Stress - Dr Libby

The ‘mother’ gland: Decoding the pituitary and stress

June 20, 2024June 20, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Often referred to as the “mother gland,” the pituitary gland is a tiny yet mighty organ that plays a crucial role in how we respond to stress – both physically and emotionally. Understanding its function not only demystifies the biochemical dance of our stress responses but also empowers us to manage stress more effectively in our daily lives.

Imagine a typical day: you’re late for a meeting, your phone is ringing off the hook, and you just received an email that has upset you. Internally, a less visible scenario unfolds: your brain’s hypothalamus, constantly scanning the environment inside and outside your body, senses your distress and queries, “Am I safe?” When the answer is a resounding “no,” (which it is when adrenaline escalates when you’re starting to feel anxious, pressured or on edge, regardless of whether you’re physically in danger or have just consumed too much caffeine) it quickly sends a signal to the pituitary gland, which decides the next steps in this stress dance.

This pea-sized gland, nestled securely at the base of your brain, springs into action. It communicates the ‘danger’ to other glands, signalling the adrenal glands atop your kidneys to release cortisol and adrenaline, preparing your body to either confront the challenge head-on or to make a swift exit – the classic “fight or flight” response.

This cascade, known collectively as the HPA axis, involves not only the hypothalamus and pituitary gland but also the adrenal glands. It’s a finely tuned system designed for short-term emergencies. However, in our modern lives, where stressors such as traffic jams or work deadlines are commonly continuous, this system can be in perpetual motion. This ongoing activation can have profound implications, wearing down our body and mind, much like an orchestra playing a relentless fortissimo without a break.

The hypothalamus also works in concert with the nervous system – in this scenario, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – which can amplify the stress response even further. When the SNS is engaged, it enhances the production of noradrenaline, akin to adding more instruments to an already loud musical section, increasing the volume of the body’s stress response.

The personal cost of a perpetual crescendo

Living in this high-stress mode can lead to a range of health issues – imagine the wear on the musicians in an orchestra playing without pause. From anxiety and depressed mood, to heart disease and weakened immune function, the costs are high. It’s akin to an orchestra out of sync, where the harmony is disrupted, leading to a performance that is grating or lack lustre.

To mitigate the effects of stress, consider these strategies:

Mindful practices: Engage in mindfulness, meditation, or yoga to reduce the hypothalamic perception of threat, thereby lessening the pituitary gland’s need to initiate a stress response. This article can help if you find it hard to fit mindfulness into your busy schedule.

Nutritional support: Foods rich in vitamin C, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids can support adrenal health while zinc is essential for hormone production.

Adequate rest: Ensuring sufficient sleep helps recalibrate the body’s stress hormone systems, allowing for a more adaptive response.

Regular movement: Physical activity can help to modulate the SNS activity and increase the resilience of your stress response systems.

Understanding the role of the pituitary gland in the stress response doesn’t just add a chapter to our biological textbooks; it opens up avenues for proactive health management. By recognising the signals that trigger our stress responses and adjusting our lifestyle to support our endocrine health, we can protect ourselves from the ravages of chronic stress. This knowledge empowers us to not just survive but thrive, even in the face of daily challenges.

What is stress actually costing you?

June 20, 2024June 20, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Think back to the last time you felt truly relaxed. Can you remember how it felt? Now, contrast that with a moment of high stress – your heart racing, mind whirling, a sense of being overwhelmed. For many, these moments of stress are not occasional; they are a persistent part of their daily lives. Yet, have you ever stopped to consider what this constant state of stress is really costing you? And is it really, truly necessary?

Stress is like a stealthy, silent saboteur that affects every aspect of our being. It starts small – an urgent deadline, a personal disagreement, a financial worry – but gradually builds up, weaving its way deeper into our lives and before too long we think that this is just how life is.

Stress isn’t just a mental or emotional experience; it has profound physical implications. When we’re stressed, our bodies release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline – the culprits behind the ‘fight or flight’ response. While these hormones are useful in acute situations, their continuous flow in your bloodstream can wreak havoc over time.

