Continued...

Stress factors

Although the last three decades traditional physicians recognize the powerful of psychological stress and we sometimes believe that stress is related to negative effect of emotions on our body, the reality is somehow more complex.

There are many different types of unseen stress that pose health threats to the individual. These include psychological stress, nutritional stress, chronobiological stress (shifting sleep cycles), environmental stress from chemicals (drugs, pollutants, sensitivity reactions to foods and subtle toxins) and bacteria and viruses, electro-magnetic, geopathic stress (abnormal earth energies), and even negative psychic fields.
We recognize here something similar with Traditional Chinese Medicine approach of disease causes. Logically it results the conclusion that the stress is related to majority of internal and external factors that all internal which many would not ordinarily consider as stress.

How the stress factors generate the stress?

Each of stress factors pushes the body/mind from its normal state of normal functioning and, depending upon intensity over time, can result in state of illness and disease.

Many different types of stress have a common effect in that they decrease the general vitality of the body. In addition, these stresses eventually affect the performance of the immune system and other regulatory mechanisms, making the body more susceptible to attack from a variety of outer and inner threats to well-being.

The differing views between orthodox and holistic practitioners may be seen in regard to the significance which physicians give to each of the above-mentioned stresses for their potential contribution to everyday illness. Many of the above-listed stressors would not even be considered as such by the orthodox medical establishment.

Illness and wellness

As modern medicine continues to branch out into health maintenance organizations where medical care becomes more time-limited, practitioners will seek to focus on the treatment of more acute patient complaints and superficial problems.

Health maintenance organization doctors will tend to spend less time looking into minor complaints which are deemed not as important in their immediacy or significance. Such a focus is less beneficial in examining health problems which are more subtle, yet may of deeper long-term significance.

On the other hand part of the difference in approach between heath-care practitioners has to do with the difference in defining health.

Whereas the orthodox physician tends to focus on bringing the patient to the neutral point or “OK” state as the endpoint of the therapy, the holistic practitioners sees “wellness” as the goal of treatment. It also tends to take more individualized therapy and counseling time to get a person to a state of wellness. The long term consequences of assisting a person to that wellness point are greater health and the prevention of future illness.

Our approach on stress, disease and welness

There is an optimal amount of stress that human beings require for the maintenance of health and continued growth, sometimes referred to as “eustress” or “good stress”. Dysfunction begins to occur in the system when the stress load is perceived by the mind/body as excessive, thus resulting in “distress.”

Oftentimes, psychological stress is only a function of the mindset of the individual perceiving the home or work situation as threatening to well-being. As stated there are many different types of stress that should be taken in consideration. These, usually cannot be very easily detected.

Therefore, our approach is to asses and evaluates in any types of disease and syndromes the stress component related to the root cause of the disease. Only in these conditions we can identify the path toward wellness.

First Page