Faith On The Line - Stress, Stress Go Away Vol 18 | Page 20

Because this is the time of pain. After adjusting for age, education, smoking life when the lifestyle habits habits, and weight/height ratio, high stress was of our 20s and 30s are associated with PMS symptoms, both psychologicatching up with us. cal and physical, of increased severity. It is not too late to reThe researchers concluded that “stress reducverse the process, of course, tion programs may be an effective, non-pharmathrough stress management ceutical treatment for physical and psychological and specific herbs and symptom relief.” nutrients that help the body Another telling study on the effect of stress cope with stress and promote hormone balance. in relation to infertility was recently reported However, women should watch their stress levels online in the journal Fertility and Sterility. This was from as early an age as possible. the first study of its kind to document, among A well-researched ingredient in carob called chirositol has been involved in more than 30 studies at the Virginia Medical School over the past 25 years. Research on chirositol has shown excellent results for conditions related to elevated cortisol and blood sugar imbalances, including type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) as well as for weight loss, particularly belly fat. One of the first signs of diabetes is skin tags. Chirositol, by normalizing blood sugar, can make skin tags a thing of the past. Chirositol stimulates insulin activity, helping to regulate blood glucose storage or push glucose into cells, which in turn helps to normalize blood sugar levels. At the same time, it will not cause low blood sugar in those with normal blood sugar levels. Interestingly, in women chirositol also reduces excess male hormones that contribute to The researchers found that acne and male-pattern facial hair growth stress significantly reduced such as on the upper the probability of conception lip or under the during a woman’s fertile women without a history of fertility chin, and improves period. problems, the truth of the longirregular ovulation or held suspicion amongst scientists menstruation. that stress reduces a woman’s Stress, PMS and Infertility chance of getting pregnant. The hormone-disrupting effects of stress are Almost 300 women between the ages of 18 not reserved for one age group. Just think of all the and 40 were observed for six months and their teenagers who suffer with menstrual irregularities, saliva monitored for a substance that the body acne and PMS, then recall the ups and downs secretes in response to physical or psychological of your own school years. The correlation is stress. The researchers found that, yes, stress no coincidence. significantly reduced the probability of concepA recent study in the Journal of Women’s Health tion during a woman’s fertile period. examined the relationship between perceived stress To the one in six Canadian couples who and PMS symptoms, including crying, cramping, and are dealing with infertility, stress reduction It is not too late to reverse the process, of course, through stress management and specific herbs and nutrients that help the body cope with stress and promote hormone balance. 20 Spring-2012-Magazine-April_4.indd 20 4/4/2012 1:08:37 PM