Reverse the effects of stress & burnout

While we can’t always escape the stresses and strains of life, we can make our bodies much more resilient to their sometimes devestating impact. What’s more, with targetted treatment we can often recover quickly.

BURNOUTChronic Fatigue, Tiredness, Mental & Physical Fatigue

Burnout is a complete depletion, exhaustion and draining, often associated with huge amounts of stress, strain and prolonged fatigue. The illeffects can be widespread. It can lead to problems with energy, vitality, susceptability to stress, depression, anxiety. irritability, restlessness and sleep problems. What’s more, if left it can have a knock-on effect with the immune system leading to a domino affect of other problems.

The goal with Naturopathy is to strengthen the areas of your body that will enable you to not only recover, but also have a much higher tolerance for stress and unyielding demands that many of us have to face. Burnout affects the adrenals and nervous system primarily. With some targetted therapy we can rebuild and strengthen these areas.

STRESS

It’s not new for people to be confronted with stress and pressure. What’s more, this might come from a combination of sources, such as work, financial stress, parenthood, caring roles, juggling roles, personal relationships, abusive relationships, war, loss, or mental and physical trauma. Furthermore, there are of course varying degrees and intensity of demands and worries that we face. However, the underlying reality is that life is not necessarily easy. What’s more, more often than not there’s no easy way to avoid the pressure, cut back responsibilities, or stop dealing with things that are happening in our lives.

The amazing thing I have noticed is, that despite the extreme pressures piling on and on to people, how well many manage to carry on. The trouble is, that by charging through the body’s warning signals that you’re dealing with more than you should, it can take a serious toll on the body and mind.

QUICK FIX SOLUTIONS

With stress, fatigue and burnout often come ‘quick fix’ solutions. These might be stimulants, such as coffee and energy drinks that help to get people going or act as a pick-me-up during the day.

Compounded this, for many, is a poor diet. Finding motivation and energy to cook a healthy meal when you’re already exausted is often not top of the list of priorities.

Finally, some will turn to excess alcohol or other recreational stimulation for relief. This in turn only exacerbates the situation.

When you piece together some of the lifestyle habits so easily adoped by those under stress and pressure, you can see how the dwindling spiral of more fatigue, compromised eating habits and needing more stimulants forms. This is the vicious cycle that ultimately ends up with more and more fatigue.

NATUROPATHY & BURNOUT

So how does this work?

Diagnosing the areas of one’s health that are rundown and need support is the first step, and is key to recovery.

The areas commonly affected include:

A rundown nervous system

When the nervous system becomes depleted from the key nutritional tools it needs to operate, it behaves somewhat like a sponge. This means it is soaking up and robbing energy from other parts of the body. For example, areas like the digestive and hormonal systems can be affected, and in turn open the door to mental health problems from irritability to anxiety and depression.

The adrenal glands

The adrenals are particularly susceptible to stress. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is produced in excess during times of stress and this on its own will lead to burnout. What’s more, cortisol has wide reaching affects in excess. For example it will suppress progesterone, allowing oestrogen to dominate. This will greatly affect a woman’s health, and can significantly contribute to fertility problems, poly cystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis.

Excess cortisol affects testosterone too. This affects not only men’s sexual health, but women’s too, especially in menopause.

Excess cortisol also contributes to weight gain, insomnia and poor digestion.

Liver and gall bladder congestion

Poor diets often go hand-in-hand with burnout and stress. Frequently this includes stimulants like coffee, sugar and sometimes alcohol. Stimulants put pressure on your liver and gall bladder, and digestive problems typically then follow. Interestingly, insufficient bile flow contributes to a surprising degree to insufficient thyroid function. Consequently, symptoms that come with poor thyroid function, such as fatigue and weight gain, can often be traced back to stress and burnout. What’s more, the diet of a person under stress, where time is limited to prepare food, will tend to eat more sugar and carbs, further putting the body generally under stress.

A lot can be done to support a person going through stress, burnout and tiredness. What’s more, results can often be achieved quickly. It’s not always easy to avoid stress, indeed sometimes it’s impossible. There will be things you simply can’t avoid, but helping you through this by applying specific natural medicines can be very effective and help to relieve the stress and its toll on your body and mind.

LONDON PRACTICE

Come and see me in London at the world-renowned Hale Clinic in Harley Street, or you can make a booking for a remote consultation. I look forward to having the opportunity to assist you with this.