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Shoo Flu!

I’ve been getting a fair number of inquiries lately into what people can do to avoid this winter’s potential influenza epidemic. The media craze, once again, has us locked in fear of what this winter’s viral onslaught will bring our way.

Like any other time, as with any other microbe, hand washing is crucial. Simple right? This also involves teaching our little ones to keep our “mouths to ourselves”, sneeze into our arm and wash our hands before and after nose picking. All this hand washing leaving your hands dry and cracking? Pure coconut oil is a fantastic moisturizer and it also has anti-bacterial properties. I poured some melted coconut oil into a small glass jar and now carry it in my diaper bag (incidentally, it makes a great diaper cream too).

Like any other time, as with any other microbe, keeping our resistance up through healthy eating is crucial. Refined sugar has a direct immune suppressing effect, while local raw honey has immune supporting and any anti-microbial properties, choose your “sweet” accordingly. I always find myself preaching about eating tons of natural colors and this time of the year is no expectation. If you like to eat “seasonally” and locally choose beta carotene rich carrots, mineral rich beets and flavenoid laden frozen blueberries. If your culinary desires reach past the confines of our local yield; go for those rich yellows and oranges; sweet potatoes, mangoes, bells peppers and many other fruits and vegetables are all high in beta carotene the precursor to vitamin A, the vitamin which is so crucial for keeping the linings of our noses, throats and lungs ready to “fight”. Garlic, onion, and ginger are also fantastic fare for winter immune health. A quick home remedy for the beginning of cold or flu symptoms is a grated clove of garlic and a “finger” of fresh ginger steeped in hot water with honey.

There are many botanical medicines in the Naturopathic Doctors tool chest to help support the immune system all winter long, as well as those that have specific ant viral and anti-influenza properties. The Chinese herb astragalus is an excellent herb that can be used safely all winter long to keep the immune system strong in kids and adults alike. Echineacea is another well known herb, well know because of its immune supportive and direct anti-viral actions. Elderberry is a wild herb that grows locally here in New Brunswick, it has garnered a lot of attention due to a study that demonstrated it’s ability to prevent H1N1 infection of cells in vitro with effectiveness comparable to the pharmaceutical Tamiflu (Phytochemistry. 2009 Jul;70(10):1255-61).

Naturopathic Medicines and home hygiene practices may reduce your chances of contracting the flu, and the aforementioned Naturopathic protocols should help your flu experience to be more brief and mild, should you be one of this winter’s viral hosts. Please visit your Naturopathic Doctor for a more personalized approach to keeping your immune system healthy during this winters battle with the flu.

She Let Go

Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa shared this on her blog (http://www.goldenbridgeyoga.com/)   some time ago, I printed it up and it's now hanging in my office, it speaks to  me & many of the women who pass through my clinic door. 

She Let Go

 

By  Rev. Safire Rose

She let go
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

Food Fight or Flight a few steps towards coping with stress through better nutrition......

My colleagues and I were recently invited to participate in a health focused evening at youth Quest Central in Downtown Moncton. We were very impressed with the youth’s participation in a health challenge for the month of November and hope that they will continue to find ways to improve their nutrition, activity level and find more and more ways to cope with stress. We all have different thresholds for stress, some determined by our genetics, life events, coping habits and other illness. The area I choose to focus on, in my discussion with the youth and staff at Youth Quest was how nutrition, and eating more healthfully can influence your ability to cope with all of  life's stress.

The holiday season present a “double whammy”, adding more stress, while simultaneously presenting more opportunities to run a muck with our dietary choices. I've decided to pass along what I shared with the group for the benefit of anyone who is interested.  

Eating mindfully is my number one suggestion for a dietary approach to coping with stress. This simply means trying to make meal times regular and relaxing. Simply put, don’t eat while driving, working or watching stressful TV. When our adrenaline is pumping our body diverts blood to the muscles in our limbs versus our digestive systems. Taking 10 deep breaths, giving prayer or thanks for our meals and chewing slowly and carefully can take some of our digestive stresses away, and increase a sense of well being. If we’re meditative while we eat, we sneak in three or more daily relaxation sessions by default. Simple Change: Take a minute before you eat to focus on being thankful for the food you are about to enjoy.

