Stress

Time magazine's June 6, 1983 cover story called stress "The Epidemic of the Eighties" and referred to it as our leading health problem; there can be little doubt that the situation has progressively worsened since then.1 According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, two-thirds of all family doctor visits are prompted by stress-related symptoms.2 Stress is an extremely harmful problem facing millions of Americans every day!

The effects of stress are numerous and varied, including:

*Heart attacks
*Cancer
*Common cold
*Chronic pain
*Obesity

Numerous surveys confirm that adult Americans perceive they are under much more stress than a decade or two ago. A 1996 Prevention magazine survey found that almost 75% feel they have "great stress" one day a week with one out of three indicating they feel this much more than twice a week. In the same 1983 survey only 55% said they felt under great stress on a weekly basis. It has been estimated that 75 - 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems.3

Job stress is far and away the leading source of stress for adults. However, stress levels have also escalated in children, teenagers, college students and the elderly for other reasons, including: increased crime, violence and other threats to personal safety; pernicious peer pressures that lead to substance abuse and other unhealthy life style habits; social isolation and loneliness; the erosion of family and religious values and ties; the loss of other strong sources of social support that are powerful stress busters.

People under stress have fewer than half of the antibodies in their systems than subjects with less stress do. Stress causes fatigue, irritability, memory loss, cold hands, high blood pressure, nervous twitches, insomnia, chronic headaches, weight gain and gastrointestinal disorders.

In fact, eighty percent of all major illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, endocrine and metabolic disease, skin disorders and infectious ailments of all kinds are related to stress. And it is the precursor to psychological difficulties, such as anxiety and depression.4

Stress creates a breeding ground for disease because when you are under stress, your body responds with a “fight or flight” response, producing many physiological changes –including increased secretion of adrenaline, increased heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, and tension in the muscles. Digestion slows or stops, cholesterol levels rise, and the blood clots more easily. Hormones are secreted which inhibit the functioning of white blood cells which, in turn, suppresses immune system response. Continual stress can be particularly dangerous as it eventually wears out the body. Because of how it affects the body’s immune response, stress increases illness and slows healing. Stress also promotes the formation of free radicals, which damage the body tissues and can lead to cancer.

Increased adrenal function is primarily responsible for many symptoms of stress. Often times, bodies under stress become nutrient deficient as nutrients are quickly depleted, while the body cries out for more energy. At the same time, the body does not absorb nutrients well under stress, so while nutrients are depleted, they aren’t replaced. In fact many of the disorders associated with stress arise from nutritional deficiencies, especially in relation to B-complex vitamins which ensure that the nervous system functions properly.

When your body is under stress for a prolonged period of time, whether physical, emotional, lifestyle, or environmental, proper nutrient supplementation is critical to ensure your body is able to function, heal, and defend itself properly. Studies show that the adrenal glands can be supported and returned to optimal functioning by supplying the body with the nutrients known to be depleted during times of stress.

The Greatest Vitamin in the World includes many nutrients, along with the B-complex vitamins, to ensure that your body has the best fighting chance against the damaging effects of stress. It includes vitamins A, C, E, and selenium, which are antioxidants working together against damaging free radicals. Vitamin C also is essential to adrenal gland function, and is necessary for adrenal hormone synthesis and is often depleted with chronic stress. We have also included Chromium, which supports vitamin C metabolism in the body. Vitamin E is shown to prevent damage to the adrenal cells. The minerals magnesium and zinc are key ingredients, especially in reducing anxiety, fear, and even hallucinations in highly stressed individuals. Selenium is known for its ability to decrease anxiety attacks.5

1. http://www.stress.org/ 2. Martin, James. Alleviating Stress is imperative for Executive's Health. Charlotte Business Journal, Jan 10, 2003. 3. http://www.stress.org/ 4. Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, 3rd. Edition. p. 647. 5. Ibid.

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