Wellness

Recovering from HPA Axis Dysfunction aka Adrenal Fatigue

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tired, stressed, exhausted woman yawning with a list of the top 5 signs of adrenal fatigue including difficulty falling asleep, waking up tired, difficulty concentrating, relying on coffee or sugar and generally feeling stressed and irritable
Are you suffering from adrenal fatigue otherwise known as HPA axis dysfunction?

Working from home, suddenly becoming your children’s teacher overnight, being furloughed, worrying about your job or your finances, it’s all very stressful. If you’re feeling uncertain and exhausted, you aren’t the only one. If you were tired, stressed, and overwhelmed before, these trying times will only make things worse. The trials and tribulations stress your adrenal glands. While people commonly refer to overworking these glands as “adrenal fatigue”, the more correct term is HPA axis dysfunction. Everyone will agree that stress levels are at an all-time high. The stress in 2020 has been unrelenting. People are burning out. Your adrenal glands and HPA axis are major players in how well you cope with all of this.

Adrenal Overload Symptoms

Here are common symptoms of “adrenal fatigue” or HPA axis dysfunction:

Does any or all of this sound familiar?

Without support, you’re going to be in this continuous cycle of lather, rinse, repeat. Whether you want to call it adrenal fatigue, adrenal dysregulation, HPA axis dysfunction, or increased allostatic load, what do labels matter when your quality of life is suffering like this?

Let’s get to know your adrenal glands. That will help us to identify what exactly is happening during adrenal fatigue and what can you do about it.

You Were Engineered for Physical Danger

What’s the key to understanding where our adrenals fit into how we handle stress? Evolution.

Our bodies are a bit of an out-dated model. They were engineered for a world that no longer exists. Back in prehistoric times, we humans were very vulnerable to predators that were stronger, faster, or bigger than us. Think saber-toothed tiger, giant hyenas, giant bears, and human-eating crocodiles. If we saw one of these monsters coming our way, we had to instantly be ready to either fight it off (fight) or run away (flight). This ‘fight or flight’ response is literally designed to save our lives.

These days there are fewer physical predators to run from, but threats are still ever-present, just in different forms. Because evolution hasn’t caught up to the mental and emotional threats that we actually face, our body reacts to these “emotional” threats the same way that it reacts to physical danger. In other words, the exact same stress response is triggered whether you’re running from a tiger or reading a critical email from your boss.

Your Adrenal Glands in Action

So what actually happens in your body when a stressor (physical or emotional) hits? How do your adrenal glands respond to get you through the danger?

Let’s say you have a big work assignment that is due next week, and all seems to be going well. Suddenly an email hits your inbox from your boss. Your deadline just got moved up 4 days. You now have only 3 days to finish a project that you thought you had 7 days to complete. You had those 7 days all neatly planned out, including spending some time with your family relaxing. Even before you finish reading his/her email you notice that:

  • Your breathing is fast and shallow
  • Your heart is pounding
  • Your muscles, especially in your neck and shoulders, tense up

Your HPA Axis Fires Up When Stress Hits

How did all of this happen in mere seconds, without any conscious effort from you to make it happen? Let’s look at that scenario again.

Within seconds of opening that email, your brain identified it as a threat. It then sent the ‘get ready to fight or flee’ instructions to your hypothalamus gland. The hypothalamus is a gland in your brain that directs the pituitary, which then directs the rest of the glands in your body.

Your hypothalamus then sent the super urgent messages directly to your adrenal glands.

That’s why you became a heart-pounding anxious mess in mere seconds.

Your hypothalamus also sent some less urgent messages to your pituitary gland. Your pituitary, in turn, relayed signals to your adrenals glands.

These three glands form a stress-response team, that I referred to previously. It is known as your hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. It’s the communication network between your brain and your adrenal glands.

Adrenal Gland Function

What messages did your adrenal glands receive?

  1. Produce hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol amongst others)
  2. Release them into your bloodstream to get to your muscles and organs like your heart and lungs for them to take the appropriate action.

Your Body’s Response to Your Adrenal Hormones

What actions do these target muscles and organs take when they get their hormonal instructions from the adrenals?

  • Redirect blood flow to your heart, limbs and organs like your lungs and away from your digestive tract. More blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients for the tissues and organs that have the highest priority for your survival to work well.
  • Increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar. This helps to supply oxygen, nutrients, and fuel (sugar) to the rest of your body. This strengthens muscles for fighting or running away.
  • Dilate your pupils. Dilated pupils allow more light in to help you see better and expands your field of vision. Typically this happens when you are in the dark or dim lighting. It also happens under stress.
  • Expand the airways in your lungs. This allows for a better flow of oxygen in and carbon dioxide waste out.

This all makes sense, right? These lightning-fast processes give us the immediate energy, oxygen and blood flow that we need to fight or flee, and more peripheral vision to see the threats that may surround us.

We Overwork Our HPA Axis

Here’s the thing: this system is built for infrequent, physical emergencies. Now, we mainly use it for frequent, mental, or emotional emergencies. Or, to put it another way, we use it to deal with chronic day-to-day stress. What happens when stress is day in and day out and your adrenals are chronically working overtime?

What Goes Up Must Come Down

When we ask our adrenal glands to produce and secrete their hormones repeatedly over long periods of time, the result is predictable: things get depleted or exhausted. If you’re always speeding, your car is going to run out of gas that much faster. Driving at a more moderate pace sustains your fuel level until you can get to the next gas station and refuel. If we feel threatened or unsafe more often than not, the system that was designed to help us cope can also run out of fuel.

Does Stress Ever Really Subside?

Herein lies the problem with our current lifestyles: when does the threat pass? Or does it ever really pass? Many of us are living under nearly constant low or high-level stress. The signs your body needs to tell it to dial things back may never truly register. So your adrenals are working much more than they were ever intended to do.

This leads to weight gain, exhaustion, brain fog, digestion problems, low sex drive, and a slew of other unpleasant adrenal fatigue symptoms.

It’s Time To Opt Out Of the Constant Fight Or Flight Mode

What can you do to get your body out of the chronic fight or flight cycle and get it back on track?

Identify Your Threat Triggers

The best way to help your adrenals to help you better is to figure out what feels threatening to you. This may seem like a deceptively simple question, but it’s an important one. We may think that we’re pretty chill and only threatened by truly dire life or death situations, but our physiology is saying something quite different.

Keep a Stress Journal

Try this simple exercise: observe yourself for a week to see when you feel your stress response kick in. Note these incidents in your journal (or even just use the Notes app on your phone) along with the details of what triggered it, what time of day, whether you were hungry at the time, how your sleep was the night before and any other factors that may impact your tolerance for stress.

Because this complex chemical response happens instantaneously, before you even think about it, it’s a very accurate indicator of what stresses you out. Do you get stressed when you get a snarky email from a colleague? When you are hashing out finances with your significant other? Having a talk to your child’s principal?

It may not be a physical threat like you nearly got into a car accident. It’s just as likely to be a worry or fearful thought. How many fearful thoughts do you have in a day, an hour, or in the time it took to read this article? Logging them in your journal can help identify what sets you off so you can address the issue or apply calm and rational thought to the situation to come to some resolution.

Learn Your Triggers and Dial ‘Em Down

When you really observe yourself, you may be surprised to see just how often you’re unknowingly flipping into fight or flight mode. The goal is to raise awareness about which situations trigger you, identify your stress response, and learn to dial it back once you recognize that it’s happening.

Adrenal Gland Nutrition

If stress tends to get the better of you, what and when you eat will help. Focus on eating a diet full of leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, and Swiss Chard. These provide vital adrenal gland nutrients like vitamin B5, B6, C, magnesium, and zinc. Lower your intake of stimulants like sugar and caffeine. These are stimulating to your nervous system, making it harder to remain calm and relaxed.

Adrenal Gland Supplements

Certain natural supplements may help as well, such as:

Schisandra

Schisandra is a Chinese berry that helps your body to handle stress more easily and is also supportive of the female reproductive organs.

Vitamin D

Often taken for its role in supporting a healthy immune system, low levels of vitamin D have been linked to the overproduction of cortisol.

Licorice Root

Licorice has been studied for its role in helping to regulate cortisol and improve energy levels. It’s important to note that licorice can increase blood pressure. So it should not be taken if your blood pressure is already high or if you are on blood pressure medication.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb that has been shown to lower cortisol levels when taken twice per day. Make sure that the tea, tincture, or capsule you choose specifies that it is Rhodiola Rosea. Other types of Rhodiola do not have the same research backing.

Get to The Root Cause

These mindfulness-based strategies will help you bring your stress response back into balance, but the reasons why you are feeling reactive may run much deeper. Remember all of those hormones that your adrenal glands work so hard to produce?

A naturopathic doctor with a special interest in hormonal balance can run the right lab tests to check your hormone levels, including your cortisol level. We will work with you to create a personalized adrenal fatigue treatment plan that will move you from a habitual stress response to a more relaxed frame of mind. We can also help you understand how to support your adrenal glands with the nutrients they need to promote your body’s ability to handle stress.

Time to get calm, strong, resilient, and capable of handling whatever problems your day, or the world, throws at you.

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

Adrenal Gland References

Dunlop BW, Wong A. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in PTSD: Pathophysiology and treatment interventions. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2019;89:361-379.

Dmitrieva NO, Almeida DM, Dmitrieva J, et al. A day-centered approach to modeling cortisol: diurnal cortisol profiles and their associations among U.S. adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013;38(10):2354-2365.

Liao J, Brunner EJ, Kumari M. Is there an association between work stress and diurnal cortisol patterns? Findings from the Whitehall II study. PLoS One. 2013;8(12):e81020.

Heim C, Ehlert, U, Hellhammer DH. The potential role of hypocortisolism in the pathophysiology of stress-related bodily disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2000;25(1):1-35.

Buric I, Farias M, Jong J, et al. What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Front Immunol. 2017;8:670.

Panossian A, Wikman G. Evidence-based efficacy of adaptogens in fatigue, and molecular mechanisms related to their stress-protective activity. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2009;4(3):198-219.