Trying to balance starches and sugars with protein is also important for stress and coping. If we load our blood with easily absorbed starch (refined breads/ cereals) and/ or sugar our body responds by releasing insulin. Insulin is the hormone which helps sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells for storage or energy. If we overdo the sugar, the insulin responds and we can get reactive low blood sugar leaving us feeling dopey, stressed and looking for more sugar. Thus,  the cycle repeats adding more stress to our system as we go. Protein, on the other hand increases the release of a hormone called glucagon from the liver, which helps to balance the influence of insulin on blood sugar levels. Making sure we get adequate protein throughout the day can help to balance out the physiological (and often times emotional) highs and lows from our daily dietary habits.

Protein is broken down to amino acids for absorption into the blood stream, amino acids serve as the precursors for our neurotransmitters which help to balance mood and stress perception in our brain and central nervous system. Meat, nuts, beans, eggs, green peas and most seeds are all examples of good sources of dietary protein when eaten as whole foods (from organic sources whenever possible). Simple Change: carry toasted pumpkin seeds in your backpack/ purse/ brief case, enjoy a handful whenever your meal or snack falls short on protein.

It’s become a natural reflex in our society to grad a coffee to start the day, and another to keep going, and another if we’re slugging behind. Coffee is a fantastic herb, it’s a bitter stimulant of digestive juices, it increases our focus, and research shows it can help keep blood sugar levels more stable, but as my mother’s proverb says “too much of a good thing is good for nothing”. Coffee stimulates the release of adrenaline from our adrenal glands, simulating physiological stress. Occasionally this can be a good thing resulting in some of the benefits mentioned above. However, drinking highly caffeinated beverages throughout the day can place you into the “fight or flight” mode, even when external stress is at a minimum. Overtime all this stress can start to wear out our adrenaline response (notice how your not as sensitive to coffee as you used to be, so now you need more?). This higher amount of adrenaline release can theoretically deplete key co-factors like certain b vitamins and minerals (especially magnesium) from our systems, increasing the need for supplementation. Simple Change: Limit your caffeine intake to approximately 80 mg per day, less if you are very caffeine sensitive; choose green tea or herbal tea as alternative lower or caffeine free choices.

These three simple changes are meant to be illustrative examples of how we eat, and what we eat affecting our coping mechanisms and the levels of perceived and actual stress in our systems. By no means is this a complete list, and if your stress levels are high, were high for an extended period in the past, you would likely benefit from more personalized and intensive dietary and whole system naturopathic care. Helping people to find balance in a stressful time is an area that we, as naturopathic doctors flourish. Stress has been linked to so many serious illnesses it’s important to start with simple steps towards prevention as soon as possible.  Try thanks-giving, pumpkin seeds and green tea this week, to move three simple steps closer to your inner Zen.

Prevention of Nature Deficit Disorder

Recently I sat down with my colleagues from the Pear Tree Naturopathic Clinic to discuss concepts of natural beauty.  We collectively looked beyond the physical aspects of self image; to the deeper qualities of self care, self acceptance and self expression. When I reflected later about where I see beauty fitting into my practice,  I found myself back where I most often admire beauty;  in nature herself.

I truly believe that my love and appreciation for nature led me to this medical profession,  which was founded in nature cure. Nature cure being the use of water, foods, and exercise to bring a person back to health. I recognize within myself a deep personal  need for daily exposure to green spaces, water vistas and “fresh air”.

Thereby the concept brought forth in Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, is very one close my heart. It discusses how being overly “plugged in” has isolated us from the wonderful benefits we receive by being close to nature, and how some people have adapted very well to the electronic era, whereas others suffer from the effects of  “nature deficit disorder”.

Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description

of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation

     damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities.

There are solutions, though, and they’re right in our own backyards.

http://www.education.com/facts/quickfacts-ndd/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder/

The following is a list of ten things you can do with your family to spend time fostering an appreciation for nature, the list was originally published at www.education.com, however I’ve added a little local content.

