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Activating the Healing Proces
Examining an often overlooked healing nutrient
By
Irene Tamaras
07.13.07
Article available online at:
http://therapytimes.com/070662907HEALING
Healing: a process of curing; to restore to health; to repair.
As
both a patient and professional, healing and the healing process is
something I think about all the time. I am fascinated by what brings on
healing and what healing means. Through my life experiences, I’ve
learned so much, yet I’m eager to learn more about the mysteries of the
healing process. As all therapists know, healing can sometimes be a
very complicated and frustrating process. But we forge ahead,
attempting to find the right approaches that result in healing.
Unfortunately,
despite our best efforts and intentions, the healing process doesn’t
always yield the results we set out to reach. There are numerous
reasons for this, many of which are beyond our control and knowledge.
So many factors are at play – complicated injuries or diseases,
patients’ reactions, insurance restrictions and financial burdens, etc.
– that inhibit our ability to help the healing process yield the
maximum outcome.
But as I learn and study more deeply the manner
by which the body repairs itself, I believe it’s clear that despite the
notable restrictions that inhibit our patients from complete recovery,
there is so much more that can be done to aide in their healing
process. This aide has to come from all involved professionals and
patients.
Although there is a plethora of information to help
activate the healing process, I will focus on one topic that plays a
significant role in healing: the effects of stress on healing and the
importance of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on the healing process, which
medical professionals often overlook.
Stress continues to be a
growing epidemic, and whether the culprit is emotional or
physical in its origin, eventually one affects the other and vice
versa. Getting a handle on stress is crucial for staying healthy,
balanced and maintaining a high quality of life. Many of us know this
on the surface, but we must delve into the subject a little deeper to
understand the ramifications of stress on healing. Stress impacts the
healing ability of our organism in a negative way.
As
professionals, it is our duty to bring awareness to our patients and to
help them seek out solutions for effective stress management. It is
crucial that our patients understand the impact of their stress
responses on the bodies’ ability to heal. So many patients put all
their hope and trust in us, the professionals, yet they misunderstand
the incredible role they play in the success of their own treatments.
Successful treatments are the result of collaboration between the
doctor, therapist and patient.
However, many patients, for
various reasons, are unwilling to do their part once they leave the
doctors’ and therapists’ offices. Our attempts to help them can only do
so much, yet some patients leave their caregivers’ offices feeling like
they have received unsuccessful treatments.
So how does stress
impact the body’s ability to heal? Our adrenal glands, also known as
“the glands of stress,” help our body cope with stress whether the
stress is emotional, mental or physical in nature. Our resiliency, or
our ability to recover quickly from negative stressors, and our energy
and endurance depend on the proper functioning of the adrenal glands.
According
to the book, ITAL***Adrenal Fatigue*** (Smart Publications, 2002) by
James L. Wilson, when “the amount of stress overextends the capacity of
the body to compensate and recover from that stress,” adrenal fatigue
results.
Adrenal fatigue is a condition that is often
unnoticed by medical professionals or erroneously cited as another
medical condition, yet its effect on person’s ability to heal is great.
These important adrenal glands secrete hormones that “influence all of
the major physiological process in your body,” according to Wilson.
Therefore, the body’s healing response is directly affected by the
homeostasis of the adrenal glands.
One hormone of major
importance is cortisol, which helps the body cope with stressors. It is
important for normal body function and affects nearly every organ. When
the adrenal glands cannot produce enough cortisol, adrenal fatigue sets
in, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue (from mild to severe),
difficulty handling stress, increased time to heal from an illness or
injury, diminished mental capacity, feeling unhappy and more.
Furthermore,
cortisol is important in maintaining blood sugar and impacting the
body’s anti-inflammatory and immune reactions. It also affects the
cardiovascular and central nervous system. When the body experiences
any type of stress, the adrenal glands secrete increasingly more
cortisol because “cortisol protects the cell from stress.” With these
extra demands on the adrenal glands, the body’s capacity to secrete
cortisol is limited.
Learning to reduce or eliminate stress is
crucial for giving the adrenal glands a chance to recover, although
this can be a difficult process for people to manage. Sometimes,
getting out of a vicious cycle of illness and stress is impossible
because they go hand in hand. One way to aide in this recovery is to
educate our patients about the importance of vitamin C, which is one of
the most important vitamins involved in adrenal metabolism. According
to Wilson, “the more cortisol made, the more vitamin C used.”
In
the book ITAL***The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease***
(Putnam Pub Group, 1974) by Irwin Stone, “the answer is to change our
thinking about vitamin C and consume enough to replenish this long-lost
‘healing factor.’”
Stone’s research, along with other
renowned pioneers in vitamin C research, shows that vitamin C has the
“remarkable ability to fight disease.” Stone reports that additional
vitamin C must be taken during stressful episodes, such as injuries and
burns, and for those living with chronic stress because during
“increased adrenal activity, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is depleted from
the gland.”
One way to diagnose adrenal fatigue is by taking a
24-hour saliva hormone test, which measures the amounts of various
hormones in the saliva. According to Wilson, it is more effective than
blood testing, which “measures hormones circulating outside the cells,”
or urine testing, which measures the “spill over of hormones out of the
blood and into the urine.” He also indicates the importance of saliva
testing because neither blood nor urine testing “correlates with the
hormone levels inside the cells.”
But even after
adrenal fatigue is diagnosed through a saliva test, or by ones’ own
physical and emotional assessment, the simple act of taking vitamin C
supplements seems to become a heavy burden to people. I can’t begin to
deduce the reasoning behind this, but maybe through education, we can
help our patients understand the role that stress has over their
ability to heal.
The good news is that vitamin C is
inexpensive and easy to consume, as it is offered in chewable and
powder forms for those unable to swallow tablets. It is recommended,
however, that patients consult with their doctor and nutritionist or
other health professional to determine the right amount of vitamin C
for their circumstances. Keep in mind, however, that some doctors may
not be as knowledgeable in this area as other experts.
There
is much we can do to steer our patients in a healthier direction. As
professionals, we should not approach treatment in a robotic manner,
but instead reconnect with our intention to help our patients heal. And
given the state of our healthcare system, we should not put all the
responsibilities on doctors alone because it is impossible for them to
know everything.
It is of utmost importance that education and
information be brought forth so that this awareness can help patients
make better choices in their health management. We must help patients
realize that they need to work as partners with us in their recovery –
and this is the best way we can help them further activate their own
healing ability.
— Irene Tamaras is an expert in Reiki (2nd degree), Reflexology and Reflexotherapy, Qi Gong and Meditation.
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