Orban BO, Routh VH, Levin BE, Berlin JR. Direct effects of recurrent hypoglycaemia on adrenal catecholamine release. Diab Vasc Dis Res. 2015;12(1):2‐12. doi:10.1177/1479164114549755

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23832433/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21184804/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25723858/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19016404/

Tinnitus: Symptoms, Causes & Natural Treatments

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woman with tinnitus holding her ears to make the ringing stop or get rid of tinnitus
With tinnitus, how do you make the ringing stop?

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a ringing sound in your ear or ears that only you hear. It is the perception of a sound in your ear when there is no corresponding external source of the noise. Some people describe it as ringing, while others may sense a clicking, buzzing, hissing, whistling, or roaring noise. Ten to fifteen percent of all adults report symptoms of tinnitus with 1-2% of those reporting that it negatively impacts their quality of life.

What are the signs and symptoms of tinnitus?

The first signs and symptoms of tinnitus are ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking or roaring noises that originate from inside your ear, not from an external source. These sounds may affect one or both ears.

What causes tinnitus?

To better answer this question, you need an understanding of how your ears work. First, sound waves travel from the air and through your outer ear. Your outer ear conducts the sound waves to your middle ear. From there, the sound is conducted to your inner ear. Your inner ear then transmits an electrical impulse to your brain. Your brain then translates this impulse into a sound that you hear.

Causes of tinnitus:

  • Damage to your inner ear
  • Damage to your eardrum or ear bones (the hammer, anvil, and stirrup) of your middle ear
  • Tumours in your ear or on your auditory nerve
  • Regular exposure to very loud noises such as workers who use jackhammers, chainsaws, or other heavy equipment or musicians who are exposed to very loud music frequently
  • Age-related hearing loss
  • Muscle spasms in your middle ear
  • Meniere’s disease, which is an inner ear condition that affects hearing and balance
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Temporomandibular joint disorders, which also causes chronic pain in your jaw and head
  • An overabundance of earwax, which alters the way your eardrum works
  • Certain medications also cause tinnitus and hearing damage. This is known as ototoxicity. Drugs that contribute to tinnitus include:
  1. very large doses of aspirin over a prolonged period
  2. antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine
  3. certain antibiotics, such as erythromycin and gentamicin
  4. loop diuretic medications such as bumetanide
  5. certain anti-cancer drugs, such as vincristine

Tests for Tinnitus

Your family doctor may perform a hearing assessment and provide a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist or audiologist for more extensive testing.

Does tinnitus cause hearing loss?

People with tinnitus often report hearing difficulties because the noises in their ears are interfering with hearing incoming external noises. Resolving the cause of tinnitus, helps to restore normal hearing in some cases.

How is tinnitus treated?

The treatment for tinnitus depends on determining which of the above is the underlying cause and addressing that.

Damage to your inner ear

Your inner ear can be damaged by loud noises, viral or less frequently bacterial infections, aging, head trauma, a hereditary disease known as otosclerosis and Meniere’s disease. Addressing the source of the damage may revert symptoms like tinnitus.

Damage to your eardrum or ear bones of your middle ear

Eardrums can be damaged by unresolved ear infections, extreme changes in air or water pressure, and trauma. A damaged eardrum can repair itself if the cause of the damage is removed.

Tumors in your ear or on your auditory nerve

These are called acoustic neuromas. They are rare. The best test for an acoustic neuroma is an MRI. Treatment of an acoustic neuroma is outside my scope of practice and best discussed with your MD.

Exposure to very loud noises

For those who are exposed to loud noises, wearing hearing protection helps prevent further damage to your ears. Damage to your ears from short term exposure to loud noises usually resolves on its own after the exposure stops.

Age-related hearing loss

Obviously, you can’t change your chronological age. However, many of the effects that we attribute to age can be moderated or improved through healthy lifestyle measures like a healthy diet, good sleep, regular exercise, and certain vitamins and minerals.

In some people with age-related hearing loss, the changes to the central auditory system resemble the changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease. In this case, our naturopaths would treat tinnitus similarly to how we address Alzheimer’s dementia.

Muscle spasms in your middle ear

Muscle spasms in your ear may be influenced by stress, caffeine intake, and certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies, particularly calcium and magnesium. Aside from hearing the spasm, you would also feel a twitching movement inside your ear.

Meniere’s disease

Meniere’s is an inner ear condition that affects your hearing and balance. Sufferers experience varying degrees of vertigo, falls, hearing loss, and nausea or vomiting. Usually, only one ear is affected. Conventional treatment involves salt restriction, medication to control dizziness and diuretics.

High blood pressure

People with high blood pressure may notice roaring or blood rushing sounds in their ears, although this is uncommon. Supporting your HPA axis, magnesium supplementation and strengthening your cardiovascular system are some of the means that we as naturopathic doctors help you manage your blood pressure.

High cholesterol

Cholesterol levels are increased when blood sugar levels are not well managed and when there is damage to the vascular endothelium. Correcting your diet, increasing exercise, and supplementation for healthy veins and arteries helps lower cholesterol levels naturally.

Head and neck injuries

Our chiropractors and osteopath are experts in helping to realign your neck, jaw, and even the bones of your skull.

Temporomandibular joint disorders

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMJ, can be caused by misalignment of the bones of your jaw, neck, and skull. It also causes chronic pain in your jaw and head. Our chiropractors and osteopath help this. Anxiety or stress that causes tooth grinding at night also contributes. Our naturopaths reduce stress and anxiety so that you are more relaxed during the day and while you sleep. Therapy with Ichih Wang will relieve stress and anxiety. Acupuncturist Joy Walraven uses Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture to relieve TMJ pain and tinnitus.

An overabundance of earwax

Impacted earwax can alter the way your eardrum works. Abundant earwax is a sign that something is irritating your ears. Earwax is like mucous for your nose, it is a way for your body to flush an irritant. Food sensitivities like dairy often provoke excessive earwax production. A trial dairy elimination diet is a good place to start if you notice a lot of earwax. You may need to see your medical doctor for ear irrigation to flush out impacted wax. Never stick things in your ears to do this as it may damage your eardrum.

Medications

Certain medications also cause tinnitus and hearing damage. This is known as ototoxicity. In the case of ototoxic drugs, the solution would be to discuss switching medications with your doctor.

Is tinnitus temporary or permanent?

Whether tinnitus is permanent or temporary really depends on the underlying cause. In some cases it will go away with appropriate treatment, in others, it will lessen and in some instances it is permanent.

How do you get rid of Tinnitus? What are natural treatment options?

Here are some natural remedies that are used for tinnitus relief:

Melatonin

Studies show that melatonin helps to relieve symptoms of tinnitus. Optimize your own production of melatonin by following these good sleep hygiene practices:

  1. Shut down electronics by 8 p.m. Backlit screens decrease your melatonin production.
  2. Dim the lighting in your home once it is dark outside. Your brain’s cue to make melatonin is darkness. If you are exposed to bright lights once it’s dark outside, you will produce less melatonin.
  3. Get blackout curtains for your bedroom. Keep the melatonin production optimal all night by keeping it dark in your bedroom.

Magnesium

A 2016 study reported a significant association between lower blood levels of magnesium and tinnitus. Magnesium acts to calm the nervous system and relax muscles. Both mechanisms could provide relief of tinnitus symptoms. Another study had participants take 532 mg of magnesium per day for 3 months and rated them on the Tinnitus Handicap Index before and after. After 3 months, the 19 participants who completed the study demonstrated a significant decrease in tinnitus afterward.

In addition, magnesium is a key component of melatonin production.

CoQ10

A water-soluble formulation of Coenzyme Q10 for 30 days after exposure to loud noise, helped participants recover their hearing. The reduction in the recovery time following treatment can be explained by CoQ10-mediated improvement of your ears’ response to oxidative stress.

Gingko

Studies on using Gingko for tinnitus have demonstrated conflicting results, some showing an improvement, others not. Given Gingko’s ability to improve circulation, this remedy may be most useful in patients with other signs and symptoms of circulatory issues or vascular dementia.

The conflicting evidence for Gingko may also be due to a lack of standardization of Gingko products used and/or dosage given.

Vitamin B12

A study in North India subjected participants to Vitamin B12 assay and audiometry pre- and post- a therapy that involved 6 weeks of intramuscular B12 injections (2500 mcg). Patients with Vitamin B12 deficiency showed significant improvement in mean tinnitus severity index score and visual analog scale (VAS) after Vitamin B12 therapy. Dr. Rachel Vong can administer vitamin B12 injections.

Fish oil

Fish oil studies show that it reduces nerve inflammation by decreasing the release of various inflammatory chemicals in the brain. Neuroinflammation has been implicated as a cause of tinnitus.

Spirulina

A 2018 study suggested that salicylate-induced tinnitus may be improved by taking a water extract of Spirulina.

Is Tinnitus Serious?

Some of the causes of tinnitus mentioned above are serious. If you are experiencing symptoms of tinnitus, see your doctor then see one of our practitioners for help with the underlying cause.

Book Help with tinnitus online now

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc (Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

Tinnitus Resources:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000778.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27553899

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30662641

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29993223

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28966750

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27405078

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22249877

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26960786

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28723603

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28058465

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31211773

Productivity Killers

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woman dressed like a superhero thinking that multitasking improves her productivity
Is Multitasking Lowering Your Productivity?

Here’s a challenge for you: Can you read this entire article from start to finish without being distracted even once by your phone, an incoming email, a notification or some other distraction? How would those distractions affect your ultimate retention and understanding of the subject matter? The answers to those questions may surprise you.

In this digital day and age, we assume that distractions are a normal part of life. It’s worthwhile to challenge this assumption and consider the impact on your productivity and focus of these frequent interruptions. Why is this important? Like most of us, you have tons to accomplish every single day. You also have life goals that you want to reach. Maybe you want to work towards enjoying greater health and happiness or making a bigger impact with the work that you do or improving your relationships. Not sustaining a singular focus impacts your ability to get stuff done and to achieve those goals.

The Cost of Distraction

Interestingly, most people believe that they are more efficient when they are busy multi-tasking. In fact, researchers have found that we actually do work faster when we’re faced with a lot of distractions. That may be because we subconsciously feel that we have to overcompensate for the interruptions or that there is a perception that there is more to do.

Increased Anxiety

However, studies show that the cost of distractions affects something far more significant than your productivity, which is your mental well-being. That’s because distractions make you feel more anxious and stressed. Higher levels of anxiety affect every part of your body and your life.