The biochemical cost of stress

Long-term stress can contribute to the development of serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses. Stress can exacerbate nearly every pre-existing condition and can lead to the diagnosis of new conditions due to its effects on so many body systems. Yet, it’s not just the potential development of significant health challenges, it’s also the niggling symptoms that detract from your quality of life – the poor sleep, the hormonal disturbance, the digestive issues, the brain fog, fatigue, anxiety and the weakened immune system. These everyday ailments, while not life-threatening on their own, can significantly impair your daily functioning and overall sense of wellbeing. Chronic stress also contributes to chronic inflammation, which is a risk factor for many degenerative diseases. For this reason, truly addressing your stress isn’t just about avoiding major health crises – it’s about improving daily life and preventing the array of minor symptoms that can accumulate into more severe health problems over time.

The nutritional cost of stress

The nutritional cost of stress is often overlooked, yet it plays a crucial role in our overall health. Under stress, our body’s need for certain nutrients increases, particularly B vitamins, vitamin C, and magnesium, which are rapidly depleted in high-stress situations. Additionally, stress can lead to poor dietary choices, as people often turn to foods they perceive will offer them comfort that tend to be high in refined or artificial sugars, poor-quality fats, and empty calories, which can exacerbate the body’s stress response instead of mitigating it. This cycle of poor nutrition can impair digestion and absorption of nutrients, especially iron, leading to deficiencies that further compromise health. Over time, these nutritional gaps can further exacerbate the biochemical impact of stress, weakening the immune system, reducing energy levels, and slowing down recovery processes, making it harder for the body to cope with stress effectively and maintain optimal health.

The emotional cost of stress

When we are under chronic stress, our emotional resilience dwindles, often giving way to feelings of irritability, anxiety, and a depressed mood. This constant state of tension can strain personal and professional relationships, leading to disconnection and isolation. Over time, stress can erode our sense of joy and fulfillment, making us less engaged with life and less able to appreciate moments of happiness. Additionally, the perpetual fight-or-flight mode can cloud our judgment and decision-making abilities, making it difficult to respond effectively to everyday challenges. Addressing the emotional toll of stress is crucial, not only for maintaining healthy relationships and an uplifted outlook but also for preserving our overall psychological wellbeing.

Stress does not have to be an inevitable byproduct of modern living. If you find yourself frequently overwhelmed and yearning for a change, a pivotal question to ponder is: “How do I want to live?” This inquiry isn’t about awaiting the perfect circumstances or reaching a specific age to begin living as you desire. It’s about making both significant and subtle shifts right now, steering your life closer towards your vision with each step.

Often, we postpone our ideal lifestyle until external conditions change. Yet, it’s vital to realise that you can initiate minor, yet impactful steps towards your desired way of living without waiting for major changes. The common illusion that ‘there is plenty of time’ can be dangerously misleading. The truth might be that time is a luxury we don’t always have.

Initially, when you ask yourself “How do I want to live?” your first response might be something like, “I don’t want to work.” While earning money is a necessity for survival, allow this reflection to lead you to consider how much you truly need. Evaluating your financial and material requirements can profoundly affect how much you need to work, perhaps even allowing you to reduce your working hours.

Suppose you want to live with more vitality; you might start by walking for thirty minutes each day. If you miss connections with loved ones, perhaps you begin making weekly calls to let them know they’re valued. Or if you feel your work lacks impact, consider volunteering monthly to clean up your local beach or park.

Consider the concept of leisure time, which seems to have dwindled in recent years. Not so long ago, a balanced day consisted of eight hours each of work, leisure, and sleep. Today, work not only encroaches on our leisure but also cuts into our sleep, contributing to too many feeling an overwhelming burden. When reevaluating how you want to live, think about how to reclaim leisure time for activities that truly rejuvenate your spirit.

Identifying how you wish to live doesn’t mean major changes can or will happen immediately; some might take years to unfold or achieve. However, by integrating even small steps toward these changes, you might discover that other areas of your life begin to transform in unexpected and helpful ways. And the profound impact this gradual transformation can have on your overall stress levels might be more significant than you could ever predict.

How stress sabotages your digestive health

May 23, 2024May 21, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

When it comes to poor digestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or simply a bloated tummy, stress can be a major contributing factor. Understanding this connection is crucial for managing and alleviating these discomforts. It can help to remember that your body always has your best interests at heart. Even if bloating or digestive discomfort doesn’t feel beneficial, it serves a purpose in the grand scheme of your survival.

