Modern Day Stress: Supplement Your Lifestyle, by Holly LuCille, RN, ND

As promised in this third installment of “Modern Day Stress”, I am going to discuss appropriate supplementation to help support us as we careen through this world, sometimes with one foot on the brake and the other on the gas pedal subject to unrelenting chronic stressors.

As we have learned, a mechanism once activated only in times of “danger” and for survival gets turned on and left on in our modern day lifestyle with no appropriate time for rest or recovery. This situation renders the body depleted of vital nutrients and weak adrenal glands (stress glands) unable to support and sustain even our normal everyday functions.

This is where fatigue, illness, disrupted sleep patterns, moodiness and a host of other debilitating issues start to rear there heads and contribute to a poor quality of life geared towards surviving instead of thriving.

In addition, many people under chronic stress utilize medications, drug, alcohol and tobacco products in order to help them cope, making the entire situation worse!
After understanding that chronic stress plays a significant role in your life, it is imperative that you not only take control over the things we do have control over like diet and exercise but also that you “supplement your lifestyle”, adding specific nutrients to your daily regime to assist in turning the tides from surviving to thriving.

Two nutrients essential to this recipe are vitamin C and vitamin B5 (panothenic acid). Our adrenal glands contain large quantities of both of these nutrients and they can be rapidly depleted in times of stress. This starts a cascade of biochemical reactions and a myriad of health problems since these nutrients are vital components of many bodily functions including the regulation of blood pressure, synthesis or neurotransmitters and the production of energy.

My recommendation is to make sure you have at least 1,000 mg of vitamin C, three times a day. Both vitamin C and the B vitamin’s are water soluble vitamins so it is important that they are taken in divided doses in order to obtain their most nutritional value. Vitamin B5 should be taken at least twice a day at a dosage of 200 mg. Adaptogenic herbs such as Holy Basil and Rhodiola are particularly useful in helping increase resistance to stress.

Supporting and nourishing the adrenal glands is essential as well! Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum M.D. author of From Fatigued to Fantastic (Avery 2007) has formulated a wonderful combination product full of synergistic ingredients to not only support the adrenal glands but also the adrenal processes called Adrenal Stress End.

When undergoing stress, the body uses amino acids for several purposes. They are essential in the metabolism of proteins for energy, muscle metabolism and are also required in the production of neurotransmitters. Full ranges of amino acids are crucial in coping with unrelenting chronic stress.

My suggestion is to start off the each day with a nice, easy protein shake made with a comprehensive protein blend, I prefer rice because it is hypoallergenic but you can try soy or whey as well. You can add your favorite frozen berries, brewer’s yeast for extra nourishment, ground flax seeds and anything else you can think of to give your day an amazing super start!

These are just a few suggestions to help take the hits of our modern day stress to remember and review:

1. Identify your own unrelenting chronic stress and attempt to decrease it.
2. Respond to any fatigue with rest.
3. Supplement your lifestyle.

In my next article I will discuss the pitfalls of reaching for that glass of wine, energy drink or cigarette when feeling the fatigue or pressure of stress building and building!

Visit www.DrHollyLucille.com for the other articles in this series.