Productivity Recovery Time

The negative impact of even short distractions like that is surprising. One study found that it takes an astonishing 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain your focus after a single interruption. Let’s put that information into perspective for a moment. How often does your phone flash, ring or buzz while you’re in the midst of doing something else? If it takes over 20 minutes to recover every single time that happens, how much of your day is spent in “productivity recovery”? How does the loss of that time, multiple times per day, affect your long-term health and your productivity goals?

Lower Accuracy

As well, being distracted affects your accuracy. This makes sense: Your brain can only handle so much input at a time. Input overload means that the information coming in can become confused or details can be missed. What is really surprising is how little time it takes to derail your focus and affect your accuracy. In the time it takes to look at your phone when a notification beeps (as little as three seconds of this kind of distraction) adversely affects your focus and, in turn, your accuracy.

Altered Memory Function

Let’s consider what happens when you are looking things up while you watch a movie. Do you really follow the plot as carefully? Do you remember the details of the movie as well? Do you retain the information about what you looked up? Science suggests that you don’t. In fact, researchers have found that the way we remember things has changed since the advent of the Internet. Our memory functions have been altered. Sensory input alters the wiring in our brains. The type of input our brains have been getting has changed considerably since the internet came into being.

How To Maintain Your Focus and Prevent Distractions

If you would like to reduce the impact of distractions in your life, it’s important to recognize the distinction between a necessary and even productive break and a distraction. A break is a good time to recharge your battery and clear your mind. We’re generally more productive after we have stepped away from work for a bit. Planned breaks provide an incentive to work hard or complete a task leading up to the break. In contrast, a distraction is unexpected and unpredictable. It comes out of nowhere at random times including when we are in what is known as a “flow state”.

What is this flow state, you ask?

The origins of the terms “flow” or “flow state” come from the practices of Daoism or Buddhism, and in a more modern sense from positive psychology. Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi named this state of hyperfocus “flow” in 1975 after the flow of a river. It references being so totally immersed in something that you are swept away like the flow of the current.

The following are some of the factors that may be present when you experience a flow state:

  1. You have an intense and focused concentration on the present moment or task
  2. There is a merging of your action and your awareness
  3. You feel a sense of personal control over the situation or activity
  4. Your perception or experience of time is altered, as in the expression time flies when you are having fun
  5. Your experience of the activity is intrinsically rewarding, that is, it is likely to provide you with a hit of the reward neurotransmitter dopamine
  6. You feel the potential to succeed at the task
  7. You feel so engrossed in the experience, that other needs become negligible. For example, you forget to eat lunch.

How to Reduce Your Distractions and Increase Your Productivity

We tend to think of distractions as something that is imposed on us by someone else or out of our control, but there are steps that we can take to reduce them.

Turn Off Your Notifications

It might feel like an adjustment at first to do away with the little red dot that tells you how much has been happening on Facebook, Twitter or in the news, but you’ll soon realize that you don’t miss anything important. You simply gain more control over when and where you get information. (It might help to remember that the ultimate goal of the apps on your device isn’t to keep you informed – it’s to make money by grabbing your attention.)

Take Control Of Your Devices

Yes, we all rely on our phones every single day, but do we really need to be notified whenever something happens, particularly items that are of little significance in the grand scheme of things? This is your own personal preference. It depends on your specific situation of course, but it helps to customize your apps and your phone’s notifications. For example, many times parents are reluctant to turn their phones off in case their children need them. But, you can adjust your settings so that all of your contacts, except for the most important ones, are muted, particularly overnight.

It’s ok to let people know that, starting now, you may not respond immediately to email or text messages. If something is urgent, it is best that they call you. If you get a lot of work-related emails, a good habit is to set aside specific times for checking your email. For example, rather than interrupting what you are doing and frequently checking your inbox throughout the day, check emails once every two hours, between tasks or once in the morning and once at the end of the day. This reduces the amount of time spent on emails by batching them. It keeps your concentration and your train of thought on the one task for better efficiency and frees up time to keep your concentration on other things between assigned email time.

Train Your Brain To Re-Focus

Now that you understand how long it can take to regain your focus after each distraction, make a conscious effort to get back on task faster! Getting back on track is a skill that you can master just like many others. Just like with regular exercise, the more you exercise your ability to re-focus and discipline yourself to stay on a specific task, the easier it gets.

Schedule Breaks

It’s important to take a break when you are focused on a lengthy task. You’re less likely to be distracted and stay on task if you schedule a bit of time to relax – see it as a reward if that helps. Studies suggest that there are optimal work/break time frames for productivity. Some say it is best to work for 52 minutes and then take a 7-minute break. These studies show that regular breaks actually make you more productive! However, those breaks should mindful ones, not just filled up with more distracting things begging for your attention. So take a walk, meditate, do some jumping jacks or crunches or even have a quick nap. The important thing is to clear your mind and give it a chance to reset.

How Does Lifestyle Affect Focus and Productivity?

It’s also important to look at how aspects of your lifestyle affect your focus and ability to be productive. If you’re rested and healthy, distractions don’t impact you as much as they would if you are not.

Simple adjustments like introducing a 10-minute per day yoga practice, or going to bed 30 minutes earlier, will positively impact your ability to focus and improve your response to interruptions.

Health Issues that Affect Focus and Productivity

If you have tried all the tips and tricks we’ve just discussed and still find it difficult to stay on task it might be a good idea to check in on your overall health. Many health problems such as thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, food sensitivities, and nutrient deficiencies lead to “foggy thinking” and slow response times. The good news is, we’ll help you to uncover these issues with a thorough health assessment that includes lab tests, where appropriate.

How are distractions affecting your health and your work performance? It’s something to think about. if you have been making efforts but still find it harder to focus than ever before or your experience brain fog, or forgetfulness, there could be more factors at play so give us a call at 416-481-0222 or book an appointment online now.

Book Help with focus or brain fog now

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

Productivity Research

https://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/chi08-mark.pdf

Is Google Ruining Your Memory? The Science of Memory in the Digital Age

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/

How to Prevent Memory Loss and Improve Cognitive Function

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picture of a woman who is worried about memory loss
Worried About Memory Loss?

It is totally normal to experience momentary memory lapses. Just like me, you’ve forgotten where you left your car in a parking lot. In fact, that happened to me a few years back in the parking lot at The Magic Kingdom. If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World, you know that the parking lots there are MASSIVE. We spent hours trying to find our rental car. Of course, not only did we forget where we parked, but the Panic button on the car wasn’t working. Have you stumbled for someone’s name mid-conversation? You may be familiar with that feeling of having an important fact right on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t retrieve it from your brain. As we get older, those temporary memory blips become more worrisome because we wonder if we’re experiencing normal memory problems or is this the start of bigger issues? As my mother is currently struggling with Alzheimer’s dementia, this weighs on my mind even more than most.

However, it’s important to remember (see what we did there?) that memory loss doesn’t have to be a part of aging. There are many steps that you can take right now to protect your future cognitive health. No matter what your age, improving your memory improves your overall quality of life and health.

What is Memory?

Memory is the brain function that allows you to acquire, retain, and recall sensations, impressions, thoughts you have experienced and information.

The Importance of Having A Good Memory

Having a healthy, well-functioning memory is vital to your well-being, as well as your sense of identity. It means success or failure at learning new things whether it’s for work, school or recreational purposes. Before taking up karate, I had my doubts about my ability to memorize my belt katas, as well as my weapons katas and self-defense drills in order to advance and become a black belt. What I found is that karate has been an excellent exercise in flexing those memory muscles. As you’ll read later on, use it or lose it applies to memory too.

Types of Memory

The most basic way to categorize memory is by grouping it into Short-term Memory and Long-term Memory.

Short-term Memory

This is generally classified as remembering something that happened from right now up to 3 days ago. These sensations, impressions, thoughts and information will either get transferred to long-term memory or discarded if they are not deemed sufficiently important.

Long-term Memory

Long-term memory is your brain’s system for storing more important information that may be needed over the long-term, such as language, personal experience, procedure and facts.

Olfactory Memory

Certain scents trigger emotional responses and memories. That process, which is called your olfactory memory, is an important part of the way that your memory manages your perception of the past and present. In fact, studies have shown that olfactory memories have more power to create a sense of nostalgia than visual memories. Have you ever caught a whiff of someone’s perfume or cologne and that brought back memories of a loved one? How about the smell of a freshly baked apple pie or cookies? Studies also show that breathing through your nose is more effective at consolidating your olfactory memories than mouth-breathing.

There Are Ways To Improve Your Memory

If you want to improve your memory, it’s helpful to consider the biology of memory and what can affect it. Memories are stored in your hippocampus, which is considered to be “plastic” because it is constantly changing and influenced by many factors. For example, the pathways to the hippocampus tend to decrease with age. Hormonal changes also affect the cells’ ability to regenerate. As a result, many things affect the functioning of your memory.

How Memories are Made

The process of making a memory includes the following steps:

  1. Creating the memory. Our brain constantly sends signals in a particular pattern associated with the event that we’re experiencing. These signals create connections between our neurons. The connections are called synapses.
  2. Consolidating the memory. If we didn’t do anything further, that memory wouldn’t be retained. Consolidation is the process of committing it to your long-term memory so that we can recall it later. Much of this process happens while we’re sleeping. During sleep, our brains recreate that same particular pattern of brain activity that we associated with the previous event to strengthen the brain connections, or synapses, that we formed previously.
  3. Recalling the memory. This is what most of us think of when we talk about memory. It is pulling up the memory on demand. Recalling the memory is easier if it’s been strengthened over time. Every time we stimulate that same pattern of brain activity, we make it a little stronger.

Things That Affect Your Memory

Anxiety

Stress leads to physical changes in your brain that affect memory function. It’s easy to notice this process in daily life. When you’re overwhelmed, you feel as if there simply isn’t enough capacity in your brain to take in new information or recall important facts and tasks. It’s like you’re a deer in the headlights, paralyzed and unable to retrieve the memory that car=danger, therefore I better move.

Poor Diet

Your brain needs some “healthy” fats to thrive. Healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, and raw nuts and seeds. Saturated fat and too much processed, sugary food impair your memory, in part because too many sweet treats can lead to brain inflammation.