The connection between stress and digestion

When you produce the stress hormone adrenaline and your sympathetic nervous system triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response, your body deprioritises digestion. It diverts blood supply away from your digestive system towards your arms and legs, ensuring your muscles have the energy needed for immediate action. Consequently, when food arrives in your digestive system during this state, your body lacks the resources to digest it optimally. This misallocation often leads to symptoms of digestive distress, as many people unknowingly perpetuate stress through their lifestyle, thoughts, beliefs, and dietary choices.

Stress impacts your digestion in profound ways. When you’re stressed, your body’s priority shifts from long-term processes like digestion to immediate survival needs. The adrenaline surge prepares your muscles for a quick escape or confrontation, sidelining your digestive system since digesting food isn’t deemed essential for your survival. This can lead to a range of digestive issues, from bloating and gas to constipation or diarrhoea. For someone with IBS, this stress response can exacerbate symptoms, making life even more uncomfortable.

In a relaxed state, your body can focus on digesting food efficiently. However, chronic stress means your body is frequently in a heightened state of alert, diverting resources away from digestion and leading to persistent discomfort. This cycle can create a frustrating loop where stress exacerbates digestive issues, and digestive discomfort increases stress, compounding the problem.

Identifying stress as a trigger

If you have been diagnosed with IBS (typically determined after ruling out more serious bowel diseases) or experience chronic bloating despite various dietary changes, medicinal herbs, or medications under professional guidance, it might be time to look beyond conventional treatments. Persistent symptoms could indicate that something deeper needs addressing. Unfortunately, no amount of dietary change or supplementation can compensate for the effects of chronic and unrelenting stress.

Your body might be signalling the need for a change in how you treat yourself or how you think. It’s time to stop seeking quick fixes and start exploring how your perception of pressure and urgency impacts your digestion. Addressing daily worries and concerns that cloud your mind and trigger stress responses even when you’re not in physical danger can have a profoundly beneficial effect on your gut health.

Honouring your body’s signals

Your body might be crying out for you to treat yourself differently. Is it time to stop trying to come up with strategies that will “fix” you and instead begin to explore your perceptions of pressure and urgency in everyday life, and how this may be affecting your digestion? Perhaps you consciously or unconsciously worry what others think of you and your digestion would improve if you reassured yourself that you don’t need the consistent approval of others to survive the way you did as a child. When we address the daily worries and concerns that cloud our brain and are driving the body to experience stress even when we’re not in physical danger, it truly can have an incredibly beneficial effect on our gut health. Instead save your stress response for the times when you really need it – in instances of true emergency. It is time to honour the gut feelings you have, trust your inner guidance and employ measures to both counteract and reduce the activity of your stress response.

Ageing and weight gain: is it inevitable?

July 16, 2024October 5, 2018 by Dr Libby Weaver

Too many people are led to believe that ageing and weight gain go hand in hand.

The thing is, if this was the case, everyone would put on weight as they aged – and this does not happen. While it’s true that our body does change as we grow older, gaining weight with age is anything but inevitable.

Many women feel like they’ve tried everything to shift body fat, but their body just doesn’t seem to listen to them in the way that it used to. So let’s explore a few reasons why body fat might creep on over the years, and what you can do to address it.

We stop moving as much

Between work and raising families, we tend to make less time for our own wellbeing and this can result in reduced movement habits. If we have a desk job, statistics tell us the average adult will sit between 10-12 hours in a 16 hour waking day. That’s an incredible amount of time on our behinds! We can counteract this by looking for opportunities to increase incidental movement in our everyday life.

Ideally in an office job, you would convert your desk into a sitting/standing station but if that’s not possible for you, aim to get up every hour and move around the office – for example, walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water, or go and see a colleague rather than emailing. Other ways we can increase our incidental exercise include walking or riding a bike instead of driving short distances, gardening, taking the stairs instead of an escalator/elevator, parking at the back of a carpark and walking the extra distance and carrying our shopping in a basket rather than pushing it in a trolley.

We lose our muscle mass

From the age of 30 onwards, we begin to lose muscle unless we do something to maintain (or build) it. Beyond functional movement, muscle mass also affects our metabolic rate and energy production. Muscle mass typically accounts for around a third of total body weight and a quarter of your body’s metabolic activity. In contrast, body fat usually accounts for at least 20% of your body weight (and more for many people these days) but only 5% of metabolic activity! Your ratio of muscle to fat mass therefore greatly impacts your metabolic rate and when you consider that with age muscle mass naturally begins to decline, you can see why it’s important that we actively look for opportunities to build it.

