If you feel stressed during these unusual times, you’re not alone. How can you support your body and find balance when your home, your work, and current events instantly put you on edge?
In today’s world, we find ourselves worrying about the future, living in the past and not being present in the now. Can you remember a more stressful time than now? So how are you dealing with all this stress? What does your body do when put under all this pressure and how can you support it? Let’s find out what stress type you are and then the answer will become easy!
A moderate amount of stress can be beneficial; it can motivate us to change our situation, finish a project on time and it brings about growth and change in life. In contrast, chronic stress is hard for your body to deal with and leads to inflammation, severe health concerns and illness.
Our ability to adapt to stress is regulated by the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys and secrete ‘stress’ hormones. Stress hormones include cortisol and adrenaline.
Types of stress responses
There are a few types of stress responses and these are dependent on the amount and the duration of time that you’ve been under stress.
We’ve broken them down into 5 types:
Occasional Stress—this is the anticipatory normal stress response to life challenges, symptoms are milder and less frequent, and often include; feeling overwhelmed, cry easily, get hot flashes, forget to eat, get wound up when tired and have trouble calming down. Digestively, things slow down and constipation can be an issue along with mouth sores.
Worried—is more acute stress that affects the emotional and physical states. This would include symptoms of worrying about big and small things, feeling ready to explode, muscle spasms (eye twitches are common), lying awake thinking about the day’s events and what needs to get done tomorrow.
Wired—is a result of excess exposure to acute stress hormones. Usually some of the previous issues of worrying, unable to fall asleep are happening along with cravings for salty foods, dark circles under the eyes, and more muscle and joint pains appear. Diarrhea can also be an issue.
Mentally Fatigued—when chronic stress goes on for a long time, we stop producing so much cortisol and we enter the “burnout” phase. This leads to poor concentration, feeling like you get easily distracted, have trouble organizing your thoughts, feeling depressed or apathetic and oversleeping becomes more common, along with waking up and still feeling tired or unrefreshed.
Tired—On top of feeling mentally fatigued, our last stage of burnout includes feeling tired for no reason, depression, difficulty to concentrate enough to complete a task, sweat spontaneously during the day, feeling puffy and retaining fluids, poor muscle tone and difficulty losing weight.
Digestion is poor and getting colds and flu are common.
So where are you on this list?
We can help
As Naturopathic Doctors, we make an assessment of adrenal function with in-office testing of blood pressure and with urine hormone testing, along with your symptoms.
We have an array of adrenal support products that include herbs, glandulars, B vitamins and homeopathics for your type of stress response and stage of adrenal dysfunction you are in.
If you’re experiencing increased issues due to stress, be sure to come in so that we can help support your body to recover quickly.
At home, here are some things to keep your adrenals healthy!
Have a routine. Keep a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends. Ideally, go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday. Get to sleep before midnight because every hour of sleep before midnight is worth 2 hours after midnight. Aim for 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep per night in a dark room, it helps you produce more melatonin, that will naturally decrease your cortisol.
Play or do something fun everyday.
Laughter is essential for stress management.
Go on vacations or stay-cations.
Daily movement or exercise or at least 20-45 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week.
Eliminate caffeine, or decrease to only having caffeine in the morning.
Use prescribed herbal medicines, homeopathy and B-vitamins from a health professional.
Incorporate reminders to breathe such as the“Blue Dot Stress Buster Program”
Place blue stickers in areas where you frequently look (ie. car steering wheel, computer, microwave clock), every time you see a blue dot, take 2 deep breaths.
Journaling assists with expression of emotion and increases self-awareness.
Music helps manage stress, listen to your happy song or a meditation/relaxation track daily.
Incorporate spiritual practices into your daily life to assist in the ability to remain in the present moment. These include meditation, qi gong, yoga, tai chi, breath work and prayer.
If you are feeling particularly stressed, anxious, exhausted or suffer from insomnia or adrenal fatigue; it is important to consult with a professional to assist with these health concerns so that you may bring more balance into your life and ultimately enjoy it.
While Hippocrates coined the phrase, “all disease begins in the gut” thousands of years ago, current research is finding there’s much truth in this ancient piece of wisdom!
If you think your intestinal tract is only responsible for digestion and waste elimination, think again… your gut also plays a big role in immune system function, the synthesis of essential nutrients, and balancing neurotransmitters important for brain and mood health.