Hormonal Changes

Shifts in hormone levels, particularly the drop in estrogen that accompanies menopause, lead to molecular changes in the hippocampus that affect memory formation. You’ve likely heard the term “mommy brain” for the lapses in memory that accompany motherhood. There’s a physiological reason for why this happens: There is a massive shift in your hormones on delivering a baby.

Smoking

You can add “poor memory” to the list of reasons to stop smoking. If you’re struggling with this habit (and let’s face it, quitting isn’t easy), talk to a naturopathic doctor.

Germs

Believe it or not, even germ exposure affects your memory. Scientists have found that exposure to some viruses (in particular, the herpes simplex 1 virus that causes cold sores) affects your memory.

Watching too much television

It’s true: Too many Netflix “binges” hurt your memory. One study found that watching 3.5 hours of television per day (which is sometimes just a warm-up for serious bingers) negatively affects how well your memory works.

Prescription drugs

Many commonly prescribed drugs actually harm your memory. Anti-cholinergics (often prescribed for cold symptoms, incontinence, or allergies) and benzodiazepines (used to treat things like anxiety and insomnia) carry a particularly high risk. As always, be sure to weigh the potential negative side effects of any medication carefully.

Thyroid issues

Low levels of thyroid hormone lead to memory loss, mental lethargy and “foggy thinking.”

Histamine

Your brain has a histamine-producing (histaminergic) system that modulates learning and memory through histamine.

Sleep problems

Recent research suggests that sleep is vital to “consolidating” memories. In other words, our brains aren’t just resting when we’re sleeping, but actually forming and protecting the memories we create during waking moments. When we’re not getting enough sleep, we lose that important processing time.

6 Easy Ways To Help Your Memory

So, how can you help your memory? The above list points to potential problems that can be managed. As well, exciting research in neuroscience is finding some simple solutions that help enhance and maintain your cognitive health.

1. Practice mindfulness and minimize distractions

Regular meditation actually alters the physical structure of your brain. Improved blood flow and the creation of more neural connections are some of the paybacks from a regular meditation practice.

However, you also want to make sure your brain isn’t overloaded during the rest of your day. Did you know that we check our phones an average of every 12 minutes? That constant shifting of attention impacts cognitive processes. If you feel uncomfortable when you’re separated from your phone, it may be time for a little soul-searching. If you need help taking a break from your electronics, you may want to read this article for more information.

2. Eat for brain health

A great deal of research supports the importance of a healthy diet in protecting brain health. In general, avoid overly processed foods and focus on:

  • Caffeine – research suggests that caffeine may help with the consolidation phase of memory
  • Leafy greens
  • Berries and other antioxidant-rich foods. A study from the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School found that supplementing a normal diet with blueberries for twelve weeks improved performance on spatial working memory tasks. The effects started just three weeks in and continued for the length of the study. The bioflavonoids in berries also appear to help strengthen brain connections.
  • Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, walnuts and chia seeds
  • Turmeric (studies have found its anti-inflammatory properties can slow memory loss.)
  • Coconut oil (preliminary research points to a protective effect on memory)

3. Move for memory

Exercise helps more than your physical health. It also boosts your cognitive functioning. And it doesn’t take marathon workouts for exercise to have a positive impact on your memory. Even short workouts can boost your recall powers. Studies in both rat and human brains have shown that regular exercise improves memory recall.

In particular, studies show that regular exercise improves spatial memory.

We know that the benefits of exercise are numerous, but for the brain, in particular, regular exercise has been shown to improve cognitive abilities beyond memory. So if you’re looking for a way to stay sharp mentally, taking a walk could be the answer. Even a 20-minute walk has been shown to increase brain activity.

4. Chew gum.

One study showed that participants who completed a memory recall task were more accurate and had higher reaction times if they chewed gum during the study. Chewing gum might increases activity in the hippocampus, an important area of the brain for memory. There is also an increase in oxygen from chewing gum, which can help with focus and attention. Another study found that participants who chewed gum during learning and memory tests had higher heart rate levels than control groups, which also leads to more oxygen flowing to the brain.

5. Sleep.

Better quality and quantity of sleep helps memory because that is when the consolidation process occurs.

6. Train your brain

It’s possible to train your brain to be more efficient. Try some of these simple “hacks” to improve your memory.

  • Repeat important information. For example, if you’re introduced to someone, repeat their name back to them. That helps “check-in” new facts.
  • Play with mnemonics. You may have learned the names of the Great Lakes through the HOMES acronym. Why not create your own acronyms in order to remember lists of items?
  • Draw maps. If you have a lot of info to keep track of, try creating a map on a piece of paper. Put the central piece of information in the middle, then draw all of the relevant connections from that point.
  • Create a memory palace. Try picturing a room that you know very well, and associating each object in the room with an important fact you want to remember.
  • Work with your environment. Don’t hesitate to place little reminders in strategic places. Some people have luck with post-it notes, but they can be more subtle, such as placing a photograph of a loved one who has an approaching birthday beside your bed.
  • Press replay. Immediately after an event, replay the important elements in your mind. That will help imprint the things you want to remember.

Note that there are many programs out there that claim to help cognitive health and improve your memory. However, this is an unregulated industry so it’s important to do your due diligence before spending any money. Talking to a medical professional like a naturopathic doctor first is always a good idea.

If you’d like to discuss ways to support your memory, call the office at 416-481-0222. Together we can pinpoint potential problems and work on lifestyle changes that will boost your brainpower!

Book an Appointment Online for help with your memory now

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND

Resources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39354-4

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311182434.htm

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/estrogens-and-memory-loss-in-women/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181019100702.htm

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/two-types-of-drugs-you-may-want-to-avoid-for-the-sake-of-your-brain

https://www.ncbi.nl

m.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330889/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264616/

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/14/the-lost-art-of-concentration-being-distracted-in-a-digital-world

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432816301437?via%3Dihub

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3541490/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28421789

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/43/14426

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30348674

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31907334

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30635130

Our Best 10 Health Tips for 2020

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health and wellness tips for 2020
How to Be Healthy

This year will be different. This year you will turn things around and realize your health and happiness goals. You’ve got this! How do we know? Because we’re going to work together on making sure that you know exactly what to do and how so that you can be your best self in 2020. Here’s our quick list of simple, proven tips and tactics that will make it easier to be healthier than ever this year.

It Takes Time

It’s important to start off with realistic expectations when you’re making changes like these. Remember that new habits take a while to “stick.” One study found that 66 days is the average time to establish a new habit, while other sources say it takes 3 weeks. There’s a wide variation so be patient with yourself. Don’t give up if you have little slips now and then. You’re only human, after all. Just keep regrouping. Tenacity is one of the most important success attributes.

Set Yourself Up For Success

Also, be sure to set yourself up for success by creating an environment that minimizes your distractions. For example, if you’re trying to cut back on alcohol, you might find it easier to meet up with friends on walks in a park or at a board game cafe instead of somewhere that exposes you to temptation, like at a pub. That’s an obvious example, but you can take that philosophy further by taking a good look at your routines, your companions, and your home to make sure that you’re supporting your goals. If your normal drive to or from work entails passing by a bakery that you just can’t resist, think about revamping your route. One of the best things that Starbucks ever did for me was to close the location closest to my home!

10 Health Tips For A Healthy, Happy 2020

Ready to start having the best year ever? Here’s how.

1. Keep your body hydrated

You’ve heard this many times. Despite all the urging to drink more water, did you know that many of us still walk around in a state of perpetual dehydration? It’s true. Did you also know that when we’re feeling tired or hungry, we often don’t realize that what we really need is just a big glass of water?

How much water should you drink? There’s no universal answer to this question. There’s never been research showing that we have to get 8 glasses per day. But, it doesn’t hurt to use that figure as a benchmark. Another good indicator is the color of your urine: It should be clear and the color of pale straw. Pay close attention to your thirst cues. Often by the time that we are aware that we’re thirsty, we’re already dehydrated. I find it helps people to get in the routine of drinking more water if they start their day with two cups of it first thing when they get up. It seems to prompt their thirst mechanism to cue them to drink more often throughout the day.

2. Take five minutes to meditate

If you find the concept of meditation too intimidating, focus on achieving just five minutes of stillness. Yes, just five minutes of mindful meditation makes a difference in your physical and mental health. Don’t believe me? Check out these studies:

  • Following 5-minute mindfulness, meditation participants experienced enhanced both mental state attribution and empathic concern
  • A brief mindfulness exercise, conducted in a routine office visit, produced a significant reduction in state anxiety for early psychosis patients, regardless of symptom burden
  • Even a 10-15 minute single training session induces sustained home meditation practice (of 5 minutes duration) that helped patients in recovery for opioid addiction and was associated with a lower risk of relapse.
  • A 3-minute mindfulness exercise, conducted in a routine office visit, produced a significant reduction in state anxiety for early psychosis patients, regardless of symptom burden.

Fit 5 minutes into your routine when you wake up in the morning or before you go to sleep at night. In the time it takes you to scroll through your Instagram feed, you could take an important step towards lowering your blood pressure, your risk of depression, your anxiety, and much more.

You can find many meditation apps and videos on the Internet, but here’s a short primer on how to meditate.

  1. Find a quiet spot where you are free from distractions or interruptions.
  2. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
  3. Close your eyes.
  4. Inhale through your nose and all the way into the bottom of your lungs.
  5. Ignore outside noises.
  6. Set your focus internally.
  7. Breathe all the way into your belly, use your diaphragm.
  8. Focus on rhythmically breathing.
  9. Focus your thoughts on inner tranquility. If you have difficulty not thinking about things, try repeating a meaningless word in your mind. An easy way to come up with such a word is to take a random word and spell it backward. Repeat this word over and over in your mind and bring your mind back to it if it starts to wander.

3. Focus on whole foods

Whole Foods. The world is full of complicated diet plans, but this one step is key. Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. For example, instead of a piece of apple pie, have an apple.

Where to Shop. Think about your average grocery store trip. You want to buy as much food from the outside edge of the store as possible. This is where the grocery store places produce (fresh and frozen), meats, and fish. By shopping the perimeter of the store, you will buy more whole foods like produce and lean healthy protein, instead of processed food like crackers, chips, cookies and pop.

Buy Local. One thing that also makes this step a bit easier is to buy local as often as possible. Check out your local farmer’s market or farm store, for example. You’ll be eating produce that hasn’t traveled from who-knows-where, so it will be fresher. Fresh, local produce tastes better because it is picked closer to when it is ripe. Plus, you’re helping to reduce your carbon footprint and protect the environment.

