otherwise known as: STRESS

So. You can’t lose weight. Maybe you think you can’t lose weight because you just need to control your eating habits better, cut back on the heavy calories in the beer or wine, eat less sugar, or just stop that midnight snacking and weekend binge eating/drinking. Maybe you think if you just got some exercise, or more exercise, everything would be better. Or maybe you’re one of those really frustrated types who exercises like crazy (P90x crazy people), eats pretty well and can’t shed a pound and can’t figure it out.

Good news folks! You are probably dealing with some really high levels of stress! Yes there’s other reasons why you might not be shedding a pound, and we could certainly talk about that whenever you want, but for now I’m focusing on stress related causes for not losing weight, since I see it a lot, and it manifests in a lot of different ways, and no quick fix diet plan is going to solve your dilemma.

To all you postpartum women, men and women on decade 2 or 3 of high-stress jobs, or those of you suffering from the chronic stress of a tough partnership, parenthood or caretaking position of a loved one. This one is for you. You all have one thing in common. You are Stressed out, and probably not managing it very well.

How do people look when they are stressed and not managing it? They are eating too much, not exercising regularly enough, gaining weight around the middle, not sleeping well, emotionally volatile or turned off, drinking coffee in the morning and alcohol in the night, depressed, angry, unmotivated to make changed in their life for the better, just trying to hang on for dear life. Sound familiar? Maybe you are 5 of the 10 listed above. No matter, this affects you too.

So here’s your take home message: You can’t do it alone! You didn’t learn how to read by yourself, or ride a bike, or communicate, you had coaches all along the way. And if you’re really smart, you still have coaches, fitness trainers, business coach if you’re a lucky entrepreneur, counselors, mentors at work, pastors and priests at church, maybe even a dietitian or an acupuncturist, maybe even me. Point being. You’re getting older, things are shifting, you’re aging, stress has been sleeping in your bed for 7, 15, 23 years now and you think you can figure out how to manage it. You might even think that you can manage it, you know what to do, you’re just not doing it. Tricky tricky. Well I’m here to tell you another perspective.

You’ve never been here before, so how would you know how to get back? I mean, your stress levels have creeped up, you’ve managed them the best way you know how, and look where it’s gotten you? Read 2 paragraphs above! So clearly you don’t know how to manage your stress and weight by yourself. You need a stress manager, or 2.

Here are some easy things to remember:

1. weight loss is very difficult when stressed
2. relaxation techniques, meditation, prayer, breathing exercises reduce the levels of stress hormones in your body
3. adrenal support is essential to modulate stress hormone production, talk to your naturopath or come see me
4. acupuncture, massage, hot tubs, scrubs at the spa, saunas, craniosacral therapy or any other hands on therapies reduce stress levels
5. stopping the addictive cycles of temporary stress reduction like alcohol, tobacco, watching tv instead of sleeping or exercising, eating when you’re not hungry.
6. stopping the addictive cycles of uppers that keep you going and increase your stress hormones, coffee, red bull, sugar, monsters, etc.

But here’s the catch, you can’t just STOP doing the bad things, that doesn’t work, or you would have done it by now. So ADD in the good things, TAPER out the bad things, be GENTLE with yourself, and get a coach to lead you through this process. It’s not easy, but by reducing your stress, stress triggers and stress inducers you can start the gradual process of permanent weight loss.

Naturopathic Medicine has not reached its tipping point yet. This means that almost no one knows what it really is, what it really can do, or what it can effectively treat. This also means that there’s a lot of skepticism. Is it going to make a difference for me? Is it just hokey home remedies and fluffy herbal concoctions? It’s not based on science is it? It’s not “western medicine” really, right?

So how do you know if Naturopathy is going to work for you?

Ask yourself these questions:

-       Am I satisfied with the care I’m getting from my PCP or specialist with my health concerns?

-       Do I feel like something is missing from my treatments?

-       Do I wonder if they are treating the reason I got sick in the first place, or are they just treating my symptoms?

-       Do I feel heard and understood by my doctors? Do they spend enough time with me?

-       Do I get good explanations and rationales for treatments? Do they explain their strategy?

-       Do I feel like I’m getting better, getting the results that I want from my treatments?

-       Do I instinctively know that if I addressed other seemingly unrelated issues, like the way I eat and how active I am in the world, then I would feel better?

Let me clarify some doubts:

-       Yes we use western diagnostic tools and criteria to find out what is going on with you

-       Yes we draw blood, do routine physical exams, and ask you a thorough health history like a “normal” doctor would.

