NEPIP
NeuroEndoPsychoImmunoPody
The association of our brains and nervous system functions and their connections to the body's endocrine system, how this impacts our health via our immune system and is reflected in our feet.
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I'm going to explain about stress and its negative impacts on the mind and body and how NEPIP and Reflexology can help.
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Stress
When a person encounters an event or a situation which has a physiological and psychological effect on their body they can be experiencing stress. They may feel they cannot cope and everything has become to much to deal with.
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The event maybe traumatic such as a bereavement or the situation maybe that they are in an exam, for example a driving test . Stress can be daily because of work , juggling family life and the pace of life. The situation or event which causes the stress is known as a stressor .
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Stressors can be both positive (eustress) and negative .
Eustress can help individuals to achieve, by motivating them.
What may stress one person may not affect another individual in the same way. Some people may find driving stressful whereas other people may find noise is their stressor.
When an individual is stressed our bodies react in response to the
stressor , you may feel
TIRED
EXPERIENCE HEADACHES
CHEST PAIN AND INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE
INSOMNIA
CONSTIPATION OR DIARRHOEA
DRY MOUTH
ANXIETY
Your heart maybe pounding and feel your mind and body is out of control.
STRESS CAN IMPACT YOUR HORMONES CAUSING CHANGES TO YOUR PERIOD OR MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND THEREFORE ALSO AFFECT PERI-MENOPAUSAL AND MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS.
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The reason an individual will be feeling all of the latter will be due to the body releasing hormones as a response to the stress.
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Fight and Flight response, first described as this in 1920s by an American physiologist Walter Cannon, he realized ," That a chain of rapidly occuring reactions inside the body helped to mobilize the body's resources to deal with the threatening circumstances". (Online-verywellmind) (updated June 11th, 2018) For example, an occasion where the body goes into fight or flight response could be a rabbit seeing a predator. The rabbit is frightened, the fear is the stressor and this activates the fight or flight response enabling the rabbit to react quickly and get to safety. This reaction /process is useful and will help the rabbit respond quickly and get away or help the person be motivated in their driving exams but if this stress response is prolonged and the body is experiencing stress on a long term basis this can be detrimental to health. Long term stress - The Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal system (HPA) is responsible for regulating long term stress. The stressor activates the HPA system, this network consists of the hypothalamus , the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands (Online- understanding the stress response- Harvard health 5/7/18). If the stressor continues to remain the hypothalamus releases corticotropic - releasing hormone which in turn causes the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The adrenals respond by releasing cortisol. CORTISOL - THE STRESS HORMONE- Cortisol has numerous functions in the body including : Glucose metabolism Blood pressure regulation Insulin release Immune function Inflammation response Hormonal regulation, especially in women Although cortisol has positive effects when its initially released, prolonged and too higher quantities in the bloodstream due to chronic stress has a detrimental effects on the body resulting in : Decreased Immunity Increases in fat deposition Inhibits thyroid hormone activation and promotes breakdown of muscle bone and connective tissue. (Online : Natural Health news July 2011) Reproductive hormones can be suppressed by cortisol, high levels of cortisol can lead to abnormal ovulation Cortisol in high levels can lower oestrogen resulting in hormonal imbalance in women. Oestrogen levels also decrease during menopause and therefore stress can exasperate menopausal symptoms. Testosterone production can also be directly reduced by cortisol.

How Reflexology can help
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Reflexology can be a very calming and relaxing therapy and from reading how stress can negatively impact our mental and physical health its easier to understand how the body and mind can benefit from Reflexology.
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NEPIP involves a Reflexology session where the reflexologist works both feet at the same time and works the reflexes of the brain, nervous system, endocrine system and immune system.
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NEPIP is a treatment routine specific to the body's responses to stress and is exclusive to Level 5 Practitioners.
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