4. Stretch!

It might feel like stretching at the end of your workout is a waste of time. After all, you’ve done the important stuff, like improve your cardio and build strength, right? However, stretching improves your flexibility and mobility, reduces your risk of injury, and reduces your stress levels. So take some time at the end of your workouts, or when you first wake up, to stretch out your muscles. Yoga is one of the best exercises because it incorporates strength, balance, and stretching for flexibility.

5. Unplug Yourself

What’s the first thing you do when your electronic device is experiencing problems? Unplug it. That’s also good advice for humans. When you’re stressed, overwhelmed, or just tired, consider putting your phone away for a while. You might be surprised by the results.

In fact, more and more research is pointing to the negative effects of screen time on our mental health, as well as our physical health. “Tech neck” is just one example. If you find device detox challenging, don’t hesitate to get help. This may be a bit ironic, but there are apps that can help you cut down on screen time. Personally, I have a timer on my Instagram. A pop-up flashes on my screen to tell me when I’ve hit my ten-minute limit.

6. Eat for gut health

Scientists are learning more about the importance of the gut-brain-axis connection. What does this mean? In simple terms, the bacteria in your gut influence your moods and vice versa. Did you know that you make more serotonin in your gut than you do in your brain?

When your gut microbiome is out of balance, you experience many health problems, including that annoying “brain fog” feeling. You also suffer from the effects of a weakened immune system.

Fortunately, the solution is simple and delicious. Eating fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and natural yogourt like kefir restore the balance of bacteria in your gut. Eating foods high in fiber helps to fuel that bacteria. Prebiotic fiber like inulin cultivates good bacteria, particularly Bifidobacteria that keep your colon healthy. Inulin is found in foods like chicory root and asparagus. You can also take inulin as a supplement. Our naturopathic doctors are the experts on rehabilitating your gut.

7. Rethink the sweet treats

The harmful effects of sugar extend far beyond damaging your teeth and your waistline. Your skin, heart, moods, teeth, immune system and hormones are all hurt by this tasty poison.

However, what makes avoiding sugar particularly tricky is that it’s often hidden. You probably know to avoid cake, but sugar is also found in everyday items like salad dressing and spaghetti sauce. So when you’re trying to cut down on sugar, start by reading the labels on all processed foods. Or avoiding processed foods altogether. It’s super simple to make your own clean salad dressing by combining lemon juice, sea salt, and olive oil or balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The other reason that it is so hard to cut down on sugar is that it is highly addictive. Food is not normally considered to be a substance of abuse. Based on the similarities between the effects of intermittent sugar access and drugs of abuse on behavior and brain chemistry, sugar meets the criteria for a substance of abuse and may be “addictive” for some individuals when consumed in a “binge-like” manner. The effects are similar, although smaller in magnitude, to cocaine or morphine.

So how do you quit sugar? Similarly to how you would break any addiction. Read our tips for quitting alcohol. You can apply those same tips in your efforts to quit sugar or smoking or any other habit you are looking to change.

Keep your blood sugar stable to keep sugar cravings at bay. Cravings are very hard to plow through, save yourself that challenge by having a little protein and a healthy dose of healthy fats with each of your meals.

8. Help others

Looking for a way to improve your physical health, boost your overall life satisfaction, and reduce your risk of depression? The solution may lie outside of yourself. In other words, if you place more attention on helping others, you could be the one who benefits. Studies show that volunteering benefits mental and physical health, life satisfaction, social well-being, and depression.

9. Take a walk outside

Just a short walk outside every day improves your:

  • Circulation
  • Vitamin D levels
  • Blood sugar
  • Immunity
  • Cortisol level
  • Mood
  • Muscle tone
  • Cardiovascular health

Just 30 minutes a day is enough to reap the benefits. Look for excuses to get outside in place of driving, or start the day with a nice stroll. Walk to work. Run errands on foot instead of by car. Having a dog makes a walk every morning a no-brainer for me.

10. Smile and have fun!

Sometimes it feels like the road to health is paved with hard work and sacrifice. However, simply choosing to view a healthy lifestyle with an attitude of gratitude makes it easier to carry out your plans. After all, things like eating well, resting, and getting some exercise add to your life. Focus on the fun aspects: try new recipes, walk with friends, find a volunteer job that lets you explore a long-buried interest. You’ll be happy that you did!

Are you ready to have a great year? We are definitely ready to help you take charge of your health for a fantastic, healthy 2020! When you are assembling your healthcare team, consider adding an osteopath, psychotherapist, acupuncturist, dietitian, naturopathic doctor or chiropractor to your health experts. We can help with ANY health issue, no matter how big or small.

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

Book an appointment for help with your health now

Health Tips Research:

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/06/03/dc13-0084

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19306107

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28693551

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5504679/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25329321

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31825240

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31758665

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.695.830&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7a75/29a9e6401679016ab78f398eaaf4487aff84.pdf

Beating Burnout

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pic showing rocks balancing with words is your body out of balance
How to Balance Your Life

How to Restore Balance to Your Life

Are you feeling burnt out and overwhelmed? You’re not alone. Let’s face it: We’re all busy, dealing with endless to-do lists and struggling to balance it all. The result is often a day-to-day life that feels too hectic. We feel pulled away from the things that really matter most. We may have even forgotten what those things are!

Many people find their way to our wellness clinic at a point in their lives where they feel compelled to take charge of their well-being before it gets even further out of control. Sometimes they’re experiencing health problems that they just can’t shake. Some have symptoms but no one can figure out what is wrong with them. Others are ready to take their health to the next level because they know that their health is their greatest asset. By seeking the kind of holistic help all of our wellness experts provide, they’re claiming ownership of their current and future health.

A Fork In The Road

The inescapable truth is that good health is vital to living a rich and meaningful life. Fortunately, our bodies let us know when we’re jeopardizing our present and future health by giving us warning signs in the form of unpleasant symptoms. However, many of us don’t listen to those signs or we try to cover them up with band-aid solutions and carry on. This propels our health even further down a slippery slope.

Here’s a key fact: Disease doesn’t develop overnight. It often begins when we’re out of balance and burnt out. We need to pay attention to the warning signs before they escalate into something much worse.

Five Signs That Your Body Is Out Of Balance

You Feel Incredibly Stressed

We all feel stressed from time to time. Some stress is actually beneficial to motivate us to get things done. However, chronic stress leads to many health issues, including muscle pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, cardiovascular and digestive issues, hormonal imbalance, depression, anxiety, and low immune system function.

From a survival standpoint, the “fight or flight” response produced by stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline makes sense. By putting your body into overdrive, those hormones help you physically if you are in danger. For example, when our ancestors were under attack by a predator, the fight or flight hormones helped them fight back or escape. However, in today’s world, stress tends to be more mental or emotional than physical, and more chronic than acute. As a result, your hormone levels end up way out of balance.

Irritability and Mood Swings are Signs of Burnout

Are you ready to fly off the handle at any moment? Do the things that used to make you laugh now irritate you? You could have an imbalance in the neurotransmitters that affect your moods, such as serotonin or GABA. Changes in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels and thyroid hormone imbalances also lead to irritability.

You are Experiencing Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty Falling or Staying Asleep

Sleep problems can become a vicious cycle. We need sleep to refresh our minds and restore balance, but when our bodies are out of balance, it is difficult to sleep well. If you toss and turn for hours, or wake up in the night with your mind racing, it may be time to listen to your body and start practicing better sleep hygiene.

Following these steps to improve sleep resolves most issues:

  1. Maintain a regular bedtime, try to go to bed by 10 p.m.
  2. Shut down electronic devices by 8 p.m. and keep them out of your bedroom
  3. Keep your bedroom cool, quiet and dark. Invest in blackout curtains.
  4. Avoid eating for at least 2 hours before bed
  5. Avoid sugar and alcohol in the evening. These destabilize your blood sugar at night. The resultant dips in blood sugar wake you up in the night or keep you in a light, restless sleep.
  6. Do something that relaxes you in the evening. Read a book. Have a bath. Knit.
  7. Have a little protein (eggs, fish, nuts/nut butter) before bed. These help to stabilize your blood sugar to help you get to sleep, get into a deeper sleep and stay asleep longer.
  8. Balance your hormones. Hormone balance is crucial to good quality sleep.

Your Body is Changing and you Can’t Figure Out Why

Many patients experience mysterious symptoms that can’t be explained by conventional medicine. These symptoms may include rapid, unexplained weight gain, debilitating fatigue, and skin problems. Weight gain is a common symptom of imbalance. If you find you’ve gained weight without any change to your lifestyle, your body might be telling you that it’s out of balance. Similarly, unexplained fatigue or sudden acne (long past the teen years) are symptoms you shouldn’t just ignore.

There is an explanation for symptoms like these. If you’re being told it’s “just stress“, our naturopaths will dig deeper to get to the root cause of your problem.

You Rely on External Substances to “Manage” Life

If you feel like you can’t make it through the day without your morning coffee, mid-morning macchiato, and afternoon pumpkin spice latte and muffin, ask yourself what purpose those caffeinated drinks and sugar are serving. Relying on a substance, be it sugar, caffeine, or even alcohol, marijuana or cigarettes is not a sustainable way of coping with life’s difficulties. The short-term boost they provide soon gives way to imbalance and disease. It’s important to seek help to nip these habits in the bud.

Does anything on that list sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone! Feeling overwhelmed is often the result of our natural instinct to try to do everything or please everyone. The good news is that there’s a better way.

Recovering From Burnout: How To Bring Your Health Back Into Balance

How can you start the process of restoring balance? When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it may seem like a daunting task. But, it’s simpler than you might think.

Step One. Prioritize What’s Really Important.

What matters most to you? Chances are that it’s not the housework, what’s happening on Instagram, your emails, buying a nicer couch, or any of the other things that take up space on your to-do list. Ultimately, for most of us, the important things are more intangible: our health, relationships, and family. In order to prioritize the things that matter, we need to put self-care at the top of our to-do list. Simply put, we can’t devote energy to the truly important things or people if we’re not looking after ourselves.

Interestingly, many people find that when they adjust their priorities, the other things cease to feel like such a struggle. It may seem like a bit of a paradox, but when we look after ourselves, everything else in life just falls into place.