-       Yes we utilize scientific studies of herbs, nutrition, vitamins, minerals, exercise and pharmaceuticals to treat you most appropriately.

-       Yes we utilize home remedies that aren’t scientifically studied but are time tested.

-       Yes we spend 30-90 minutes with you, including emotionally and motivationally counseling you as well as educating you on your physiology, your health goals and treatment options.

-       Yes we collaborate with specialists in all areas of medicine, including surgeons, cardiologist, orthopedists, other primary care doctors as well as the alternative medical practitioners, such as acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, dietitians, and physical therapists.

Millions of you are suffering from stress, be it work related or issues at home. You may feel “tired and wired” or you may suffer so much that you are flat out on your face and can’t function. There are different levels of stress and what symptoms of stress you have tells a lot about how far down the path of Maladaptive Stress Syndrome (MSS) you are, and how far back you have to come to feel good again.

Let’s break it down. First, your body is designed to deal with stress in sequential stages. There’s acute stages and endurance stages and then when your body can’t endure anymore, the final stage of MSS.

The first stage of MSS is 0. This is what your body does every day to regulate your response to various stimuli in your environment. It’s a fine balancing act between hypovigilance and hypervigilance. This is your day to day ebb and flow of mental concentration and motor activity.

A Normal healthy response to stress is MSS-1. You meet a stimulating stressful moment, your body reacts accordingly, the stress goes away, and you go back to feeling normal again. For instance, if you were to get attacked by an angry dog. You would feel superhuman strong, amped up to defend your life, your eyes would dilate so you can see better, your heart would pump faster and your muscles would engorge with blood so you could run away or fight better. Many of you have experienced this kind of stress response. It leaves you feeling hung over and exhausted, but nothing a good night’s rest can’t fix.

Maladaptive Stress Syndrome-2 is characterized as the Suppression Phase. Chronic high levels of stress, be it from a tiresome job or an unhealhty relationship, causes your adrenal glands to produce cortisol, your stress hormone, in high amounts continuously. People often experience insomnia, fatigue, an increased tendency to get sick, depression or obsessive compulsiveness, anxiety, lack of appetite, high lipid levels, insulin resistance, diabetes and other chronic degenerative diseases. Adrenal androgens (testosterone) increase which can lead to abnormal hair growth in women.

The third and final stage is the Exhaustion Phase: MSS-3 is when your body can’t keep producing the high amounts of hormones and neurotransmitters it once was because you are flat-out tired and nutrient deficient. Commonly known as “adrenal exhaustion”, I see this in my patients who’ve had 2+ decades of high stress jobs, long term sickness and death of loved ones, or highly stressful long term relationships.

So what to do about all this stress? Let’s be unambiguous about this. The best thing you can do for yourself to deal with life in high-stress times is to eat right and move your body! This can be a difficult challenge especially while you’re stressed, so don’t do it alone. Involve a friend or a family member in your goals, see us at Glow to help you get on a good track with dietary choices and healthy exercise. Get acupuncture and Chinese herbs regularly to calm you down. See Dr. Rachel for stress testing, herbs, and diet and lifestyle counseling to balance out your stressful moements.

You have Metabolic Syndrome if you have 3 of 5 traits:

(IDF and ATP III guidelines)

• Blood pressure equal to or higher than 130/85 mmHg
• Fasting blood sugar (glucose) equal to or higher than 100 mg/dL
• Large waist circumference (length around the waist):
  • Men – 40 inches or more
  • Women – 35 inches or more
• Low HDL cholesterol:
  • Men – under 40 mg/dL
  • Women – under 50 mg/dL
• Triglycerides equal to or higher than 150 mg/dL

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes by eliminating the unhealthy traits that increase your risk.

• Lose weight: your body mass index (BMI) should be less than 25.
• Get 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, such as walking, swimming or bicycling, 5 – 7 days per week.
• Lower your cholesterol: fiber, exercise, weight loss, healthy oils and fats in your diet.
• Lower your blood pressure: exercise, stress reduction, weight loss
• People who smoke need to quit, as this increases all your unhealthy risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
• Add fish or fish oils to your diet. Decrease deep fried fats, saturated fats and hydrogenated or trans-fats.

Causes

The two most important risk factors that may be the cause are:

• Extra weight around the middle of the body (central obesity). The body may be described as “apple-shaped.”
• Insulin resistance, in which the body cannot use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed to help control the amount of sugar in the blood stream by helping blood sugar enter cells. If you have insulin resistance, your body doesn’t respond to insulin, and blood sugar cannot get into cells. As a result, the body produces more and more insulin. Insulin and blood sugar levels rise, affecting kidney function and raising the level of blood fats, such as triglycerides.