It’s even been referred to as our second brain by experts in the health professional community.
It’s all about the health of our gut
Your intestines are home to billions of bacteria, collectively known as the microbiome. Some of these bacteria are beneficial and some are not, but the balance between the two is really key to normal digestion, proper absorption of nutrients, and promoting a healthy intestinal environment.
Currently, with our immunity at the forefront of our minds, this balance of bacteria is also a determinant of our immune system strength.
The integrity and structure of the intestinal walls is also extremely important when it comes to good gut health – and our health overall.
The gut lining is a permeable barrier designed to allow certain molecules, like broken down nutrients from food, to crossover into the bloodstream for absorption and use in the body. But, the gut lining should also keep harmful molecules, like toxins and pathogens, from being absorbed.
When the gut lining is compromised, it may become thin, inflamed, too permeable, and unable to regulate which molecules should and should not be crossing into the bloodstream. This is known as impaired intestinal permeability or Leaky Gut Syndrome.
A leaky gut allows large food particles, chemicals, and toxins to actually ‘leak’ into your body where they can wreak havoc! Your immune system then swings into action as it identifies these as foreign invaders and launches an inflammatory attack.
This type of inflammation is different than the heat, swelling, and redness you associate with an injury. That’s acute inflammation and it’s pretty obvious when it’s happening.
Instead, we’re talking constant chronic inflammation that, over the course of longer periods of time, is thought to be the root cause of a lot of diseases.
How to determine the status of your gut?
When we test for food sensitivities, we get a really good understanding of how permeable your gut is. If there are a lot of reactive foods on the list, we know your gut barrier has become leaky.
We can also see leaky gut on the Organic Acids Test, a urine test that can measure different metabolites from bacteria and yeast that damage the gut and negatively shift the microbiome.
Do you suffer from:
● bloating and gas
● constipation or diarrhea
● rectal itching
● nasal congestion
● sinus problems
● bad breath
● skin rashes/eczema
● athlete’s foot/jock itch
● fungal infection of the nails
● allergies
● chemical sensitivities
● chronic fatigue
● difficulty concentrating/brain fog
● headaches
● sugar cravings
● recurrent urinary tract infections
● yeast infections
● joint pain
● anxiety, irritability or depression
Not every single disease can be traced back to gut health, but a lot of them can. For example, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, mood disorders like depression, and autoimmune diseases are all linked to inflammation and poor gut health or a compromised gut lining.
What type of things are harmful to the gut?
A number of things can contribute to poor gut functioning, including:
● An unhealthy diet, high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and unhealthy fats, like fried foods and trans fats (chips, peanuts, store-bought cookies, cakes and crackers).
● Maltodextrin a corn-derived food additive
● Gluten also contributes to impaired gut lining in those sensitive to it.
● Excessive alcohol consumption.
● Long-term use of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
● Antibiotics are used to rid the body of bacterial infections, but unfortunately, they do not discriminate and end up wiping out the population of good bacteria too.
● Frequent use of NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and Aleve, can impair the lining of the stomach and intestines.
● Stress can also cause inflammation throughout the body including your gut.
The Anti-inflammatory diet
It’s been well documented that our gut thrives when we follow an anti-inflammatory diet.
This includes:
Eating a diet rich in whole foods, with a focus on fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fats. The best source of omega-3 fats are; nuts, fatty fish, like salmon, and pastured animal products. If you don’t eat fish or grass-fed animal products, it’s important to take a good quality omega-3 supplement.
Regularly eating fermented foods, like raw sauerkraut and kombucha, can help boost the number of good bacteria in your gut. Probiotic supplements can also help support the number and balance of bacteria in your gut. We also like to make sure you have a huge diversity of bacteria, so rotating and layering probiotics works best to create great gut health.
Bone broth, hydrolyzed collagen and mucilagenous herbs like; marshmallow root, slippery elm and aloe can help promote an intact and healthy gut lining.
Don’t Forget to Weed Your Microbiome Garden. It’s Spring and it’s the best time of year to be thinking about cleaning up your gut! Be safe, wash your hands often, stay home as much as possible but get outside for walks.
Diets and weight loss are always hot topics, but in the last few years ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting have become increasingly popular. So what’s the deal? How do you know if you should try fasting or if you should avoid it altogether?
Previously all dieting dogma was calories in, calories out. But, we have all come to realize this is not the case, there are so many factors that come into play when we think about weight loss.