If you want to reconnect with your priorities and figure out what really matters, mindfulness meditation helps. You can also try journaling. Writing down your thoughts is a great way to sort them out. In fact, writing down your emotions can be the outlet you need to ease the harmful physical effects of stress. Remember to include what you are thankful for in your journal. Take time for expressing gratitude daily. Studies show that higher levels of gratitude are associated with higher levels of subjective well-being.

Three vital self-care tips

  1. Take time to make healthy meals. Then take the time to sit down together with friends and family to enjoy them. Meal prep on Sundays with a meal prep menu so that making a healthy dinner isn’t rushed at the end of a long work-day.
  2. Schedule time with your wellness team and explore all of your health options. Why not try someone new? Have you ever seen an osteopath? A psychotherapist? An acupuncturist? A chiropractor? A naturopath? Why not have all hands on deck to optimize your health?
  3. Fit exercise into your busy schedule. Get up earlier to workout, take stairs, walk, take transit instead of taking the car. Taking the TTC builds exercise into your day by walking more and taking stairs and helps our environment too.

Step 2: Prioritize Down-time

Despite having busy lives, our bodies need a certain amount of downtime every day. If you are working all day, doing chores in the evening, answering email until you go to bed, your body doesn’t get the time it needs to recover. Disconnect from your devices and make a point of relaxing from 8 p.m. until you go to bed, every night. Get a full 8 hours of good quality sleep every night.

Step 3: Get the Right Nutrition

When you are constantly on the go and under pressure, your body’s demand for certain vitamins and minerals increases. Coping with stress necessitates adequate stores of vitamin C, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc. Good food sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, kiwi, berries, peppers, and melons. Foods rich in vitamin B5 include mushrooms, eggs, salmon, beef, chicken, turkey, sunflower seeds, pork, sweet potato, and avocados. Vitamin B6 is found in foods like salmon, chicken, beef, pork, avocados, sweet potato, and pistachios. Magnesium-rich foods include dark, green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and beet greens, as well as seeds, beans, nuts, fish and chocolate. Zinc is abundant in egg yolks, beef, shellfish, and pumpkin seeds.

The amount of these vitamins and minerals that you need under stress may be more than you can provide through diet alone, however. In that case, supplementation with good quality vitamins and minerals becomes vital.

Step 4: Recognize Where you Need Help and Ask For It

This step can be hard for many people. After all, as adults, we’re supposed to be self-sufficient, right? However, consider this: Many highly successful people have help. Athletes have health and fitness coaches; musicians have teachers; many business owners have mentors. And they often credit their success to that support and guidance.

The real strength is in identifying the areas of your life that feel out of control or could be better, and admitting that you could do with a helping hand. Then finding the right person to guide you in that area.

A good first step is to book a thorough review of your health and wellness status with your Naturopathic Doctor. We’re here to help you better understand where these feelings of overwhelm and troublesome symptoms are coming from. We’ll give you the tools that you need to find balance again. We can also direct you to the other healthcare practitioners that would be most beneficial for you.

Functional testing is available to remove the guesswork. Tests identify any possible underlying physical issues, such as hormonal imbalances. This holistic approach allows us to support you with an effective plan of action for your health and well-being that’s tailored specifically to you.

If you are ready to dive deeper into your health and rebalance your life, give us a call at 416-481-0222!

Authored By Dr. Pamela Frank

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References

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-happiness/201609/9-ways-ease-overwhelm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3341916/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edo_De_Kloet/publication/7849122_De_Kloet_ER_Joels_M_Holsboer_F_Stress_and_the_brain_from_adaptation_to_disease_Nat_Rev_Neurosci_6_463-475/links/53f477e80cf2888a7490fcf9/De-Kloet-ER-Joels-M-Holsboer-F-Stress-and-the-brain-from-adaptation-to-disease-Nat-Rev-Neurosci-6-463-475.pdf

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/emotional-and-physical-health-benefits-of-expressive-writing/ED2976A61F5DE56B46F07A1CE9EA9F9F

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31105762

Natural Relief for Fall Allergies

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picture of a woman suffering from fall allergy symptoms needing natural treatment for allergies
Natural Treatment for Fall Allergies

How to Treat Fall Allergies

Are you excited for fall? Most of us love the vibrant colors of this beautiful season. It’s a time to get out our cozy sweaters, sip a cup of hot tea, enjoy the crisp fall air, and sadly for some people, sneeze a lot. Yes, unfortunately, many of us experience watery eyes, sinus pain and other allergy symptoms once fall arrives. This annoying phenomenon occurs even though you made it through spring without sneezing.

That’s because, even though the symptoms of fall and spring allergies are the same, the triggers are different. So it’s definitely possible to enjoy one season allergy-free but suffer through the other. Because there are more culprits to blame for fall allergies, many people experience adverse effects.

The two most common fall allergens are leaf mold and ragweed.

What Is Ragweed?

As the name suggests, it is a weed. It is easy to spot because of the tiny, bright yellow flowers that grace the top of the green leafy plant which grows about 2-3 feet tall. Ragweed season gets going in August, but can carry all the way through October. Some experts feel that allergy season is becoming longer and more severe due to climate change. After all, warmer temperatures will prolong pollen production.

What is Leaf Mold?

Rainy fall days combined with falling leaves pair up to create leaf mold. Leaf mold is the product of fungus or mold-breaking down or decomposing the fallen leaves over time. Eventually, they’ll turn into compost. Mold spores are like seeds for mold. They are how mold spreads and reproduces. Spores are easily inhaled and will fire up your immune system.

The good news is that fall allergies can be treated naturally. In fact, new research in immunotherapy and nutrition makes it easier than ever to get through autumn sneeze-free.

THE SYMPTOMS OF FALL ALLERGIES

We hear more frequently about spring allergies, but fall allergies can be just as unpleasant.

The symptoms of fall allergies include:

  • Sneezing
  • Coughing
  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose
  • Itchy or watery eyes
  • Headaches
  • Sinus pain or pressure
  • Fatigue
  • Increased asthma symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing

These symptoms appear when you’re exposed to an airborne allergy trigger or allergen. Common sense would suggest that the best solution may be to avoid the trigger, but, because they are part of our outdoor environment this isn’t always possible. You can’t just stay indoors all the time.

Why Do People Have Allergies?

From a naturopathic point of view, allergies are often due to weaknesses in your adrenal, immune, or digestive system. Our naturopathic doctors provide a more lasting – and practical – approach to treating allergies from the inside out. Our aim is to get to the root cause within your body rather than just mask your symptoms.

FALL ALLERGY TRIGGERS

Our environment goes through seasonal cycles. Observing those changes is one of the pleasures of the great outdoors. Who doesn’t love to see the leaves turn to bright reds and yellows every fall?

However, as a seasonal allergy sufferer, changing seasons often means the start of unpleasant symptoms. As a result, just when you thought you had things under control because your spring allergies have subsided, the natural cycle of our environment creeps up to create a whole new set of sensitivity reactions.

Some of the allergic challenges specific to fall include:

  • Airborne pollen is more plentiful, especially on windy days when it is blown off blooms and into the atmosphere. Ragweed is particularly prolific this time of year.
  • Mold spores love the fallen leaves and damp grass at this time of the year.
  • Cooler temperatures prompt us to close windows and seal up our homes, so allergens are trapped inside.
  • When we bring out our cold-weather clothes and comforters, we can stir up dust – and with it, dust mites. Turning on your furnace sends dust into the air from your ducts.
  • People tend to think that pollution is worse in the summer. However, the cooler days of fall and winter can create an inversion in which pollution from heating systems, vehicle exhaust, and industrial pollution get trapped under a warmer layer of air.
  • Your best friend may also be exacerbating your allergies. As your pets’ coats shed and thicken in preparation for the winter months, dander and fur become a greater presence in your home. When you walk your dog, he or she also collects outdoor allergens like pollen in his/her fur. Time to give Fido a bath!

4 NATURAL WAYS TO CONTROL FALL ALLERGIES

Instead of living in a plastic bubble every fall, you can gain control of fall allergies by working with your body’s immune system and adapting your environment.

HEPA FILTER

No matter how careful you are with keeping outside pollution from getting into your home, allergens do still gain entry. After all, you have to open your door many times a day. Dust, pollution and particulate matter easily come in uninvited every time. Using an air purifier with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter significantly reduces airborne allergens like dust, dust mites, pollen, mold spores, and pet dander. HEPA filters trap these allergens and lock them away. If you’re particularly sensitive to allergens, it is also helpful to use a vacuum cleaner that also has a HEPA filter to allergen-proof your home even more.

NASAL IRRIGATION

Flushing your nose and sinuses with a saline solution twice per day helps. It goes a long way to ensure that congestion-causing allergens like pollen, spores, dust, and dander are expelled before they can settle in. This prevents them from causing the symptoms that make it hard for you to enjoy the change of seasons.

Since your eyes, nose, and throat are connected, nasal irrigation or using a Neti pot is a great way to naturally remove allergens. If you choose to make your own saline solution it’s important to make sure that the water you use is distilled or sterile so that no microorganisms are present. There have been reports of people dying from using tap water in their Neti pots. Tap water is allowed to contain low amounts of microorganisms like bacteria and amoeba. This is because, through the usual root of ingestion by mouth, your stomach acid will kill them. Introducing these into your sinuses, though, can cause some pretty dire consequences.

ELIMINATION DIET

If your allergies are unbearable and the above solutions fail to provide relief, it might be time to try an elimination diet. The idea is to temporarily remove common inflammatory foods from your diet to provide your gut the opportunity to heal. Optimal gut health allows your immune system to settle down so that it no longer views allergens as foreign invaders requiring an aggressive attack.

As well, sensitivity to airborne allergens and sensitivity to certain foods may be related. Proteins in foods and proteins in allergens may look similar to your immune system. In which case, when your immune system has made antibodies to the allergens these antibodies will cross-react with your food. Common foods that will cross-react in people with ragweed allergies include banana, cantaloupe, chamomile, cucumbers, zucchini, and honeydew melon. Herbs like echinacea will also cross-react if you are allergic to ragweed.

At the very least, when your body is already on high alert coping with one form of sensitivity, it can be more reactive overall. That makes it harder to deal with multiple other allergens. The result is often a worsening of any already-present allergy symptoms.

