Syllabus

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Stress Reduction and Management for

Teenagers

Course Description: This course provides the student with a detailed definition of the types of
stress the body and mind experiences, a basic overview of healthy lifestyle behaviors that
encourage stress reduction and promote both mental and physical health and well-being and also
provides information to increase basic knowledge and awareness of Complementary and
Alternative Medical techniques and approaches to utilize to effectively reduce and manage
personal stress levels.
Course Goals: This course is designed to increase the persons awareness and knowledge of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine techniques and approaches to stress reduction and
management, to signify the importance of utilizing healthy lifestyle behaviors to enhance mental
and physical health and well-being and to improve the persons ability to utilize stress reduction
and management tools and skills.
Unit One: Introduction to Stress
This lessons focuses on the types of stress the body experiences, provides explanations about the
negative effects of stress on the body and provides a means for the student to become more
familiar with the specific body organs and systems directly associated with the stress response
along with the specific hormones that are released by these organs during and after the activation
of the fight-or-flight response.
Stress and disease have a very intimate connection and relationship.
Stress is defined as a perceived threat (either real or imagined) to ones mental, physical, or
spiritual well-being that upsets the bodys homeostatic balance and triggers the stress-response.
Two types of stress the body experiences are eustress which is good stress and distress which is
bad stress. The body can experience two types of distress: acute, which is stress that is very
intense but only last for a short period of time, and chronic, which is not as intense as acute but
last for a prolonged period of time. Chronic stress is the type of distress that is most associated
with causing long term health problems, such as cancer, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes,
depression and anxiety.
There are three systems within the human body that are directly affected by stress and the
activation of the bodys stress response to perceived threats: the nervous system, the endocrine
system, and the immune system. During the bodys immediate response to the perceived stressor,
the sympathetic nervous system releases epinephrine and norepinephrine in preparation for flight
or fight. Even though this process actually occurs within seconds, the effects within the body can
last for extended periods of time; the time period can actually last anywhere from a few minutes
to several hours. During this time period, the epinephrine and norepinephrine are continually
secreted from the adrenal medulla. The prolonged effects of chronic stress can end up lasting for
a few days.
Each person is unique in his or her perception of stressors and responses to stressors. Dealing
with stress can cause significant wear and tear to the body, both physically and emotionally.
Some of the common physical symptoms that are associated with the activation of the bodys
stress response include increased blood pressure and heart rate, increased blood flow to the
extremities and increased serum glucose for energy metabolism. Emotional stress can also
suppress a persons immune system by triggering physiological responses, such as suppressing
the formation of new lymphocytes and their release into the circulation, inhibiting the
manufacturing of new antibodies in response to an infectious agent, and disrupting the normal
communication that occurs among lymphocytes. Stress also negatively affects the immune
system by increasing the hormone cortisol which attacks and destroys the white blood cells.
Understanding how the effects of stress can affect the body enables a person to better identify
and address any symptoms he or she may be experiencing on a regular basis; common symptoms
include muscle tension, shallow breathing and various intestinal problems. Having knowledge of
how your body reacts to stress enables you to better understand how to use relaxation techniques
to reduce stress-related symptoms and promote a deeper sense of relaxation and healing during
and after experiencing personal stressors.
One of the most important steps in resolving and reducing a persons stress level is to first
identify what his or her specific stressors are. Stressors are referred to as any situations,
circumstances, events and or perceptions that cause the fight-or-flight response to be triggered
within the body. Being a fulltime student can be extremely stressful at times, especially when
trying to balance the expected academic workload with other aspects of life, such as
employment, family and social obligations. A crucial part of maintaining emotional health is
being aware of our limitations and setting realistic boundaries to maintain those limitations;
having appropriate and effective social skills and being able to communicate, verbally and
nonverbally, effectively are important parts of maintaining appropriate and healthy limitations
with others.
Emotional well-being involves having the ability to feel, express, and control the entire range of
human emotions without being controlled by them. Unresolved anger and fear can be a
significant cause of stress. Anger is a survival emotion that is often used to communicate intense
feelings during times of stress, especially when a person feels that his or her limitations have
been pushed too far; in this type of situation, the anger is used to communicate and defend the
persons personal boundaries. When anger is mismanaged and/or misdirected it can cause the
body to experience chronic stress symptoms.




Student Handout:
Stress: a perceived threat (either real or imagined) to ones mental, physical, or spiritual well-
being that upsets the bodys homeostatic balance and triggers the stress-response.
Two types of stress the body experiences
o Eustress: good stress
o Distress: bad stress
Acute: very intense but only last for a short period of time
Chronic: not as intense as acute but last for a prolonged period of
time.
*this type of distress is associated with long term health
problems including cancer, coronary heart disease, type II
diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome,
depression and anxiety.
Stressors are referred to as any situations, circumstances, events and or perceptions cause
the fight-or-flight response to be triggered within the body.
o Common Stressors include:
School/Grade obligations
Employment obligations
Family and social obligations
Peer Pressure
Financial situations
Living situations
Stress and disease have a very intimate connection and relationship.
o Body systems directly affected by stress and the activation of the bodys stress
response to perceived threats:
nervous system
endocrine system
immune system