1.    Be a role model!
Remember, children will get excited about something when you are genuinely excited about it, too! Model the behavior you want your children to emulate. Demonstrate your own curiosity about nature sharing what you love to do in the outdoors with your kids. You can model respect for nature through simple everyday activities like recycling and not littering. Sharing your natural interests is the best motivation a child can have to participate.

2.    Plan a monthly or weekly surprise outdoor adventure!
Every Sunday, or once a month, plan a surprise outdoor trip with your kids. You could go to your local river, beach, forest, nature preserve, or city park! Planning surprise family fun time builds kids’ excitement for the next adventure, and helps demonstrate how you value your time with them.

3.    Organize a monthly outing with your child’s school/ day care. 
Be the parent who plans the monthly outing with families in your child’s class. Exploring the great outdoors can be easier and closer than you think. Trips can include the beach, hiking on the Dobson trail, national parks, or fishing. Do some research on beautiful areas near you. Build community with your child’s class and instill in them a love of nature.

4.    Follow the AAP’s guidelines and limit TV and video games to 1-2 hours a day!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 1-2 hours of quality programming per day. Just think of how much more time your child will have for unstructured, imagination-fueled play time outside!

5.    Take a daily or weekly walk together as a family after dinner.
In the evenings after dinner, go for a nice family stroll with your kids. A walk around the neighborhood, saying hello to neighbors, pointing out flowers or birds, and catching up on the days’ events is a great way to spend quality time with your kids outside and get a little exercise together.

6.    Register your child for an outdoor summer camp.
There are hundreds of great outdoor camps that your child can attend across the country or in your region. Give them a dose of the outdoors, a chance to make new friends, and fall in love with nature during summer vacation next year. Some accredited camps cost as little as $75 per week.

7.    Go camping!
Provincial and national parks are being used less and less every year. Grab your tent, sleeping bag, and camp stove and teach your child how to camp! Camping in national parks is a great cost-effective family vacation that can be fun and educational. Go out and enjoy local parks or take a road trip and discover national treasures around the country.

8.    Plant a garden.
Plant a vegetable, flower or herb garden in your backyard, at your child’s school, or take part in an urban community garden plot. School or home food gardens teach kids how to be smart about nature, nutrition, and make better food choices. Take advantage of whatever small amount of outdoor space to which you have access and experiment with a vegetable, herb, or plant garden. It’s a great way to learn about nature alongside your children and get your hands dirty in rich soil.

9.    Buy a field guide.

Field guides make every walk in the park an educational experience! A good quality field or nature guide helps you name and identify what you find outside. Guides can teach you about the favorite foods of the animals or the flowering and fruiting times of plants. That walk around the block can become an educational experience for you and your children, my favorites include Merrit Gibsons Bird watching, Summer Nature notes for Nova Scotians SEASHORES by merit Gibson, Wildflowers of NS, NB and PEI by Mary Primrose & Marian Munro.

10.    Link up with a nature lover’s organizations!
Moncton Outdoor enthusiasts
New Brunswick Conservation Council
Children and Nature Network 
Boy Scouts  
Girl Scouts 
Outward Bound  
Wildlife Conservation Society 
Earth Explore Adventures  
National Audubon Society 
Into the Outside 
Ecological Literacy Program
Geography Action  
Sierra Club  
The Society for Amateur Scientists  
National Environmental Directory 

I wish you and your family great times together as you rediscover the beauty & bounty nature has to offer us all. More time spent outdoors will equal more time spent growing in good health.

Khalsa Way Pregnancy Yoga- new session starting soon!

Khalsa Way® Pregnancy Yoga

with Blossom Bitting ND

Wednesdays 5:15pm

6 week session

November 13th-December 18th

Dance Breathe Practice Meditate

When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, nothing can prepare

a woman's body, mind and spirit better than

The Khalsa Way® pregnancy yoga.

Learn techniques that will help to bring comfort through all stages

of the prenatal period; conception, pregnancy, birth and beyond.

for all levels of practice.