Crash dieting and prolonged stress can actually lead to reduced muscle mass, as your body can convert the protein from your muscles into glucose to meet its energy needs. After a restrictive diet (and there is almost always an ‘after’ because feeling deprived is no way to live), the majority of people go on to regain the weight they lost (for myriad reasons) plus more – a reduction in muscle tissue, leading to a reduction in metabolic rate, in part explains why it can become much easier to gain additional weight.

So, embrace some kind of resistance training. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to the gym, although do this if it appeals! Pilates is a great form of resistance training and yoga uses your own body weight as resistance. The aforementioned suggestions for incidental movement can also help to maintain and build muscle.

Our perception of pressure might increase

The more people we have relying on us, the more pressure we’re likely to feel. When we’re young we tend to have fewer adult responsibilities and so our daily opportunity to perceive stress might be lower. When you add in caring for a family, managing a mortgage, maintaining a relationship with your spouse, family and friends, juggling work commitments, housework, cooking—and everything else we need to consider—it’s easy for these things to pile up as things we have to ‘manage’.

When we feel overwhelmed by responsibility and our everyday tasks, we will likely spend more and more time in what I call the ‘red zone’ which is where your stress response is activated. Without unpacking it fully, suffice it to say that more time in the red zone translates to your body getting the message that it’s not safe to burn body fat efficiently as a fuel. Until you communicate safety to your body, you’re unlikely to let go of extra body fat that your body has stored to ‘protect’ you.

The way we address this is to reconsider our perceptionof pressure and urgency. This is something I teach in Weight Loss Redefined because I recognise how challenging it can be to change the way you’ve been thinking for the last 20+ years. But once addressed, it can create so much freedom and joy in our lives. We can also counteract our stress response by breathing diaphragmatically as this communicates calm to our nervous system.

We haven’t been listening to our body for years

We’re not really taught how to listen to our body so it’s perfectly understandable that we don’t always know how to intuit our body’s messages. But here’s what I want you to know, those parts of your body that frustrate or sadden you—they’re messengers asking you to eat, drink, think, move, breathe or perceive in a different way. Our body doesn’t have a voice, so it uses symptoms to communicate with us. It’s actually pretty amazing if you think about it! So rather than judging yourself or feeling betrayed by your body, bring curiosity and ask yourself what it might be trying to tell you.

Here’s the thing, our body usually starts out by whispering to us. Perhaps we get a little bit of discomfort in our belly once a week, for example, but we don’t think too much of it because 90% of the time it’s fine. But then that whispering gets a little louder and the frequency of those symptoms increases. If we don’t listen, we might end up with daily bloating and wonder what on earth is going on. If we can learn to decipher our body’s messages while they’re still whispers, we can save ourselves a lot of heartache. That said, even if our body is shouting at us with really challenging symptoms, we can still very often experience radical relief if we find the road that our body took to create the problem. This will always be the path we need to take to resolve it.

Body fat that won’t shift can be attributed to nine different factors – gut bacteria, liver function, sex hormones, emotions, the nervous system, thyroid function, calories, stress hormones and insulin – and I cover each one of these in detail in my Weight Loss Redefined online course. As we age, lifestyle factors may compromise the efficiency of one or more of these factors and it’s this rather than ageing itself that can lead to weight gain.

This is why I am so passionate about helping women to better understand their bodies and what they need in order to achieve excellent health. It is my experience that weight loss (if this would benefit a body) is a natural side-effect of great health and if we address the nine factors, finding the one/s that sit at the heart of our challenges, we can maintain a healthy and comfortable body weight for many years to come.

How stress impacts your food choices

July 25, 2023October 20, 2016 by Dr Libby Weaver

I have never believed that weight-loss or weight management is as simple as calories in versus calories out. Our bodies are not inert and what contributes to how we nourish ourselves includes what can be complex cultural, psychological and environmental factors. What, and how much you eat, as well as moving your body regularly aren’t the only things that impact your weight. Emotional and physical stress can also tip the balance of the nervous system and subsequently the scales. But it’s not always about weight gain, stress can also result in people losing weight – or changing their eating habits.

