How Does Stress Affect the Body and Exacerbate Pyroluria?
Small amounts of short-term stress is beneficial for the body. It helps to stimulate the connection between neurons in the brain, strengthens immune function, and can also motivate you to succeed. [1]
Unfortunately, living in the 21st century seems to create more sustained long-term stress, which negatively impacts the body. For Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder sufferers, excessive and long-term stress is a double whammy. Besides the adverse effects on the body, it exacerbates many of the symptoms associated with the condition. Stress drives up Sympathetic Nervous System activation, which makes us feel like we are out of control and reduces the function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which keeps us calm and relaxed.
Understanding stress and how it affects the body is important. If someone threatens you, your brain registers this threat and sends a message to the adrenal glands and they produce massive amounts of adrenaline. The surge in adrenaline increases muscle strength, heart rate, and blood flow to the arms and legs, glucose reserves are released, tunnel vision and reflexes improve, while the ability for the blood to clot is enhanced. Blood is shunted away from the digestive tract, which slows or stops digestion, the bladder relaxes, the mouth goes dry and hearing is reduced. This happens in preparation for a fight, or to run away. This reaction is commonly known as the fight or flight response. Once the threat is over, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol, to counteract the adverse effects of adrenaline.
This survival function was essential for our forefathers to help them avoid a warring tribe, or escape the deadly clutches of a Sabre-Toothed Tiger. However for most of the time, this stress response laid dormant, awaiting the next trigger. Fast forward to the 21st century, our adrenaline remains elevated from constant stressor harassment. Be it money problems, traffic, too much work, bad news, scary movies, electromagnetic frequencies, nutrient dead food, lack of sleep, drugs, rushing from A to B, being late for an appointment.....the list goes on.
These 21st-century stressors activate low-grade flight or fight responses. This ensures cortisol levels remain in a hyper-elevated state. Excessive cortisol contributes to significant health issues including; heart disease, depression [2], anxiety, digestive upsets, malnourishment, insomnia [3] addictive behaviour, immune suppression, sexual performance problems [4] and muscular spams. Even worse, for a Pyroluria or Pyrrole Disorder sufferer, elevated cortisol drives up hydroxyhemopyrrolin-2-one (HPL). HPL is the substance measured in the Pyroluria Test that exacerbates Pyroluria symptoms. [5] To help the body lower elevated cortisol, we recommend NatroVital's Cortisol Calm, a non-alcoholic herbal blend of herbs, that nourishes and supports the body during times of stress.
How Does the Body Handle Stress?
Thankfully the body has some mechanisms in place to help handle stress. GABA is the body's primary relaxing and tranquillising neurotransmitter. GABA helps to calm the body by slowing down the actions of excessive excitatory neurotransmitter activation, increasing the Parasympathetic Nervous System, while reducing the activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System.
This accumulative effect helps to reduce anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia and feeling overwhelmed. GABA also helps to increase the production of the Alpha brainwaves, which creates a deep sense of calm and relaxation.
To provide the specific nutrients required by the body to manufacture GABA and improve alpha brainwaves, we recommend NatroVital's Be-Calm.
How to Reduce Stress and Improve Pyroluria
Besides eating a nutritious diet and taking the recommended Pyroluria supplements there are a few simple techniques that help reduce the effects of stress.
- Deep breathing quickly reduces the adrenaline surges by activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Breathe in through your nose, hold, then exhale. Do this for at least 5 minutes per day.
- Meditation helps reduce Sympathetic Nervous System activation and increases Alpha brainwaves.
- Yoga and Ti Chi, like meditation, reduce Sympathetic Nervous System activation and increases Alpha brainwaves.
- Music is a vibrational energy that helps change the way we feel by altering our brain chemicals.
- Life-Work balance
- Exercise increases endorphins which makes us feel happy.
- We offer the Stress Support Pack containing Be-Calm, Cortisol Calm, and MagExcel to help the body cope with stress while reducing the toxic effect on the body.
Thoughts to Ponder
- Magnesium is the body's anti-stress mineral and the number one mineral for nervous system function.
- Magnesium, vitamin C, calcium and potassium are depleted by stress.
- Stress depletes vitamin B6, which worsens Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder.
- Stress reduces the number of beneficial gut bacteria, which can lead to Dysbiosis, causing more severe symptoms for Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder sufferers.
- Elevated cortisol reduces the body's ability to turn the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin and melatonin. This results in depression, anxiety, insomnia, crying spells and anger.
- Excessive stress depletes GABA.
- Stress shortens telomeres, which leads to accelerated ageing.
- Excessive stress leads to adrenal exhaustion, which in turn leads to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
- Stress slows the Parasympathetic Nervous System function which is required for proper functioning of the digestive system. Improper functioning can lead to digestive disorders including; bloating, gas, Leaky Gut Syndrome, constipation and diarrhoea.
Hopefully this article 'Stress - A Driving Force Behind Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder' has given you an insight into why managing stress is essential in treating and improving Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder. If it did, please leave a comment or share on social media.
Thanks and have a great day!
The information provided in this blog 'Stress - A Driving Force Behind Pyroluria and Pyrrole Disorder' is of a general nature and intended for educational purposes only. We make no claims to diagnose, treat, prevent, alleviate or cure illnesses or diseases with any information or product stated. With any health issue, we suggest you consult your healthcare professional before undertaking any health treatment.
