What is IBS?

The cramping, the bloating, the pain and gas, the constipation and/or diarrhea: these are common symptoms that describe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). As the Mayo Clinic describes, there is no specific test for diagnosing IBS; it is more of a collection of symptoms and previous health history, including ruling out any more serious conditions. This loose connection of symptoms (once …

Relaxing Even When the Stress Remains

While the stress might not go away, we are able to influence our bodies to switch over from the stressed out sympathetic state to the relaxed parasympathetic nervous system state. These intricate communication networks help maintain and regulate your body function. When you’re under stress (like imagine you’re that lifeguard hustling to save a person), your flight-or-flight (sympathetic) response ups …

Messages from the heart

Is your heart beating to the rhythm of stress? We can become “comfortable” with this status—thinking that constant stress is “normal,” which in turn affects our bodies, our health. WebMd lists these effects for constant stress: depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and more. So, when there is a tool that helps us manage long-term stress (because who doesn’t need that …