A new patient, an executive with a large company, told me that every night he drinks two bottles of wine. I asked him why he drinks so much. He replied: “My work is just too much for me, I’m all wound up, but exhausted when I come home. I need the alcohol to relax me and put me to sleep. My wife drinks as much as I do. She is simply depressed because I’m never home. If I am at home, I’m either exhausted, or angry. My marriage is not going to last any longer if I continue to act like this. That’s why I’m here: you have to help me.”

Twelve years ago, this man was a university graduate, healthy, happy, proud, full of energy. Today, he is obese, by age forty he had suffered three heart attacks, his marriage is close to breaking down, and he is now on all kinds of prescription drugs to maintain his day-to-day functions.

This patient demonstrates a rather serious case of stress, and I see many others like him in my clinic.

Stress is an integral part of modern life – more than many people realise. Unfortunately, when people are experiencing a lot of stress, they often visit a doctor or a psychiatrist who prescribes tranquillisers or antidepressants. All this achieves is temporary relief of symptoms. While the person may not be as stressed as before, they become confused and lost. They also suffer the side effects associated with these drugs: weight gain, liver malfunction, headaches, dizziness, low sex drive and so on.
Other people might not start taking tranquillisers or antidepressants, but instead smoke, or use alcohol, chocolate, or coffee.

Rarely do people seek the real cause of the stress and attempt to deal with by correcting lifestyle or mental attitude.
Some common causes of stress are: examinations, changing jobs, moving house, smoking, over-work, over-exercising, negativity, late nights and lack of sleep, death of family member or friend, marriage breakdown, injury or illness, job loss, loss of sexual function, pregnancy, poor family relationships, difficulty in getting along at work, lawsuits and so on.

These are more serious types of stress and they need to be dealt with in a serious manner. If they are not treated properly, they will create a tremendous load on the immune system and the organ systems, especially the heart, blood vessels, and adrenals.
Lesser degrees of stress are everywhere in our lives. The same stress that can make one person ill can be invigorating someone else. It depends on their mental attitude.
To deal with stress effectively, you must learn the following
management techniques.

1.Positive mental attitude.

2.Healthy diet and lifestyle.

3.Proper exercise and relaxation.

4.Adrenal support with herbs and bioorganic nutrients.

If you are now taking chemical drugs such as antidepressants or tranquillisers, or consume large amounts of alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, food, have major mood swings, and appear to have lost the purpose and goals in your life, you need to see a good natural therapist to help you correct these habits. This is most important, because if you don’t correct them, you reinforce your stress levels.
A number of natural remedies are very successful in managing stress. They include herbs like Kava, St John’s Wort, Passiflora, Skullcap, Oats, Licorice and Astragalus, and nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, magnesium. However, I strongly urge you not to self-diagnose or self-treat, because the dosage of herbs and nutrients varies greatly with each individual.

Acupuncture is extremely successful in both treating and preventing stress. The purpose of acupuncture is to reduce fire in the liver meridian and nourish the heart and kidney. People report feeling wonderful after one or two treatments.

Here is something that you can do for yourself at home. As soon as you get home from work each day, remove your shoes and hose. Prepare a basin of cold water with five drops essential oil of lavender. Sit down, put your feet into the water, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and feel the deep relaxation of your body. Then go into your bedroom, turn on a relaxation tape, lie down comfortably and listen to the tape. You will find that you don’t need to reach for coffee, alcohol or chocolate anymore, and you will be much happier at home. You can purchase these tapes at a health food store, or at many natural therapy clinics: they are wonderful to help you relax and unwind.

This article was first published in the magazine “Nature and Health”

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