Driving the stress response

When you go through a period of prolonged stress your body is constantly producing adrenalin, as a result your energy tends to be inconsistent. You fire up and then you crash, and the choices you make when you crash can set you up to fire up again and quite often they are nutritionally of a poor quality. They will typically involve caffeine, sugars or starches, or all three. Let’s face it. You don’t polish off a packet of chocolate biscuits thinking you are going to feel amazing afterwards. You don’t do that from a lack of knowledge. You do it for biochemical or emotional reasons, or both. Consuming too much caffeine is a sure fire way to feel stressed/rushed as it results in the release of adrenalin, one of our body’s stress hormones. Many people feel tired, yet often describe themselves as being wired – yet they continue to consume coffee (which stimulates adrenalin production!) This is of particular importance if you feel jittery when you consume it. Swap coffee for green tea or if that’s just unbearable to you, ask for a single shot coffee, notice if you feel calmer and more energised after a week of doing this.

Stress and weight gain

Continual overproduction of cortisol (our long-term stress hormone) can lead to visceral fat gain, the type located inside our abdomen that is strongly linked to inflammation and an increased risk of many diseases. Stress has a tendency to make food feel more rewarding or comforting, and subsequently we can rely on food to ease our stress. Be mindful of when you’re eating to alleviate stress or when you’re eating because you’re hungry. Typically, the types of food you want will be the clue here! Not many people who are stressed crave a big bowl of kale.

Stress and weight loss

Many people describe that the mere thought of eating makes them feel nauseous in the midst of chronic stress and anxiety. There is a biochemical reason behind this. When our bodies produce stress hormones part of this ‘fight or flight’ response suppresses what it considers non-essential processes such as our digestion, therefore, digestive processes are compromised. Liquids are often beneficial for these people as they’re much easier to digest, try soups, smoothies and slow-cooked foods, such as casseroles.

It’s not all about food

The most effective strategy for modulating or even eliminating stress is to identify where the stress in your life is coming from, or if you are driving this physical response through your thoughts and perceptions of pressure and urgency. This is not often as obvious as it may seem. While there are obvious triggers such as work deadlines, financial pressure, relationship pressures and so on – there will also be situations in your life you may never have considered for example your daily commute, or people in your life that may cause you to feel stressed due to their very nature or your response to them. It may help to do an experiment where you monitor your state of mind regularly; when you start to feel stressed write down the cause, your thoughts and subsequently your mood. Once you can identify your source/s of stress you can develop your own plan for addressing these factors.

Walking – The Forgotten Movement

June 18, 2019August 13, 2015 by Dr Libby Weaver

Everywhere you turn these days it appears there is a new exercise trend and while I’m all for finding different ways to keep moving – there is one way to move that’s free, great for your heart, soul and always accessible – walking! No need for a membership, or special equipment – the best part is anyone can do it regardless of age or fitness level.

Increase your energy

It might seem like a paradox (and often the last thing you might feel like) but a brisk walk is one of the best ways to naturally boost your energy. It is great for circulation, increases oxygen supply to the cells of your body and helps you feel more alert. It’s a wonderful way to break up your day – try going for a walk around 3pm, which is often the time people to start to crave sugar.

Boost your mood

Studies have shown that moderate-intensity movement (such as brisk walking) can be as effective as medication for those experiencing low mood states. It’s also a wonderful way to catch up with friends and reduce your stress levels by having a chat and a laugh.

Get some vitamin D

If you’re walking outside in sun, you’ll be boosting your body’s stores of vitamin D – it’s one of the most effective ways of producing vitamin D intrinsically. Too many New Zealanders are deficient in vitamin D, which plays a big role in everything from bone health to immunity.

It’s good for your bones and joints

Walking is a weight-bearing way to move which is important for strengthening bones. It is particularly important for increasing their density – which is critical to the prevention of osteoporosis, particularly for women. It also a great way to support healthy joint function and may have a protective effect in some inflammatory joint conditions. About 50 percent of adult bone mass is laid done during the teenage years. This makes weight bearing exercise and optimal vitamin D levels critical through these years. It is also vital for people of all ages to minimise their consumption of substances, such as caffeine, that drag minerals such as a calcium and magnesium out of bones, decreasing their density.

It’s a great way to connect with nature

Numerous research papers have demonstrated that walking reduces stress hormone production, improves mood, enhances psychological wellbeing and improves attention and concentration. A great way to incorporate walking into your routine is to leave the car at home and walk to the shops, or to work if possible. Or park a distance from your destination and make the most of the walk!

It even helps you sleep

Studies suggest that as little as 30 minutes of brisk walking over five days could help improve your sleep. Movement like walking boosts the effect of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin. However, walking too close to bedtime can be stimulating so aim for the morning or afternoon.

