Soothing the Stress of the Holidays
Written by Dr. Suzanne Tang
November 6th, 2023
The holiday season is upon us and although this time of year is peppered with joyous festivities and celebrations, it can also bring about greater stress, anxiety, and busyness and oftentimes sadness and grief for our loved ones, who have passed on. There are years when loss is more frequent and poignant in our lives. This year has been particularly challenging for many, marked by much more loss for me, my family, friends, and patients.
My heart and prayers go out to our community, who have lost loved ones and are feeling the heaviness of their passing. Loss doesn’t just come in the form of death or chronic illness. We also feel grief from disappointments, unexpected outcomes, job loss, relationship break ups, divorce, transitions, and empty nesting. My daughter is a senior in high school and is currently inundated with college applications and I am already missing her upcoming absence in our home and day-to-day lives when she goes off to college. I work on staying present and spending as much quality time with her as possible, but being human I cannot help but feel the impending sadness.
Whatever the loss or challenge may be, as a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist, I am fortunate to have the honor to hold space for patients. Simply by listening, showing up, and soothing their pressures and stress with acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, counseling and calming nutrients, herbs, and stress reduction tools, patients feel heard, seen, and loved through the toughest times of their lives. There is a tendency to neglect our health during these emotionally and physically demanding times, however, these moments are the most important to care for ourselves more generously and consistently.
Stress causes the hypothalamus in the brain to release corticotrophin-releasing hormone, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone or ACTH. ACTH causes the adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline and cortisol to react to the stress putting you in fight, flight or freeze mode. Unfortunately, chronic stress, trauma, or grief keeps our nervous system stuck in this sympathetic state along with elevated cortisol and adrenaline. This stress response prevents the nervous system from shifting back to the parasympathetic or rest, calm, and digest state, creating a host of health issues.
I see firsthand the impact of chronic stress and unresolved grief on one’s overall health affecting multiple organ systems, from our mood and brain to our reproductive system. Read on to learn about symptoms of stress and tips to shift out of stress and into calm.
Central Nervous System
Elevated cortisol damages the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, and impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. In addition, chronic high cortisol causes functional atrophy of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the frontal lobe of the brain. These effects on the brain and the nervous system can cause poor memory, brain fog, learning disorders, insomnia, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and mood swings.
Research has shown that meditation not only buffers the stress response and improves mental, emotional, cardiovascular, and immune health but it also has been shown to increase gray matter in your brain (!) and allow the prefrontal cortex, the area of compassion, understanding and clear decision making to be in charge rather than being hijacked by the fear center of the brain or the amygdala. Hands down my favorite meditation app is Calm. It has been essential and instrumental to my daily meditation practice as well as for patients.
Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep improves memory and cognition and regulates the nervous system and brain chemicals, serotonin and gamma-amino butyric acid, which calms the stress response and alleviates stress, depression, and anxiety. For more sleep support tips, visit my previous blog post!
Psychotherapy with grief counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy and/or EMDR also known as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing can be very therapeutic, particularly for those who have experienced past trauma, abuse, and/or addiction. Having a therapist on your team to support you and give you additional tools for addressing stress, depression, anxiety, and PTSD can be healing and transformative.
Gastrointestinal System
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve and the main branch of the parasympathetic nerve system that innervates and supports the function of the brain, heart, lungs, vascular and digestive system. Under chronic stress, the vagus nerve becomes impaired and symptoms, such as poor appetite, nausea, stomachaches, constipation or diarrhea, inflammation, and heartburn are very common.
There are many ways to stimulate the vagus nerve:
Humming, singing, and chanting
Meditation and yoga
Connecting with friends and family and laughter
Cold exposure
Deep breathing
Massage and acupuncture
Exercise
Gammacore, a handheld vagus nerve stimulator that is also FDA-approved to treat acute pain associated with headaches and migraines.
You are welcome to contact OC Whole Family Wellness at (949)202-0047 to inquire about renting your own Gammacore device.
Nervine herbs, such as chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm in a tea, tincture or capsules are excellent herbs to soothe stress, calm a nervous tummy and nourish the nervous system.
Immune System
High cortisol dampens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to colds and flu. Furthermore, stress often disrupts sleep and healthy eating habits and increases sugar cravings, contributing to a perfect environment for bacteria and viruses to take advantage of a weakened immune system.