Other risk factors include:

• Low household income status
• Soft drink consumption
• Postmenopausal status
• Smoking
• High carbohydrate intake
• Lack of exercise
• No alcohol consumption
• Genetic factors, parental history

You have an increased long-term risk for developing:

• Atherosclerosis
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Kidney disease
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Peripheral artery disease
• Stroke
• Increased mortality rate, reduced quality of life in later years.

If you have any of the above symptoms or are concerned about metabolic syndrome,  Type II diabetes or your cardiovascular risk, I can help you change your lifestyle and dietary choices, get on an exercise plan and lose weight. If you are concerned but aren’t sure if you have metabolic syndrome, I can test you. Simple lab testing and physical evaluation can asses your risk.

Time –

How long does your doctor spend with you?

Time does not equal quality, but do you feel heard? Are they listening?

Options –

Does your doctor have a one-solution approach?

Is it always a prescription or a surgery option?

Integration –

When you have multiple specialists, who wraps it together?

Who explains the big picture of your treatment options and alternatives?

Who is your advocate in the health industry?

Who practices this kind of medicine?

It’s rare these days to find the kind of personal care you’re seeking, someone who will be there year in and year out for all your health care needs. A doctor who really listens and doesn’t think you’re making it up, or tells you, “There’s nothing wrong with you.” or “I’m sorry there’s nothing more I can do.”

Natuopathic physicians listen, they are educated in so many modalities of treatment, that if they can’t do it, they know who can. They can integrate all your healthcare needs and help you see the big picture. Naturopathic physicians help you by empowering you to take charge of your health, educating you on the nature of your imbalanced states and how to find Optimal Health again!

• · Common colds · chronic disease · digestive issues · physical medicine · women’s health · infants and children · detoxification · hormonal imbalances · blood testing·

*Able to prescribe medication and refer out for imaging and specialty testing*

Our world is becoming more toxic everyday. With the advent of pesticides, petroleum products, heavy metals and chemicals we are exposed to toxins our bodies can’t easily metabolize or excrete. Instead our bodies store those into our fat cells for protection. As a result more people are becoming increasingly sick from exposure. Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), cancers, autoimmune disease, and things as common as seasonal or animal allergies are all secondary to our under responsive overloaded bodies. Our bodies neurological, immune and endocrine function are what is primarily affected.

The ability to detoxify our bodies is increasingly becoming a critical part of maintaining our health in this world, and no surprise it takes a bit of work from you to keep your body’s channels clear. If our detoxification pathways are overloaded, then toxic metabolites accumulate, causing us to have increased sensitivity to our environment and poorer functioning of our body systems. The liver, kidneys, colon, lungs and skin are our organs of elimination. These are what we nurture when we do a detox program.

The Program

The goal of a detox is to optimize the excretion pathways while minimizing new exposures and ingestion of toxins. You can’t control the air you breathe, but you can control the food you eat and improve the way you eliminate! This gives your body the best chance in this short period of time to eliminate as many toxins stored as possible!

The basics:

• Food – to minimize toxins in and maximize toxins out
• Exercise – to promote lung function
• Sweating – to promote skin function
• Herbs – to promote liver function
• Fiber – to promote colon function
• Water – to promote kidney function

How do you know this is right for you?

A detox program can benefit anyone living in this toxic world.  A yearly detoxification protocol is beneficial for anyone, and something I recommend for many of my ailing patients.

A few indications for detoxification are:

• allergies
• arthritis
• fibromyalgia
• headaches
• fatigue
• autoimmune diseases
• chronic conditions (sinus, skin, yeast infections)
• constipation
• obesity
• depression/anxiety

Heavy Metal Testing is also available for those who think they have had exposure in their past or recent past. Additional chelation protocols can be added to the detox to help bind and eliminate new and newly mobilized heavy metals in the body.

Pollen in Seattle ranges from the first fruit trees blossoms to the June grass explosion. The pollen index in Seattle was significantly higher in March 2010 than in March 2009.

Many of you have turned to Claritin, Benadryl, Sudafed to counter the constant onslaught of symptoms. These over-the-counter remedies have lots of side-effects, drowsiness being one of the most apparent.

What if you could address the cause of your allergies? What if I told you everyone’s body has their tipping point, and past that point we suffer from these uncomfortable symptoms?