Elimination diets are challenging. They are best implemented under the care of your naturopathic doctor. Speak to your practitioner about whether an elimination diet could help you better manage your allergy symptoms this season. She will also guide you as to which foods you should try eliminating.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Often allergies are the result of weakness or exhaustion in your adrenal, immune, or digestive system. There are a number of natural supplements that are known to support and strengthen each of these systems. With these, you’ll be better prepared to deal with allergens when you encounter them.

Bioflavonoids and Vitamin C

While onions make our eyes tear up, they also contain substances called bioflavonoids. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid founds in onions. It acts as a natural antihistamine. As such, it relieves allergy-related itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and runny noses. Quercetin also has antiviral properties and helps reduce other symptoms including asthma, hay fever, and even cold sores. Onions aren’t the only source of quercetin; apples, berries, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage & cauliflower, and black tea are other good sources of quercetin.

Bioflavonoids work best when taken with Vitamin C. That’s because they work synergistically to amplify each other’s effects. This keeps your immune system strong and prevents the release of histamine. This is in contrast to what over-the-counter antihistamines do which is to interfere with histamine that has already been produced.

Probiotics (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus)

When you take care of the good bacteria in your gut, not only your digestive system but also your immune system benefits. A strong digestive system combats allergies by keeping inflammation at bay. Probiotics are helpful bacteria that are found naturally in fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, pickles, and miso soup. Before pumping yourself full of probiotics though, be aware that there are certain instances where probiotics may make you feel worse:

  1. If you have allergies to yeast or mold. Some fermented foods are created by yeast fermentation, like kombucha. If your immune system is sensitized to yeast, ingesting yeast-containing foods create more inflammation in your system, not less.
  2. Cytolytic vaginosis. This is a vaginal infection that is caused by an overgrowth of good bacteria in the vagina. The result is very sore, irritated vaginal tissue. Taking probiotics adds even more Lactobacillus to your system, aggravating the pre-existing bacteria overgrowth.
  3. Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO). SIBO is caused by the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Ingesting more bacteria from fermented foods or taking probiotics makes things worse by adding to an already over-populated digestive tract.

Local Honey

The allergens you’re exposed to in the fall will reflect the different varieties of pollen that are circulating in the air where you live. Honey produced in your area can contain these same pollens, thanks to the local bees. Some studies have found that consuming this honey reduces allergic reactions. It may be that as you expose your body to small doses of local pollen, your immune system develops a tolerance to it.

Fish oil

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil offer an effective means of reducing inflammation. Omega 3’s are metabolized by your body into anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. These are substances that help to reduce inflammation. Because inflammation plays a big role in allergy symptoms, fish oil, which is rich in omega-3’s, helps to reduce those annoying fall allergy symptoms.

Vitamin D

Some research suggests that having low levels of Vitamin D in your body makes you more susceptible to allergies. Vitamin D is an immune system modulator. So it may not be a coincidence that as the number of people deficient in Vitamin D has gone up, so has the number of people developing allergies.

Zinc

You know that zinc lozenges are great for the scratchy throat that accompanies a cold, but did you know that getting enough zinc reduces your allergy symptoms, too? Zinc plays an important role in how histamine is kept in check. Copper, zinc, vitamin C and B6 all help your body break down histamine. A deficiency of any of these means that more histamine courses throughout your body, increasing your allergy symptoms.

IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR ALLERGIES

This cutting edge allergy-reduction strategy centers around exposing patients to small amounts of an allergen, gradually building up their immune system tolerance to it. At first glance, immunotherapy may seem counter-intuitive. Why would you willingly expose yourself to the cause of your symptoms? However, when done carefully, your body becomes less sensitive to these allergens. This is the premise behind allergy shots. These are administered by a medical doctor or allergist. Sublingual immunotherapy is the same idea, but the small amounts of allergens are taken as drops that are held under your tongue.

Many people experience lasting relief from their allergy symptoms over the course of treatment. Immunotherapy treatment often lasts a few months. This is a gradual, but effective, approach. Of course, immunotherapy should only be done under close supervision from an experienced healthcare provider.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Natural treatments for seasonal allergies take longer to work than the typical over-the-counter allergy medications that only mask your symptoms. So it’s wise to begin natural treatments one or two months before the season starts to help prepare your body ahead of when allergens are at their most severe.

Not sure you can wait that long for relief? Try pairing nasal irrigation or HEPA filter air purifiers with your nutritional supplement of choice for speedier results.

Just remember: Good health begins in your gut. We recommend starting with ensuring your gut bacteria is balanced. If you’d like to get tested to see what gut flora imbalances and food intolerances you may have. Our naturopaths will give you a clear picture of what’s going on so that you can reduce your allergy symptoms and address the cause of the issue. Call us at 416-481-0222 or book online at https://forcesofnature.janeapp.com, we can help!

Authored and medically reviewed by Dr Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND, updated Jan. 8, 2020

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Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21196761

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18187018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22192170

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3784923/

http://www.ergo-log.com/fishoilhayfever.html

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/110063/factsheet/en

https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201809-1657OC

https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/JAMC-D-15-0172.1

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/sinus-rinsing.html

How to Avoid Getting Sick While Travelling

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tips on how to avoid getting sick while travelling, showing healthy fruit

“Every Time I Travel I Get Sick!”

How to Avoid Getting Sick on Your Vacation

By Dr. Pamela Frank. BSc, ND

As I’m leaving on Wednesday to somewhere warm, I’m thinking about keeping my son and I healthy while we’re away and how we can avoid getting sick.  With winter in full swing, our minds tend to wander to warmer climates and the opportunity to travel to them. While we often seek out sunny destinations for a brief reprieve during these colder months, if you’re one of those people who always gets sick when you travel then that can create a serious pause in the fun. While we look forward to being whisked away to somewhere new, we often forget that drastic shifts in climate can affect our immune systems.  New environments also hold a variety of unexpected or previously unencountered microbes, and experimenting with local cuisines can play roulette with our digestive systems.

In spite of all of this, we love to travel too! That’s why we’ve developed a list of the most important precautions to take prior to taking off for your next exotic destination so you can avoid getting sick and get the most out of your upcoming vacation!

Pre-Travel Vitamins

Taking a daily multivitamin to ensure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health is always a good idea, but it’s extra important when you’re preparing for a trip that could include flying and staying in various foreign accommodations. Be sure to include Zinc, B-complex, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D3 to strengthen your immune system and avoid getting sick before, during and after your trip.

Hydration

Making sure you’re well-hydrated is critical to prepare for your trip, as dehydration is a major factor in travel. Since travel often involves conditions such as traveling in dry, pressurized airplanes, being in hot or arid climates, or exerting more energy than usual; we need to ensure that our hydration levels are optimized to maintain healthy bodily functions. When the flight attendant asks for your beverage order take it as a signal to have a glass of water and avoid those dehydrating cups of coffee or glasses of wine. And – never be shy to ask for refills. If anyone knows in-flight dehydration, it’s the cabin crew!

Travel Supplements

It’s not just fun to experience new places, travel can be so exciting that it can send your body into high gear. Think for a moment about your last vacation. How many new situations, thrilling moments, and unexpected occurrences did you experience? While you worked through each of them, your body’s coping mechanisms were in full effect, helping you to experience joy, exhilaration, and stress – all heightened by brand new circumstances. When you consider it that way, it’s clear that everything including your digestive system, immunity, circadian rhythm, and even your adrenal glands are on active duty even though you are on vacation. Help your body to manage these ups and downs with these natural supplements to avoid getting sick:

Adaptogens

Taking an adaptogen like reishi, ashwagandha, and holy basil can help fight stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Begin taking your preferred adaptogen at least a week before you travel. Natural supplements take time to build in order to reach peak efficacy.

Antimicrobials

Antimicrobials are proven pathogen killers that can assist your digestive and immune systems in warding off new strains of bacteria to which your body might not be accustomed. Sometimes our best efforts to avoid foods like washed salads and raw vegetables that cause common stomach bugs still don’t keep us safe. In that case, it’s good to know you can start early and ward off traveler’s tummy and diarrhea with antimicrobials like oil of oregano, grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver.

Melatonin

Melatonin helps your body rebalance its circadian rhythm, or find homeostasis in its wake and sleep cycle. This is the supplement of choice for fighting jet lag! Most melatonin supplements suggest taking the dose before going to bed in your new destination, and to do so for a couple of days until you feel you’ve adapted. Good sleep is so important to avoid getting sick!

Probiotics

Probiotics we talk about the benefits of these good bacteria often – and for good reasons! Keeping your gut flora nice and strong is of extra importance when traveling since there are many instances when you could encounter new or different foods and beverages. Even a seemingly innocent salad could harbor a surprise when eaten in a foreign land, since bacteria in water differs greatly around the world, as do food care standards! Help your gut to be as healthy as possible prior to and during your trip by supplementing with a great probiotic.

Ginger

Ginger is world renowned for easing nausea, stomach upset, indigestion, and even motion sickness. Sometimes there’s no need to try over-the-counter medications when a good natural supplement can also do an effective job. Keep some natural ginger chews with you at all times for when those unforeseen moments strike.

What to Put in a Travel First Aid Kit

A classic first aid kit is always welcome when going away. You can purchase a travel sized one at any pharmacy or make your own. We always include:

  • Adhesive bandages (multiple sizes) and tape
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (remember it has to be less than 100 ml if you take it in your carry-on)
  • Antiseptic wound cleanser (like alcohol or iodine pads, again less than 100 ml)
  • Blister pads or moleskin
  • Safety pins and scissors
  • Sterile gauze

Sunscreen

Whether you’re going surfing or snowboarding or something in between, you always need to protect your skin from sun exposure. The reflective glare from sea and snow can make your skin more prone to burns which not only make your trip less enjoyable but it can also be dangerous in the long run. Look for natural ingredients such as zinc oxide which is a mineral used to create a physical block from the sun. Additional ingredients such as vitamin E or C are also nice ways of giving your skin a nice boost of topical antioxidants. With sunscreen, it needs to be less than 100 ml if you are taking it in your carry-on luggage, otherwise, it will have to go in a checked bag.  

