Frequently I receive letters about fears and stress due to recent events and what to do about them mentally and physically. Trying not to engage our minds in negativity is important. It is about healing ourselves during these trying times by thinking positive thoughts or at least happy ones. Yeah, easier said then done! Some people have written to me of their fears about Ebola, terrorism and especially about so many health hazard caused by our modern life styles (pharmaceuticals, our adulterated foods, pesticides, etc.  The media enhances all of  these fears. For Ebola, some healers keep producing articles on what you should take to prohibit Ebola. Good! But the main thing is not to lower your immune system by fear and stress. Stress lowers your immunity! Losing sleep because of the fear also minimizes the immune system. All this may sound to some like spiritual voodoo but more and more evidence based science exists as to the brain-adrenal – immune – gut system having a direct relationship to our immune system and therefore disease and even the common illnesses like colds. For example, when I was in medical school (50 years ago) we did not realize that the gut was a huge part of our immune system creating what is called secretory immune globulins (sIgA): or that the gut produced hormones such as serotonin (a happy) hormone that we believed only the brain produced. There are many examples of the latter two that all seem to be down modulated by fear and stress. It is no wonder when a person says “It is just a gut feeling, or “I feel it in my gut.”

We have all experienced the flight or fight situation when it is chronic and not just  acute stress that causes fatigue &/or illnesses. In my 45 years of being an MD I also find people that are overly concerned about their physical and/or mental health. They spend a lot of money, time and effort jumping from one supplement & healer to the newest acclaimed healer or supplement. This overly concern about health stresses them with the fear that they could be healthier & negates their health efforts. The economics of the latter is often a source of stress, that is buying many supplements advertised (many without quality control) and jumping from one healer to another. This can also lead to a stress response that affects the adrenals and the immune system. I use many solutions. The easiest one for me is when fears and stress are interfering with me I picture a happy situation to replace the negative. For example: my granddaughter when she was about 3 walking with me she would hold her whole fist around one of my fingers. It was joyous.

Another caution I stress (no pun intended) is to stay away from negative people and make sure that you do not use negative language about situations and yourself. Being with positive and fun people really helps. I used to give my clients a list of funny films to watch like the Pink Panther. I have a lot of options in my book’s final chapter called How to kill a vampire.

It is not always the stress but the way we respond to the stress that causes our illnesses.

Alan Sault MD,ABHM : Emotional Vampires and your Hormones: an holistic physician’s view of how stress affects your well-being and what you can do about it.

holisticsecondopinion.net/vampires