stressIt isn’t in a small little pill…nor is it in an at-home remedy.

The secret lies in the most common cause of all disease – STRESS.

According to the American Medical Association, 90% of all doctor visits are STRESS-related.

Did you know that the typical person today has more stress in 1 month than their grandparents did in their entire lifetime?

The World Health Organization even states that the biggest health challenge in the world today is STRESS.

Before I go any further – not all stress is bad. For example, a 20-minute workout at the gym for a fit 25-year old is good stress. The same workout for a 75-year old grandmother would likely be bad stress!

Your body has the ability to adapt to stress when it is young. Over the years, that ability to adapt lessens, and stress builds up in the form of tension. After years of holding onto the stress, your body starts to feel the stress in the form of pain, symptoms, and disease.

When your body finally caves in to the pain and symptoms, what has happened is called nervous system exhaustion. Your nervous system is the master controller of your entire body – so if it isn’t functioning properly, your body isn’t functioning properly.

Unfortunately, we’ve been taught to believe that being sick is having obvious symptoms, but it’s not. Many health problems today are the result of our lifestyle choices and don’t always have obvious symptoms until the problem is well advanced. Symptoms are the last to show up and the first to go away, therefore they are not good indicators of being healthy or unhealthy.

However, when symptoms are present, they are indicators of stored stress in your body that your body can no longer handle. Think of your body screaming at you to get your attention!

The solution?

1. Get adjusted by a chiropractor as that removes the interference in your nervous system which restores your body’s ability to heal itself as it was intended to – naturally.

2. Eliminate as many stressors from your every-day life as you can.

There are 3 different types of stress that you will need to eliminate:

1. Physical Stress such as car accidents, repetitive motions (painting the ceiling, computer work, weightlifting), postural distortions (sleeping on your belly, laying on the couch to watch tv, slouched posture), bumps and bruises, sitting on your wallet, carrying your purse on the same shoulder, heavy backpacks, and even the birthing process.

2. Emotional/Mental Stress such as negative thoughts, worries, fear, anger, frustration, deadlines at work, grief over the loss of a loved one, depression, feelings of not being good enough, a sense of powerlessness, financial issues, body image issues, among many others.

3. Chemical Stress such as prescription and recreational drugs, preservatives, tobacco, alcohol, pollen, pesticides/herbicides, mold, asbestos, sugar-free products, toxins in cleaning and beauty products, polluted air and water.

You can start making changes today in the amount of stress you encounter by changing your posture, thinking positive thoughts and expressing gratitude, and eating a healthier diet free of toxins.