An integrated, holistic approach to stres management needs to address causes,
rather than suppress symptoms. The process starts with assessment of your
individual needs - both subjectively and objectively.
Assessment tools available include:
- Case history.
- Symptoms questionnaire (online tool, with automatic report generation).
- Laboratory testing - e.g. of your stress hormone levels, or Hair Mineral
Analysis (see box).
- Breathing assessment - an office-based instrument can detect any degree of
hyperventilation, which is a factor in the majority of stress and anxiety cases.
- EEG assessment - looks for different brain patterns behind stress, and can
suggest useful support therapies.
- Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) balance - the ANS is responsible for the "fight
or flight" response, and often becomes imbalanced in stress cases.
- ES Teck Analysis - this powerful office-based tool measures body composition and
estimates several physiological parameters including metabolic rate, thyroid
function, insulin function and more.
The body's response to stress progresses through various stages. The
early or acute stage is characterised by the well-known "fight-or-flight"
response. But if stress is prolonged, the body's efforts to adapt can have
harmful effects, eventually resulting in the exhaustion stage.
Hair Mineral Analysis is a low-cost, simple laboratory test that can
show how stress is affecting your body. These charts show the relative balance
between tha major minerals found in the hair (as in all body tissues) - Calcium
(Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K).
The left hand chart shows an example of the acute stage. Sodium and
potassium levels are very high while calcium and magnesium are relatively low.
In the right hand chart we see almost the opposite: calcium has gone off the
scale while sodium and potassium are relatively low. This person has reached the
exhaustion stage.
© Copyright Glyn Blackett York Mind-Body Health, The Biocentre, York Science Park, York YO10 5NY 01904 435 267