Best-selling author and visionary microbiologist Dr. Bruce Lipton once said that if he could choose one main cause of all disease, it would be stress. (1) This is a bold statement, but it is also really good news. Why? Because stress is absolutely something that each one of us can learn how to manage and even lessen in our lives, no matter what is happening around us. All it takes is a few simple tools, such as beta glucans, to see the difference that lower stress can make in your health and in your life!
What is Stress and When Is It Bad for Your Health?
Technically, stress is defined as anything that puts physical, mental, or emotional pressure on the body. Stress responses trigger the production of stress-related hormones, namely cortisol and adrenaline. These responses also shift energy away from maintaining and repairing internal organs and systems—such as immunity and digestion—redirecting it toward large muscle groups and limbs (so we can run from that tiger). The immediate effects of this "fight or flight" response can be seen in changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels.
Your body is actually built to handle a certain amount of stress. In fact, a little bit of short-term stress is a good thing, according to experts, because it helps build resilience and adaptability.
Daniela Kaufer, author of a UC Berkeley study on the positive side of stress, states that “some amounts of stress are good to push you just to the level of optimal alertness, behavioral and cognitive performance.” (2)
Chronic stress, on the other hand, is mental, emotional, or physical pressure that continues over the long term. This is the kind of stress that Dr. Lipton refers to as a serious risk factor for disease. Many studies indicate that chronic stress leads directly to high levels of systemic inflammation in the body, which is a foundational factor for most major diseases.
The Solution: Kick the Stress Tiger to the Curb with Healing Hormones!
The opposite of fight or flight is called the relaxation response. This is when nervous system function and heart rate return to normal, allowing healing hormones responsible for proper body function and repair to kick into high gear. (4)
When the body enters the Relaxation Response:
- Healing hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin are released
- Cortisol and adrenaline levels stabilize
- Inflammation goes down (5)
- Immune system mechanisms improve, including an increase in Natural Killer cells (6)
- Detoxification improves
- Metabolism stabilizes, including insulin production rebalancing
- Brain health and mood improve
- Sleep improves
- Digestion improves (7)
- Cancer risk goes down
- Longevity increases (8)
Some research also suggests that maintaining a prolonged relaxation response state can even lead to positive genetic changes. (9)
5 Tools and Techniques for Your Stress-Busting Toolbox
The relaxation response, not the fight or flight response, is where you want to be most of the time for optimal health! Here are five easy strategies to help you get there:
1. Deep Breathing
Breathing is the most fundamental act we humans (and most of the animal kingdom) do to stay alive. But did you know that your respiration rate can also be an indicator of how stressed you are?
When we are in fight or flight, our breath becomes shallow, and we breathe from our upper chest instead of our diaphragm or belly. Shallow or scattered breathing inevitably leads to a lack of oxygen in the brain, which can, unfortunately, make us feel even more anxious.
There is a way to turn this around by using the breath itself as a tool for calming the nervous system. Several breathing techniques have been found to lower stress responses and bring a person out of fight or flight. One of the most effective is deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, or belly breathing.
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located at the bottom of your lung cavity. Research shows that deliberately breathing in and out of the diaphragm can improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV), massage the vagus nerves, lower blood pressure, and significantly encourage relaxation, according to a 2017 study sponsored in part by Harvard Medical School. (10)
Belly breathing has also been shown to help with full oxygen exchange—the healthy exchange of carbon dioxide (outgoing) for oxygen (incoming). This can significantly help with cognition and focus, as well as reduce anxiety in both children and adults. (11)
Try it yourself: As you breathe in, feel the air move through your nose and fill your lungs fully. Allow your belly to rise. As you exhale, do so slowly and deliberately. Make your exhale longer than your inhale to signal to your entire body that you are no longer in crisis.
2. Moving the Body
Similar to breathing, movement is essential for keeping hormones balanced and the body healthy on all levels. This may seem obvious, but experts warn that there is an epidemic of sedentary lifestyles in modern culture, seriously affecting health in numerous ways.
The antidote is to move!
In research studies, aerobic exercise helps the body use oxygen more efficiently and increases blood flow, benefiting the brain, digestion, and all bodily systems. Exercise also releases endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones responsible for mood elevation and pain relief.
