Chronic stress upsets the happy tum

Chronic stress upsets the happy tum making us prone to inflammation, angry blood vessels and many nasty diseases. Seeking "peace on the range" may be the start of a new journey within the self.

We all know that when we are disturbed, upset or frightened the first place we feel it is in the tum; it could be a dose of diarrhoea, heartburn or even constipation. Researchers are finding these chronic mood changes have a great influence on the balance and the diversity of the bugs in our intestines; the so-called microbiome.

Fight or flight

The body's first response to a stressful situation is one involving the sympathetic nervous system. If it's a situation you feel you can manage then it is quite normal to "fight back" and endeavour to take control. That doesn't necessarily mean an angry retort. It could simply be to swerve when some idiot breaks the rules of the road. In short it is a healthy counter to a situation.

The second response is when realising the situation is beyond your control to "get out of Dodge." There's no point trying to fight back if your car is on fire; you just flee.

These are quite normal responses to acute stresses.

The cortisol reaction

Cortisol is one of the hormones that quite naturally and normally produces glucose, our main energy source. When stressed the endocrine system produces a cascade of these neurotransmitters that help us to deal with the situation.

Neither of these are likely to affect the microbiome.

Chronic stress

It's chronic stress that brings about these changes in the gut; situations that you feel unable to deal with but cannot flee from. A difficult boss, a disabled child or a mother who has had a stroke will eventually exhaust our normal coping mechanims and threaten to serious throw us out of kilter.

Researchers have found that chronic stress brings about changes in the bugs in the gut; pathogens begin to flourish causing generalised inflammation and there is loss of the friendly microflora that produce the short-chain fatty acids that are so important. They supply energy to the cells lining the gut and modulate the immune system; preventing both over and underreactions to situations.

The hyperactive autoimmune diseases that are seriously growing in leaps and bounds are just as challenging as a poor response to pathogens that invade our bodies. Both are responses to chronic stress that upsets the happy tum. 

Back us vulnerable to conditions like chronic fatigue, raised blood pressure and depression; also to leaky gut syndrome, bowel upsets and poor absorption of important micronutrients.

Peace on the range

So how do we go about finding peace on the range in the face of the chronic stresses of daily life that we all face? Things that seriously would overturn the applecart and upset the happy tum were we not to face them squarely.

Forest bathing

Forest bathing comes in many different forms. In essence it is being outwardly active whilst the mind and the spirit are given space to be still; and to appreciate the scents, sounds and beauty of the surroundings. Others might say "take time to smell the roses."

So it could be a walk in the forest looking for berries or mushrooms and listening out for the first call of the cuckoo in early spring.

It could be a stroll through the vegetable garden looking out for the first seeds of spring giving the promise of a mountain of food.

Last year we lifted nearly half a ton of new potatoes from our suburban garden.

It could also be a gentle cycle through the countryside, reaching for the flute and a heap of other activities. There's only one rule; the cellphone must be firmly left at home, out of reach and mind, unable to disturb the growing inner quietness.

Meditation

Meditation is a very old practice in which we become increasingly still, seeking after an inner calm and clarity when faced with stressful situations. It's not just for mystics; ordinary people like you and me also need to discover quietness and discern direction.

It's a term that distressingly has been brought into disrepute in some ultra-conservative Christian circles, thought to be an "Eastern practice" or some such. Yet the command to "be still and know that I am God" is in fact a call to meditation.

Lectio Divina

The discovery of an ancient religious practice known as Lectio Divina has been a great step forward in my own life in the management of chronic stress. It refers to a spiritual reading of a short passage of scripture, slowly and repetitively, teasing out the inner truths.

It is quite different to the hurried reading of a whole chapter or even several passages to fulfil the perceived need for a "quiet time" which for me for many years was anything but; rather it was a religious duty that certainly had some meaning but fell far short of discovering the heart of Almighty God.

As I increasingly found meaning, stillness and purpose it has grown to taking up the best part of an hour in the early morn; time willingly and joyfully given as I responded to the invitation to sit with God in "heavenly places." Welcoming and discovering the real meaning of a text of scripture cannot for me at any rate be found hurriedly.

Homemade probiotics

If chronic stress upsets the happy tum by quelling the friendly flora and favouring the pathogens like E.coli and Shigella as researchers have found, then another approach is a daily dose of probiotics.

Researchers are adamant that it's not only the quantity of friendly bugs in the happy, reportedly around an astonishing 2kg, but also the diversity of bacteria that helps us to manage the pressures of our stressed society.

The thief of time

Traditionally procrastination is known as the great thief of time; and so it is. But increasingly the cellphone, social media and television have stolen so many hours that we have little opportunity for quietness and meditation.

Nor do we today have time for the activities that enable us to deal with chronic stress; taking a gentle stroll, hobbies and gardening.

Resist the devil

Resisting the devil so that he will flee from us is no easy matter. It means determinedly leaving the cellphone behind, cultivating good habits and choosing healthy foods.

Researchers have clearly shown that the friendly flora is utterly dependent on resistant starch and plenty of fibre. All the tea in China, kefir from the Caucasians and German sauerkraut will not protect us from the chronic stress that upsets the happy tum with whole grains and generally unprocessed food.

Chronic stress upsets the happy tum

Chronic stress upsets the happy tum by disrupting the friendly bugs. A poor diet devoid of fibre and resistant starch simply adds to the "dysbiosis" as it is called.

Less than 5% of those eating typical grocery store food are getting sufficient fibre; it is little wonder we are so stressed and ail from so many diseases of the tum.

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