Archive for the ‘master your mind’ Category
Great Website for Evaluating Brand Name Foods
Posted by admin in Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
This i s a great website with great reviews for many different brand name food products and snacks. Definitely worth checking out.
Melatonin and Rozerem
Posted by admin in Exercise, Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
Melatonin…such a huge topic….where to start?
First of all, melatonin is a powerful anti-cancer hormone produced by our pineal gland, a little gland in our brain. Melatonin is produced at night while we are sleeping. There are conditions that either increase or decrease melatonin production, such as length of sleep and the amount of light coming into the room but I’ll have to save those details for another post. If you want to get a head start, the take home message from that future post will be the following: sleep for at least 8 hours per night and sleep in a pitch-black room — one where you cannot see your hand immediately in front of your face. A sleep mask is good, but doesn’t quite cut it — cover all light sources. Also, meditating for 10 minutes (sitting in a chair upright) before bedtime increases melatonin production and will help you fall asleep.
Many people who have trouble sleeping take supplemental melatonin — anywhere from 1 to 3 mg per night. This is okay if done on an occasional basis, but I don’t recommend it everyday. Melatonin supplementation has been shown to lead to atrophy (shrinkage) of the pineal gland, the gland that produces it. As the pineal gland has less work to do (because melatonin is being obtained from the outside) the gland gets smaller. And then when you try not taking melatonin, you body is not capable of making nearly as much. Often insomnia is a result of an over-stressed system, or a weakened system. An ideal goal for insomniacs, is to figure out the root of the problem and deal with it from there. Of course with my obvious bias, I would recommend seeing a naturopath, but there are lots of different practitioners and tons of information (books, videos etc.) on how to sleep better. One book that comes to mind is Restful Sleep by Deepak Chopra. Lots of great information and a very good place to start; I often make recommendations to patients that come directly from this book.
The pharmaceutical companies have come up with a drug called Rozerem which is a “melatonin receptor agonist”. This means that it stimulates the same places in your brain that melatonin does. Synthetic hormones are never a good thing. Rozerem has been shown, in high does, to cause liver cancer and fetal deformities in lab animals. Sounds awfully suspect to me, especially when you consider that in very high doses, melatonin protects against cancer and has even been used to treat cancer. So this drug is doing something very different than melatonin somewhere along the line.
Considering how disruptive insomnia can be to a person’s quality of life and also considering that insomnia usually gets worse with age and almost always gets worse with menopause, I would highly suggest that all insomniacs take measures now (whether it’s a book or a practitioner) towards strengthening/relaxing their system in order to sleep better.
TC
Getting the Chemicals Out: House Cleaning
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
The chemicals in house cleaning products are very toxic. As you use them, you breath in their vapours (even more so with hot water or in a smaller, confined space, such as a bathroom). These vapours enter your lungs and are then are absorbed into your bloodstream. And although most people don’t stand in front of their dishwasher as they are operating it, dishwasher detergent vapours come out with the warm air.
With most houses having air-tight windows these days, air quality tests have shown that the air inside many homes has more toxic compounds in it than the air outside. Toxic chemicals in household air has been associated, among other things, with an increased allergy in asthma rate in both children and adults.
Here is a great article on CBC Marketplace on this very subject.
This website, from the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia is a fantastic guide to less toxic cleaning products. The top portion of this webpage lists common toxic chemicals in cleaning solutions and the risks associated with them. There is also an exhaustive list of non-toxic commercial cleaning products, categorized by use (eg. dish soap, toilet cleaner) and options for homemade alternatives as well.
Here are some websites for non-toxic cleaners:
Seventh Generation - I have only tried the toilet bowl cleaner so far, but I really like it and will try other products soon.
Nature Clean - I have the automatic dishwasher detergent, dish soap and all-purpose cleanser. All work very well.
Shaklee - I have never used these, but have heard great reviews from the Oprah Show to patients.
Here’s how I converted:
I just recently converted all my cleaning products to non-toxic equivalents and not only was it simple, it was much cheaper than I thought it would be. I bought non-toxic automatic dishwasher detergent, dish soap and toilet cleanser. The toilet cleanser is from Seventh Generation and has many fresh smelling essential oils in it. The automatic dishwasher detergent works just as well as the chemical one I had been using. The dish soap doesn’t get quite as sudsy as the regular commercial one I had been using, so I end up using a little bit more. But I’m okay with that, because as I use the soap (and can smell it) I like knowing that I am not breathing in any toxic chemicals.
For mirrors I have been using white vinegar with a microfiber cloth (doesn’t leave streaks or lint). Vinegar and water in a spray bottle is excellent at cleaning kitchen counters, sinks and stove tops. If there is something dried/stuck on the counter or stove I just spray some vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes; the vinegar seems to break it down and it’s then easy to clean off. I also pour full-strength white vinegar into the rinse agent dispenser of my dishwasher and my dishes come out sparkling clean and this has eliminated the hard water build-up I was getting on the bottom of my glasses.
