The Effects of Stress

The Effects of Stress

Stress is a serious condition that can affect any part of the body at any time.  In fact, stress-related conditions are not mutually exclusive.  In other words, just because you have an ulcer doesn’t mean that you can’t suffer from headaches or muscle pain as well.

What is more, you can also experience rotating symptoms.  One week you might have a stiff neck that disappears on Tuesday morning only to be replaced by stomach cramps in the afternoon.  On Thursday, your stomach feels fine, but you develop a headache, and so on.

What parts of my body can stress effect?

            Research does show that stress seems to have a preference for Gastrointestinal system, Masticatory, Musculature of the back, cardiovascular system and skin.

Gastrointestinal – If your emotions collect in this area, you’ll probably suffer from chronic indigestion, nervous stomach, spastic colon, peptic, ulcers, or duodenal ulcers, to name a few of the common disorders.

Masticatory – As we all know, real men and brave women grit their teeth and go through with whatever unpleasant task is assigned to them.  It’s too bad that teeth weren’t made to be gritted-or clenched or gnashed.  Nonetheless, many people use their teeth to work off daily frustrations.  If you’re one of them, you’ve probably managed to force the jaws out of balance.  Unbalanced jaws are a primary cause of chronic muscle pain in the head, neck, and shoulders, as well as in the rest of the body.  If you were place to this imbalance on the stress scale, it would be worth about 100 points.  But unlike life events that cause stress for a certain, defined period of time, a jaw imbalance is not temporary.  The strain it places on the body is a 24-hour-a-day load, which can last a lifetime.  Unbalanced jaws are a fairly recent discovery as a major cause of muscle-contraction pain.

Musculature of the back – Back muscles are often stiff and weak from too little exercise-a prime target for tension build-up.  Make one wrong move with a tense back and you could be in for a lifetime of low-back discomfort.

Cardiovascular – This category includes the heart and other muscles connected with the vascular system.  Hypertension is the most common expression of stress in this system.  Chest pains come in for a close second.

Skin – Psoriasis, eczema, and hives are debilitating skin problems that can be precipitated by stress.  Less severe skin reactions include flushing and blotching.   These symptoms are the total body’s reaction to stress and tension.  They act as an offshoot of the body’s adaptive capacity to withstand stress.

This is especially true of muscle-contraction pain.  Muscular discomforts are not just a result of tension.  An underlying skeletal imbalance often exists that causes the muscle to remain tense regardless of the emotional climate.  Many of us have skeletal structure that is a little to long or too short, but the muscle strain the structural imbalance causes doesn’t affect many for years.  Often, these tissues will become sore and painful only when they are further insulted by stress and tension.  Stress will always attack the weakest part of your body.  Muscles that are already strained because of a skeletal imbalance are a perfect target for further injury.

Because the effects of poor adaptive capacity are cumulative, it is important to call Unlimited Wellness Institute at 702-920-6556 to care for them as soon as they appear.

Aug 23rd Luncheon

Stretching before exercise actually increases the risk of injury…

According to numerous studies, the type of stretching that the average person does, called static stretching, is bad for your muscles unless they are already warmed up.  A 1999 study (Johnasson etc al.) found that before exercising static stretching “has no preventive effect on the muscular soreness, tenderness and force loss that follows heavy eccentric exercises.”  Another study determined that static stretching in it self causes injuries. 

A warm up exercise is recommended prior to stretching.  Warm up can be done with simple calisthenics.  A 15-minute warm up, consisting of range of motion exercises that involve rotating the hips, bending the knees, ankles and shoulders, is recommended. 

A warm up is effective in minimizing the risk of injury to the muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. Is there any safe type of stretching?  If you absolutely need to stretch after your warm up, then try dynamic stretching.  Dynamic stretching is stretching with a constant movement and motion.  For example, lifting your leg in the air, and touching your toes as you lift.  Dynamic stretching does not include any bouncing movements.  A good dynamic stretch will only work one muscle group at a time.  For example, it is better to stretch one hamstring at a time, not two.  By isolating the muscle, you have better focus and less resistance from other muscle groups.

It should be noted that breathing is important for a successful stretch.  Breathing increases blood flow throughout the body and relaxes the body.  You should inhale through the nose and expand the abdomen, not the lungs.  Then, exhale slowly through the mouth.  Inhaling through the nose ensures the proper temperature for oxygen transfer in the lungs.

