acupuncture for human beings in a busy world
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
~ World Health Organization (WHO)
What Does Optimal Health Mean?
It means creating the conditions in which your body can thrive. It looks different for everyone, but usually includes restorative sleep, sustained energy, balanced hormones, healthy digestion, strong immunity, emotional resilience, and the ability to adapt to life's challenges.
Let’s Talk About Stress
Stress is a buzzword that we throw around — but it actually has a physiological basis, disrupting nearly all bodily systems.
Chronic Stress
Stress that is sustained over weeks, months, or even years, triggers a complex interplay between the nervous, endocrine (hormone), and immune systems.
Continuous, elevated levels of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline), your stress hormones, affect your health in ways that go well beyond feeling overwhelmed, leading to an increased risk of:
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Including hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries). It also damages the inner walls of our blood vessels (endothelium) by increasing inflammation.
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Research has shown that adults categorized as high-stress have a 45% higher chance of having metabolic syndrome than adults with low-stress. Metabolic Syndrome is a risk factor for many other health conditions.
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Stress hormones actually affect the way our bodies manage glucose (blood sugar) and insulin.
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Leading to frequent colds, allergies and increased mucus production.
Stress simultaneously suppresses the immune system and promotes systemic inflammation through the upregulation of inflammatory mediators, contributing to autoimmune disease and chronic inflammation.
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Including diarrhea, constipation, IBS, leaky gut, reduced nutrient absorption and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome.
Recent research has shown that we have a ‘gut-brain’ axis, a communications system between the brain and our digestive organs. Serotonin receptors are found throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract , contributing to our understanding of how these are interconnected.
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Including muscle tension, TMJ, tension headaches, chronic pain, loss of muscle mass and reduced bone density.
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Impairs ovarian function and can also lead to menstrual irregularities, anovulation, and Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS, formerly PCOS) in women.
Reduces testosterone production and can cause impaired sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, and decreased sperm quality in men.
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Chronic stress, the ongoing release of large amounts of stress hormones, can actually damage nerve cells, reduce serotonin levels, and shrink areas of the brain responsible for mood regulation.
Not everyone who experiences chronic stress will develop anxiety and/or depression, but many will because of these effects.
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High levels of our major stress hormone, cortisol, can make it both hard to maintain focus and hard to remember things. This can lead to brain fog, the inability to think clearly.
Living Our Best Life
Most people initially seek treatment because something is not working as they had hoped, whether it’s struggling to conceive, low back pain, fatigue, or insomnia.
Many stay with Traditional Chinese Medicine because for the first time, they realize that they actually feel really good — not just that the initial problem has resolved. Acupuncture and integrative, holistic health can support you on your journey to complete health.
Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
Ready to find out what optimal health looks like for you?
Optimal health is a state of physical, mental and emotional well-being in which the body functions at its best. Lets get you there.