For floors, I have a steam mop (I got the Shark one and love it) and just use water to clean my floors. If you have a large house, you will probably use more than one mop attachment per cleaning — the mop comes with two, but more can be purchased inexpensively on Shark’s website. Instead of the Swiffer I was using to sweep my floors, I bought a microfiber version that I put on my Swiffer broom. The steam mop also comes with a microfiber attachment; I have several of each and once there is enough for a washload I just throw them all in and wash normally.
As for bathroom sinks and bathtubs, I am using a Nature Clean All-Purpose Cleanser and it works great. Baking soda and lemon juice or borax also work very well.
TC
My Nourishing Traditions Experiment - Pancake Success!
Posted by admin in Exercise, Nutrition, Recipes, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
I have achieved pancake success with the soaked flour!
After 4 attempts at making pancakes with the soaked flour I described in My Nourishing Traditions Experiment I have finally made delicious pancakes, quite similar to my regular spelt pancakes – healthier too! For full recipe instructions, see the Recipes section of this blog.
Here’s what I did:
I soaked whole spelt overnight (12 - 24 hours is ideal, but I only managed to get in about 11 hours; 7 hours is the bare minimum) in slightly less water than called flour, with lemon juice. Then, this morning, I carefully added cinnamon powder, ginger powder, the baking soda (I wanted to make sure to sprinkle it evenly so there would be no bad-tasting baking soda clumps in my pancakes) and chopped pear. I folded together, being careful not to over mix, but also mindful of the fact that I had to make sure the baking soda was well distributed. And that’s it. Because the soaked flour seems to make a moister pancake, I left out the oil and egg that the recipe called for. The oil and egg, incidentally, also add richness, but don’t worry — I put some richness back in later.
I cooked them on a skillet brushed with coconut oil (I will be posting about this soon - coconut is one of the best oils to cook with — much better for any kind of heating than olive oil and far, far better than safflower or canola). Once on the plate, I spread on some coconut oil, a touch of Himalayan salt (to make a salted butter-like taste) and a bit of agave syrup. Agave syrup is low-glycemic and one of the best choices for any type of sugar-containing sweetener (much better for you than honey or maple syrup). They were delicious! I think this would be a wonderful weekend treat for kids as well. And on a regular basis, they would be great with some berries, my Easy Applesauce, low-fat organic yogurt or even just with some coconut oil and a touch of salt.
And, since the flour has been soaked, they are much, much more digestible than pancakes made with flour that has not been soaked.
TC
(Originally posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 on tinachristie.squarespace.com)
Childhood Trauma and Disease - Fascinating Study
Posted by admin in master your mind on September 4th, 2009
The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study is looking at the relation between childhood trauma and different aspects of an adult person’s health; everything from smoking to heart disease.
This study is being done through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente. It involves 17,000 adults and while they are not taking any new participants, you can get your ACE score on the website at www.acestudy.org (look at the bottom of the home page for the link). Then go to the “About Us” page to see all the links for the information they have thus far.
Naturopathic Medicine has always held that our emotions affect our health but the fact that a reputable source such as this is researching hard data is fascinating.
What Can Be Done?
From a more practical point of view, what can be done about this? Well, there are a variety of options.
1. Counselling/psychotherapy
There are as many different ways of practicing counselling and psychotherapy as there are practitioners. Ask someone you know and trust for a referral or even search the internet.
2. Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a system of medicine unto itself, but it is also included in the scope of practice for Naturopathic Doctors. (The homeopathic treatment of emotional issues is not my forte and thus I use other methods with my patients as discussed below.)
Homeopathy is energy medicine and uses remedies. It is very different from other styles of medicine and you can read more information at www.homeopathy.ca/articles/what_is.html.
This article is written by Andre Saine, probably the best homeopath in Canada (quite possibly North America). Although he writes this article mostly in reference to physical disease conditions, there really is no difference in how it works with respect to emotional issues.
3. Emotional Freedom Technique
This is a technique based on acupuncture points that everyone can learn to do at home that effectively heals emotional trauma. I teach this to patients in my office over the course of a 1 hour visit, but anyone can learn more about EFT at their website www.emofree.org and there are plenty of free downloads.
4. Body Talk
Body Talk is a treatment that is geared towards re-balancing the body and healing emotional wounds. I have been treating patients with this technique for the past 8 months and it is fascinating. It is basically what is referred to as “Energy Medicine” and it is very effective. Body Talk “peels away the layers” of imbalance (physical and emotional) and allows your body and emotions to heal. To read more, go to www.bodytalksystem.com.
5. Hypnosis
This has been shown to be very effective as well. Many hypnotherapists are also psychotherapists. Again, ask for a referral or search the internet.
