relates to stress hormone mechanisms. Specifically, biofeedback is able to impact on the same adrenaline-related hormonal systems that fuel our stress responses.
Exciting relationships are also emerging when it comes to biofeedback and addic¬tions. Of perhaps greatest interest in the context of this chapter is the evidence that the nervous system circuitry involved in anxiety and depression may be related. Specifically, biofeedback strategies that are de¬signed to foster more beneficial brain func¬tion in alcoholics appear to not only decrease anxiety, but also depression and the tendency to relapse.
Calcium Relieves Pre-Menstrual Syndrome Stress
Many women have an increase in anxiety and irritability in connection with their monthly cycle. The evidence shows that it is not all in their heads. Research suggests that a calcium deficiency may be wholly or partly to blame in some women.
A three-trial study demonstrated that supplements of elemental calcium are effective for relieving PMS-related mood and behavioural disturbances. Tests indicate that during the menstrual cycle, ovarian steroid concentrations rise, causing a depletion of calcium. Calcium supplementation in a dosage of 1,000 to 1,200 mg/day (a dosage commonly recommended to promote strong bones) may relieve PMS symptoms, including irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, bloating, social withdrawal, headache, and cramps.

The calcium content of foods
Food Item Amount Calc (mg)
Oatmeal 1cup 19
Lentils 1cup 38
Quinoa grain 1cup 102
Rutabagas 1cup 115
Dandelion greens 1cup 147
Mustard greens 1cup 152
Baked beans 1cup 154
Sesame seeds (dried) 2 Tbs. 176
Blackstrap cane molasses 1 Tbs. 176
Kale 1cup 179
Turnip greens 1cup 249
Filberts/Hazelnuts (dried) 1cup 254
Soybeans (green) 1cup 261
Figs (dried) 1cup 269
Whole milk 1cup 290
Amaranth grain 1cup 298
Nonfat skim milk 1cup 301
Collard greens 1cup 357
Carob flour 1cup 358

Ensuring adequate calcium intake or taking calcium supplements may help decrease symptoms of a female condition that often has stress-connections. Interestingly, stress may increase PMS symptoms while PMS symptoms can become severe stressors which increases stress - another vicious cycle.
Conclusion
Well, we have spent some time speaking about stress and anxiety, 2 mental disorders that are separate but related. We defined stress and the various forms of anxiety and explained how to identify them. We saw that these disorders can inflict damage to many parts of the body and aggravate or lead to a variety of diseases not seemingly related to mental disorders. A number of treatment strategies were given. We also shared some additional treatments for stress and anxiety, many of which involve self-help. They included the adoption of lifestyle improvements that are very effective in combating these mental disorders.

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