Now Holy Basil Extract 500mg - 90 V-Caps

NOW Holy Basil Extracthas been shown to possess powerful adpatogenic properties and has been used to enhance the body's ability to respond to stress and minimize the negative effects of stress on the body. In addition, animal studies have demonstrated that Holy Basil can support carbohydrate metabolism and, as a result, healthy blood glucose levels. Holy Basil is revered as a sacred plant in Ayurveda, the traditional therapeutic system of India.

Adrenal Health
Although complete adrenal burnout is uncommon, our high stress lifestyles, poor diet and abuse of drugs or alcohol often lead to adrenal depletion. Signs of low adrenal function can be similar to signs of being "stressed out" such as lethargy, dizziness, headaches, memory problems, food cravings and blood sugar imbalances. As the dysfunction gets more serious fainting, diarrhea, depression, moodiness, feeling cold, discolouration of the skin, swelling and loss of body hair can occur.

The most important way to avoid adrenal burnout is to deal with stress in a healthy way. Regular exercise both stimulates the adrenal glands and relieves stress.Nutritional supplements can also help with adrenal exhaustion - vitamins C and B-5 (pantothenic acid) are needed by the adrenal glands to produce optimum levels of epinehphrine, an energy boosting, stress busting hormone. The herb licorice contains adrenal like hormones which can give someone with low adrenal function a big increase in energy. Adrenal gland extract (New Zealand source) contains proteins that can help optimize your adrenal functioning in the same way that thyroid extracts can help that gland.

Decreasing the use of substances that harm the adrenal gland such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, corticosteroids, fried foods, pork products, red meat, processed foods, sugar and white flour will also reduce adrenal strain. Increasing foods containing high amounts of vitamins and minerals, like green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, garlic, onions and olive oil will support the adrenal gland. The essential fatty acids found in wild-caught ocean going fish also support the adrenal gland.

Stress & Lifestyle Connection
Stress is usually thought of as a negative factor in our daily lives but it is necessary part of life. Without stress life becomes boring. The key to stress, as with everything else in life, is balance. Enough to keep you interested but not enough to become overwhelmed. Individuals have different thresholds for stress. What is seen as stressful to one person may not be stressful to another.

The result of constant stress can be tense muscles, headaches, stomach cramps, teeth grinding, decreased immunity, exhaustion and insomnia. Emotionally stress can lead to memory problems, depression, emotional outbursts and panic attacks. It is believed that constant stress is a factor in the development of many chronic diseases.

We often ignore the first signs of stress, such as headaches and insomnia, and use medication to stop the symptoms. We use stimulants, like caffeine, to allow ourselves to keep working when the body is trying to tell us to slow down. The masking of stress symptoms eventually causes the body to breakdown. The standard North American diet is deficient in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. It is high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates and chemical additives and preservatives. These substances not only do not give your body usable energy, but they also inhibit the use of good quality food by depleting enzymes and hormones necessary for energy conversion. The body must also deal with the toxic by-products of foods like bleached flour and sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavours and trans-fatty acids. All of these stressors compromise the health of an individual.

Irregular sleeping and eating patterns make one susceptible to stress related illness. Sleep is an essential component of our body's repair mechanisms. During sleep the body is in an anabolic, or building, state. It has time to regenerate cells and replenish hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters. Insomnia prevents the repair of normal damage from the body's daily activity. The brain also requires sleep in order to process information that is learned throughout the day.

Irregular eating patterns stress the body by not providing nutrients at regular intervals. When the body is lacking nutrients it compromises the body's functioning. When an individual finally does eat the body rushes to use the nutrients and store whatever it does not need, in anticipation that the next meal may not come for a while

Lack of exercise contributes to stress by compromising the circulation of all molecules around the body, including food particles, oxygen and hormones. Circulation is also responsible for flushing waste products out of the cells and taking them to the appropriate organs for processing and excretion. The venous system contains no values so blood flow back to the heart is dependent on movement of the surrounding musculature. Exercise also removes tension from muscles and offers an outlet for unexpressed emotions.

Help Reduce Effects of Stress by:

• Doing exercise you enjoy, regularly.
  
• Reucing stress through techniques such as meditation and deep breathing.
  
• Relaxing with yoga or tai chi.
  
• Developing regular sleeping patterns.
  
• Consuming fresh fruits & veggies daily.
  
• Getting enough B vitamins by supplementing and eating leafy green and whole grains.
  
• Supporting the adrenals with herbal and nutritional formula's.
  
• Keep your body hydrated by drinking lots of pure water.
  
• Avoiding refined sugars and junk & fast foods.
  
• Limiting or Avoiding coffee, alcohol and nicotine.