Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
carolineleafThe hypothalamus is a central player in how the mind (soul) controls the body’s reaction to stress and foods. The hypothalamus is actually referred to as the “brain” of the endocrine system.It integrates signals from the mind and body, sending them throughout our bodies so that we can react in an appropriate and functional manner, “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph. 4:16) 

Stage One
Stress, like real food, is not inherently bad—it depends on how we react to it. Stage one of stress is only short-term and makes us alert and ready for action. It is an appropriate response to certain situations. During this stage, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is secreted from the hypothalamus and stimulates the pituitary glands to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH travels via the blood to the adrenal glands (above the kidneys) and stimulates them to produce the stress hormone cortisol.

On the other hand, if we react incorrectly to stress due to a “spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7), our stress reaction is prolonged and becomes toxic. According to one study, increased stress can potentially increase the risk of mortality by 43 percent—but only for the individuals who believed that stress was harmful for their health. People who didn’t view stress as harmful actually decreased their risk of dying. Over the eight years of the study, the researchers estimated that the 18,200 people who died, died from the belief that stress is bad for you—that is more than two thousand deaths a year. This is a real eye-opener, because it shows that how we perceive stress determines the impact on our mental and physical health.

If you change your mind about stress, however, you can change your body’s response to stress. Instead of viewing the stress response as negative, when faced with a stressful situation you can view it as your body being energized to help you meet the challenge—rethink the stress response as helpful! Imagine your pounding heart preparing you for action; if you are breathing faster, good! You are getting more oxygen to your brain.

Stage Two
If we choose to react wrongly to a challenging situation, we will enter stage two of the stress reaction. During this stage, high levels of cortisol circulate in the blood for extended periods of time, in turn contributing to prolonged high blood sugar that can also lead to insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and weight gain, since prolonged high levels of cortisol lead to the accumulation of fat instead of fat breakdown. 

In this toxic situation, fat tends to accumulate around the middle of the body and is a risk factor for heart disease. In fact, prolonged, high levels of cortisol can lead to Cushing’s Syndrome, with its characteristic fat accumulation around the middle and back of the human body, but not on the legs, which remain thin due to muscle wastage.

Stage Three
If we continue to release cortisol, we enter stage three of the stress reaction, which can lead to adrenal exhaustion and eventually death.

So a maladaptive stress response that arises from our perceptions of stress and from excessive Modern American Diet (MAD) sugar intake can interact to make us ill and gain weight. Likewise, both a bad stress response and elevated insulin levels from too much sugar intake feed back through the brain, especially the hypothalamus. These interactions are a profound example of the interconnected nature of the brain and body, and how both signals from our thinking (the 80 percent) and our environment, or in this case eating (the 20 percent), can influence our heath both physically and mentally.

Yet there is good news! Since the mind (soul) controls the brain, including the hypothalamus, the mind is the key to breaking the maladaptive stress/sugar cycles. We can choose with our minds how we react to the circumstances of life, including stress and the foods we choose to eat.


 
Source: Think and Eat Yourself Smart by Dr. Caroline Leaf
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Caroline Leaf
Web site: Dr. Caroline Leaf
 
Dr. Caroline Leaf is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist with a Master's and Ph.D. in Communication Pathology and a BSc Logopaedics, specializing in cognitive and metacognitive neuropsychology. Since the early 1980s, she has researched the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health, and the formation of memory. She was one of the first in her field to study how the brain can change (neuroplasticity) with directed mind input.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.