Question:
Exercise And Stress Management?
Answer:
Many people's treatment regimen involves diet, exercise and medication. I
have yet to see someone write at their footnote something that says diet,
exercise, medication and stress management (in whatever form that takes).
Whilst I am more than likely to be shot down by some asd people that have
walked the road of diabetes and its complications and have found their
personal solution is to treat the symptoms through physiological means,
stress management is one area of diabetes treatment that is neglected.
To step back a little, my interest in this approach has been aroused through
a parallel interest in quantum mechanics. Without going into too great a
detail, the study of quantum mechanics reveals that the simple act of
observation is sufficient to alter the outcome of an experiment.
What this means in diabetes management is that we often ignore the cause and
effect relationship between our mind and our bodies. The response to stress
as factor is to use the biochemical remedies of tranqulisers and
antidepressants. Just pop a zoloft or and the problem goes away.
Placebos as medication have been known to work for some ailments but not
diabetes. This happens in many drug trials because the act of receiving some
treatment for an ailment (other than diabetes) seems to draw a relationship
between the mind and its ability to control the body to heal itself.
But stress management is more than the use of placebos. It could involve the
ability of using the mind to change our attitude to living so that we
reduce our ability to be affected by conditions that cause stress. We often
associate our ability to reduce stress with such activities as a holiday,
physical exertion, sport, engagng in art and such like. These are just
temporary relievers of stress. The resumption of the normal patterns of life
will resume the normal levels of stress.
My theory is that stress management would involve the constant control and
monitoring of the mind (like we monitor our blood sugars) so that we are
relatively unaffected by the daily pressures of life. In this way, we may be
able to slow down the triggers that result in out livers dumping glucose
(and cholestrol).
Anyone with success in this area?
Mano Govender
Dx'd T2 March 2002
Diet, exercise and ayurvedic treatment
500 mg metformin
pravastatin (for cholestrol)
Note to all habitual biogoted flamethrowers, I am not advocating any
particular treatment, neither am I selling a product.
Please consult with your own medical practioner before following any ideas
that I present or any diabetes management plan that works for me.
By the way, one doctor wrote that
immediate stress (e.g., car accident,
rumor of company layoffs) and long-term
stress (e.g., a job that never gives you
a break) have opposite effects on BG.
One tends to lower BG, the other to raise it.
I don't remember which, though.
Anyone know which, and/or have information
to confirm or refute this?
I think that a combination of both attempting to reduce sources of
stress in daily life as well as using techniquest to manage sources of
stress in daily life are necessary.
In my particular situation, I was in a very stressful job. I found that
stress management techniques were ineffective: it was like trying to
put out a housefire with eyedroppers full of water. In that case, the
obvious solution was to get a new job, which I did. However, it it not
always possible to eliminate sources of stress in daily life. That is
when stress management techniques can be very helpful.
I became interested in this area after reading material on stress
published by American Diabetes Association. The material basically
noted that for those predisposed to diabetes, stress alone can bring
about a hyperglycemic episode.
