Relax! - a correct diet combined with exercising reduces stress - includes related article on simple way to reduce stress

And don't say you don't have time. Stress reduction is as fundamental as eating right and exercising.

Rachel McMahon could be a poster child for stress. A typical American mom, the 42-year-old Pittsburgh native juggles a demanding full-time job as a social worker, running a household and raising her two sons, aged 9 and 13, with her husband, who also clocks long hours. Because she eats pretty well and works out regularly, Rachel usually manages to keep all the balls in the air. But last month her widowed mother broke her hip on the same day that an overseas friend arrived for a long holiday visit. The result? Rachel's immune system crashed and she spent the next two weeks in bed with a terrible flu.

Weakened immunity is just one of the negative effects of stress, says Herbert Benson, M.D., an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, president of Boston's Mind/Body Institute and author of Timeless Healing (Simon & Schuster, 1996). While there is such a thing as good stress--as college students, athletes and emergency room technicians can attest--more typically stress is harmful. It can be acute (a brief but intense response to a specific trauma) or chronic.

Either way, it takes a toll on your physical and mental health, explains Ali Domar, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University and co-author of Healing Mind, Healthy Woman (Dell, 1997). Hundreds of studies confirm that out-of-control stress leads to increased risk of heart disease, colds and flu, migraine, PMS, back pain, fatigue and insomnia, says Domar. It also makes the pursuit of happiness darn near impossible.

Chronic stress keeps you in a constant state of agitation, known as the fight-or-flight syndrome, the collection of physiological changes the body undergoes in a threatening situation. The brain releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, into the bloodstream, explains Robert M. Sapolsky, Ph.D., a biologist at Stanford University and author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (W.H. Freeman, 1998). These hormones send signals to the rest of the body, gearing it up for battle. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase so that the heart can pump more blood to your legs and arms. Your muscles tense, your breathing quickens, and your brain goes on hyper-alert. And because they're nonessential in a crisis, your digestive and immune systems practically shut down.

One thing that chronic stress does is keep our blood pressure elevated, in some people, that increase forces fat from the bloodstream into the arteries, causing them to clog, explains Benson. And the repeated release of adrenaline and other stress hormones raises your baseline anxiety level, making it harder to cope with daily annoyances.

But chronic stress can't be eliminated overnight. That requires a sustained regime of exercise, an equanimity-producing diet and regular use of psychological techniques. "But just as our hearts are hardwired to pump rapidly in response to stress," says Benson, "if given the proper cues, our bodies can also produce the opposite effect--a state of deep rest known as the relaxation response." This response, in which the brain emits the slower waves that are associated with pleasure, has been demonstrated in countless studies to counteract the deleterious effects of stress.

There are many simple methods for inducing the relaxation response, and they don't require hours of meditation a day. By spending just 10 minutes a day repeating and focusing on a simple word or phrase, you begin to slow the breath, decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, dissolve muscle tension, boost your immune system and, over time, reduce your risk for many serious diseases.

THE RELAXATION RESPONSE

You can bring about this state of deep relaxation through meditation, prayer, deep-belly breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, biofeedback, jogging, swimming, t'ai chi, qigong, even knitting. In fact, any activity you love--gardening, cooking, listening to music or playing with animals--can decrease stress and increase tranquility.

If you choose to do a meditative type of relaxation, Benson suggests picking a word, phrase or prayer to focus on. Sit quietly with your eyes closed; breathe slowly and naturally, filling your belly with air as you inhale, then slowly repeating the chosen word or prayer as you exhale. If thoughts distract you, don't criticize yourself but gently dismiss them. Continue focusing for 10 to 20 minutes. After you're done, sit in silence for a minute or two and enjoy the sensation of calm and peace. Do this exercise daily. (Of course, if you're jogging, you should keep your eyes open. Instead of repeating a word, simply say "left" and "right" as your feet hit the ground.)

MOOD FOODS

"Chronic stress is not just harmful to the heart, it depletes the body's essential supply of magnesium, the nutrient most important for handling stress and contributing to sound sleep; relaxed, healthy muscles; and staying calm," says Leo Galland, M.D., a internist in New York City and author of Power Healing (Random House, 1997). The fight-or-flight syndrome causes magnesium to pour out of the cells, which makes you more vulnerable to anxiety's negative effects. What's more, the substances we often reach for when we're tense--caffeine, sugar, high-fat foods and alcohol--leech even more magnesium from the body. Leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, on the other hand, are full of the nutrient. Load up on these foods if you're under a lot of stress. And it's not a bad idea to consider taking a magnesium supplement.

Galland recommends 100 to 400 milligrams (mg.) of this mineral daily (magnesium glycinate tablets are absorbed best); if you experience diarrhea, reduce the dosage. And be sure to take 20 to 50 mg. of B6, another antistress nutrient, which helps transport magnesium into the cells more easily, Galland explains. Blood levels of vitamin C and calcium can also be depleted by stress, he adds, so it's advisable to take 1,000 mg. of C and 800 to 1,200 mg. of calcium daily.