Eat a nutrient-dense whole foods diet rich in protein, healthy fats and veggies, and fruit and low in sugar, refined flour, and alcohol to balance your adrenal glands and give your immune system extra support to fight off infections.
Add in Vitamins C, A, D, and Zinc to boost immunity and my custom-made Chinese herbal formula for immune support and immune defense, particularly during the cold and flu season.
My go-to antiviral formula is Herbal ENT, a Chinese herbal formula that helps fight viral infections and shortens the severity and duration of colds. I recommend this formula to my patients to take prophylactically when they are traveling or have been exposed to a cold from family members.
Endocrine System
When stressed your body prioritizes the production of cortisol over DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone and sex hormones, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Pregnenolone steal occurs when pregnenolone, the primary “mother” hormone that produces the majority of your hormones will favor the production of cortisol in order to react to stress over progesterone. Fatigue, low libido, irregular periods, menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome, severe peri-menopausal symptoms and even infertility can result from this hormonal imbalance. Furthermore, chronically elevated cortisol interferes with thyroid hormone production and the conversion of thyroid hormones, T4 or thyroxine to T3 or triiodothyronine, contributing to hypothyroidism.
Ask your naturopathic doctor to assess your hormones and adrenal function via lab work to identify the type of hormonal imbalance that you may have. If elevated cortisol is suspected, supplement formulas, Serriphos and Cortisol Manager are very effective for calming stress and balancing cortisol levels.
If my patients are also experiencing anxiety and/or depression, I will often order neurotransmitter testing to identify any imbalances with serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and adrenaline. Amino acid and nutrient therapy are very helpful for calming the nervous system and improving mood, sleep, and focus.
Musculoskeletal System
Stress causes us to guard emotionally and physically, creating tension in our muscles. This chronic tension can lead to headaches, migraines, TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and neck and back pain.
Elevated cortisol also breaks down muscle and bone and promotes premature aging and bone loss.
Notice where you are carrying attention and gently massage or stretch the areas of tension for several minutes. A gentle yoga class or tune-up ball massage can do wonders to alleviate tension.
Magnesium glycinate is an excellent nutrient to help calm the nervous system and relax the muscles. It can be taken orally or applied topically. Better yet, take a relaxing Epsom salt bath to further soothe tense muscles.
Acupuncture, cupping, and craniosacral therapy are amazing and effective treatments to regulate the nervous system, stimulate the vagus nerve, release emotional blockages and tight muscles and fascia, boost immunity, reduce inflammation and stress, and balance cortisol and other hormones. If you have not integrated these nourishing treatments into your self-care plan, please contact my office to schedule your appointment. I recently received additional training in trauma-informed Craniosacral Therapy Level 3 for addressing chronic stress and trauma and seeing profound shifts.
Cardiovascular System
A regular flow of adrenaline and cortisol overstimulates the heart, causing blood pressure and heart rate to rise and muscles of the heart and vessels to tense. Excess adrenaline and cortisol also raises blood sugar to fuel your muscles to react to stress.
When adrenaline and cortisol surge through the body too frequently it can cause belly fat and obesity, which damage blood vessels and arteries, and increase the risk of atherosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, and Type 2 diabetes.
Move your body regularly with moderate-intensity physical activity and strength training along with restorative stretching and walking to reduce stress and improve heart health.
Respiratory System
It is common to hold our breath and breathe more shallowly and rapidly when we are stressed, which can lead to shortness of breath and panic attacks.
Taking three deep belly breaths will immediately shift the nervous system into a parasympathetic state. Pair your deep breaths with statements of gratitude, such as for your family, friends, clean water, your health, home, clothing, food and even challenging and stressful growth opportunities. Gratitude literally changes the neural circuitry of your brain, improves neuroplasticity, and enhances your neurotransmitter production of dopamine and serotonin, helping to uplift your mood, outlook and resilience to stress.
If you’ve been struggling with any of these signs and symptoms of stress, it’s time to check in with yourself and become more aware of the causes of the stress, including your thoughts, reactions, and behaviors. Prioritize your self-care, ask for help, and turn to your stress reduction toolbox. As usual, I am always happy to offer wellness tools to add to your toolbox. Allow yourself to be seen, heard, cared for, and loved. We are here for you!
Dr. Tang’s Recipe Corner
Packed with immune-boosting, adrenal balancing and gut soothing nutrients, Vitamin A, C, and E, beta-carotene, potassium and magnesium.
Yours in Wellness,
Dr. Suzanne Tang, ND, LAc
