Expert Speak: Stress needs to be approached holistically

From stress-relieving concoctions to relaxing mud therapy, naturopathy physician Braj Bhushan Kumar talks about the very many ways naturopathy helps you alleviate your day-to-day anxieties. He is a senior naturopathy physician with Aahana Naturopathy Centre.

Saswati Sarkar | Updated: January 3, 2019 8:10 pm

Stress can be managed well with the elements of nature and lifestyle modification. © Shutterstock

Stress, to a certain extent, is considered to be useful for maximizing effort and improving skills and is known as positive stress or EUSTRESS, but when it becomes detrimental to our mental and physical health, it is known as negative stress or DISTRESS. In this exclusive interview, Braj Bhushan Kumar, Senior Naturopathy Physician, Aahana Naturopathy Centre, tells us how the essential elements of nature, along with a few lifestyle modifications help alleviate stress.

Q. What are the stress management treatments in naturopathy, in terms of lifestyle and food habits?

Meditation is a very effective and natural stress-buster. © Shutterstock

A. In naturopathy, we believe in the time-tested pattern of early to bed and early to rise. Following this simple routine will help you reset the rhythm of your biological clock. Yoga, meditation and healthy food, in combination with healing therapies ensure wellness. Also, one should look for non- irritant (physically, chemically, thermally) foods that retain the nutritional and medicinal values of the ingredients used. We identify foods that have an adverse effect on an individual and suggest him/her to avoid those.

Q. What elements of nature are helpful for getting rid of stress?

Naturopaths use water, an element of nature, to alleviate stress. © Shutterstock

Our body, by default, is, self-sufficient to cope with almost every type of external or internal imbalances. But, when there is a violation of natural laws (thanks to unhealthy eating or a routine that is against nature) for a prolonged period of time, our body loses its self-healing capacity. At Aahana Naturopathy Centre, we utilize all of the 5 great elements of nature (earth, water, air, space, fire) in the form of more than 100+ therapies to bring back the lost inner peace.

Are there any specific therapies for stress management, using these elements of nature?

Shirodhara has a calming effect on your nerves. © Shutterstock

A. All our therapies are directed towards better physical and mental health. However, if I have to name a few which focus primarily focus on the mind and nerves, then they would be Shirodhara, Nasya Karma, music therapy, mud therapy, marma massages, meditation.

Q. How effective is aromatherapy for stress? How does it help?

Our olfactory senses influence our state of mind to a large extent. © Shutterstock

A. The limbic system (a set of brain structures) controls our emotions and behaviour in many ways. It is greatly affected by our olfactory senses. Aromatherapy can influence your body to feel satiated or hungry, relaxed or energized. When you smell a ripe orange, you get a mouth-watering sensation; when you smell a rose, you feel refreshed.

How effective is mud therapy for stress?

This therapy cools down excessive body heat and rejuvenates our mind. © Shutterstock

A. A single session of full body mud therapy can relieve the fatigue arising from an erratic, hectic and stressful day. It refreshes your mood by scrubbing off dead skin tissues, opening up of clogged sweat pores and cooling down excessive body heat.

Q. How effective is massage therapy for stress?

A session of full body massage is good enough to take away your day-long stress. © Shutterstock

A. Massage helps to improve the secretion of feel good hormones bringing down the damaging impact of stress. Regular therapeutic massage remove energy blockages and improve flow of vital energy. It also helps to flush out the toxic end products that are secreted during exposure to acute or chronic stress of various origins. At Aahana we offer more than 15 types of massage therapies. After a detailed consultation with our in-house naturopathy physician, we decide on the type of therapy, duration, type of oil to be used, so on and so forth.

Q. How long does naturopathic treatment take to cure stress, anxiety and depression?

A follow-up with your naturopath is a must. © Shutterstock

A. Depending upon the stage and severity of the disease, age and other associated problems a stay of 15-21 days usually gives the desired results. Of course, follow up plays a big role in the system of nature cure treatment. Diet chart, list of dos and don’ts are decided in the follow-up visits to make the results stable.

Q. Can you suggest some homemade concoctions for stress relief?

A. Blend a few raisins in your glass of milk and add a pinch of turmeric powder and cardamom powder to it. This is a very effective stress buster.

Q. Are there supplements too for managing stress? What are they?

A. All of the available supplements for managing stress in the market contain sedatives and tranquilizers, which should be totally abandoned.

Q. Does naturopathy consider verbal counselling as an important weapon against stress?

A. Yes, it does! Counselling helps to understand the actual problem leading to a stressful situation. At the end of the counselling, both the physician and patient can mutually find evidence-based scientific solutions for stress.

Published: January 3, 2019 8:09 pm | Updated:January 3, 2019 8:10 pm

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