Nopal Cactus Juice
Fights inflammation and pain
Moving house is a stressful time and at the moment I am in the middle of moving to a new country so my levels are high, hopefully this is only short term otherwise I am in deep trouble. Whether the stress is mental, physical, emotional or environmental, it brings with it inflammation that can lead to premature aging. Stress in general contributes to poor relationships, affecting work and damaging health. First, it’s important to know the real physical effects that stress can have on our bodies. Over time, stress can lead to:
- Heart disease
- Glucose intolerance
- Nervous conditions
- Immune system disorders
- Acute respiratory disease/asthma
- Susceptibility to colds and flu
- Diabetes
- Allergies
- Depression
- Osteoarthritis
- Digestive problems… and several other ailments
Stress in and of itself is not a bad thing. As humans, we are designed to respond to it every day, sometimes with temporary bursts of energy that are natural and normal (the “flight or fight” response involved when hormones are released into our bloodstream). However, when chronic stress keeps us in a constant state of readiness, the body can become weakened and susceptible to disease.
Cells can become overwhelmed by inflammation. A certain amount of inflammation is actually necessary for healing, whether the damage is from injury, illness, toxins, nutritional deficiencies or stress. Think of what happens when you cut your finger. You may have redness (increased nutrients and proteins are carried by an increased blood supply to the injury site), swelling (additional plasma and healing proteins are brought to the site), pain (our signal to be careful of that area) and heat (white blood cells defending damaged tissue from microbes).
This cut finger example demonstrates homeostasis in action: the body tries to get all its systems back in balance by remodeling damaged cells. The redness, swelling, pain and heat gradually disappear. Once the healing process is complete, homeostasis returns the body to a natural, healthful state of balance. However, when the body is “overloaded” with chronic stress and excess inflammation, it can be literally worn down by the constant demands. Cells may become damaged beyond repair, and we can literally become old before our time, falling victim to both mental and physical problems.
Controlling stress and inflammation
Sometimes, we can be overwhelmed by the various types of stress that come with everyday life. These include mental stress, such as over-work; physical stress, such as exercising more than usual; emotional stress, as when we’re having relationship problems, and environmental stress from pollutants in our environment and food supply.
Let’s look consider my present emotional stress — to see how the brain and body respond. I am having to find the best way of packing and moving my belongings but am faced with problems of will they arrive safely or be damaged and pilfered in transit, and how much Willie have to pay in customs duty,so I feel stressed. My brain will release chemicals called catecholamines that trigger inflammatory processes. One might be the release of insulin, a pro-inflammatory hormone.
Too much stress over an extended time period will cause insulin resistance, which is associated with obesity. That obesity (which itself creates inflammation) triggers the body to produce another pro-inflammatory hormone called cortisol, which creates more stress, and so on and so on. Clearly, then, controlling stress will help break this cycle of inflammation, and help the body return to its natural, balanced state.
Keys to stress management
The first step toward managing stress is to identify the things in your life that are causing it: in my case it is moving house so I need to plan and work my way through the problem one step at a time. I find that keeping to a normal routine of exercising and eating well is of great benefit and taking my daily dose of Nopal cactus juice gives mw the extra boost of energy to start the day as well as protect me from inflammation.
David Ogden
CEO TheInterbiz LLC
Independent TriVita Affiliate 13142173
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