I’d like to suggest natural treatments for allergies and for those who are suffering the side effects of over the counter or prescription medications. Herbal supplementation is great for symptom control and a spring detox will bring down your total load so you are less symptomatic from the get go!

A spring detox is just the way to clear your system so you’re less reactive to the yearly pollens. To read more about this click here.

Beets are great liver food. Beets and beet greens contain betaine, a liver detoxifier and bile thinner. This is a great recipe to cook while you’re doing a liver cleanse! If you’re interested in cleansing, I have a great program involving herbs as well as dietary options for a nice 3 week cleanse.

The Recipe:

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 medium beets (2 pounds without greens), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red apple such as Gala or Braeburn, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Cook the onion in oil in a 5-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add beets and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

Add broth then simmer, uncovered, until beets are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in vinegar.

Purée soup in a blender until very smooth, (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to pan, then season with salt and pepper and reheat. If soup is too thick, add enough water to thin to desired consistency.

Food is taken from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube made of muscle and tissue that expand and contract to move food to the stomach. Between the stomach and esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES expands to allow food into the stomach, and then contracts to prevent acid from re-entering the esophagus. Normal reflux becomes GERD when it causes bothersome symptoms. This can vary from person to person; there is no definitive test to identify if you have GERD. You need to seek help immediately if any of the following symptoms manifest: difficulty swallowing, food feels ‘stuck’, unexplained weight loss, chest pain, choking or spitting up bloodc.

Treatment for GERD can widely vary depending on reported symptoms. Often times medication is recommended without a thorough evaluation of lifestyle or diet. A common medication prescribed is a class of drugs called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), a common over-the-counter PPI is Prilosec or generically named omeprazole. The long term effects of Prilosec are not ideal. There is a higher incidence rate of certain stomach cancers, and it can also lead to risk of atrophy of the stomach lining because of the long-term suppression of acid secretion by stomach cells. A PPI may provide short term benefits, but ultimately it is masking the pain, rather than treating the problem.

Lifestyle Changes for Dealing with GERD

• Weight loss — For those that are overweight the number one factor increasing your likelihood of experiencing GERD is the extra weight you are carrying. Weight loss will also reduce your chances of heart diseases and diabetes.
• Quit Smoking — The LES is affected by the stimulant in cigarettes, nicotine.
• Reduce Caffeine — Stimulants in general reduce the pressure in the LES increasing GERD symptoms.
• Avoid large and late meals — Lying down with a full stomach may increase your chance of symptoms. Smaller meals keep the stomach from becoming engorged.
• Raise the head of your bed 8 inches, using pillows or props.
• Chew gum — Chewing gum can increase saliva production which can help clear stomach acid in the esophagus.

There are lots of treatments to soothe the symptoms of GERD while healing the tissues. This is an area to be addressed with your Naturopathic Physician, who can help wean you off of PPI or other prescription drugs.

Most of us think of Castor Oil as the horrible liquid our parents made us take for the lovely laxative quality it possesses. Many are surprised to learn of the variety of uses cold pressed castor bean oil has for your health. Castor oil gained popularity as a topical healing agent in the mid-1900s, applied with a wool cloth and a heat source directly to the skin. In Naturopathic Medicine, castor oil packs are a commonly prescribed home remedy for ailments involving scar tissue, liver stagnation and joint pain or inflammation. In this modern age a flannel cloth and a heating pad or hot water bottle is all you need. As a strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic, this is a satisfying (and warm) treatment option.

Indications for Castor Oil :

• Liver Cleansing
• Skin inflammation, pain and/or infection (if closed)
• Breast Infection and/or plugged milk duct
• Peptic Ulcers
• Colitis
• Prostate or uterine problems
• Arthritis
• Chest colds
• Anti-inflammatory and analgesic

How To:

• Fold 1 to 2 inch thickness of flannel cloth about 10″ x 12″ for abdominal applications.
• Dampen the cloth and pour castor oil onto the cloth.
• Place over treatment area and place plastic wrap over the castor oil pack to prevent soiling your clothes or sheets.
• Place heating pad or hot water bottle on top.
• Pack may remain in place 1 – 8 hours.  Minimal treatment time is 1 hour.

Post Treatment Cleaning: If you choose, you may clean off castor oil with soda water prepared by adding one teaspoon baking soda to one pint of cool water. Dip a cloth into soda water and rub skin briskly until thoroughly cleansed. Castor oil pack may be kept up to one year in a plastic container or zip lock bag