Even a little exercise—such as 30 minutes of brisk walking—has shown to be beneficial. A 2013 meta-analysis from the University of Texas found that moderate exercise can help balance the HPA axis and regulate hippocampal neurogenesis (a mechanism related to neuroplasticity). (12) Those who move their bodies regularly also tend to experience better sleep quality, according to a 2017 UCLA meta-analysis. (13)
3. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques (also known as tapping), is a highly effective form of energy medicine that is loosely based on the Chinese Meridian System. EFT has been scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels and rebalance mood.
This technique involves lightly tapping specific points along the upper body while verbalizing certain thoughts. The process begins by describing a challenging emotion or situation and then transitioning to affirmations designed to shift negative emotions. Even performing the tapping alone, without verbalization, can be effective in reducing stress.
With over 30 years of evidence-based research, EFT has been shown to calm the nervous system, heal foundational traumas, and help manage PTSD and general anxiety disorders.
In studies conducted at the Foundation for Epigenetic Studies in Santa Rosa, California, military veterans with PTSD were led through six EFT sessions. After just the third session, 60% of participants no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD. Even more impressive, 80% of those who completed all six sessions still did not meet the PTSD criteria six months later. (14)
4. Eating a Whole Foods Diet
"A person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression," stated a Harvard Medical School report in 2021. (15)
Diet plays a massive role in brain health, immune function, and overall well-being. It also significantly affects emotions, mental health, and hormonal balance.
Studies show that those who eat a primarily whole foods diet have greater diversity in their gut microbiome, meaning they maintain a balanced ratio of beneficial and opportunistic bacteria. A diverse microbiome contributes to better brain and nervous system function via the gut-brain connection.
One example of this connection involves the endotoxin Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS, a gram-negative bacterium, has been linked to HPA axis imbalance, anxiety, and fibromyalgia. LPS overgrowth can occur from excessive consumption of foods like gluten and sugar. (16)
Eating whole foods means avoiding processed, prepackaged items, trans fats, and excessive sugar and simple carbohydrates (like bread and pasta). It also means consuming a variety of organic vegetables, including leafy greens like spinach and antioxidant-rich foods like beets, peppers, and blueberries.
Diversity is key when it comes to gut-brain health, and consuming fiber can significantly support this balance. Many fibrous vegetables and fruits contain prebiotics, which fuel the beneficial bacteria in the gut.
In a presentation for the Food Forum and the American Society for Nutrition in 2021, Dr. Elissa Epel of the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed meta-analysis research examining population-based studies and nutrition. The studies she examined indicated that "dietary patterns emphasizing whole foods were associated with lower depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas a typical Western dietary pattern was associated with a higher risk of poor mental health." (17)
5. Beta Glucans
Natural substances can also help directly with lowering stress. With so much information and so many claims about various stress-relief supplements, it can be difficult to determine which products truly help and which are just hype.
One scientifically backed substance that has stood the test of time is beta glucans. No other natural compound has as much evidence-based research proving its effectiveness in lowering stress responses—along with providing a wide range of other health benefits.
Beta Glucans and Stress Reduction
Beta glucans are polysaccharide substances that naturally occur along the cell walls of grains and other whole foods such as yeasts and fungi. What makes beta glucans remarkable is their ability to reach the immune system through the gut (via small openings in the intestinal lining called Peyer’s Patches).
Because beta glucans can enter the bloodstream and directly impact the immune system, they have long been recognized for their immunity-boosting properties. However, new research suggests that beta glucans may also help regulate stress responses and balance stress-related hormones.
The effectiveness of beta glucans lies in their ability to play a role in stress-related immunosuppression. Studies have confirmed that beta glucans possess antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-allergic, anti-osteoporotic, and immunomodulating activities. (18) Now, recent research is uncovering how beta glucans directly affect stress responses.A 2021 study conducted at the University of Louisville in Kentucky analyzed four different types of beta glucans for their ability to influence stress responses via the immune system. Using a mouse model, researchers found that glucans blocked precursor chemicals for cortisol at the onset of stress. According to the researchers, “glucans might work via inhibition of corticosterone levels and/or stimulation of cytokine production” in regulating stress responses. (19)
You CAN Lower Stress NOW!
By now, it’s clear that there are numerous tools available for managing stress and keeping it under control. One of the most effective strategies includes using key supplements that help the immune system regulate cortisol production, such as beta glucans.
With balanced stress hormones, you can break free from the fight or flight response and maintain calm, clear focus—no matter what life throws at you. In today’s fast-paced world, this ability is more important than ever!