General Adaptation Syndrome: How Our Bodies Cope with Stress

General Adaptation Syndrome, often abbreviated as GAS, is a three-part process and is the way our bodies react to stress, both in the short-term and the long-term. Initially coined by Austrian/Canadian physician Hans Selye, General Adaptation Syndrome is so named because it is a general effect over the entire body. Both the endocrine system and the nervous system are involved in GAS.

The first stage, stage 1, of GAS is called the alarm reaction, sometimes abbreviated as AR. This first stage of General Adaptation Syndrome is the initial realization by the body that there is a threat or stressor. This stage is often called the fight-or-flight response because there is a surge of adrenaline and production of cortisol. The adrenaline allows the body to quickly respond to the threat.

The second stage of General Adaptation Syndrome is resistance, sometimes called adaptation. This stage is when the body responds to long term stress and learns to adapt. More hormones are secreted, including corticosteroids and others that increase blood pressure and the level of blood sugar. In the resistance stage of General Adaptation Syndrome, the body adapts to the stress. For example, if the threat is starvation, the body will conserve resources and attempt to reduce physical activity. However, this stage is exceptionally hard for the body to maintain, and it cannot keep it up forever.

The third and final stage of General Adaptation Syndrome is known as exhaustion. After the body cannot maintain the resistance stage anymore, it lapses into exhaustion, in which the body has no more resources on which to draw. This stage may come on slowly or all at once. In the exhaustion stage of General Adaptation Syndrome, the immune system is severely compromised as are the glands producing the chemicals involved, most notably the adrenal gland. Further, health issues such as depression and ulcers can originate from a prolonged period in this stage of General Adaptation Syndrome.

One way many people deal with stress and increase the body’s resistance to it is by including adaptogens in their diet. Dietary supplements such as those produced by Vitarich Laboratories are a great way to get the benefits of adaptogenic herbs into the diet, increasing resistance to stress and reducing the negative effects of prolonged stress.

If you want to offer your customers the benefits of adaptogenic herbs in your health line or you simply want more information on General Adaptation Syndrome, call or e-mail Vitarich Laboratories today.