The Triad of Life™ is essentially an equilateral triangle symbolic of balance as it relates to health and well-being.
When the following three main components of health are in balance, optimal health and well being can be achieved:
- Physical (Structural)
- Nutritional (Chemical)
- Emotional (Mental)
Chronic stress is the result of an imbalance of one or more of the three components, and it is well documented that if any of these areas are chronically stressed, then chronic inflammation becomes unavoidable, eventually resulting in illness or disease.
Inflammation is present in all major disease conditions including:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Autoimmune
- Cancer
- Diabetes (Type 1 and 2)
Inflammation is also present in other conditions such as:
- Insomnia
- Fibromyalgia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (constipation or diarrhea)
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Skin Issues (Rash, Redness, etc)
- Arthritis
- Muscle stiffness and Joint Pain
- Chronic Allergies (Especially allergies that get worse every year)
Unfortunately, chronic stress is one of the leading health problems that plague modern society, and there are two things that both medical practitioners and holistic practitioners agree on:
Chronic stress and chronic inflammation are two major contributors to any illness or disease. And in today’s fast-paced society, it truly isn’t a big surprise that the two are closely related.
Learning how to reduce inflammation in the body is a primary factor in the prevention of disease, and vital to reversing a disease condition once it is present.
Keep in mind however, inflammation and stress are not always the awful villains that they are portrayed to be.
In fact, they are both a normal and necessary function of life.
- If our body wasn’t capable of producing inflammation, we wouldn’t be able to heal broken bones, cuts, or even recover from a fever.
- The “stress” of taking an exam, competing in a sporting event, making a presentation at work or performing in a recital can actually help improve focus, clarity, strength, and endurance.
And then there are those times when we are faced with a dangerous situation and count on our stress response (better known as the Fight or Flight Response) to take over and give us our best chance of survival. In these situations, our body releases three important chemicals:
- Adrenaline (also known as epinephrine and “the fight or flight” hormone)
- Norepinephrine
- Cortisol
These chemicals (hormones) are produced by the adrenal glands and are released the instant your brain gets the Stress Alarm – DANGER!
Physical signs:
- Pounding Heartbeat
- Faster Breathing
- Sweating
- Tense Muscles
- Increased Blood Pressure
- Surge of Energy!
And because the “fight or flight” response is vital for survival, other important components of health are temporarily halted until you are physically safe, or “feel” safe:
- Immunity
- Digestion
- Reproductive/sexual desire
- Cell growth
So it is easy to see that if you maintain this state of fight or flight chronically with every day stressors, the continuous release of these hormones would have detrimental effects on your health.