Feeling The Winter Blues? Feel Good Factors To Help You Through To Spring

June 18, 2019August 13, 2015 by Dr Libby Weaver

Feel good foods

There are numerous foods linked with enhancing mood, the most famous, of course being chocolate. Dark chocolate in particular is high in the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is one of 10 essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. It serves as a precursor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps the body regulate appetite, sleep patterns, and mood. Poor serotonin metabolism has been linked to anxiety and depression. Did you know however, that around 80 percent of the serotonin in the body is actually in the gut, not the brain? Foods that are naturally high in tryptophan include fish, other seafood, nuts, seeds, vegetables such as broccoli and legumes. Eating a wholefood diet rich in green vegetables and wholefood fats can make all the difference between feeling sluggish and heavy or energised. If you have poor digestion, getting to the heart of this and resolving the symptoms can have a significant impact on enhancing your mood, too. It never ceases to amaze me everyday, the power a healthy diet can have on all aspects of life, in particular in enhancing mood.

Clarify your life

Sometimes there is nothing better than a good old-fashioned clear out. There may be things you are storing on an emotional level and there may be things you are storing physically that are cluttering your thoughts. If you open your closet only to receive most of it falling straight on top of you it is time to let go of some things. Collect all your old clothes, appliances, or furniture that you no longer need and pass it onto charity. Not only are you letting go of things that no longer serve your life, you are contributing to someone else’s. From an emotional perspective there may be beliefs and behaviourial patterns you are holding onto that no longer serve you. Exploring these and developing strategies to change them can help liberate your mind to focus on the positive and good that is present in your life. Our behaviour is after all, the expression of our beliefs.

Be kind to yourself

At the heart of a lot of very successful, busy people is a strong sense of self-worth. In the busyness of our lives using positive affirmations are fantastic techniques to help you centre yourself again. Mediation, yoga and other breath-focussed practices can be highly beneficial every day, but particularly during times you feel overwhelmed. Repeat calmly to yourself either out loud or in your mind: “Breathing in I am calm, breathing out I smile”. Practice this while you wait at the traffic lights, or allow yourself 10 minutes in the morning to breathe lovely long, slow breaths and recite this to yourself. Say at least one kind thing to yourself a day… the more the better! Maybe you love your eyes, your quick wit, or your kind soul. Whatever it may be appreciate all you contribute to this world just by being you. Be your own best friend.

5 Tips to save your skin this winter

June 18, 2019May 5, 2015 by Dr Libby Weaver

Dry, flakey skin doesn’t have to be your reality this winter. Here are our five top tips for glowing skin this winter.

Hydrate

Skin loves hydration! Your skin is your biggest organ and it needs a steady supply of fluid to stay hydrated, plump and glowing. Ensure that you are drinking plenty of filtered water, herbal tea, organic bone broth and veggie juices to help keep your body and skin hydrated. Fluids also help to flush out any harmful substances from the body and prevent these substances from needing to be excreted through the skin, where they can cause damage.

Nourish

Start by eating real food. Real food, as it comes in natures is packed with a range of nutrients, all of which promote great skin. Avoid processed food, caffeine and alcohol and notice the difference this makes to your skin. Vitamin C is particularly helpful for skin as it helps to combat free radical damage, which is part of the cause of aging and wrinkles. Vitamin C rich foods include citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, capsicum and broccoli.

Skin loves fat! Fat helps the skin to maintain its moisture barrier which helps keep skin soft and prevent drying. Flaky and dry skin or cracked heels and cuticles can be a sign that you are lacking in essential fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are particularly helpful for skin, and is the type of fat that most people are deficient in. Oily fish like sustainable sardines or salmon, chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts are all great omega 3 rich fats to include in your diet. Coconut oil also makes a great topical moisturiser to use on dry patches of skin.

Be careful with your skin

Your skin is a delicate organ, so be aware of what you are allowing to come into contact with it. Every day our skin is exposed to substances in the air and from our environment that are less than ideal, so it is important to not compound this problem by using harmful skincare or make up products as well. Look for skin products that use organic ingredients and are free from synthetic substances. This ensures that the products we use to assist the outside aren’t doing more harm than good.

Consider not wearing make up all of the time. Give your skin a break, prevent clogged pores, and allow it to breathe. Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible, as our hands are covered in bacteria and it is best not to transfer this bacteria to our face where it can cause problems.

