Chronic stress is becoming the new normal for many people. According to the American Psychological Association, over 50% of Americans are living with chronic stress. This long-lasting state of stress can impact an individual’s mental and physical health in numerous ways, and it’s rewiring the brain to adopt stress as a standard state. As society faces constant pressure from factors such as unemployment, mortgages, relationships, career choices, and even daily irritations like neighbors leaving trash bins out, stress seems to be a constant presence in our lives.
Under stress, the brain goes into a fight or flight mode, leading to the release of stress hormones from the adrenal glands. While this response is normal for acute stress situations, such as evading a physical threat, it can have detrimental effects when sustained in the long term. As this chronic stress persists, the brain rewires itself to form new neurological pathways to accommodate this continuous state. This process is known as neuroplasticity.
As a result, the brain spends more effort directing the body’s cells to protect themselves, hindering its primary functions of delivering oxygen and nutrition to cells for normal functioning. Consequently, system imbalances occur, leading to symptoms like an inability to focus, lack of concentration, declining memory, low energy, insomnia, and more. If left undiagnosed and untreated, these symptoms can contribute to the development of more severe diagnosable diseases.
A study conducted by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden spanning 35 years found that men who reported constant stress as part of their lives had a 45% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to men who reported experiencing no stress or only periodic stress. This study highlights the importance of preventative measures, including stress reduction, in avoiding diabetes.
Chronic stress can also manifest as low-grade stress and anxiety lurking below your surface of awareness. Symptoms of low-grade chronic stress include an inability to focus and concentrate, insomnia, attention deficit, low energy, and chronic fatigue. If you experience any of these symptoms, chronic stress could be the root cause and may put you at higher risk for developing chronic diseases like diabetes.
Unfortunately, doctors and conventional medicine often fail to diagnose the root cause of these symptoms. Instead, they assign a name and a billing code to the symptoms and follow standard treatment protocol to treat them. However, new technologies are emerging to identify the symptoms’ root cause, right down to the cellular level.
One such technology is The Matrix Assessment Profile (MAP), a home-based evaluation process. Using a small sample of urine and saliva, MAP’s fluid analyzer will peek into your biochemistry and identify the imbalances causing these symptoms. Although it is not used to diagnose diseases, MAP identifies biochemical markers or imbalances that could lead to less-than-optimal health in the future. Thus, it provides real answers to chronic health care concerns that may have gone previously undiagnosed.
If you suspect you’re suffering from chronic stress, exploring new technologies and evaluations like MAP can provide a deeper understanding of your health and the potential imbalances caused by stress. By identifying the sources of unresolved cognitive and physiological symptoms, you can finally address and relieve chronic stress and anxiety to begin the journey back to health.
