A patient comes to you and complains of scoliosis. What line of treatment would you follow? Do you think it is sufficient to enquire about his present complaint or you feel the past history plays a role?
All these questions lead to a very important aspect of medical practice known as the Holistic approach. Modern medicine professionals have now started realising and accepting that most diseases originate from mental stress and faulty regimen. Hence, therapeutic approach to diseases must be holistic and not just nomenclature oriented. Treatment prescribed just by names of diseases may prove rather harmful. As the medicines given by this approach only suppresses symptoms for a while without curing disease permanently. The disease which was simple and curable formerly, becomes more complex later. To understand this it is important to know how mental stress alters physiology of an individual affecting homeostasis and resulting in a disease.
If you are asked to name the vital organs of our body, what will you answer? You will say heart, brain, liver and kidney. Yes, you are right. However there is one more equally important pair of glands situated on both sides just above kidneys called as ‘Adrenal glands’, which is generally ignored while managing with diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes, Thyroid disorders, High cholesterol, Atherosclerosis, Tumors, Endometriosis and many more.
The adrenal glands play an important role in the evolution of diseases in a patient especially when there is a history of severe stress. Stress can be classified in three types: Physical in the form of physical trauma, mental in the form of emotional stress, chemical in the form of industrial chemicals like over use of medicinal drugs, plastics, cosmetics etc. Exposure to any of these stress factors stimulates adrenal glands to release cascade of hormones stimulating sympathetic nervous system to produce ‘Fight or Flight’ response. This response is highly important for adaptation and survival in situation of stress. However, chronic exposure to such situations of stress, gives rise to a condition known as ‘Hyperadrenalism’ whereby whole system gets involved affecting almost all the organs of body one by one producing a series of symptoms mimicking various diseases but ideally speaking they are nothing but body’s response to adapt in situations of stress.
Hormones released from the adrenal glands during stress are epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol and aldosteron. Cortisol is the most essential hormone to regulate the physiological functions of body. In Hyperadrenalism, levels of these hormones in rises in the blood resulting in diseases like hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, osteoporosis, cushing’s syndrome, endometriosis, tumors etc.
The following video gives a perfect idea about the Holistic approach to prevent and cure diseases. This video helps you to cut short the stress factors from your daily diet and lifestyle. It recommends regular physical exercise to keep your adrenals healthy. Thus preventing the over secretion of cortisol. Do watch this video. It a worth watch!