Start brushing

Dry brushing is when you use a soft bristled brush to brush your skin. This technique increases blood flow to the skin, boosts lymphatic drainage – which helps remove waste products from the body, and exfoliates the skin. Always brush towards the heart. After brushing apply nourishing oils like coconut or olive oil to hydrate your skin.

Look after your gut

The face is a useful tool for exploring deeper issues. Flare ups of pimples, acne, rosacea, eczema, and rashes are a signal that other body systems may not be functioning at their best. More often than not it is the gut that is not as happy as it could be. Poor digestion can lead to liver detoxification pathways that then struggle to clear unwanted substances from the body. When these substances are not eliminated efficiently the body looks for another way to excrete them and the skin is then used as an excretory organ. This can trigger pimples, rashes and other skin troubles. A diet high in plant foods, lots of water and avoiding caffeine, trans fats, processed sugars and alcohol can all contribute to good digestion and happy, radiant, clear skin.

The Science and Impact of Rushing

June 18, 2019June 23, 2014 by Dr Libby Weaver

Rushing Woman’s Syndrome is the name of the second book I wrote in 2011. The book initially evolved out of my observation of a shift in women’s health and behaviour in my practice over the previous 16 years. Never before in my work had I witnessed so many females in a rush to do everything and be all things to all people. Never before had I seen the extent of reproductive system and sex hormone challenges that I was seeing. Women were wired. Many of them tired too. Tired yet wired. And this relentless urgency, this perception that there was not enough time, combined with a to-do list that was never all crossed off was having such significant health consequences for women that I had to write about it. I didn’t want these amazing mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and colleagues to compromise the quality of their lives in order to live up to this perceived urgency.

Not that long ago in human history women were given the opportunity to do what had traditionally been their father’s jobs, while maintaining what were traditionally their mother’s responsibilities and what has unfolded for too many women is a frantic double shift, of working day and night, with very little if any rest.

We’ve made more progress in the workplace than we have in the home. Research shows that if a woman and man both work full time and have one child, she does twice the amount of housework and three times the amount of childcare he does. So essentially, she has three jobs and he has one. It is time for the dawning of new era for women, which means it has to be for our men as well.

The perceived need to rush, whether a woman displays it on the outside or keeps it under wraps, is changing the face of women’s health as we know it in a detrimental way; from PMS to IBS, from losing our tempers to feeling like we can’t cope.

Rushing Woman’s Syndrome describes what is scientifically known as Sympathetic Nervous System Dominance and the biochemical changes this drives in the body (see extended explanations of the science below). I wanted women to understand the significant way stress can impact the chemistry of their body, the many body systems it can affect, and offer them practical solutions to this.

The role of the nervous system
The nervous system plays a significant role in the stress response and it has a number of parts. The two branches related to this concept are the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), also known as the amped up “fight or flight” response, and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the calming “rest, digest, repair and reproduce” arm of the nervous system. The challenge for too many women today is that they live in SNS dominance and this can play havoc with weight management, food cravings, sleep quality, patience, moods, self-esteem, and overall quality of life.

One of the hormones driving this is adrenalin, which communicates to every cell in the body that your life is in danger. As I described in my TEDx talk science suggests humans have been on the planet for between 100,00 and 150,000 years and for the entirety of that history, that’s what adrenalin has meant to the body. The nervous system doesn’t know that the adrenalin amping you up is not from a physical threat to your life but rather your body’s response to the caffeine you drink and/or your perception of pressure.

When we live on adrenalin we tend not to sleep restoratively, crave (and give in and eat!) sugar despite our best intentions, and find it harder and harder to utilise stored body fat as a fuel, instead burning glucose. Yet when we primarily burn glucose as a fuel (instead of body fat), because it is our “get out of danger” fuel, the body can’t risk the glucose fuel tank getting too low so the desire for sweet food gets switched on… hello harsh self-talk when you give in to your sweet cravings even though you said you wouldn’t.

Sex hormone imbalances
One of the biggest challenges facing women’s health today is the way stress hormone production is interfering with sex hormone balance. Too many women now suffer with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), PCOS, endometriosis and experience debilitating menopauses, which can have both physical and emotional health consequences.

From painful periods to fluid retention, from anxiety to yelling at the people we love the most in the word and berating ourselves afterwards, it has been a long time since women’s health has faced such an intense hormonal challenge. This interference of stress hormones with sex hormones is one of the major biochemical factors I describe in Rushing Woman’s Syndrome.

