Nutrition & Health OnLine Magazine: Natural Alternatives for Handling Stress

Natural Alternatives for Handling Stress

By Davey Dunn

The end of the year is always a stressful time for many people because of the demands of the Holiday Season. The tragic events that occurred on September 11 have made the end of 2001 even more stressful than usual for most Americans. While stress is a normal part of life too much stress can wear down the body's natural defenses and lead to more serious problems like depression and illness. The good news is that there are natural ways to increase your own capacity to handle stress through exercise, proper diet and nutrition and in some cases herbal remedies.

EXERCISE is probably the best natural remedy for stress. People that regularly participate in exercise have been shown to feel better, have higher self esteem levels and in general seem to be much happier than individuals who do not exercise on a regular basis.¹ When you exercise you increase the level of endorphins in the body as a response to the increased stress from exercise. Research studies have shown a direct link between these higher endorphin levels and better moods. There have even been several research studies that have shown that regular exercise can be as effective at treating depression as psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs.

DIET AND NUTRITION includes not only what nutrients that should be taken each day but also those substances that should be avoided. Alcohol, Nicotine, Caffeine and even too much refined sugar have all been linked to lowered immune capacity and higher levels of depression in individuals that consumed these substance on a regular basis. You should try to avoid these substances and instead consume a diet that is rich in the following nutrients:

MULTI-VITAMIN/MULTI-MINERAL Your body depends on nutrients for survival and the absence of any key nutrient can cause severe problems that include lowered immune response and depression. You can help your body to get all the nutrients that it needs by eating a well balanced diet high in fiber-rich plant foods. You should also supplement your diet with a high potency Multi-Vitamin and Multi-Mineral product since such products are very inexpensive (less than a dollar a day) and can make up for any deficiency in your diet.
Recommended Use: 1 serving of each with meals at least once a day.

VITAMIN C A strong immune system is vitally important in dealing with stress and Vitamin C can dramatically bolster the immune system. Most people do not consume enough Vitamin C instead taking only a multi-vitamin which may have a Vitamin C content as low as the RDA of 78mg. There is plenty of research data that indicates that daily ingestion of Vitamin C in the Gram levels can greatly enhance your immunity.
Recommended Use: 4000mg to 10,000mg each day depending upon activity level

VITAMIN E Another important vitamin that most people do not consume enough of is Vitamin E. The immune enhancing effects of vitamin E are well documented. The RDA of 9 mg a day does not take into account the antioxidant action that higher levels of vitamin E can have in preventing the damage done from free radicals. Since there appears to be no toxicity problems with Vitamin E it makes sense to take higher levels since like Vitamin C it can also greatly bolster the immune system.
Recommended Use: 400mg to 1,200mg each day depending upon activity level.

Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 A dietary deficiency in either of these nutrients has been linked to depression and poor mental health. While many Multi Vitamins and Multi Mineral formulas will contain adequate levels of these two nutrients some people may require higher levels.
Recommended Use: 800mcg to 1,200mcg each day depending upon activity level.

FLAX OIL or FISH OIL can be very helpful in handling stress and maintaining good mental health. The essential fatty acids that are contained in these oils are critical to the proper function of the brain. The beneficial effects of fish oil are so pronounced that some mental health professionals are now using it as a treatment for serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disease. At least one research study has documented the positive effect of Fish Oil on Bipolar disease and found that a treatment of Fish Oil containing omega 3 fatty acids was as effective a treatment as Lithium or Prozac. While no similar research has yet been done involving Flax it is reasonable to believe that Flax Oil would work as well or better since it also contains omega 3 fatty acids.
Recommended Use: 1000mg to 3,000mg each day depending upon activity level.

HERBAL REMEDIES In addition to providing your body with the right nutrients to increase the immune system and combat the effects of high stress there are also several herbs that have been shown to be at least as effective as prescription drugs in dealing with depression and can provide you with a viable alternative when stress becomes more than is easily manageable.