Unit Two: Lifestyle behaviors that support mental/emotional health and well-being
This lesson provides basic information about healthy lifestyles, such as consuming a healthy diet
and engaging in regular physical activity, to enable the student to better determine whether he or
she has any eating behaviors that promote stress and if his or her level of physical activity is
appropriate to effectively reduce and manage stress levels. The information included in this
lesson enables the student to better understand what healthy dietary and physical activity lifestyle
habits are and why they are important for reducing and managing stress levels.
Health is much more than simply the absence of disease.
Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet and being physically active play a significant role in a
persons physical and mental health and well-being.
The manner in which a person nourishes their body affects their growth and maturation, their
mental and physical well-being, and reduces their resistance to diseases. During teenage years, it
is extremely important to make sure that you are consuming the proper amounts of essential
nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in the foods you choose. There are 6 basic nutrients that
humans require for optimal health: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water
with water being the most important of these. It is also very important for a person to eat a
healthy diet because it provides his or her body with the essential nutrients that it needs to
maintain a healthy balance within each of the bodys organs and systems; consuming a healthy
diet every day has a positive effect on a persons physical and mental health and wellbeing.
A diet can be defined as a plan, eating habits, pattern of eating, nutritional regime or food intake.
A positive picture of diet includes a pattern of eating designed to optimize physical and mental
health. The purpose of a dietary guideline is to help people make healthy food choices, eat well-
balanced meals and effectively manage weight. The current recommended dietary principles and
guidelines are key concepts to keep in mind whenever you are selecting foods because food
choice is directly connected with human health and involves selection and preparation of food in
order to furnish required energy for the human body to maintain life.
There is a strong connection between our emotions, stress and eating. Stress depletes some of the
essential nutrients in the body. Many teenagers and young adults maintain lifestyles that do not
promote or reinforce good eating habits which leads to the nutrients within his or her body to
remain depleted. When they continue to consume food substances that increase the sympathetic
drive, such as caffeine, alcohol, high fat food products and highly salted foods on a regular basis,
it causes the bodys stress response to remain activated which eventually leads to the cumulative
effect of harmful toxins for the body. As this cycle continues, the chances of developing health-
related problems increase for the person. The gastrointestinal tract is very sensitive to stress; the
slowing down of digestion and absorption occur during stress due to the blood being redirected
to the muscles during the fight or flight response. When the gastrointestinal tract is exposed to
prolonged stress, it can cause symptoms such as cramping, bloating, diarrhea, ulcers, and
hemorrhoids.
Physical exercise is actually considered stress for the body because it increases the bodys stress
response while the person is actively in motion; however, physical exercise also promotes
physical and mental health and well-being. Some of the positive effects of physical exercise
include lowering of resting heart rate, decreased resting blood pressure, decreased muscle
tension, increased energy throughout the day, improved sleep, and improved self-esteem.
Regular physical activity actually helps the mind and body better deal with stress and improves a
persons mood. There are six basic components of physical fitness: cardiovascular endurance,
muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, agility, power, and balance with the three most
important components being cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and
flexibility. One of the best types of physical activity for stress reduction and management is
aerobic exercise because it significantly increases the bodys flow of oxygen; engaging in 30
minutes a day of aerobic exercise helps to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms
Lesson Activities:
1. Chose an exercise or activity that you can implement in your own life to foster greater
physical and emotional wellness; it must be some form of physical exercise or movement,
such as brisk walking, bicycling, or swimming. Write a couple of paragraphs about why
you chose this activity and how you plan to implement it into your daily routine.
2. Pick three physical activities that are enjoyable for you. Create a schedule by selecting
specific days and times that you will engage in these physical activities; be sure to set
realistic goals for yourself. Write two paragraphs explaining how you will ensure that you
are able to follow your schedule for 2 complete weeks.













Student Handout:
Health is much more than simply the absence of disease.
6 basic nutrients that humans require for optimal health:
Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
o Consume a healthy diet every day
* Diet: a plan, eating habits, pattern of eating, nutritional regime or food intake
o Avoid unhealthy products
Excessive amounts of sugars and starches
Caffeine and alcohol
6 components of physical fitness:
Cardiovascular endurance
Muscular strength
Endurance
Flexibility
Agility
Power
Balance
o Engage in physical activity everyday
o 30 minutes aerobic exercise daily
Walking briskly, jogging, dancing, swimming, bicycling, playing
sports
o Utilize positive and motivational music
Useful Tools:
ChoseMyPlate.gov http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
This website is easy to use and understand with a language level appropriate for teenagers and
young adults. It offers the user a wide variety of helpful resources and tools to use to help
improve his or her dietary habits. Educational and informative videos are provided along with
calorie counter tracking tools and nutritional reports. healthy and simple recipes and cooking
tips, meal planners, and This website is a handy resource for anyone who is trying to make
changes to their current dietary habits to improve health and reduce unhealthy stresses to the
body.