Estrogen and progesterone are two of a woman’s sex (steroid) hormones and their ratio to one another has the potential to make us happy or sad, vivacious or anxious, pimply or clear skinned, and our clothes looser or tighter. Big roles for two little hormones!

For the first half of the menstrual cycle, estrogen is the dominant hormone, laying down the lining of the uterus. Estrogen wants a menstruating female to get pregnant every month of her life, whether that is on her agenda or not!

For the first half of the cycle, we make a small amount of progesterone from our adrenals glands, walnut sized-glands that sit on top of our kidneys. Progesterone’s job reproductively is to hold the lining of the uterus in place, yet it performs a host of other biological functions aside from those involved in reproduction.

Progesterone acts as an anti-anxiety agent, an anti-depressant and a diuretic, allowing us to excrete excess fluid. However, our adrenal glands are also where we make our stress hormones from; namely adrenalin and cortisol. As you now know, adrenalin communicates to every cell in your body that your life is in danger, while cortisol says that food is scarce. As your body links progesterone to fertility, the last thing it wants for a woman is to bring a baby into an environment where it perceives she is not safe and that there is no food. The body, therefore believes that it is doing you a great big favour by shutting down the adrenal production of progesterone.

Park the fertility aspect of what I’ve just said and consider the additional biological impacts of this: we make too little of a hormone that helps us not feel anxious, not have a depressed mood and allows us to efficiently mobilise fluid. If a woman retains fluid, she usually feels “puffy and swollen” and this discomfort can impact the food choices she makes for the rest of the day, the way she speaks to the people she loves the most in the world and intimacy can fly out the window. That’s just the first half of the cycle!

Once ovulation occurs around mid-cycle, the majority of a woman’s progesterone is made by the corpus luteum, the crater that remains in the surface of the ovary after an egg has been released. On day 21 of the cycle, progesterone is supposed to peak, yet the most common test result I get back from laboratories is “<0.5”… in other words, the lab can’t find it… can’t find the hormone that is designed to help keep us calm, not anxious, not deeply sad and have our clothes continue to fit.

For too many women, estrogen is dominant (to progesterone) leading into the menstrual period and this is the typical hormonal imbalance that is the basis of PMS – heavy clotty painful periods, swollen tender breasts, and mood swings that can oscillate from intense irritability to immense sadness, sometimes in the same hour and often for reasons that cannot be identified! This can feel like chaos for a woman… and everyone around her.

I like to say this biochemical and emotional scenario is common but not normal. It doesn’t have to be this way. What if the symptoms your body gives you, what if the parts of your body that frustrate or sadden you, are simply messengers asking you to eat, drink, move, think, believe or perceive in a new way? It is time to see them as the gifts that they are. These symptoms can be wake up calls for women to make changes in their lives they may not otherwise make, enhancing their health, energy, vitality and greatness in the process.

Why do we do what we do when we know what we know?
So why do we do it? One reason is because we care so much for the people in our lives. On one level this way of living comes from such a beautiful place. It happens because we have beautiful hearts, but even deeper than that it happens because we made up a story a really long time ago that we aren’t enough the way we are; that we aren’t good enough, tall enough, slim enough, pretty enough, brainy enough, on time enough, that we’re just not enough the way that we are, so we spend our lives trying to please everyone in our realm, putting their needs ahead of our own. We rush around and do all we can to make sure that others love and appreciate us so that we never, ever have to feel rejected, ostracised, unlovable, criticised, yelled at, and like we’ve let others down.

It’s not just the physical health consequences that concern me for women. It’s that they live their lives so out of touch with their beautiful hearts, out of touch with how extraordinary they are and in the cloud of false belief that they aren’t enough.

It is important to realise that the way we eat, drink, move, think, believe and perceive impacts our need to rush. As a scientist and health professional I aim to help people live their lives with more PNS activation because this alone can have the most profound effect on health. From that place sex hormones are far easier to balance, liver function (detoxification processes) and digestion work closer to optimal so there’s far less bloating, and the thyroid works better which is also important for metabolic rate and the ability to burn body fat.

Bring awareness to why you do what you do and work out what lead you there. Awareness, rather than judgment of ourselves is the first step in this journey to retire from the rush. Please remember that life is precious, that you are precious and to treat yourself accordingly.

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