ST. JOHN'S WORT has received a fair amount of press coverage as an alternative for treating depression and deservedly so. There have been numerous research studies that have compared St. John's Wort to prescription antidepressants and found that it was just as effective but without the side effects usually associated with most antidepressant drugs. ² With the documented evidence continuing to mount linking Prozac and other similar drugs to many of the horrific mass murders that have occurred over the last thirty years (More information is available at DrugAwareness.org), I find it hard to believe that anyone would willfully allow themselves to be put on such medication with out at least first trying a natural alternative like St John's Wort.
Recommended Use: 200mg to 900mg each day.

5-HTP or 5-Hydroxytryptophan has also been compared to prescription antidepressants and found to be a very effective alternative for cases of mild depression. Like St. John's Wort, 5-HTP helps to naturally boost serotonin levels in the brain and has been compared in research to prescription selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft with very favorable results.³ 5-HTP is a viable alternative to prescription drugs and should be considered by anyone who has problems with depression.
Recommended Use: 100mg to 200mg three times each day.

KAVA is another alternative that works best for relaxation and in cases of depression where there is also anxiety. Kava Kava preparations have worked so well that several European countries have approved their use for the treatment of nervous anxiety, depression, restlessness and insomnia. Studies have shown that Kava is as good or better to benzodiazepines type drugs since it is as effective but does not cause the side effects of these drugs like impaired mental acuity and addictiveness. Kava is another safe alternative for people who have problems with depression, anxiety or sleeplessness.
Recommended Use: 1000mg two to three times each day

GINKGO BILOBA Many people use Ginkgo Biloba to help them with memory but it also appears to have some antidepressant effects. In research studies Ginkgo Biloba is able to increase the effectiveness of serotonin receptors in the brain in individuals over the age of fifty.⁴ If you are over the age of fifty and are having problems with depression and memory loss then Ginkgo Biloba may be worth trying.
Recommended Use: 100mg three times each day.

L-PHENYLALANINE in addition to being an appetite suppressant can also be helpful with depression. In the body Phenylalanine can be converted to phenylethylamine (PEA), which can have an antidepressant effect since low PEA levels have been found in individuals who suffer from depression.⁵ L-Phenylalanine is well tolerated by most individuals and is worth a try for depression especially since it may also help with weight loss.
Recommended Use: 100mg to 200mg each day.

The bottom line on stress is that like most human ailments the best way to deal with it is through prevention by strengthening the immune system. Follow the guidelines above in this article and in other articles at Nutrition & Health OnLine Magazine on exercising and diet so that you can handle whatever problems life may send your way.

¹D. Lobstein, B.J. Mosbacher, and A.H. Ismail. "Depression as a Powerful Discriminator between Physically Active and Sedentary Middle-Aged Men" Journal Psychosom Res 27:69-76, 1983.
²P.A.G. De Smet and W. Nolen. "St. John's Wort as an Antidepressant" BMJ 313:241-2 1996.
³W. Poldinger, B. Calanchini, and W. Schwarz. "A Functional-Dimensional Approach to Depression: Serotonin Deficiency as a target Syndrome in a comparison of 5-Hydroxytryptophan and Fluvoxamine" Psychopathology 24:53-81 1991.
⁴F. Huguet et al. "Decreased Cerebral 5-HT1a Receptors During Aging: Reversal by Ginkgo biloba Extract" Journal Pharm Pharmacol 46:316-18 1994.
⁵H. Beckman. "Phenylalanine in Affective Disorders" Adv Biol Psychiatry 10:137-47 1983.

This article was originally published by:
Nutrition & Health OnLine Magazine
URL: NHOmag.com
All articles available at Nutrition & Health OnLine Magazine may be re-published without prior permission as long as this box is included somewhere in the article and the article is unchanged and published in it's entirety. For further information contact:
NHOmag.com