Introduction

Stress and anxiety are the most common causes to many miscellaneous health conditions which are often mistreated and poorly managed. Not only they have profound impacts on our health, they predisposes us to many illnesses and diseases which are easily preventable. Stress and anxiety can be either physical or emotional. Common signs and symptoms of stress include anxiety, binge eating habits, fatigue, smoking and gambling addictions, irritabilities as well as digestive problems.

Cumulative stress without proper management can result in poor physical health as well as psychological disturbances such as depression.

What is stress?

Stress is a condition that is difficult to define yet everyone experiences it at sometime in his/her life. Stress can be either emotional or physical/physiological. Emotional stress can be explained as emotional disturbances with feelings of anxiety, nervousness, irritation, impatience as well as emotional fluctuation. Physical stress can be described as stress in the body. Signs and symptoms of physical stress are often very subtle, yet it has a profound impact on our health than emotional stress.

Causes of Stress

Common causes of stress include:
Work
Relationship
Family
Finances
Lack of exercise 
Environment and diet

Signs & Symptoms of Stress

Common signs and symptoms of stress include: anxiety, bine eating, uncontrolled appetite, fatigue, frequent hunger, food craving and rapid weight gain, irritabilities, lack of libido, poor digestion, poor sleep, sluggish bowel movements, stiff nack and shoulders.

Stress Related Health Conditions

Common health conditions which are closely associated with stress include:
acne, asthma & allergies, anxiety, depression, headaches and migraine, insomnia, irritable bowels, period pain and pms, psoriasis

Stress & Your Body

Stress poses many physiological changes in the body. These include:
Suppressing the immune system and appropriate immune responses, thus results in asthma attacks, colds and flus.
Altering the balance of the hormonal profiles and leads to period pain and pms
Producing large amount of stress related hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol and results in binge eating, food craving, fluid retention and weight gain.
Inducing tensions in the body and results in poor quality sleep, stiff neck and shoulders
Poor blood circulations and leads to cold hands and feet

Wonder Medicine for Stress

Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture have a long history of success in treating and preventing stress related conditions including allergies, acne, fatigue, period pain, pms, ibs as well as various stress induced skin conditions such as psoriasis, stress induced hair loss and eczema.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine treat stress through the following mechanisms:
Releasing muscle tension and inducing muscle relaxation
Reducing harmful hormones in the body
Correcting hormonal imbalances
Stimulating and boosting the body's defence
Strengthening immune responses
Improving blood circulation
Reducing anxiety and nervousness
Promoting deep relaxation and quality rest
Improving physical and emotional wellbeing.

Self Help for Stress

Regular exercise
A comfortable living environment
Reducing caffeine intake
A balanced diet
Regular lifestyle

References

Longman concise medical dictionary, 1994

Chinese-English Manual of Common-Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ou Ming, 1995