Please call to register, space is limited

857-1300

Fee: $75 for 6 week session or $15 per class drop-in

Pear Tree Clinic & Yoga Loft 1067 Champlain St Dieppe

The Change of Season Cold

A Common time for people to experience colds and coughs are during a change of season. When the weather changes from fair to crisp;  sniffles and  colds  and cough viruses start to become more and more common place.
Now, as the first evening frosts creep in, our kids immunity get hit with the double whammy sugar onslaught from thanksgiving pies to Halloween treats. Thus,  we’ve got to have prevention strategies in place and/or prepare for another round of stuffy heads and runny noses. While most colds are self limiting, meaning they will go away on their own in 5 to 7 days, it is always nice to be equipped with some gentle comfort measures, something you can do for yourself or your children to help speed the healing process, or ease the symptoms. If your cold or cough doesn't  improve or resolve in the aforementioned 5 to 7 days it’s time to pack up the family and visit your naturopathic doctor, we can offer immune support and specific herbals, acupuncture, supplements and homeopathics to help wager your microbial battle. During the winter months in particular I attempt to have at least one patient spot per day available for last minute acute care needs.

Take some time off if possible
I recently read that rest is the most undervalued treatment available in North America today, and I could not agree more. When you are coming down with a cold or cough give yourself and your children the gift of  plenty of rest and relaxation. Allow time for your body to heal. Eat warm, cooked food and drink plenty of warm liquids. Avoid sugar as it works directly against the immune system. Many people reach for copious s amounts of orange juice during a cold to increase their vitamin C intake. I would advise you to eat oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, and bell peppers, but skip the juice which is quite high in sugar. Most people find that avoiding dairy products when congested  also helps prevent the over production of mucus during a head cold.

Perform home hydrotherapy
To help in fighting  off a cold or flu use warming socks. Get a knee-high pair of cotton socks and a pair of wool socks. Soak the cotton socks in cold water, wring them out and then put them on your feet. Put the dry wool socks on top and then go to bed. The body will respond by warming the feet, thus draining the congestion from the head.

Support your  fever
To reduce a fever drink a couple of glasses of water, apply cold wet compress to the forehead and chest and take a long tepid bath or sponge bath. Rest, drink plenty of fluids, peppermint tea, yarrow and catnip have all been used traditionally to help break fevers. Limit your food intake until the fever breaks naturally. Fevers below 39C (102F) are seen as “friendly” and a reaction of the body’s immune system to fight infection and  to eliminate toxins.
We can aid the elimination of toxins through the skin by inducing perspiration.  Try taking warm baths, using an infra-red sauna or steam room. Increasing perspiration through the skin is one of the safest and most effective ways of eliminating toxins during a cold or flu.

Treat yourself with homeopathy
An advantage to using low dose homeopathic remedies to treat your family is the safety of this form of medicine. No side effects or drug interactions occur with homeopathy, making it a good choice for families with small children, pregnant women or people on multiple medications. There are two guiding principals with homeopathy. The first is the law of similar’s, meaning that the symptom picture of an illness must match as closely as possible to the symptom picture of the chosen remedy. The more information you have about the illness, and the better you know the remedy picture, and the better your choice will be. The second principal is that of using the minimum dose. Which means using as little as a medicine as possible to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanism. Give only one dose (pellet) and wait to see what relief it brings. If things improve do not re-dose unless the cold stops improving before full recovery is made, or a relapse is symptoms are seen.
Consider:
Aconite- for early stages of cold when the person has experienced a chill.
Arsenicum- for thin, watery burning discharge with colds.
Pulsitilla- for thick, yellow profuse discharge which is worse in the morning.
Gelsemium- for colds with body acing and intense desire to stay in bed.
Silica- for a cold which is slow to go, especially in people with low resistance to infection.

Bundle up and enjoy the beauty this season has to offer; crisp fresh air, majestic fall colors, & pumpkin spice soy lattes. Remember it’s the simplicity of eating well and staying active that will be the best protection against this fall’s bugs.