Unit Three: Incorporating stress management tools and techniques
This lesson describes how personal perceptions can cause increased stress for the body and
provides explanations of several CAM techniques that can be utilized to reduce and regulate
stress responses. A visualization exercise will be completed to provide the student with an
opportunity to experience the basic technique involved with these types of CAM practices.
Tools to manage stress are an important factor in regards to physical and mental health
and wellbeing.
Our perceptions of a stressor can become distorted and effect the way we respond. When a
person experiences stress, his or her coping response can elicit one of three responses: it can
regain emotional status quo, resume normal activities that were interrupted by the stressor or it
can cause him or her to feel psychologically overwhelmed. Effective coping strategies can enable
a person to effectively regulate his or her bodys stress responses. Effective coping strategies
involve four basic components: they help to increase awareness of the situation, they augment
the information processing of stress, they help to modify any related stress-prone behaviors, and
they work toward a peaceful resolution of the stressor
An example of an activity to foster greater psychological wellness is to find a supportive
individual or professional, such as a guidance counselor, instructor, mentor or coach, that you
can regularly vent to or discuss your feelings and thoughts to so that you may continually feel
supported, valued and validated. This will also help you make sure that you are not bottling
negative emotions inside which can cause severe complications to your physical health. Another
good practice to utilize to foster greater psychological wellness is to regularly use affirmations to
enable you to change any negative personal thoughts and perceptions to more positive and
productive perceptions; this will enable you to better deal with life stressors that you encounter.
Engaging in hobbies is also an effective coping technique because doing so allows you to escape
and take your mind off of your stressors. Hobbies are effective because they also inspire a
persons creativity and imagination while enabling him or her to focus his or her attention on
specific details involved within the specific hobby or project allowing him or her to divert
attention for a designated period of time and return to the stressors later when he or she is better
able to deal with them.
Effective CAM methods and techniques to reduce and manage stress.
Deep Breathing Exercises: Breathing is an automatic action that every human being does on a
continual basis; however, most teenagers, especially females, breathe in a way that emphasizes
the upper chest and thoracic cavity movement and deemphasize the abdominal movement. This
shallow breathing causes the sympathetic drive to increase. Deep breathing (also known as
diaphragmatic breathing) is a relaxation technique where a person concentrates on breathing
from his or her lower stomach or diaphragm instead of the thoracic area; decreasing the
sympathetic drive and reducing stress related symptoms. Diaphragmatic breathing is used
effectively in the treatment of chronic conditions, such as insomnia and it is also incorporated
into nearly every relaxation technique because it can be done anytime and anywhere a person
experiences stress.
Meditation: Meditation is an essential tool for stress reduction and reduction because it enables a
person to achieve a deeper sense of the mind-body connection and enables him or her to
experience his or her own inner strength and peace. Meditation is a process that enables a
cleansing of the mind because it focuses on increasing the persons awareness of being through
concentration techniques known as centering. Exclusive meditation and inclusive meditation are
two distinct forms of meditation commonly used to increase an individuals processes of
concentration and awareness; Exclusive mediation is the form where the individuals
concentration is focused on one object to the exclusion of all other thoughts in order to increase
his or her self-awareness and to promote relaxation while Inclusive meditation is the form where
the individuals thoughts are all invited into awareness without his or her emotional evaluation,
judgment, or analysis.
Visualizations: Visualizations encourage the individual to explore his or her creative
imaginations as they focus on their breathing and the scenarios that are described within the
specific exercise. The individual is instructed on how to progress through each scenario via
descriptive statements meant to inspire a relaxing and calm feeling. Visualization exercises
enable the person to mentally detach from a stressful event or circumstance by encouraging the
person to experience an inner peace.
Yoga: Yoga is an ancient technique that utilizes specific postures, positions and stretches to
connect your body and mind. These techniques incorporate breathing techniques, physical
exercise and relaxation practices to help reduce stress and regain emotional and physical
stability.
Lesson Activity:
1. Each student will participate in a visualization exercise by placing headphones on his or
her ears, closing his or her eyes and listening to the provided visualization exercise. The
exercise is titled Guided meditation for Teenagers for Stress Anxiety & Emotional
healing & Relief and can be retrieved at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHVJ8DPCsPg
2. When he or she has completed this visualization exercise, he or she will write a two
paragraph journal describing his or her experience.






Student Handout:
Effective coping strategies involve four basic components:
Help to increase awareness of the situation
Augment the information processing of stress
Help to modify any related stress-prone behaviors
Work toward a peaceful resolution of the stressor

Effective CAM methods and techniques to utilize to reduce and manage stress.
Deep breathing exercises
Meditation
Visualizations
Yoga

Useful Websites:
Yoga for teens: http://yokid.org/for-teens/
This website provides educational information about yoga practices and techniques that a
teenager or young adult can use for stress reduction and management.

Meditations for teens: http://www.susankramer.com/TeenMeditation.html
This website provides detailed meditation exercises for the teen or young adult to utilize
anywhere he or she feels the need to. The exercises are geared around the typical environments a
teenager or young adult is involved in.