TC
Pilot Your Own Ship Quote and Thoughts
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Sleep, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
“Should you fail to pilot your own ship, don’t be surprised at what inappropriate port you find yourself docked.” – Tom Robbins
Learn To Take Care Of Your Health
It is important to learn to care of your own health. Each person needs to learn what is and isn’t right for their body. And, I firmly believe, that everyone needs to learn what types of foods are and are not healthy and what the consequences of the unhealthy food choices are and the benefits of the healthy food choices.
Unhealthy Foods = Unhealthy Consequences
Then, if you were to choose unhealthy foods, you will not be surprised at the health consequences. Many people do not know what foods are and are not good for them and are very surprised when they find out that many of the foods they are eating are very unhealthy.
Here are some guidelines to get you started:
1. Does it have a food from which it came?
Eg. squeezable cheese versus real cheese.
Deli meats versus whole meats.
Only take the original.
The more processed something is, the more chemicals there are and the less healthy/more damaging it is for you.
Liquid Meat
I once saw a show on TV demonstrating how salami was made; I came to the show as they were pouring the liquid salami into the mold. Then they let it harden and voila! salami.
Meats that were once liquid are not good for you.
2. Does it have artificial colour and/or flavour in it?
If it does, you can be sure that if you saw it without the colouring or tasted it without the artificial flavouring, you wouldn’t eat it.
Even though it’s all dressed up with colour and flavour, still don’t eat it.
3. Are there any words you can’t pronounce in the ingredients list?
Unless the language in which the ingredients are written is a language which you are still learning, words that are hard to pronounce are usually chemicals. And chemicals are not good for you, so leave it on the shelf.
4. Is sugar in the first 3 or 4 ingredients?
Anything that is mainly sugar is not good for you.
5. Does it have artificial sweeteners?
These are always chemicals. Again, leave it.
6. Is it made with white flour?
If so, leave it and go for a 100% whole grain option.
Eat Whole Foods
Most foods that come in a box are not good for you.
Eat whole foods and your body will thank you with increased energy, health and vitality.
TC
An exercise in gratitude
Posted by admin in Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind, Thoughts and Beliefs, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
This is great. I got this from the newsletter that emofree.com sends out. (Emofree.com is a website dedicated to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Here it is:
I choose to be grateful…
For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.
Gratitude helps you to cope with stress and gratitude is associated with optimism and better immune system function. Read all about his in a great article here.
TC
Wheat-Free Pancakes Made Even Easier
Posted by admin in Recipes, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Thoughts and Beliefs, balance your body on September 4th, 2009
See my posting for spelt pancakes in the recipe section.
Easy Pancakes Made Even Easier
To make them even easier, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder) and store in a tupperware container.
This is basically pancake mix; same as if you bought a pancake mix in the store.
Each time you’d like to make a batch of pancakes, measure out 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons of the mixture and add the wet ingredients (1 cup of milk/almond milk/rice milk, natural vanilla extract, 2 tsp oil, any fruit you like) and fold together.
And presto! you have delicious wheat-free pancakes.
TC
Anxiety
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Stress, Anxiety and Your Body, Stress, Anxiety and Your Mind on September 4th, 2009
“I Never Had Anxiety Before…”
I have had several patients ask me why they “suddenly” had an anxiety (anything from low-level anxiety to anxiety/panic attacks) and why, since they have “always been fine” do they ”suddenly” have this problem.
The answer is that, they have not always been fine.
Anxiety does not happen overnight, although sometimes it feels like it does.
It often starts with a “nervous personality” and progresses from there especially with all the stresses of daily life that most people have.
You May Be More Stressed Than You Think
Many, many people do not know how stress is affecting their system and just how stressed they really are.
With time, stress wears down a person’s system and weakens their nervous system and anxiety can result. If someone has a nervous personality or a tendency to worry, this effect is compounded.
Learn To Manage Stress
The key here is to pay attention to how stress is affecting you and to take specific measures to counteract stress and relax. Most people need help doing this; a naturopath, counselling, a book or whatever else you are drawn to.
Above all: don’t underestimate the effect of stress and worry on both your physical and mental health.
TC
Menstrual Problems
Posted by admin in Recipes, The Relaxation Response, balance your body, master your mind on September 4th, 2009
Naturopathic Medicine Can Help Menstrual Problems
I see many women in my practice you have gone on the birth control pill to regulate their periods or who have had a hysterectomy because their periods were very heavy and it was causing problems.
For many women, naturopathic medicine can regulate a women’s menstrual cycle and the flow as well.
Pain and Heaviness Are Not Necessary
I also have seen many women who have come to me with painful or heavy menstrual cycles before they tried medication or surgery and they were able to avoid taking these measures. We balanced out their cycles and strengthened their systems and they now understand the way diet and lifestyle affects them.
How to treat these conditions is too complicated to get into on a blog, but the take home message is: see a naturopath before resorting to medication or surgery.
TC