Complex carbohydrates are champion stress-fighters, too, because they boost the brain's level of the mood-enhancing chemical serotonin, says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., a research scientist at MIT. These include an array of vegetables (broccoli, leafy greens, potatoes, corn, cabbage, spinach), whole-grain breads and pastas, muffins, crackers and cereals. Make them a part of your regular diet. Bananas also help quell anxiety. (Other fruits, while healthful, do not have a calming effect.)

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

Learning to identify the negative thoughts and behavior patterns that contribute to anxiety--a technique psychologists call cognitive restructuring--is another key component of stress management, says Domar. "We all have negative tapes playing in our heads," she explains. "By reprogramming them, we can improve our self-esteem and our capacity to cope with life and reduce our overall stress.

"These destructive tapes usually originate from either an unfair criticism someone made of you in the past or from your own fear of failure, which often has its roots in childhood, as well," she adds. "Once you recognize you're doing this you can replace the negative thought with a more positive, truthful statement."

Of course, if you find yourself continually tyrannized by self-criticism, you should consult a cognitive behavioral therapist. She or he can work closely with you to turn your negative self-concepts into more self-nurturing ones.

TAKE A CHILL PILL

Managing stress effectively for the long haul requires long-term solutions, including eating healthfully and practicing the relaxation response regularly. But when you're in the heat of a crisis, herbalists and homeopaths can offer some good short-term solutions.

James Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy (St. Martin's, 1997), points to several herbs that quickly and effectively reduce stress and anxiety. All have mildly sedating effects and their function in the body isn't clearly understood; they seem to decrease activity in the section of the brain that controls stress hormones.

Kava kava is the most effective antistress herb, says Duke. It works within six hours. Tinctures usually provide the fastest relief, but Duke prefers capsules, taken according to label directions for up to two months. If symptoms persist after that, consult a holistic physician. One caveat: Don't take kava kava if you're on prescription anti-anxiety medication, since they have the same effects on the body.

Duke also recommends valerian, brewed into a tea (use one bag or one to two teaspoons of dried valerian root per cup). But it can make you sleepy, so don't drink it before driving. Tim Blakley, author of the forthcoming Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field and Marketplace (Boost Straps Publications), swears by this recipe: 3 to 4 droppersful each of valerian and kava kava tinctures. "I give this one to my mother," he says. Chamomile tea (drunk several times a day) also takes the edge off anxiety, as can passionflower (use a tincture, following label instructions). Ayurvedic physicians use the herb ashwaganda to help treat stress, says Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, a Seattle-based herbalist and co-author of Herbal Defense (Warner Books, 1997), who recommends taking up to 10 capsules (660 mg. each) a day, for up to two months.

For longer-term effects, there are several mood-stabilizing herbal tonics that take several months to work and should be used only under the care of a professional, Khalsa emphasizes. These tonics contain ginseng, chasteberry and the Chinese herb foti.

Homeopathy also offers remedies that can tame short-term stress, says Dana Ullman, co-author of Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (Tarcher/Putnam, 1997). For performance anxiety, take gelsemium. (All remedies listed are plant-based.) For Type-A personalities with excessive job stress, he recommends nux vomica. People with low self-esteem who feel like underdogs in the workplace can benefit from staphys agria. The leading remedy for acute grief following a breakup, death or job loss is ignatia. And for those experiencing emotional shock after a natural disaster or accident, aconite works well. "Take the 12 or 30 C or X dose, according to label instructions for up to two days. The dosage is less important than finding the right remedy," Ullman advises. If your symptoms are very intense, however, or the anxiety recurs, consult a homeopath.

Flower remedies, highly distilled plant essences, are wonderful antidotes to stress and anxiety. The most effective for any type of stress is the combination formula Rescue Remedy, says Lucille Arcouet, manager of national education for Nelson Bach, USA. Walnut is a good stress-prevention potion, she adds, and elm or hornbeam are helpful for those who feel overwhelmed. The flower remedies are so gentle that you can take them, following label instructions, for as long as you like. They're also safe for stressed-out children and pets.

So when all the little pressures build up and turn life into a pressure cooker, turn to one of the many solutions that can be as simple as (counting to) 1-2-3.

RELATED ARTICLE: A 60-Second Stress Reducer

When you don't even have 10 minutes to practice the relaxation response, try this super quickie from psychologist Ali Domar, Ph.D., author of Healing Mind, Healthy Woman (Dell, 1997). You can do it anywhere--on the bus, in the doctor's office, even in the middle of a tense meeting. You'll feel calmer and more centered almost instantly.

Sitting or standing quietly, take a deep breath, filling your belly up with air as you inhale. As you exhale, silently count "one" to yourself and empty your belly of air. Continue inhaling and exhaling until you reach the count of 10; repeat as often as you wish.

Emma Segal is a freelance health writer devoted to reducing the stress in her life in New York City.

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