Stress is omnipresent, and its prevalence is increasing globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has further added to the prevalence and severity of stress and I began to talk about this topic in the spring of 2020 as I became increasing aware of the exorbitant global and local impact stress imparted by escalating "fear of the unknown" which was being caused by COVID-19. Stress is a major risk factor for the development of both physical and psychiatric conditions. It adversely affects cognitive ability, memory, sleep quality, and overall psychological well-being of individuals, impacting executive function, and overall ability to cope as the psychological and physical response to internal or external stimuli diminishes our internal resources for stress adaptation. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is overstimulated in response to stressors and prolonged overactivation eventually leads to suppression of the HPA axis, causing anxiety, sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, fatigue, body pain and much more. Unless we take good care of ourselves through the aging process by routinely eating clean, exercising and stretching, getting enough sleep and hydration as well as doing the things we enjoy on a regular basis, we are creating chronic stress in our body which just adds to the stress which resides within us from our everyday life.

Using herbal medicine to reduce our stress response and reconstitute ourselves can be very beneficial for anyone, but for those of us who are in “that” stage of our life, we really need to do all we can to maximize our efforts to insure we are living a healthy restorative life. For these reasons and more, I recommend daily regenerative support for the brain as well as to reduce the impact stress has on living a quality life.

Brain Health

Nerve Growth and Nerve Cell protection is a very important part of the Aging Gracefully process that I routinely promote in my patients as we work together.
A little ScienceNGF - Nerve Growth Factor-is a protein synthesized by astrocytes in the central and peripheral nervous system that promotes the activation, differentiation and survival of neurons by stimulating neurite outgrowth. My promoting the survival of neurons, NGF plays a critical role in maintaining brain plasticity, also known as Neuroplasticity, throughout life. "Neuroplasticity" is a medical term used to describe our brain's ability to learn and adapt through a very elegant internal rewiring process which allows our brain to constantly adapt and change to meet new and often increased demands. Because NGF is so important for growth and healing, it is produced by the cells that reside everywhere in our body. Skin cells, endothelial (vascular lining) cells, fibroblasts (fiber cells), all our immune cells, as well as throughout the central nervous system, are a few example locations.

The challenge to find natural substances that can cross the blood brain barrier is real.

Lion’s Mane mushroom fruiting bodies contain several constituents that support brain health, because when correctly formulated, the bioactive constituents of Lion’s Mane can cross the blood brain barrier and have been shown to activate Nerve Growth Factor synthesis in astrocytes. This is thought to help the brain maintain neural networks and plasticity and may help facilitate transmission of nerve signals.

Stress Adaption

Ashwagandha has been used as an adaptogenic in botanical medicine for hundreds of years. In Botanical Medicine, adaptogenics are able to to assist the body to resist damage from physical and mental stressors. In clinical and healing settings, Ashwagandha is used for both preventing harm from stress and for treating the consequences of stress, as part of an overall rejuvenation therapy to revitalize bodily functions. Ashwagandha’s traditional use in Ayurvedic medicine includes its use as an optimal aging herb that increases longevity, promotes resistance to disease, and improves both mental and physical health.

Brain Health and Stress Adaption Support are very likely the most important tools to have in our “toolbox” when our goal is “Aging Gracefully”.

The list of herbs that can help us is very long, but to name two more, Ginko Biloba is very valuable in our vascular health and supports robust brain circulation and another is Tumeric, also known by many as Curcumin, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory/antioxidant herb whose root has been used medicinally for almost 4000 years, dating back to its use in Southeast Asia.