Stress, Gastrointestinal Problems and Probiotics

By Severica Vintila

Most people who are in stressful situations are usually reminded to take extra care of their health. A lot of literature already exist about the effects of stress in a person's mental health. Some, because of not being able to manage their stress, develop anxiety disorders or even depression. However, not a lot of people are aware of psychosomatic health problems which are mostly caused by a lengthened exposure to stressful events or situations.

She said that the teachers found it hard to control Tyler every time he would roam around the classroom and grab his classmates' belongings. She added that her son found it hard to pay attention during class and did not participate in group activities. At home, Tyler would leave his toys all over the house and climb over furniture and other high places. Even at a young age, Tyler's mother already knew that her son was a handful, unlike other children his age. After careful consideration, she decided to seek a doctor's opinion and found out about her son's condition.

1. Get a hug.If there is someone nearby whom you have a hugging relationship with, by all means, get a hug. Make it a nice and long one, if appropriate. If there's no one around, maybe cuddle a pet. Hugging or cuddling a pet releases oxytocin, which will counteract your stress hormones. And it also calms your stress response overall.

Parents who suspect that their children might be positive for ADHD should strongly consider having them examined by a specialist. Diagnosis of ADHD can only be made by doctors who have thorough knowledge of this condition. These parameters are usually used by doctors to determine if a child is ADHD-positive:A child exhibits behaviors common among those with ADHD; A child exhibits isturbing or hyperactive behavior that is uncommon in other children of the same age; andA child exhibits disturbing or hyperactive behavior for more that six months.

When a person experiences extreme or chronic stress, immune factors such as cytokines, neurotransmitters such as serotonin, and digestive acids such as protease are produced. Cytokines are components that cause inflammation in areas of the body with infection, serotonin affects contraction of smooth muscles, and protease controls protein digestion.

A lot of parents, mostly those who have children with ADHD, often wonder how their kids acquired the condition. Based on recent studies done by Dr. Joseph Beiderman, Dr. Dennis Cantwell and Dr. Florence Levy, heredity plays a major role in developing ADHD. Other studies also show that infant exposure to toxic substances such as nicotine and alcohol and injury to the brain, especially the frontal lobe, from trauma or tumors can also lead to kids having ADHD.

Hyperactivity is one of the most noticeable characteristics of children with ADHD. It is said that this behavior results from a problem in an executive function of their brain. This executive function is identified as response or behavior inhibition. Because of their difficulty in inhibition, their sleep behaviors are affected. Moreover, children with ADHD are sometimes prescribed medications containing stimulants which also prevent them from being able to sleep. A lot of these kids with this condition, thus, are susceptible to having insomnia.

The probiotics, also called as "for life" bacteria, compete for space in the stomach with the harmful bacteria and decrease the inflammatory responses. These effects of probiotics, therefore, make it a good possible treatment for gastrointestinal problems caused by chronic stress.

I wonder how you'll get me out of this one, and then take a deep breath and proceed to step five from the previous article: Do what you can -- one thing at a time. One of my favorite resources is the Unity Prayer Line, which you can reach 24/7 at 1800-NOW-PRAY. it's free and incredibly helpful. - 32530

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