By Christine Cheng, R.Ph. and Fred Cheng, R.Ph.
As we enter what feels like the millionth day of self-isolation due to COVID-19, many of us are beginning to feel the stress of being socially distanced from our usual network of friends, family, colleagues, etc. The psychological burden is one side of things, but there are also physical implications of stress on our body. If you start investigating what non-pharmacological (I,e., non-drug/medication-based) methods of managing just about any disease, managing stress is usually an important recommendation. Discussion of how stress mitigates so much possible detriment is beyond the scope of this article. However, we would like to discuss a couple of presentations that can be easily remedied to provide physical relief.
Physical manifestation of stress include gastrointestinal (GI) signs and symptoms such as gas, bloating, abdominal cramping, and/or changes in bowel movements (e.g., constipation, diarrhea). This is because the enteric nervous system, a series of nerves that controls the function of the digestive tract from the esophagus to the anus uses the same neurotransmitters as seen in the central nervous system (i.e, the brain and spinal cord). Thus, just as stress can mess with the neurotransmitters in our heads, it can mess with the neurotransmitters in our gut causing thereby interfering with the “normal” control of our bowels. For some, a cup of peppermint tea may be enough to settle that upset stomach. For others, a little more help is needed. For changes in the frequency of bowel movements, PROBIOTICS may help, regardless of whether the change is to constipation or looser stool. For those experiencing a greater frequency and/or looser bowel movements, consider supplementing with the amino acid, L-GLUTAMINE. This amino acid has many roles including being a precursor to glutathione, making it important for detoxification and antioxidant function. L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in blood and skeletal muscles and up to 30% of the l-glutamine in the body is used by the intestines. During times of stress, l-glutamine levels have been found to decline quickly. For example, athletes who are training hard have an increased risk of infections due to compromised immune function; this has been linked to the decreased availability of l-glutamine for immune cell function. L-glutamine is a major substrate used by the cells of the gut lining for various uses including immune function and maintaining the integrity of the gap junctions between the cells lining the GI tract. Supplementation with l-glutamine has been found to improve GI symptoms in those who have inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome, both diseases that include diarrhea as symptoms. With each bowel movement, intestinal cells are shed. Amongst other nutrients, the body requires replenishing of its l-glutamine levels to help heal up the gut lining. It is reasonable to try supplementing with this amino acid to see if it can provide you some benefit.
Diarrhea can be indicative of other serious diseases so even if you think your current GI issues are stress-related, it is imperative to check in with your physician if you also have diarrhea that lasts for more than a few days without improvement or if there are signs of dehydration, severe abdominal or rectal pain, bloody or black stools and/or you have a fever higher than 102degF (39degC).
Christine and Fred Cheng are a passionate, charismatic sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique, family-operated Pharmasave stores in Cloverdale and Steveston, B.C. They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use. Everything mentioned in their article is available InStore.
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