By Tamara Botting   Tuesday, September, 04, 2012

Whether it’s something as relatively small as a traffic jam or as big as the death of a loved one, stress is part of life.

“We’re never going to be without stress in our lives,” said naturopathic doctor Andrea Maxim at a recent seminar presented by the Haldimand Abilities Centre (HAC).

“Stress is the body’s perception of a threat- mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually.”

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Maxim explained that acute stress is short term stress; the body’s ‘fight or flight’ instinct.  This kind of stress lasts about two hours, and then it’s back to normal.

Chronic stress, on the other hand, is long-term stress that goes unrelieved.

“Your adrenal glands secrete adrenaline and cortisol, which increases the body’s blood sugar and promotes weight gain.  Cortisol eats muscle… so the more muscle mass on your frame, the longer you’ll live, the healthier you’ll feel, and the better quality of life you’ll have.”

Maxim described the body’s endocrine system as a symphony.  “If one hormone isn’t ‘playing’ properly, you can tell.”

Guests at the seminar were asked to fill out a short questionnaire and tally up their answers; this gave them an insight as to how stressed they are and the type of stress they have.

Maxim noted some symptoms of hormone imbalance, which included reproductive problems and adult acne.  She also conducted a urine analysis of two volunteers, and discussed some of the tests, including urine analysis and blood work, that can be done to see if a patient’s body is functioning properly.

“Your body will tell me what your mind will not,” said Maxim.

She emphasized the importance of “finding the balance between stress and your coping skills,” and also encouraged everyone to make time to eat organic and whole foods as often as possible, be active, get a proper amount of sleep, and drink a litre and a half of water daily.