Avalon Natural Health Therapies |

Stress and Wellness

Depression will rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020.
Disability represents anywhere from 4% to 12% of payroll costs in Canada; mental health claims (especially depression) have overtaken cardiovascular disease as the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada.
Stress, burnout and physical or mental health issues are the main issues limiting productivity in Canada, Canadian CEOs say.
Excessive stress has been linked to infectious disease and cardiovascular problems, higher incidence of back pain, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), colorectal cancer Stress on the job can double the risk of heart attack.
As many as one in 10 workers suffer from depression, anxiety, stress or burnout.
Mental health problems are among the fastest growing sources of days lost from work.
One in ten people in first world countries will spend time in a mental hospital at least once in their lifetime.
Valium is the most prescribed drug in the world.
More than six in 10 Canadians report that they are experiencing a “great deal of stress” on the job.
34 per cent of Canadians with health plans agree with the statement: “workplace stress has made me physically ill at times”.
41 per cent of Canadians say that their employer does not do nearly enough to help them manage stress at work.
Canadian workers view job stress as more prevalent than work-related injury or illness.
Canadians are not alone: job-related stress has been identified by the World Health Organization as a “worldwide epidemic”.

Does work, home, people, situations make you feel like this?

It is commonly accepted that our lives are becoming increasingly complex and hectic. Medical doctors know that 70-75% of all visits to their office are stress-related. Doctors, being so busy, do not have the time to spend individually with each patient to do a thorough stress history, teach them about stress, what it does to the body and even more importantly to teach them active ways and techniques to successfully lower stress. Over the past few years there has been greater interest in Natural Health Therapies.

Excess stress, unfortunately, is all too prevalent in our modern age. Stress not only diminishes our ability to function effectively but often can precipitate many illnesses e.g. high blood pressure, ulcers, tension head aches, depressed immune system etc. and certainly worsens any chronic illness. True stress reduction must take into account the total context in which the stress occurs. Avalon Natural Health Therapies treats the client from a holistic perspective. This understanding has brought more and more people to natural therapies for relief of their stress symptoms. The scientific community has shown that certain natural therapies are as effective, less invasive and in some cases, even more effective than the "pill for every ill" approach in reducing stress.

With the help of the Certified Stress and Wellness Consultant, clients at Avalon Natural Health Therapies will have a comprehensive in-depth assessment of their current stress level and from there the consultant will devise an individualized program for stress reduction. This may involve, but is not necessarily limited to, the following: learning the difference between healthy and unhealthy stress, personality structure and its susceptibility to stress, relevant stress reduction techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, guided imagery, proper breathing techniques (the consultant will practice these techniques with the client one-on-one until the client feels sufficiently comfortable to proceed on their own), the role of nutrition, sleep hygiene, balance in ones life, social support, goal setting and time management skills, available community resources and follow-up evaluation of effectiveness of the stress reduction program.