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Stress is something we feel, talk about, and manage perpetually. But what is it exactly? Stress is the response our bodies make to stressors, which can be anything in the environment that demands something of you.

Not all stressors are bad. The fun challenges, experiences that make us grow and feel satisfaction in ourselves, cause eustress, the good kind of stress. The kind that makes you feel spent but fulfilled. You rose to the occasion and conquered!

Mostly when we talk about stress, we mean distress–the bad kind. It’s the feeling when urgent problems pop up, when you face a conflict at work or home, when everything feels tough and nothing goes right.

The stressors of life impact the body, not just the mind. The amount of stress, good or bad, one is dealing with at a given time is called allostatic load. The higher one’s allostatic load, the more demands are being put on the body to maintain health in the face of external chaos. As you face more stress, your body grows weary of resisting its impact.

I think of chiropractic as a form of stress management. Limited movement is a stressor. Poor sleep is a stressor. Dealing with pain and muscle tension is definitely a stressor! Chiropractic can help with all of these stressors and more. Chiropractic lowers allostatic load so that you can get back to overcoming with full strength whatever else you’re facing in life.

Why not let chiropractic put your body at greater ease so that you have less stress to manage and more bandwidth to manage the stress that remains?

Yours in health,

Announcements

Mark your calendars for May 14th &15th. The Spring Wellness Sale is happening on Sequoia Chiropractic’s Fullscript site, where all of Dr. Phillips’ recommended supplements will be discounted 20%, doubling the amount you can save.
Care to share a few words about your experience with Sequoia Chiropractic? Leave a review by searching for “Sequoia Chiropractic Pasadena” on Google or Yelp. Even a sentence or two helps others feel confident choosing Dr. Phillips as their chiropractor.
Sequoia Chiropractic will be closed on Monday, May 27th for Memorial Day.
Sequoia Chiropractic’s clinical care hours are MTWF 9am-2pm. If you have a new injury that needs urgent care outside of these hours, call or text 626-346-0977. Feel free to leave a voicemail or text ANY TIME and Dr. Phillips will return contact as soon as possible.
If your business or organization would like to arrange a guest talk or article by Dr. Phillips, email drphillips@sequoiachiro.com.
Did you know Sequoia Chiropractic has special rates for families and groups? Leave a voicemail or text at 626-346-0977 to get started.

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Book Recommendations

I love to read, and in each newsletter I recommend a book or two pertaining to health. You can find them at your local library, or to purchase a copy, head to Sequoia Chiropractic’s bookshop.org storefront.

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers

Robert M. Sapolsky

This book delves into the physiology behind stress and how stress uniquely affects humans compared to other creatures. Sapolsky posits that because humans have advanced cognitive abilities, we anticipate stressful situations and can put our bodies in a stress response by just imagining the problems we might face. Plus, we live lives full of chronic (long-term) stressors, rather than acute (short-term) stressors, which makes it harder for our bodies to reset between stressful moments. This leads to a deluge of chronic illnesses: heart disease, metabolic disorders, inflammatory diseases, and more. I know it sounds like a huge downer, but there’s hope! By understanding the human experience of stress, we can employ strategies to overcome its impact. This is not an easy read–the author opts to explain fully for the layperson rather than gloss over physiological mechanisms–but definitely a fascinating one.

Health Affirmation

When you were a little kid, did you have to learn how to fix your scraped knee? Nope, you just gave it time, and it took care of itself. The body *knows* things. That innate intelligence is written in our cells. If we give the body time, it’ll find a way to heal.

We may learn various strategies to help along the healing process, but it’s never something we fully control. There’s comfort in acknowledging that sometimes the body knows more than what we could ever learn ourselves to bring about healing.

Nutrition Spotlight

When you know you need an extra boost to get through something stressful, reach for Drenamin, a Standard Process supplement that provides support to the adrenal glands, organs that sit atop the kidneys like a pair of party hats that help you respond to stressors. Preparing for a big exam? Getting married? Moving house? Taking Drenamin will help you through it.

And when it’s time to recover, Cortisol Manager to the rescue! This is my favorite supplement to use at the end of the day when I feel tired but wired. It tells my body that the stressors have subsided and it’s okay to rest. I keep a bottle in my nightstand so it’s there when I need it.

The Spring Wellness Sale on Fullscript will be on May 14th and 15th. On these days only, receive 20% off all supplements you purchase at Sequoia Chiropractic’s Fullscript site. That’s double the usual discount offered to our patients!

Check out Sequoia Chiropractic’s Fullscript catalog of favorites and take advantage of the 20% discount by tapping the button below. Creating a patient account is free. To receive Dr. Phillips’ expert nutritional guidance, call 626-346-0977.

Create your Fullscript Account Now

One More Thing

This month I bring you not one but TWO full-body stretching videos. The first is an old favorite: a forty-minute yoga routine with Adriene, who offers lots of modifications to accommodate viewer’s different abilities.

The second is a new discovery: a thirty-minute yoga-inspired (but to be clear–not yoga) video that is ideal for flexible folks in search of moves that really stretch them.

Whichever approach you choose, they are both a yummy treat!

Thanks for reading. See you in June!