As
a medical herbalist the two most common complaints I hear from people are that
they lack energy and are under too much stress, the net result is tiredness,
exhaustion, lethargy, apathy, poor concentration, lack of motivation. Whatever
expression you use, the feeling is the same. Many people turn to sugary food,
coffee, cigarettes, or become adrenalin junkies with high powered jobs or
exhilarating pastimes to regain this feeling of energy, yet these attempted
solutions only generate more stress, and soon they feel out of control and
stressed out on the roller coaster of life.
What does stress do to our body? Every
time we react to stress our body chemistry changes. Stress starts in the mind.
We perceive a situation as requiring our immediate attention. This stimulates
our adrenal glands to produce adrenalin. Within seconds your heart is working
faster, your breathing changes, stores of glucose are released into the blood,
the muscles tense, the eyes dilate, and even the blood thickens.
To get the fuel into the body, the
pancreas releases two hormones, insulin and glucagon, these hormones act to
make sure the sugar levels are high in order to react to the stressful
situation. Where you might wonder, does all this extra energy and increased
alertness come from? The answer is from a diversion of energy from the body’s
normal repair and maintenance jobs such as digesting, cleansing and rejuvenating.
So every moment you spend in a state of stress speeds up the ageing process in
your body. It is stressful just thinking about it!
The effects of prolonged stress are
even more insidious than that. Imagine your pituitary, adrenals, pancreas and
liver perpetually pumping out hormones to control blood sugar that you do not
even need. Like a car driven too fast, the body goes out of balance and parts
start to wear our. Levels of the anti-ageing adrenal hormone start to fall, as
do those of cortisol and before long your body simply cannot respond to stress
as it used to.
As a consequence your energy level
drops, you lose concentration, get confused, suffer ‘ brain fog ‘ , fall asleep after meals, get
irritable, cannot sleep, cannot wake up, sweat too much, get headaches ……….
Sounds familiar? In an attempt to regain control, most people turn to
stimulants. Coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate, cigarettes and psychological
stimulants such as horror movies or bungee jumping – something to put you on
the edge.
Of course, you cannot live like this
for ever, so most people burn out and have to head for the beach to recover.
Yet ever while on holiday most people need excitement, they start wind-
surfing, water-skiing; they drink too much, party all night. The point is that
most people become addicted to stress, because without it they come crashing
down, revealing their true state of adrenal exhaustion. This is why people feel
exhausted or get ill when they take time off.
If you want to maximise your available
energy for life, and to return that energy rather than burning out, the message
is simple:
• Eat slow releasing carbohydrates –
ones that release their ‘fuel’ slowly.
• Ensure you have optimal intake of all
essential nutrients; vitamins, minerals and others.
• Avoid stimulants and depressants.
The
resultant increase in energy will help you cope with the stresses and strains
of life.
Fast- releasing sugars create a state
of stress in the body, stimulating the release of Cortisol. So avoid eating
white bread, sweets, and breakfast cereals or other foods with added sugar.
Most breakfast cereals contain very high levels of sugar, check them out! Slow
releasing carbohydrates; on the other hand provide an ‘even keel’ of consistent
energy. In general, slow-releasing carbohydrates are found in whole grains,
fruit, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Eating some protein with carbohydrates
provides additional adrenal support by reducing the stimulating of cortisol. So
if you are stressed out eat your fruit with some nuts, or brown rice with fish.
Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils already contain both protein and carbohydrate
and therefore are good anti-stress foods.
Energy nutrients include vitamin B6
and Zinc which help insulin to work; Vitamin B3 and chromium, which are part of
the glucose-tolerance factor. Lots of nutrients are required to turn glucose
within the cells into energy. These include vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B5, co-enzyme
Q10, vitamin C, iron, copper and magnesium.
The ideal quantity to take in
supplement form to provide top level support for stressed people, and to
maximise energy, depends very much on individual circumstances. Generally a
good multivitamin and mineral along with a good B complex plus vitamin C will
help a lot. If sugar levels are imbalanced also take a good Chromium supplement
to help re balance sugar levels.
Herbs that are natural energy stimulants
and help rebuild the Adrenal gland cortex, thus giving immediate energy and
over time correcting the damage done to the Adrenal gland are very effective
and useful.
These herbs are called ‘Adaptogenic’
herbs. They include Asian ginseng, Siberian ginseng, Reishi mushrooms and
Rhodiola. Each individual herb, will suit particular circumstances. If an
individual is also depressed or feeling low, then Rhodiola would be best. If
one is prone to allergies then Reishi mushrooms will give relief from the
misery of allergies while lifting energy levels. The Ginsengs are quite strong
and fast acting while aiding the immune system to work better.
Don’t forget exercise, it plays and
essential role in both energy and stress resistance. Get expert advice on the
exercise that best suits you.
David
Foley
MRCHM,
MNIMH
Medical
Herbalist
