We often underestimate the power of stress. We like to see stress as natural, and even helpful, in being productive in our day-to-day lives. But the positive effects of stress, like goal orientation, motivation, and even intensified memory or cognitive responses are most beneficial in small doses. Many of us have built up tolerances to living with constant, heightened stress levels, and the temptation to see this as a positive or heroic trait has reduced our natural desire to respond to i...Read more
Eat less, exercise more. Is it really that easy? You may not be surprised to hear that losing excess weight and keeping it off goes way beyond such one-dimensional recommendations. In fact, the concept of calories in and calories out may be the biggest misunderstanding people have about weight. It turns out that weight gain and shedding extra pounds are not as black and white as many seem to think. Let’s look beyond fad diets at a functional approach to weight loss. We’ll explore some lesser...Read more
Brain fog is one of the more common symptoms we see in practice, as well as being one of the most elusive and hard to pin down. A sudden onset of poor concentration, mental fatigue, inability to focus, confusion, and memory issues make even the simplest tasks seem overwhelming and can negatively affect all aspects of life. Let’s take a look at the various causes of brain fog, and what you can do to clear things up. What Causes Brain Fog? It may surprise you to read that brain fog is a we...Read more
The pandemic has brought us six solid months of stress, anxiety, and fear of the unknown. This Fall things are ramping up again, with increased COVID infection rates and back to school worries. Hundreds of studies have been published on the negative health effects of the pandemic worldwide, and what tops the list? Skyrocketing levels of stress and anxiety. Whether you’re stressed about contracting COVID-19 or dealing with the many “pivots” brought on by recurring lockdowns and decreased soci...Read more
What does going on a ‘detox’ or ‘cleanse’ mean to you? Fasting? Following a boxed detox kit? Going on a lemon juice cleanse? Messaging from the growing detox industry implies that without such measures, detoxification won’t occur. The truth? Our bodies detox 365 days a year, sweeping our cells clean of toxins and removing them from our bodies. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore these detoxification pathways. Let’s look at why detoxification is so important to overall health, and what yo...Read more
Carving out a home workspace, becoming a home-school teacher overnight -pandemic pivoting is tough. If you feel unsettled and exhausted, you’re not alone. But what if you were already feeling tired, stressed and overwhelmed before? Could your adrenal glands be part of the problem? While there is some debate about the term ‘adrenal fatigue’, we can all agree that stress levels are at an all-time high. People are burning out. And the adrenal glands are major players in the stress response. S...Read more
Let’s start with the good news: If you’re self-isolating, you should have more time to devote to creating a healthy diet for yourself. At least, that’s the fantasy that many of us started out with a few weeks ago. However, terms like the “quarantine 15” and “isolation constipation” are starting to appear on social media. It turns out that eating healthily and avoiding overindulging during a pandemic isn’t always easy, even if we have the best intentions. How Emotions Affect Food Choices ...Read more
Tense muscles. Obsessing about the news. Anxiety about the future. Difficulty sleeping. Do all of these sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone. There’s no doubt that we are living with a lot of uncertainty right now. How can we cope? Doing Nothing To Cope With Everything The answer might be as simple as doing…. nothing. Simply sitting still and mindfully clearing your thoughts through meditation has an astounding number of benefits that are vital right at this point in history. ...Read more
I know this is a time of great uncertainty. It’s easier said than done, but please don’t let fear take over. I find it helps not to watch the news too much. Facts about COVID-19: COVID-19 stands for Coronavirus Disease 2019 which is a new type of coronavirus never seen in humans before and originating from Wuhan China The virus spreads from person to person through infected respiratory droplets through coughing or sneezing within 6 feet of each other. Also, the virus can live on surfaces...Read more
First of all, one of my biggest pet peeves is when women call a vaginal birth, a natural birth. It makes those that couldn't have a vaginal birth feel very un-natural. Let's be mindful of our verbiage. As a lot of you know, there are a lot of health benefits for the baby when they are born vaginally. The vaginal flora will coat the baby and will help with the baby's digestive system by allowing good bacteria to grow and colonize. Also, the compression and spiral action through the birth can...Read more