The GAS Syndrome

GAS in this case stands for the General Adaption Syndrome. What is that?

The General Adaption Syndrome refers to the body's response to a new substance or environment. The five stages of this interesting adaption syndrome are First Response, Adaption, Exhuastion, Recovery and Hypersensitivity.

1. First Response is the initial reaction of the body on exposure to a substance or environment in which the body's reaction tells you whether or not it is good for you. If or when a person first starts smoking would be a good example; coughing and choking tell you straight away that it is bad for you.
   
   
2. Adaption is when, through continual exposure to the substance or environment, the body begins to protect itself by adapting to the new experience it initially reacted to. So now it looks like the substance or environment is no longer affecting the person, however, it is really the body just containing the effects, and this inevitably leads to stress on the body.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. 3. Exhaustion is when, after continually making room for a condition first not wanted, the body comes to a stage where it can cope and adapt no longer and shows this by illness, which could include such things as infections or even cancers surfacing.
   
   
4. Recovery is the stage where the individual, normally having sought advice after the effects of stage three, must now stop or indeed greatly reduce or restrict the substance or other cause of the initial problem in order to improve. This may mean dealing head-on with such things as addiction and allergic reactions to substances as well as effecting a diet regime and vitamin supplementation greater than would normally be needed.
   
   
5. Hypersensitivity is when, after stage four has worked, which can take some time, the system now returning to how it originally was, shows a particular sensitivity to foods and other substances, etc., which are the same or related to those that were originally responsible for the problem. This is a positive factor as it acts like a guide to the individual who can use it to establish what is good and not good for them and thus stay in optimal health.
   

The bottom line here of course is to take notice in the first place when you are still at stage 1 of what your body is saying to you.

Remember, stay healthy.

- Paul Spencer Dip. (Clinical Nutrition)

Paul Spencer is available for one-to-one custom diet plans, advice and nutritional coaching for all individuals, including sports athletes, actors, etc. He can be contacted at nutritionist@optimalhealth.co.uk.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article has been written for educational purposes only. Before undertaking any form of diet or exercise regime you should consult your doctor before commencement, particularly if there is an underlying medical condition.