BRICK –– Stress is often treated like a pebble in the shoe, according to Dr. Daniel J. Cruoglio.
People try to kick around the pebble for a while before removing it to end their discomfort. People need to think of stress like the pebble, as something that irritates a specific nerve on the body, and work to eliminate it. And this irritation can be effectively eliminated through chiropractic medicine, he said.
The benefits of chiropractic therapy on relieving the symptoms of stress were discussed by Cruoglio, of First Choice Health Group, Brick, at a health and stress workshop presented at the Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library Aug. 19. Cruoglio emphasized the inevitability of stress in an individual’s life but said it is how it’s handled that may cause lasting effects on a person’s health.
"In order to avoid stress, you would have to avoid life," Cruoglio said.
To begin to understand what is going on inside your body, it is important to understand the different definitions, causes and even levels of stress, he said.
Two definitions were presented to participants. One included stress as the rate of wear and tear on the body as the result of anxiety, worry exhaustion or challenging situations. The next defined stress as something that causes irritation to a person’s nervous system.
The causes of stress, Cruoglio said, are things people encounter in everyday life. These can include jobs, money, relationships, children, certain medication and even junk food.
The body enters three stages when faced with stress. Stage one, known as the alarm stage, is where the body’s "fight or flight" response is activated. Stage two, known as the resistance stage, is where the body tries to adapt or change because of a stressor. In stage three, known as the exhaustion stage, the body becomes physically exhausted and certain stress-related hormones are secreted.
Stage three is often marked by physical illness, Cruoglio said. In this stage, hormones such as adrenaline and coritsol –– which raise blood sugar and halt the immune system –– are secreted. These types of hormones, he said, can cause the loss of the ability to digest, decrease the circulation of blood to the heart, and cause a drop in the body’s immune defense.
And the symptoms brought on by stress are ones that individuals deal with every day, like headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, allergies, irritability, pain in the neck, back and shoulders, and digestive problems.
"These are conditions not treated successfully medically," he said.
Many people, he said, expect quick fixes and relief from pain by the use of drugs, like aspirin, to cure them, though the cause of the pain, which is stress, still remains.
Our society, unfortunately is educated about our health through drug advertisements, he said. This may cause many to believe any ailment can be treated successfully by popping a pill.
Cruoglio said one of the first steps to becoming well is understanding there is a problem.
"Become aware of where your body is in space and time," he said.
A good measure of how the body is being impacted by stress is through several simple physical and neurological tests, like seeing how far you can turn your head to the side before feeling strain on your neck, or testing how you long you can balance yourself on one foot.
Another effective test is the trigger point test. Trigger points, Cruoglio said, are tender areas in the body that indicate irritated nerves. Cruoglio said common trigger points include the neck, lower back, and shoulders.
It is here where chiropractic therapy can help ease the painful physical symptoms of stress. Chiropractic medicine works to pinpoint the affected nerves, particularly in the spine, that manifest in diseases or pain.
Cruoglio’s other recommended methods for reducing levels of stress include eating a more healthful diet, regular exercise, using vitamins, and making sure you laugh every day.