Stress-Free?… Easier said than done!

The Holiday Season is a potentially overwhelming time of the year. Not only are work demands often escalated toward the year’s end, but personal time is also extremely taxing with planning, cleaning, cooking, shopping, partying, etc.  Time is limited and nutritious meals may be far and few between, as are a solid nights’ sleep. Emotions are in high gear. The culmination of all of this is the “perfect storm” defined concisely as “stress”.

Studies have suggested that stress can provoke physical, psychological and emotional manifestations. Each of us has unique strengths and weaknesses and in times of stress, those weak areas are where the symptoms manifest.  If joint health is your issue, stress can indeed exacerbate your symptoms.

The good news, however, is that stress can be controlled! And an understanding of the physiological process involved in stress is helpful:  The autonomic nervous system has two components – the “fight-or-flight” response, which is activated as a survival mechanism, and the relaxation response. Simply put: When an animal encounters a predator, it must fight for its survival or flee from the situation.  The same is true for humans: When we encounter a difficult situation, be it physical or emotional, we must either deal with it (fight) or take leave.  When the “fight-or-flight” response kicks in, adrenaline is released; the heart to beats faster; blood-pressure increases; and blood is shunted to the lungs and brain.  Glucose (sugar) and fats are released into the bloodstream to provide the necessary sources of energy.  This is stress.

This response is vital for our survival but is not meant to be activated for long periods of time. In order to alleviate stress, the relaxation response must be in gear, allowing for proper digestion, a regular slower heart rate and overall homeostasis to be maintained.  For nutrients to be delivered and waste removed from joints, the relaxation response must be in gear.

And as usual, ZyCal can also help you to enhance joint comfort!  Ostinol Insta Joint is powered by Cyplexinol®, a new class of nutritional ingredient.  Cyplexinol® is an all-natural stem cell signaling protein complex which helps support your body’s ability to create new cartilage tissue! Together with 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid, the active constituent of the herb, Boswellia serrata, which is an additional ingredient of Insta Joint, you are also introducing to an immune-modulating effect, bringing increased comfort to your joints.*And how to access your relaxation response, a/k/a manage stress?  One simple accessible tool: BREATHE!  This will be a topic for a later blog so stay tuned, but for now, just understand that simple deep breathing simulates your relaxation response.  When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed or nervous, be it through the holidays or while sitting in traffic, take a deep breath.  And then a few more. This will slow your heart rate and dilate your blood vessels, providing your joints and other essential areas, the support that they need.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.