Challenges of Stress Management—A Doctor's Perspective
Written by Anne Thiel, ND & Submitted by Integrative Therapeutics 

Stress management is frequently focused on patient intervention, but it can be improved upon by digging into the nuances of the signs of stress and teaching people that coping with stress can improve their outcomes—regardless of their chief complaint. Some signs of stress are obvious, such as areas of tension that regularly occur after weekly meetings with an overbearing boss. Less obvious signs of stress may involve blood pressure or blood glucose readings that defy improvement despite numerous medications and supplements, or gastrointestinal complaints without corresponding pathology or lab diagnoses. 

While these nuanced signs are often easier for an objective third party to recognize, helping someone realize the role of stress in seemingly unrelated health concerns may require a different strategy. A common complaint of someone that needs stress management is never feeling rested despite adequate sleep time or feeling excessive fatigue after exercising. Read more

*Due to the manufacturer's online marketing policy, we cannot show the discount for Integrative Therapeutics products on our website, so call in your order at 800-634-1380 Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-7:00 PM or Saturdays from 9:00 AM-5:30 PM EST.

Ask our Wellness Educators

Dear NEEDS Wellness Educators, 

Q: I'm a 58-year-old man and once every night I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Then, I find it impossible to get back to sleep! Sometimes, it can take hours before I can sleep again. Because I need to be awake by a certain time in the morning, I sometimes get less than 6 hours of sleep per night. I dislike taking over-the-counter sleep medications because they make me feel groggy and it's difficult to wake up in the morning. What can I take to help me get back to sleep, but still allows me to feel alert in the morning? Help! 

~Sincerely, P.C. 

A: Sleep is incredibly important to our health and it's certainly very frustrating when we can't get enough of it. When we get less than 7-8 hours of sleep, research shows that our immune system becomes compromised and we are much more vulnerable to illness. Sleep is also a critical time for renewal; it's when cells regenerate, the body heals, recovers from stress, and renews its energy. Considering its long list of benefits, sleep could be considered a critical factor in enhancing longevity. 

To find the right supplement to help you sleep better, there are a few things to consider. One issue is that as we age, melatonin levels naturally decline. Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and is responsible for regulating our circadian rhythm—dictating when we fall asleep and wake up. Read more

New Research: Vitamin D Requirements in Pregnancy
By Jen Palmer, ND, NEEDS Education Director

Vitamin D deficiency is considered a widespread problem across the globe. It's essential for healthy growth, brain development, bone density, and much more. Vitamin D is particularly important in pregnancy and deficiency poses specific health risks, such as gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, and preeclampsia (a condition involving high blood pressure and protein in the urine in late pregnancy). Deficiency of this important vitamin can also be detrimental to fetus development, resulting in lower birth weight, poor bone development, and vulnerability to respiratory infections due to vitamin D's association with a strong immune system. 

A study in Switzerland was conducted to better understand the vitamin D status in pregnancy. They wanted to know what factors cause vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy and how prevalent the problem is. The women involved in the study were in their third trimester of pregnancy and it was found that slightly over half of the participants, and therefore their fetuses, were deficient in vitamin D. Read more

*Due to the manufacturer's online marketing policy, we cannot show the discount for Allergy Research Group products on our website, so call in your order at 800-634-1380 Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-7:00 PM or Saturdays from 9:00 AM-5:30 PM EST.