Serving size is still important, as is food quality; 100 calories from an oreo cookie is not the same as 100 calories from meat. Eating fruit all day because it’s healthy is also not right.
But, should you avoid carbs altogether, or if you time your meals properly, can eating carbs be okay?
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting or IF, is eating within a restricted period of time, say an eight hour window, and then not eating for 16 hours. This ratio can be modified, but usually the fasting period is at least 12-16 hours. Often this looks like, eating dinner at 6 pm and then not eating anything else until 10 am the next morning. Some people will include a black coffee during this time to help curb appetite and in some scenarios, there are also “fatty lattes” that can be incorporated before the fasting time ends.
Modified fasting windows are sometimes more helpful for people that have blood sugar regulation issues, thyroid problems or live a very high stress lifestyle (where calorie restriction may make you feel even more stressed).
It is important to work within the framework of your body and listen to your hunger cues, pushing the fasting window only when you feel ready. Fasting for longer periods can lead to increased hunger during the feeding window and then portion sizes go crazy. It is better to eat sooner than to cause binge eating later.
In general, a 12 hour window is easiest for most people to follow, and is a great starting point.
This style of eating, basically eliminates night-time snacking and should encourage the consumption of a good portion of healthy fat, protein and a bit of carbohydrates at the evening meal.
Intermittent Fasting also tends to lend itself more towards individuals with insulin resistance, or those who are pre-diabetic or diabetic. Fasting is helpful to reset the metabolism and by essentially, skipping a meal, it also cuts down on food intake.
Caloric Restriction
Caloric restriction is focused on reducing meal sizes and portion sizes. Often people are encouraged to eat small frequent meals throughout the day in order to keep energy up when calories go down. This can look like eating 3 regular sized meals daily with 2 snacks in between.
Depending on what works for your schedule and energy, it is best to spread your meals out by 4 hours to allow enough time for digestion. Ensure that you are eating enough so that you are not hungry one or two hours after your meal.
You may need to check your hydration to ensure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day so your body is not confusing thirst for hunger.
Some diet plans suggest very low caloric intake in a day or even alternating days, however, we find this type of restriction will ultimately cause a rebound and will lead to overeating.
Never eat below 1,200 calories daily, this is the minimum for an elderly, sedentary person. If you are more active, you require more calories to keep muscle mass and to have enough energy for daily tasks. If you are on a specialized, cleansing fast where you are resting, this may be a different story.
What is a serving size?
● Meat and Seafood – the size of your palm
● Eggs – 1 egg
● Milk – 4 ounces
● Cheese – 1-3 ounces
● Ghee and Butter – ½ tsp
● Nuts and Seeds – quarter cup
● Nut Butters – 1 Tbsp
● Fats and Oils – 1 Tbsp
● Carbohydrates – grains and cereal: quarter cup; baked goods: ½ muffin, 1 slice of bread
● Vegetables – 1 cup
● Fruits – ½ cup or 1 small/medium sized fruit
● Beverages – 6-8 ounces
There’s more…
Ideally, we recommend eating protein with every meal, this ensures your body is getting the building blocks it requires for healthy muscles.
Breakfasts should be protein with a low carbohydrate intake, then add in more carbs with your lunch and dinner. Adding carbs helps with blood sugar regulation throughout the day as cortisol (your stress hormone) is highest in the morning when you wake up, so is your blood sugar. You want to add more carbohydrates into your diet as the day goes on and your cortisol and blood sugar naturally drop.
Struggling with meal planning? Need someone to be accountable to? Feel like hormones are getting in your way? As Naturopathic Doctors, we can help you figure this out. Be sure to come in to discuss your unique situation and how we can help simplify eating for you!
In the cold months of winter, you’re probably feeling like your skin is dry and rough, and has way more fine lines and wrinkles than you would like. Or maybe, you’ve turned another year (or 40) older, and the signs of aging are way more prominent than they used to be.
Is it time to change up your skin care regimen? Or is it time to start looking at what is going on behind the scenes when these types of changes are happening on the outside?
What causes aging of the skin?
After the holiday season has passed, we may start to really notice these external signs of aging; this is usually due to the unhealthy indulgences that happen, more sugar, alcohol, fried or grilled foods, chips and hydrogenated fats sneak into our bodies. These types of foods create more advanced glycation end products or AGEs, these compounds are responsible for the aging process.