Chiropractors are the experts in range of motion, physiology, and the musculoskeletal system.  Consulting with a chiropractor to develop an exercise program is a proactive approach to wellness, which makes more sense than seeing one after you are injured.

Call the Unlimited Wellness Institute (702) 920-6556 for a free consultation to determine which stretches or warm-up exercises will be beneficial for you..

What Drinking Water can do for you

Drinking Water

At the Correct Time Maximizes 

its Effectiveness On The Human Body

*2 Glasses Of Water After Waking Up

-Helps Activate Internal Organs

*1 Glass of Water 30 Minutes Before a Meal

- Helps Digestion

*1 Glass of Water Before Going to Bed

-  Helps Avoid Stroke or Heart Attack

Happy Drinking (H20)!!

Morning Blend July 9th @ 9am with Dr. Florendo

Lower Back pain and Sexual Activity

Lower Back pain and Sexual Activity

Sexual activity can promote relaxation and release tension.  However, sexual functioning is often adversely affected by low back pain.

If you follow a few simple suggestions during sexual activity with back pain, the risks of muscle strain or aggravation will be minimal.  The partner who does not have low back pain should be the more active partner.  Avoid swayback and maintain a pelvic tilt during movement.  Keep your knees and hips bent and support your low back and knees and hips bent and support your low back and knees with pillows.   If your back pain is severe, measures should be taken prior to sexual activity to relieve the condition.  You can do this by massaging or applying heat to the low back.

If muscle spasms or aggravation of condition occurs after sexual activity, administer massage or heat.  Heat may be applied through a warm bath or shower or application of moist heat.  If the spasm is severe schedule an appointment immediately with us at 702-920-6556 for further recommendations and treatments to correct the possible cause of the problem.

Although there are minimal risks involved, most people find that participation in careful sexual activity promotes muscle relaxation and eases spasms.  A bone in place is better than a bone out of place

Stretching and Stretching techniques

Stretching

Flexibility is a term that describes the conditions of the entire body.  It is important to never force or overstretch a muscle.  Overdoing a stretch can lengthen ligaments as well as muscles.  Remember that muscles extend and are elastic.  Ligaments, the tissues that hold muscles to bones, are extensible, but not elastic; whereas muscles bounce back, ligaments stay stretched.  For women who continue to wear very high-heeled shoes over the years, for example, walking barefoot or wearing lower heeled shoes or slippers becomes both uncomfortable and painful.  The ligaments become so overstretched that normal activity in different shoes is no longer possible.

It is never too late to become flexible, even with limited range of motion in the joints.  Inflexibility can be reversed, and joint stiffness can be slowly alleviated.  Some people have backaches or unnecessary leg cramps at night.  Both stretching and proper posture can help strengthen the lower back and pelvic muscles: they keep pressure off the lower disc in the lumbar (lower back) area.  So, regardless of age, anyone can improve flexibility.  The advantage of maintaining flexibility is, ultimately, being able to move about when carrying on daily routines and having the extra safeguard of keeping the joints in good working condition.

A person who sits a great deal during the day is likely to feel tension build throughout the day in the neck, the shoulders, the lower back, and perhaps, the buttocks.  A person who stands for prolonged periods during the day may have aching feet and calves.  Stretching any of these body parts helps ease the tension produced by these muscle groups.

When they wake up in the morning, most people stretch very gently, slowly, and deliberately. That is exactly the right way to stretch: slowly and passively.  Bouncing while stretching increases the risk of injury.  A most effective way to stretch is to use an external force.  For example, one or more limbs may be used for leverage to stretch another.  Try flexing the fingers of your left hand backward.  Now, use your hand to help you with the stretch.  This time, the stretch is quite different!  Gravity can play an important role in stretching, too.  For example, if you stand glued to the floor and slowly lean into a wall or door with both hands bracing yourself, the calf muscles in your lower leg will feel the stretch.  That is gravity working with your body.

Sometimes when you are stretching a muscle, you may fell a twitch or contraction in another part of your body.  Usually, this is the opposing muscle.  For example, when the biceps is stretched, the triceps may be felt contracting.  That is normal when starting a new stretching program.  Eventually, you will gain control, and your stretches will feel “just right”.  Most importantly get your spine checked to make sure you are in proper alignment to prevent injuries.