Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Cancer Survivors



Cancer Survivors - Nutritional Approach to Stress

Stress is responsible for 90% of all disease and illnesses; and cancer is no exception.
According to recent literature that was released by the American Medical Society, stress is more responsible for cancer than cigarette smoking.
It is not, however, not a matter of how busy our lives are, but rather how people deal with it that has such a horrific impact on health.
There are many people that thrive on things like deadlines, where the stress of it just seems to invigorate them. Then, of course, there are those that allow the anxiety of stress to gnaw at them, causing them to spend sleepless nights, and impart a very serious negative effect on every aspect of their lives.
Stress is a built-in factor that has the potential devastating results on personal health, up to and including death. When people begin to understand exactly what stress is, it seems to enable them to start gaining more control over it. Frankly, stress can be described as one's belief that they will not be able to complete, or cope with a situation or condition that is pending in their lives. Even tough, throughout their lives they have dealt successfully with a great number of similar situations.
Nutrition is an excellent tool to helping you cope with stress better. It works by supporting the adrenal glands - the stress glands responsible for your ability to cope during stressful situation.
The adrenal glands are responsible for maintaining the balance of many bodily functions by secreting several important hormones. An abnormal adrenal response, either deficient or excessive hormone secretion, significantly alters an individual's response to stress. Often the adrenals become 'exhausted' as a result of the constant demands placed upon them. An individual with adrenal exhaustion may feel 'stressed out', tired and be prone to allergies, while an individual with excessive adrenal activity is likely to have high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Various nutrients and herbal substances can be very useful in supporting and enhancing adrenal function, particularly during times of stress. Atrophy or shrinking of the adrenal cortex is a common side effect of continual stress, cortisone administration and aging. Due to the importance of the adrenal gland, optimum health is dependent on optimum adrenal function.
Other nutrients: Vitamin C, vitamin B6, zinc, magnesium and pantothenic acid are necessary nutrients for the manufacture of hormones by the adrenal glands. Supplementation of all these nutrients, at higher then recommended dietary allowance levels in the form of a high-potency multiple-vitamin-mineral formula may be appropriate during high periods of stress or in individuals needing adrenal support.
Particularly important for optimum adrenal function is pantothenic acid. Pantothenic acid deficiency results in adrenal atrophy, characterised by fatigue, headache, sleep disturbances, nausea and abdominal discomfort. Pantothenic acid is found in whole grains, legumes, cauliflower, broccoli, salmon, liver, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.
Alongside the nutritional approach, stress management should also involve regular exercise daily, use of relaxation techniques - all components of a healthy lifestyle.
From pain management to stress management and more, the effectiveness of using natural nutrition is constantly expanding. It is easy to understand how natural nutrition holds the greatest potential of health management in your cancer recovery

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