Improving your diet by including a lot of fish, green leafy vegetables, berries, polyphenols and healthy oils, will decrease your production of AGEs. All supplements that boost antioxidants will also help to counteract the production of AGEs and the process of aging, so maximizing these is highly beneficial in reversing aging.
Sources of Antioxidants
Here’s a refresher on which nutrients are considered to be an antioxidant. The master antioxidant in the body is glutathione, and its role is to prevent damage to your cells caused by oxidative stress.
All other vitamins and nutrients are used in the process to regenerate glutathione. Sometimes we just supplement with glutathione! Vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, selenium, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), turmeric, alpha lipoic acid (ALA), and resveratrol are all essential antioxidant nutrients that may help to regenerate glutathione and repair our cells.
What can you do to reverse the signs of aging?
What makes your skin age faster than a blink of an eye? Dehydration. One of the biggies for winter in Calgary is hydration. It is so super dry here, we can all look like raisins if we’re not careful.
Remember, if you’re skin is feeling dry, it’s time to focus on more water. One simple test for hydration is the “tent test”. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and count how many seconds it takes for it to return to it’s normal flat position. If it’s taking longer than a couple seconds, you’re definitely dehydrated!
Stress and lack of sleep will also make us age quicker. Ever notice a few more grey hairs and a few more fine lines around your eyes after an especially stressful time in your life? Stress and poor sleep increase our body’s demand for antioxidants. Think about making some relaxation techniques part of your regular routine to help stop aging in its tracks.
Remove Toxic Build-Up
Liver function and good bile flow, proper blood circulation and lymphatic movement are also essential for great skin health. The bile production from the liver is paramount for hormone clearance and regulation. If hormones seem to be wreaking havoc on your skin, supporting your liver and bile production will really help to get things back on track. Luckily, we have lots of great herbals and bile support to help. The liver loves any bitter tasting foods, so be sure to include some bitter greens; artichoke, endive, radicchio, and dandelion. Beets, carrots, garlic and onions are also great liver foods.
A simple, at-home activity to help improve circulation is dry skin brushing. The skin is brushed lightly with a dry skin brush or loofah towards the heart, starting at the feet and hands and brushing towards the chest. This is awesome for improving lymphatic flow and helps to break up cellulite. Using a dry loofah daily for about 2 minutes before your shower is enough to get things going!
Let’s face it, we’re constantly on the go, and a steady state “busy-ness” has become the norm — it’s no wonder that physical and mental fatigue is such a common complaint! The start of a new year is often the best time for reflection and to examine the parts of our life that function well and those that do not.
The good news is that there are some really simple and natural ways to increase your energy so you can keep up with all that busy-ness.
Winter is the element of Water in the Chinese medical tradition and in our bodies it’s associated with the kidneys, adrenal glands, bladder and bones. This is the time of year to consider cleansing and strengthening these areas of the body.
The kidneys are associated with willpower and the emotion of fear. When the kidneys are functioning well and are balanced, our motivation and willpower are at their best. We are able to make changes in our lives with greater ease and less fear.
Forget the coffee and stimulants, we’re talking blood sugar balancing, hydration, moving your body, and resting your body. Some might call these tips hacking your energy!
Get off the blood sugar roller coaster
One of the simplest ways we can boost our energy is to stabilize blood sugar. When we don’t eat enough food throughout the day or when we eat foods that are higher in sugar, our energy levels bottom out.
You can balance your blood sugar, and boost your energy naturally by:
● Eating every 3-4 hours to give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to keep your blood sugar – and energy levels steady.
● Consuming foods that are low on the glycemic index (think fruits and veggies, whole grains) instead of the higher sugar white breads, crackers and pastas.
● Eating protein with every meal to slow down the release of carbohydrates into your bloodstream. Protein is broken down and released slower so you’re less likely to have a blood sugar spike and subsequent crash.
Drink up!
Before you reach for that coffee or energy drink to perk you up, consider switching to plain old water. While caffeine is usually the first choice for busting out of an energy slump, it can be dehydrating.
Even mild dehydration impairs our concentration, decreases our mood and zaps our energy.
How do you know if you may be dehydrated?
Check the colour of your urine. If it’s the colour of straw, you’re good to go. If it’s a darker yellow colour, it’s time to drink up.
