“B” Prepared for Stress
There are few people in this world who would claim to be stress-free. More often than not, I am in contact with people who are overwhelmed by stress—maybe that’s because I live in the New York metropolitan area, or because I have so many patients who’ve been struggling with chronic pain when they begin treatment with me. Whatever the reason, this I know: Stress can really wreak havoc within the body!
As you and I both know, our stress levels can rise and fall like the changing of the tides. On the upside, our bodies are well designed to handle short-term stress without significantly impacting our health. When faced with a new stressor, the hormone adrenalin (epinephrine) is released from our two adrenal glands (which sit just atop our two kidneys). As a result, our body responds with increased heart and respiration rate, a rise in blood pressure, an increase in overall muscle tone, etc. in order for us to respond with either a “fight” or “flight” response.
The real problem occurs when stress is prolonged. Pressure filled weeks turn into months, and in some cases, months can become years. Now our body must switch from a short-term stress response to a long term one. Enter the hormone cortisol. It’s the prolonged presence of circulating cortisol that causes excess fat to be deposited in the midsection—how unfortunate, huh?
In addition to this unwanted result, our bodies experience the depletion of important co-enzymes (vitamins), specifically in the “B” family. This is because the B-complex family of vitamins plays a key role in maintaining the health of your nervous system. According to nutritionist/pharmacist James B. LaValle, author of Cracking the Metabolic Code, “When you’re under stress, your body calls upon its store of B vitamins to cope with this added pressure.” This is why we can easily end up depleted of these critical B vitamins.
So, the next time you find yourself under considerable stress, make sure to take a nutritional supplement that includes, specifically, B-5 (pantothenic acid), niacin and folic acid. This way you can “B” prepared for “come what may”, and live to survive another stressful day!