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Life: Anxiety, Stress, and Fear

Life is full of appointments, deadlines, family drama, stressful work situation, illness, car accidents, heart attack, etc.  Every situation on this endless list of stress triggers the body's "fight-or- flight response".

"Fight-or-flight response", also known as the acute stress response, is the body's response to perceived threat or danger.   ​​This psychological response prepares the body to either fight or flee the "dangerous situation".  Walter Cannon, American physiologist, first described this phenomenon in the 1920's.  He realized that a hormonal chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body activates the body's sympathetic nervous system during threatening situations.  The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal glands, releasing "stress hormones" adrenaline and noradrenaline.  At the same time, the hypothalamus releases activates the adrenal-cortical system, which releases approximately 30 different hormones in the blood stream, which includes cortisol and hydrocortisone. 

This rush of dozens of hormones into the bloodstream causes the body to shutdown non-essential systems and increase blood flow to essential systems.  As a result, 
the body experiences:

- pale skin, because all blood are rushed to away from the skin to the essential body parts, like heart and muscle
- increase heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing
- narrow vision (tunnel vision)
- muscles tensing up
- (excessive) sweating
- hearing sensitivity
- blood-glucose level increase
- non-essential system shutdown (like digestion, reproduction, growth, and immune system) to allocate energy for emergency functions
- trouble focusing on small tasks (focusing on the big picture, where the threat is coming from)
 
It is important to note that this psychological "fight-or-flight response" can be triggered by both real and imaginary threats.

After the threat is gone, it takes between 20 to 60 minutes for the body to recover and return to it's pre-arousal state. 

Once there is a physical release of the "fight-or-flight", the hormones are "used up".  However, if the there is not a physical release, hormones like cortisol builds up and wreaks havoc on your mind and body.*

Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels increase the risk of*:

- lower life expectancy
- anxiety
- insomnia
- muscle pain
- high blood pressure
- weakened immune system
- major illnesses (mental illness, depression, obesity, heart disease, etc)

C.H.A. Family Wellness strive to find the root cause of what is "stressing-out" your body.  Then, we will target and release any structural parts, organ(s), fascia, muscle(s), or energy imbalanced area to help your body return to homeostasis.  Balanced health...balanced body...balanced life.   

In summary, we are here to help you get "un-stuck from the past" so that you have time for family and sunsets today!

*References:  
1)  Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1
2)  American Psychological Association 
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx

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