Water intake is important for the kidneys to excrete toxins on a regular basis and to keep the body alkaline. The human body is composed of 75% water. Drink at least the equivalent of ½ your body weight in ounces. Divide your body weight in pounds by 2. This equals the number of ounces of water you require daily. A glass is approximately 8 ounces.
BUT, Also Take Time for Yourself. Spend at least 30 minutes each day doing something that you really enjoy and laugh daily. Rest, take a power nap, or meditate; taking some quiet time for oneself is important. It is good to rest more in the winter months as it is nature’s hibernation mode.
You like to move it, move it!
When you’re tired, the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, as hard as it can be to get your butt off the couch, it’s one of the best things you can do to fight fatigue.
And, it turns out that you don’t even have to commit to a long workout!
A California State University study concluded that even a brisk 10-minute walk can increase your energy for up to 2 hours.
Humans are designed to be active, it is important to move muscles daily. Ideally, engage in regular exercise for 20-45 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week.
Find something that you enjoy and try to spend time outside daily for at least 20 minutes. The winter sunshine and its vitamin D content will improve energy levels and mood.
Don’t Forget to Cover your kidneys in the winter. They are considered the root of the body’s energy in Chinese medicine supplying heat to all of the organs and are susceptible to the cold.
Wear warm layers and a coat that covers your low back, hips and buttocks.
So when you feel that afternoon slump coming on, skip the coffee and lace up your running shoes instead.
Up your sleep game
It may seem obvious that lack of sleep causes fatigue. However did you know that the quality of your sleep can have an even bigger impact on your daily energy? Even slight disturbances in our sleep can affect how rested we feel the next day.
Here are a couple of tips for a more restful sleep:
● Avoid tech in the bedroom, or within 1-2 hours of bedtime. Even the small amount of light, especially the blue light emitted from devices, interrupts your body’s circadian rhythm. Your brain still thinks it’s daytime and won’t wind down.
● Avoid caffeine late in the day – or avoid all together if this is a problem for you. Try to create a regular sleep/wake schedule to help your body develop a sleep routine = good sleep hygiene.
● Dab a bit of calming lavender essential oil on your temples before bed or put a few drops on your pillow. Breathe in the calm.
Our New Year Healthy Eating Challenge: Four weeks of Meal Planning done for you!
2019, Our Gift to You!
Wouldn’t it be great to get the year off to the best start possible? Would you like to make healthier food choices and have it all laid out for you?
We thought that might be pretty amazing too, so we’ve decided to create a one week meal plan for you for the next FOUR weeks.
Easy-peasy, healthy recipes to your inbox.
We want to give you a head start on the new year
All recipes will be set for 4 people, but should be easily scalable. Our goal is to provide you with healthy choices, no food groups have been eliminated on purpose, but if you’re sensitive to something you may substitute an alternative. The meal plan does not have to be followed exactly but more designed to give you new ideas to incorporate into your daily life.
If you’re ready to join us, please click the the link below and receive the first week plan and then watch your inbox for the next 3 weeks (Shopping list included!)
A preview of some of the great recipes we’ve included in our 4 week plan
Makes 4 servings
2/3 cup All Natural Peanut Butter (divided)
1/3 cup Maple Syrup (divided)
2 1/2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
2 cups Oats (quick)
2 tbsps Chia Seeds
4 cups Strawberries (finely chopped) or Raspberries
Add half of the peanut butter and half of the maple syrup to a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in almond milk until combined.
Stir in the oats and chia seeds until combined. Cover and let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight.
To prepare the strawberries, add chopped strawberries to a bowl with remaining maple syrup. Stir to coat the strawberries in the syrup then cover and let rest in the fridge until oats are ready.
To serve, divide the peanut butter oats between jars and top with equal amounts of the sweetened strawberries (and their juices) and remaining peanut butter. Enjoy!
It’s spring! There is no better time of the year to focus on regeneration and renewal than spring.For our bodies, now is when we want to push our detox pathways and clean out thesluggishness in our bowels and liver. In short, it’s time to CLEANSE.Have you ever done a...
If you’re constantly craving sweets and snacking through your day or night, then you’re probablynot getting enough protein in your diet.Protein is one of our major macronutrients, along with carbohydrates and fats. Protein isessential for building muscle and fueling...
It’s February and it’s heart month and unless you have heart disease or heart attacks run in your family, you may not really feel like this is important for you, but hear us out—having a healthy activity level, eating the right diet is important for everyone, and...
