This kind of manic stress is implicated in virtually every negative symptom of the aging process. Let’s understand it and look at ways to eliminate stress for good.

Are you stressed?

Symptoms of stress include:

• Sleep Problems
• Head, Neck, and Back Tension
• Digestive Problems
• Hair Loss
• Fatigue
• High Blood Pressure
• Palpitations
• Chest Pain
• Skin Problems, such as Hives, Eczema, Psoriasis, and Rashes
• Jaw Pain
• Infertility
• Menstrual Problems
• Sexual Difficulties
• Depression and Mood Swings
• Irritability and Frustration
• Memory Problems and Lack of Concentration

If you think that sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re right.  Let’s look at how we can restore balance to your life with natural remedies.

Siberian Ginseng
This adaptogenic herb helps your body to adapt to and cope with physical and emotional stress.  Studies have shown that ginseng helps improve stamina and endurance, and helps increase the body’s resistance to infections.

Essential Oils
Uplifting and relaxing essential oils can be helpful in reducing stress when combined with a massage or meditation routine. Stress reducing essential oils include: cedar, chamomile, jasmine, lavender, marjoram, neroli and rose. Use as massage oil or in a vaporizer to fill the room with their tantalizing aromas.

Vitamin B
Our bodies burn up the B group of vitamins rapidly when we are stressed. So it’s especially important to eat a variety of B-rich foods, such as whole grains, brewers yeast, meat, oily fish, eggs, brown rice, wheatgerm, beans, sunflower seeds, and nuts.  It is also recommended that you take a B-complex supplement daily to make up for shortages in diet, particularly in times of great stress.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants are the the nutrients that help repair the damage done by emotional, physical, and environmental stress. They also play a major role in protecting the body from the ravages of free radicals that break down our cells and promote aging. Eating plenty of fresh, preferably organic, brightly colored fruit and vegetables is a great start, but if your diet is poor or you are under stress a supplement is recommended.

Zinc
Zinc is crucial for anyone under stressful conditions. It is needed for cell repair, digestion, immune function and emotional health. Zinc is also needed for the production of the adrenal hormones, so the Zinc you get in your diet will be quickly burned up when under stress. Food sources are: yeast, eggs, pulses, liver, meats, pumpkin seeds, most seafood and whole grains. Of course if your diet is not balanced or incomplete you should take a good supplement to make up for the shortage.

Essential Fatty Acids
A shortage of essential fatty acids (EFA) has been linked to stress. A deficiency will exacerbate stress symptoms and diminish the body’s coping mechanisms, while the stress itself uses up your existing EFAs, setting up a vicious cycle that leads directly to further EFA deficiency. Eat nuts, seeds, and plenty of oily fish, and take a supplement in the form of flax seed oil.

The Importance of Staying Fit
Exercise reduces stress by burning up the adrenaline created by stress. It also creates endorphins, the feel-good hormones that improve mood, motivation, and tolerance to pain and stress. The next time you are stressed try turning to exercise instead of alcohol, tobacco, or binge eating, and feel the difference.

Exercise is also good for improving brain function. Aerobic exercise helps to increase the number of neurotransmitters in the the brain, so that messages are carried more quickly between brain cells. This increases mental flexibility and agility over longer periods of time.

Beyond all that, regular exercise increases the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain, which enhances concentration, alertness and intellectual capacity. All of these things are diminished in periods of stress, so the more you can train yourself to use exercise as a coping tool, the more effectively you will reduce the stress in your life.

No Caffeine, Please
Research has shown that drinking four to five cups of coffee or soft drinks, makes the body act as if it is under constant stress. This combined with other stressors will increase blood pressure significantly, leading to an increased risk of heart disease as well as damaging the adrenal system.  Because caffeine is so addictive you may find that cutting out coffee and soft drinks completely may be easier than simply cutting back.

Cardiovascular conditions such as angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke and heart attack, are all preventable and treatable by making healthy nutrition choices and lifestyle changes.

We have already discussed the nutritious foods you should be eating, but what about the vitamins and supplements you should be taking to boost your health and wellness?

Which Supplements

Co-Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance used by the heart muscle for energy. CoQ10 has been shown to strengthen the heart muscle, relieve angina, and regulate blood pressure. Taking Co-Q10 as a supplement can boost stores of CoQ10 lost due to aging, stress, and prescribed drugs. CoQ10 is primarily found in fish, lean meat, eggs, spinach, broccoli, peanuts, wheatgerm, and whole grains.

While our bodies typically produce the CoQ10 we need, this is diminished as we age and it’s worth noting that cholesterol lowering prescription drugs (statins) and drugs that lower blood sugar counteract and reduce the CoQ10 in our bodies, making the need for this important nutrient even greater.

Recommended dosage is 30mg to 100mg per day. Here is an excellent doctor recommended C0Q10 supplement.

Policosanol
Greatly reducing blood levels of unhealthy cholesterol (LDL) is well established as an effective strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease. The typically prescribed statin drugs used to lower cholesterol have a number of negative side effects, including a high risk of Parkinson’s disease. Policosanol is a newly discovered, all-natural supplement that has been shown in studies to significantly lower cholesterol levels. It is also a powerful antioxidant.

Recommended dosage is 20mg twice a day.

Hawthorn
This herb has been dubbed “the four corners of the heart tonic” because of its influence on all aspects of heart health. Clinical trials have shown the effectiveness and safety of Hawthorn extracts in early congestive heart failure, mild angina, arrhythmia, and high blood pressure, as well as use in recovering from heart attacks. Hawthorn works by improving blood flow through the coronary arteries and stimulating the efficiency of the hearts pumping activity.

Additionally, it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, is anti-arrythmic and promotes antioxidant activity by increasing blood flow in the peripheral blood vessels. In this way Hawthorn’s flavonoids help protect small capillaries from free radical damage.

Check with your doctor before taking if you are already using an already prescribed medication.

Recommended dosage is 100mg to 250mg per day

Pycnogenol
Pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) is a natural blood thinner (reduces blood clotting) and can reduce high blood pressure.  Dr. Watson at the University of Arizona states: “Our research shows that Pycnogenol is a safe and natural option, especially for those who cannot tolerate the adverse aspects of aspirin. Here is a completely natural substance with remarkable activity. It may well have enormous health implications for an aging population”

Recommended dosage is 50mg to 100mg per day.

Vitamin E
This vitamin can help prevent excessive blood clotting, damage to the arteries and the build-up of bad cholesterol (LDL). Researchers have found that the risk of heart disease is reduced up to 40% in those who use Vitamin E supplements and that sufferers of heart disease can reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to 75%. Vitamin E is found naturally in many foods, but Vitamin E supplements are a good addition to any healthy lifestyle. 

Flax Seed Oil
Flax seed Oil is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. These help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides (unhealthy fats) and appear to block the action of cancer promoting prostaglandins (PGs).

As a natural blood thinner omega-3 may prevent dangerous blood clots which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Eating plenty of flax seeds in breads and cereals as well as using flax seed oil in salad dressing or as a condiment is a good way to boost your intake, supplements are also available to help you maintain healthy levels of omega-3.

Recommended dosage is 500mg twice a day or 3 tsp of oil.