Functional Medicine: The New Standard by Kevin Hoffarth

Author:Kevin Hoffarth [Hoffarth, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-13T07:00:00+00:00

Anxiety attacks are becoming more and more common. When I worked in the ER, I was impressed by the perception of doom that comes over someone having a panic attack. It’s overwhelming but commonplace. Nine times out of ten, patients who experienced an anxiety attack left the ER totally fine. That said, stress can literally make you feel like you are going to die. Do not underestimate it.

Like Amy, some people take stress for granted. Many times they underestimate the impact of their stress response until they go on vacation, change jobs, or make a change in their relationship dynamics. It never ceases to amaze me how symptoms magically go away when my patients go on vacation, remove themselves from work that isn’t feeding their spirit, or simply break away from a toxic relationship.

Europeans are strongly encouraged to take six weeks of vacation a year. As Americans, we are notorious for not using up our vacation time, even when it’s paid time off. I believe this comes down to cultural values. So often we closely link our jobs to our self-worth, aligning our value with how many hours we put in or how “needed” we are by our jobs. We might even view taking time off as a sign of laziness. This leads to shame, which can be stressful in itself.

Personally, I have become more aware of detaching my self-identification with my profession. It took me years to get over the stigma of taking days off. I now view vacation as an essential part of self-care. I consider vacation a fixed opportunity for intentionally taking out my own thought garbage for an extended period. If you do not have time to take off, then take a vacation via meditation daily—a simple cost-free option.

2. Structure: Body Composition

(What does the company physically look like?)

Imagine a romantic breakup where both parties went through the wringer. We’ve all seen this happen. It’s a part of life. Months later, you see the guy and he’s put on twenty pounds. You think, Wow, this guy has been eating a lot of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey to ease his heartbreak. Maybe. But it’s more complicated than that.

You see, when our thoughts are distraught, our natural inclination is to seek a quick dopamine fix, like ice cream. Many triggers, as you now know, can deceptively result in a temporary dopamine kick. But it isn’t just the sugar alone that’s making him fat. It’s something more complex—and also fascinating.

Storing Energy under Stress

When we are in a state of stress, our bodies go into preservation mode, intentionally holding on to everything, especially energy. When your body is in a state of what seems like war, it will do everything possible to store away as much future energy since it does not know how long the war will last. In essence, the body moves into an abnormal pattern of energy utilization. It holds on to fat emphatically and more freely allows muscle to be burned.

Illness is at the far end of the stress spectrum.

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