Stress in our everyday lives
We all encounter stress from time to time, but the trick is in how much you get hooked by it; don’t let stress ruin your health.
Whether you get cut off in traffic, have a disagreement with your partner, experience conflict at
work, or are dealing with a health issue, your response to these stressors makes all the
difference in your health.
Imagine that the cells in your body are like plants in a garden, where they need sufficient
nutrients, water, and air to survive. Now imagine that all of these elements of life are supplied
by a hose, but the hose is being kinked without you knowing. Overtime, the vitality of each
plant begins to diminish; not by a lack of trying, but simply because the underlying cause isn’t
being adequately addressed.
Stress and its Impact on Health
The kink in the hose represents the role stress has on the nervous system. Under stress, the
sympathetic nervous system responds by diverting blood flow away from non-essential organs
(like the gut) to systems that will help you “fight or flee.”
Not only does your heart rate and blood pressure increase, but many people also tend to hold
their breath and breathe using their chest (instead of the diaphragm), which further
exacerbates the stress response.
This can lead to or worsen a whole host of health issues, like anxiety, fatigue, high blood
pressure, hormonal imbalances, light-headedness, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches,
insomnia, musculoskeletal tension and pain, constipation, and much more.
So what do you do? Stress is inevitable, right?
Well it turns out that learning some specific breathing techniques and body awareness can help
to shift the nervous system into a “rest and digest” parasympathetic state. Getting into this
state is like unkinking the hose. Your body can finally relax and begin to function more optimally
again.
Unfortunately, it is not as simple as taking deep breaths, unlike popular belief. When
someone tells you to take a deep breath, it serves more as a reminder to breathe than it does
to actually shift your physiology into a parasympathetic response.
If you want to learn how to master your health and reaction to stress, biofeedback therapy is
showing some pretty promising results.
What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback uses your body’s physiology as feedback on the state of your nervous system,
measuring things like your heartrate, heartrate variability, and peripheral temperature. This
information is then used to direct appropriate therapy.
The ultimate goal is to help you to better recognize how your body responds to stress, what it
feels like to be in a relaxed state, and how to get in this state quicker. In other words, you learn
where the brakes are and how to use them more effectively.
How Many Sessions Does it Take?
While many people feel benefit from the first biofeedback session, Dr. Shawn Postma
recommends that his patients have at least 3 consecutive visits. This will help to build a
foundation for the work. If it is a good fit, then he suggests that people continue for
approximately 2 months, which is the length of time research has shown to help a new
behavior become automatic.
How Much Does it Costs?
Dr. Postma is offering a 20% discount for a package of three visits, at $280 ($70 Savings). The
first visit is 60 minutes, and the remaining 2 visits are 30 minutes.
This deal ends on July 31, 2019 so call 801-486-4226 and make an appointment today!
