Stress often starts with your thoughts, in your head with a worry or a fear, and those feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and perhaps even panic, don’t stay there. When you feel stressed, your body ramps up production of the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine.  This triggers the start of the stress response, and, like a snowball rolling down a mountain, it gains traction and speed until you’re ready for the proverbial attack.  "Stress is not a state of mind... it's measurable and dangerous, and humans can't seem to find their off-switch." These words of warning come from renowned author and award-winning neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky in the documentary Stress: Portrait of a Killer. Watch the documentary at the top of this article.
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Excess stress hormones are released far too often. Your stress response becomes imbalanced; it’s not shutting off. Your immune system suffers as a result, and epigenetic changes are rapidly occurring.  Stress can occur with any event, a job loss, divorce, or traumatic event.  

The stress is triggering systemic low-grade inflammation, and suddenly your blood pressure is up, your asthma is flaring, and you keep getting colds. Your body is out of homeostasis.
You’re having trouble sleeping and, on an emotional level, you feel like you’re nearing burnout. That’s when you notice that you’ve put on some weight, and you’re having digestive troubles too. 

Stress Takes a Toll on Your Brain and Adds Inches to Your Waistline
​Did you know that  stress can also lead to weight gain--of the worst kind? Stress-induced weight gain typically involves an increase in belly fat, which is the most dangerous fat for your body to accumulate, and increases your cardiovascular risk.  Stress alters the way fat is deposited because of the specific hormones and other chemicals your body produces when you're stressed.

Prolonged stress can also damage your brain cells and make you lose the capacity to remember things. Stress disrupts your neuroendocrine and immune systems and appears to trigger a degenerative process in your brain that can result in Alzheimer's disease. Stress can also accelerate aging by shortening your telomeres, the protective genetic structures that regulate how your cells age. In the words of Dr. Lissa Rankin, author of Mind Over Medicine:
"Our bodies know how to fix broken proteins, kill cancer cells, retard aging, and fight infection. They even know how to heal ulcers, make skin lesions disappear and knit together broken bones! But here's the kicker--those natural self-repair mechanisms don't work if you're stressed!"

Stress clearly affects your whole body and can lead to depression, heart disease, digestive problems, frequent colds, insomnia, anxiety and more...  so what can you do?

What you do for stress is a personal choice, what works for some may not for others.  Letting go of negative emotions, beliefs and limiting decisions is one way to help manage stress.  This can be done using the powerful techniques of Time Line Therapy.  Perhaps yoga, meditation or a high intensity workout is in order to help you manage stress.  Eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of pure water is in order when you are feeling stressed.  Its always great to have support, join group activities or a support group if that is what appeals to you.  One more crucial point is to get adequate sleep!  Lack of sleep will impair your body's ability to handle stress.  A good night's sleep is always a great stress reliever.  

Lynn Thier, RHN
Lynn has been working in the wellness Industry for more than 20 years and has a magical way of inspiring others to embrace healthy, balanced lifestyles and relish in living their best life!  Making even just one of the shifts she suggests can: reduce stress, take pounds off, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, add quality years and vitality to your life.  Lynn is a highly trained and Board Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy®, Hypnotherapy, and Coaching which are some of the most powerful tools for personal and professional development on the planet today. Lynn can assist you to end bad habits, create new healthy habits, move past obstacles, and release unwanted emotions that are holding you back from being your best self!

References:
1.  http://www.pbs.org/shows/ 
2.  http://lissarankin.com/10-signs-you-have-way-too-much-cortisol 
3.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/05/stress-effects.aspx#_edn1
4.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/05/stress-effects.aspx

You know the feeling. It may start with a scratchy throat or with a few more aches and pains than normal. Or it could begin with a runny nose and a feeling of exhaustion. Yes, it’s a cold coming on — or maybe worse — the flu. Before you reach for the antihistamine, however, why not try an effective natural remedy instead?
Essential oils have been used for centuries to fight the symptoms of the common cold. You can add them to your bathwater, diffuse them in the air you breathe, some you can take internally or even apply them directly to your skin. Essential oils help the body fight off infection and serve to strengthen the immune system
1.  Tea Tree or Melaleuca Essential Oil - Extracted from the tea tree (Melaleuca), which is native to Southeast Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, tea tree oil has antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic and antiviral properties. Used in an inhaler or in a bath, tea tree oil helps you fight the congestion and the resulting discomfort caused by the cold or the flu.
2.  Lavender Essential Oil- Lavender essential oil has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties, and it is gentle enough for use with children.  Use in a warm bath, on a pillow or in a diffuser.
3.  Lemon Essential Oil- Lemon essential oil, with its high vitamin content, helps boost the body’s immune system and stimulates the production of white blood cells, thereby increasing your ability to fight off illness. Lemon oil also improves circulation throughout the body. Put a drop in water, tea, use it with honey and cinnamon!
4.  Eucalyptus Essential Oil- As an antiviral and a decongestant, eucalyptus essential oil (eucalyptus globulus) helps treat colds and congestion. In her book Aromatherapy A – Z, author Patricia Davis recommends using eucalyptus oil in a steam inhaler to help open blocked nasal passages, to soothe inflammation and to fight bacteria.
5.  Oil of Oregano - Oregano oil might be one of the most natural potent flu-fighters, but few can stand the taste. You may put a drop or two into a veggie cap to take, some put it in water or a drop directly under the tongue.  For a stuffed-up nose or tickled throat, Dr. Oz recommends adding a few drops of oregano oil to a bowl of hot water, then holding your head over the bowl to inhale the vapours – for maximum effect (and if you can stand it!) drape a towel over your head while you do this to trap in the steam.

Best foods to eat when sick!  
Ginger - Potent fresh ginger is excellent for calming nausea when you have the flu, and is also beneficial for colds.  It has been scientifically shown to have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, making it a perfect ingredient to boost immune function and combat cellular damage.
kefir – is a good source of probiotics, which promote a healthy gut and build up your body’s immune system, helping it fight back against infection.
Chicken Soup-There’s a reason moms have been prescribing chicken noodle soup for decades and decades – it actually works! “Chicken soup really can help fight a cold due to its ability to alleviate inflammation -- particularly respiratory tract inflammation 
Coconut Water -You probably already know you should drink beverages high in electrolytes when you have the flu, as vomiting and diarrhea dehydrate your body. Instead of reaching for sports drinks, which contain added sugars, opt for coconut water instead, which is a natural source of electrolytes that helps restore balance to your body.

Lynn has been working in the wellness Industry for more than 18 years and has a magical way of inspiring others to embrace healthy, balanced lifestyles and relish in living their best life!  Making even just one of the shifts she suggests can: reduce stress, take pounds off, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, add quality years and vitality to your life.  Lynn is a highly trained and Board Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy®, Hypnotherapy, and Coaching which are some of the most powerful tools for personal and professional development on the planet today. Lynn can assist you to end bad habits, create new healthy habits, move past obstacles, and release unwanted emotions that are holding you back from being your best self!  lynnthier@gmail.com  

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