Sunstroke or Heat Stroke

Remember that prolonged exposure to high temperature can lead to heat stroke or sunstroke.   Avoid getting sick with heat stroke by limiting your time in the sun, particularly during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The symptoms of sunstroke include a throbbing headache, dizziness or light-headedness, a lack of sweating despite the heat, red, hot, and dry skin, muscle weakness or cramps, nausea and vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and rapid, shallow breathing.  Sunstroke is a medical emergency and you should call 911 if you suspect that you or someone you know has it. Meanwhile, cooling methods like cool clothes, cool bath or ice packs can help to restore normal body temperature while medical care arrives.

Prescriptions

If you’re taking any prescription medication, please be sure to have enough for the duration of your trip, plus a couple of extra doses, in case of unanticipated travel changes. Always make sure that your prescriptions are in labeled bottles and that you also have a doctor’s note if necessary, as some medications might not be universally understood or accepted in different countries. You might also consider bringing a valid prescription for a refill of your medication as a “just in case” measure.

Travel is exciting and has so many benefits from providing a well-deserved break from routine to exploring history and learning about different cultures to taking on new challenges and building new skills. We want you to get the very most out of your adventures, no matter how relaxed or extreme they might be.

If you’re traveling soon and want to review how to best prepare you and your family before heading away, please call or email us at 416-481-0222 or Info@ForcesofNature.ca and book an appointment. Together we can make sure that you’re ready for all the excitement that lies ahead in good health!

Here’s to your next adventure!

The Practice Team at Forces of Nature Wellness Clinic

Research:

Palatty PL, Haniadka R, Valder B, Arora R, Baliga MS. Ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):659-69. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.553751.

Acree M, Davis AM. Acute Diarrheal Infections in Adults. JAMA. 2017 Sep 12;318(10):957-958. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.8485.

Best Dry Skin

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woman wondering about best dry skin treatments

The Best Dry Skin Natural Remedies

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

Beautiful, healthy, glowing skin on your face and body – is there anyone who doesn’t want that? A balanced complexion isn’t just beautiful, it can also signify the state of your health, youthfulness, even your happiness or stress level. Of course, these messages are happening on a subconscious level, but they are so pervasively accepted, that taking care of your skin is a drive that has become a billion dollar industry – all working from the outside in, and not usually working as well as we are lead to believe.

Achieving truly healthy skin isn’t as simple as buying expensive, chemical-filled creams and committing to invasive procedures. In fact, the key to getting what you want on the outside isn’t on the outside at all! Getting the healthy happy skin you’ve always wanted starts by focusing on the inside out!

Our skin is our largest organ and its health is threatened all the time. Between exposure to the elements, stress, pollution, poor nutrition, dry air and of course, natural aging, our skin is constantly fighting for its health.

So how can we maintain healthy, glowing skin when the odds are stacked against us? By giving our skin the nourishment, attention and care it so rightly deserves.

5 of the Best Dry Skin Remedies for Healthier Skin Everywhere

Reduce inflammatory foods

Inflammation isn’t just the root of disease, it can also be the root of many skin ailments including acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Just as reducing inflammatory foods can positively affect your other systems, the effect of reducing inflammatory foods can be read on the surface of your skin! Try removing common inflammatory foods for at least 4 weeks to start to see an improvement in your skin’s health.

Remove these Inflammatory Foods (that make skin dry and flaky)

Best Dry Skin Foods that Fight Inflammation (to reduce skin redness and dryness)
Gluten

Wheat products

Dairy (particularly cow’s milk and cheeses)

Refined sugar

Processed foods and beverages

‘Junk’ food

‘Fast’ food

 Dark, leafy greens

Tomatoes

Berries

Fatty fish

Olive, avocado, and coconut oil

Green Tea

Water

Probiotics

Increase your water intake

We know that water is essential to helping our bodies function best, but did you know that it is the best way to ensure that nutrients are delivered effectively, and toxins are flushed out? Especially if you’re experiencing dry skin conditions, it’s important to make sure that you’re helping your body to rid itself of toxic residues and inflammatory chemicals that could be causing these symptoms.

Start your day with a glass of water first thing and make sure that you’re getting enough hydration every day by eating and drinking adequate amounts.  Remember that there’s water present in everything you eat and drink, especially if you’re juicing or consuming lots of fruit and veggies.  Drink water whenever you feel a thirst coming on. In spite of the classic “Drink 8, 8-ounce glasses” per day advice, there’s really no magic amount of water everyone needs to consume per day to stay hydrated. But, new research suggests that women could safely consume a total of approximately 2.7 litres (91 ounces) of water from all beverages and foods each day and that men could safely drink about 3.7 litres (125 ounces) daily. 

Collagen

Collagen is what gives your skin support and firmness, and most of us are deficient in collagen! Daily collagen consumption will help to maintain internal collagen levels. Try bone broth soup made with a high collagen base like chicken feet, or add some hydrolyzed collagen powder in your smoothie!  Increasing your intake of vitamin C can help your body to make more collagen.

Hyaluronic Acid

As much as we can influence our skin health from the inside out, you can – and you should – also take care of your largest organ from the outside in too. That way you can meet in the middle, so to speak. Hyaluronic acid is an incredible hydrophilic (water-loving) chemical that is found naturally in our bodies, particularly in our eyes and joints. Its moisturizing, hydrating properties are why it’s so often used to treat arthritis, cataracts, and even dry eyes. Because of this, hyaluronic acid is also one of the best dry skin treatments. Here’s why:

As we age, our skin’s ability to preserve moisture slows down, and we start to lose firmness, elasticity, and fullness. Hyaluronic acid has an incredible ability to replenish the moisture we lose, helping skin to look and feel softer, smoother, and glowy because of is super hydration effects.

Because it’s one of the most studied and best dry skin ingredients, you can find many topical skin care products and anti-aging treatments that feature hyaluronic acid. Along with wearing a suitable SPF, topical hyaluronic acid is a fantastic way to heal your skin from the outside in while you increase your glowing health from the inside out.

Coconut Oil

Plain old coconut oil is one of our favourite moisturisers to reduce inflammation and help your skin retain moisture.  Plus it’s edible so you’re not introducing anything toxic into your system.

The Best Natural Skin Care Products

While it’s important to have a good skincare regimen, it’s also important to know what’s in the products you put on your face. Seek out quality ingredients that will enhance your health and not add a toxic burden to your system. We like organic skin care lines like Ilya, Eminence, and natural Canadian skincare brands like Buck Naked, and Living Libations. There are lots of good natural care products for your skin, please choose wisely. The Environmental Working Group website is a good resource for researching ingredients and their safety or toxicity.

Now that you’re ready to take care of your largest organ from the inside out and the outside in, there’s one more thing – and that’s enjoying the self-care process of maintaining beautiful, healthy skin! After all, skin care should be pampering as well as effective. Here’s one of our favourite DIY masks to help you on your journey to your most healthy skin:

Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-acne Mask to soothe redness and calm reactive skin:

1/4 cup whole grain oats

2 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon honey

Pinch ground turmeric

Blend together in a blender and spread on cleansed skin.  Leave on for 15-20 mins rinse off with warm and then cool water followed by a natural lotion or pure coconut oil.

To your good health,

The Team at Forces of Nature Wellness Clinic

Keep New Year’s Resolutions

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woman thinking about fitness resolutions

7 Tips to Keep Your Fitness Resolutions in 2017

New Year’s resolutions date back to ancient Rome and the mythical King Janus, from whose name January derives. Janus became a symbol for resolutions because he had two faces and could look simultaneously back on the past and look forward to the future.  This January, look back on the past to see what you could do better, then look forward to a new and improved future.

Here are some pointers to help you keep your fitness resolutions in 2017:

  1. Set attainable goals and have realistic expectations.  If you’re new to exercise, planning to run a marathon may be a bit too ambitious.
  2. Find the sweet spot of balance between too much exercise and too little.  What that means is that you want to find the balance between where you get the benefits of exercise without overdoing and winding up injured or burning yourself out.
  3. Make a resolution along with a friend or spouse. Research shows that having someone you’re accountable to can almost triple your likelihood of sticking with exercise.
  4. One study showed that motivation to be physically active was higher when sports – instead of just exercise – were involved.  Sports can make exercise less like drudgery and more like fun. Plus there’s an added social benefit to team sports.
  5. Having a goal in mind helps.  For example, register for a 5 km run then train to achieve it or keep working on achieving your next belt in martial arts.
  6. Get the resources you need to achieve your goals, whether it’s a day planner, gym membership, group classes, fitness tracker app or a personal trainer to keep you in line.
  7. Establish a routine that you enjoy and stick to it.  Consistency is key with exercise.  If your work requires you to travel, do some kind of exercise that is portable like walking, running or stay in hotels that have a fitness room.

Do you have these Common Symptoms?

by

man wondering if symptoms are common or normal

Symptoms: Are You Common or Normal?

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

First some definitions:
Common: Occurring or happening regularly or frequently.
Normal: Healthy, not sick or ill.

Here’s why I’m making this distinction. I often have patients comment that “oh, I have to take Advil the first two days of my period every month, but that’s normal”. Or “I have a bowel movement every day or two, but that’s normal”. I would like to point out that, neither of the above is normal, common yes, but not normal. We commonly make assumptions about something that we’ve been living with for a long time or have always had, or our mothers always had, or our best friend has too, is “normal”. Sometimes we need to examine these assumptions in order to move forward and achieve better health. Here’s a brief list of some things that I find are common symptoms but not at all normal:

Common Symptoms
Constipation i.e. bowel movements less than 1-3 times per day
Headaches with change in weather, stress, PMS
Menstrual cramping
PMS
Hot flashes, night sweats, depression at menopause
Heartburn or the need to take antacids
Exhaustion when you get home from work
Cravings for salt and/or sugar
Up 1-3 times per night to the washroom
Back pain on waking

Normal
Bowel movements 1-3 times per day, every day, typically after eating
No headaches or excess muscle tension
Pain-free periods
Other than the date, no sign that your period is due
At menopause your periods just stop
No heartburn or antacids
Energy to be active in the evening until at least 8 p.m.
No food cravings
No night waking or need to urinate at night
Free and easy movement any time of day

I could go on, but you get the picture. As a society we make assumptions about what is normal based on what everyone has or does, but true health requires ongoing assessment of where we are at and where we would like to be and then making use of all the tools at our disposal to get there.