Relaxation: Hard to do . . . Necessary for a Healthy Life

     Last time, I took a detour to tell show you how our stress can be transferred to another person or animal either through touch, or just being in the same room they occupy.  We all know by now that stress can be our friend if we are running for our lives, or foe if it becomes chronic and leads to dysfunction in various body systems = disease. However, all is not lost because we can tap into a secret weapon that opposes the stress response: its kissing cousin known as the relaxation response.

     We are now about to embark on the journey of a healthy and peaceful life.  By no means is it going to be easy to defeat our foe due to years of conditioning, and living a life where we seem to be always in a hurry, to go nowhere fast (myself included).  Today, I will provide the packing list of what is needed, and from this day forward I will give you the tools to create successful travels through this hectic world. RELAX and enjoy the ride.

     Murray and Pizzorno, in their book the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, describe the relaxation response (2012).  The authors show us how the body responds in kind:

·         The heart rate slows and blood pressure decreases.

·         Blood begins to flow back towards the organs of digestion.

·         Breathing rate decreases because the body no longer needs to provide oxygen to "exercising muscles".

·         Sweat decreases.

·         Digestion is improved due to increased digestive secretions such as enzymes.

·         Blood sugar levels return to normal range as the extra energy provided by glucose is no longer needed (2012).

     If this is where we need to be, it begs the question: "How do we get there?"  The American College of Healthcare Sciences notes that several activities can promote the relaxation response: deep breathing, meditation, prayer, aromatherapy, progressive relaxation, yoga, laugh, and even love (2012).   We will discuss these things and more.  From time to time I will write a post on certain chronic diseases as related to stress, and its antidote, the relaxation response.  Next time, I will begin with a simple technique known as deep breathing-Hawaiian style.   We need to go from this:

 

 

 

 

to this:

 

 

 

 

Until next time, 

 

 

 

 

References

American College of Healthcare Sciences. (2012). Promoting the Relaxation Response.  In Aroma 203 course e-textbook. Portland: American College of Healthcare Sciences.

Murray, M., & Pizzorno, J. (2012). Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine Revised 3rd edition (p. 209).  New York: Atria.