THE ART OF CHANGE: TIPS TO TRANSFORM STRESS AND PROMOTE A BALANCED IMMUNE RESPONSE

It’s been almost 85 years since Dr. Hans Selye, father of the “stress theory” defined stress as the “non-specific response of the body to change”.  Given that we’re living in a world that is rapidly changing, a quick look at his work will help you better understand the stress response in your own body and develop better coping mechanisms.

Selye identified the ranges of responses to stress as “eustress” or good stress, in which we’re aroused to perform optimally; or “distress”, the unhealthy stress that leads to an acute response. 

In the acute response to stress, our sympathetic nervous system releases a flood of “fight or flight” hormones that mobilize us to flee from the perceived danger: our blood pressure rises, heart rate soars and digestion shuts down as we prepare for battle. As the acute stress subsides, these hormones and neurotransmitters normally return to the pre-stress state.

But in times of chronic stress (without resolution) like we have today, these hormones can remain elevated, leading to a process of adaption to stress that Selye termed the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). The General Adaptation Syndrome is comprised of 3 stages: alarm, resistance and exhaustion. See if you can recognize them in yourself.

We’re all familiar with that initial “alarm stage” of stress in which those fight or flight hormones mobilize us to fight for our lives: we feel the rush of adrenaline, break into a sweat and a flush. In the “resistance stage”, the body attempts to repair and return to normal but we may feel frustrated when it doesn’t. When stress is unrelenting, the body remains in high alert and eventually begins to adapt to the chronic stress, leading to “exhaustion stage”.  In this stage, feelings of frustration and irritability give way to anxiety, fatigue and eventually, burnout. 

In the exhaustion stage, the effects of elevated stress hormones can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and a weakened immune system. Living in that chronically exhausted stage has been linked to chronic inflammation, impaired wound healing, autoimmunity, cancer and increased risk of viral infections like the common cold (another coronavirus). (1) 

Chances are you’ll recognize some of these in your own life. Now that you know what can result from chronic stress, let’s take a look at ways to transform it and support a healthy immune response. 

Herbert Benson, M.D. at Harvard Medical School described the “relaxation response” as “a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional response to stress…the opposite of the fight or flight response.”

Fortunately, a range of “mind-body therapies” has been studied and evidence suggests that these practices (like yoga, tai chi, qi gong, meditation, breath-work, and biofeedback) induce the “relaxation response”, resulting in lower levels of stress hormones, blood pressure, heart rate, markers of inflammation and reduced incidence and severity of infection. (2)

Physical practices, like yoga, tai chi, and qi gong have been shown to induce the relaxation response and its many benefits. Mindfulness meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, body scan, and mantra repetition also promote the relaxation response. Each form reduces perceived stress, anxiety, and depression and results in favorable gene expression patterns that promote immune regulation. 

Long-term practitioners of these techniques show the strongest response, but even short-term practice (8 weeks) showed improved energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and reduced inflammatory response. (3,4,5)

Because this virus attacks the respiratory system, it’s smart to build lung capacity now. No matter what your level of health is, you can benefit from focusing your attention on your breath. Simple diaphragmatic breathing exercises improve oxygen delivery to and remove CO2 from every cell of your body. Breathing exercises are also a great daily practice since we spend so much time-crunched over a computer that the rib cage compresses our lungs, hindering a full, natural breath. So lift out of that compressed space and breath deeply.

Luckily we can now easily access instruction and classes in diaphragmatic breathing, yoga, tai chi, gi gong and meditation online. Excellent resources include these four favorite tools and teachers:

https://www.gaia.com/ 

https://corymuscara.com/

https://www.yoqi.com/

https://www.heartmath.com/

One of the simplest acts we can do each day is getting into Nature. Ideally, you’ll head to a park or trailhead to do a few minutes of “forest bathing”. This ancient Japanese practice unlocks the five senses to receive input from the natural world: take time to see the vibrant green leaves, smell the pine trees, hear the rustle of the leaves, taste the fresh air as it hits your tongue, touch the rough bark…OK, go ahead and hug that tree! (6) 

Simply spending time in Nature, just 120 minutes per week, has been shown to improve immune function (Natural Killer cell activity), lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones and improve mood and sleep. Even getting into your backyard to garden has proven, similar health benefits. (7) 

Pick a few of these activities and integrate them into your lifestyle and you’ll soon find your vitality soar and resilience to dis-ease improve. After all, there has never been a better time for self-care!

Since I wrote this article, so much has changed and it hasn't been good news. So, I want you to take control by boosting your health and immunity with a few simple switches that include nutrient-dense recipes and better immune-supporting food choices. Join me now for my new online, self-paced course, The Good Food Way to Power Up Your Immune System that includes videos of my best healing recipes, step-by-step cooking classes, strategies, and lifestyle changes all designed to help you thrive during these unprecedented times.

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