Wednesday, July 20, 2016

7 Signs You Have Adrenal Fatigue

Terry Wahls, M.D., is a functional medicine doctor, clinical professor, and a survivor of progressive multiple sclerosis who used her own protocol to heal. This week, we're sharing her expertise in a new series on adrenal fatigue and natural techniques to restore energy. To learn more, check out her new mindbodygreen class, How to Heal Adrenal Fatigue: The Food & Habits You Need for Optimal Health & Energy.

Are you energized, full of vitality, and ready to face the day's work and challenges? Or are you, like many of the patients who come to see me, frequently exhausted, relying on jolts of caffeine, energy drinks, and sugar to get through the day?

Many people go to their primary care provider and ask, "Why am I so fatigued? What can I do?" The health care professional typically does a physical examination and runs a few labs. Usually there is no obvious explanation. The patient is told "everything is fine" and instructed to check back in a couple of months. But that approach doesn't provide much help to the person suffering with fatigue.

In my clinic, we have a different approach. We are focused on teaching people the root cause of their health problems, including fatigue. We know that there's actually a great deal that is under our control.

One of the big drivers of fatigue is exhausted adrenal glands. If you don't get to the root of why the adrenals glands burned out, the exhaustion can't be stopped. So if you'd like to see your energy restored, you'll likely need an adrenal tune-up.

Understanding how your adrenal glands support your energy and what you can do to support your adrenal glands is part of how we address fatigue. In my clinic, we teach people that energy, fatigue, and mental clarity are all tied to the person's adrenals. Our adrenal glands produce hormones that make our bodies and brains stronger, faster, and more alert. But when the adrenal stress hormones are always elevated, the performance of the brain and body steadily deteriorate. That is how too many of us now live, with worsening fatigue as a result.

What are the big clues that your adrenals are at the root of your fatigue? Here are the most common signs:

1. You're exhausted by midmorning.
It's not normal to feel tired every morning. We're supposed to have energy that lasts from sunup to sundown.

2. You crash two hours after eating.
When you eat a diet high in carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises, leading to a rise in insulin, which causes the blood sugar to fall, leading to a "crash," with hunger, cravings, a drop in energy, and less mental clarity.

3. You need energy drinks to fuel your day.
If you reach for caffeinated energy drinks midmorning: This indicates that your adrenals may not be making the usual levels of adrenal hormones in the morning. The adrenal hormones are supposed to be higher in the morning and then gradually decline over the rest of the day.

If you reach for caffeinated energy drinks midafternoon: This suggests that the adrenal hormones may be dropping too quickly in the afternoon, leading to the afternoon fatigue and drop in mental alertness.

4. You have low blood cholesterol.
The adrenal hormones are made from cholesterol. If your blood cholesterol is too low, your adrenal glands can’t make enough of the adrenal hormones.

5. You're irritable or depressed.
If your adrenal stress hormones are always elevated, there can be increased inflammation in the brain. Chronic brain inflammation is associated with worsening memory, poorer moods, and earlier dementia.

6. You crave sugar.
One of the ways we compensate for having our adrenal hormone levels too high or too low is to eat more sugar.

7. You have no libido.
If our adrenal glands are chronically producing high levels of stress hormones, the adrenal glands are diverting the body's resources (cholesterol) away from making the sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) to making stress hormones. As the sex hormone levels fall, so does your interest in sex, along with energy, mental clarity, muscle mass, bone strength, mood, and cognition.

Fatigue is a common problem, and it's often closely linked to our adrenals. Unfortunately, many health professionals are unfamiliar with how to assess and address adrenal fatigue. There is actually a lot you can do to heal your adrenal fatigue with the right diet and lifestyle choices.


Monday, April 11, 2016

Happy Spring!

With the arrival of spring, we have seen a big shift in the weather and energy in our communities. Tulips, daffodils, roses, greenery and other flowers are now in bloom. Alongside this natural beauty comes allergies, forgotten New Year resolutions, bygone healthy eating & drinking, and even the notorious spring colds and flu.

Some seasonal wisdom can ensure our health stays our #1 priority in this season of change. Spring is a time to shed our winter dormancy, cleanse our bodies, and give more attention to self awareness. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring time belongs to the liver. The TCM liver functions include: storing blood for menstruation, ensuring smooth qi (energy) flow, opens to the eyes and manifests in the nails, controls the sinews (tendons & ligaments) for better movement and houses drive & emotions for planning and envisioning. The sister organ to the liver is the gallbladder. Symptoms of an imbalanced TCM liver and gallbladder include: irritability, frustration, joint pain, brittle nails, dizziness, difficulty making decisions, tension headaches, irregular menses, menstrual cramps, blurred vision, floaters, and seasonal allergies.

Getting up early and exercising will ensure a lightness and bring some warmth to your day to fight the dampness and stagnation of the season. Eating lighter foods cooked with pungent & aromatic herbs (fennel, rosemary, dill, basil, caraway) will enkindle a digestive fire that will purge any spring heaviness. You can imagine eating a big roast and potatoes will certainly clog up your digestion at this time of year. So this spring season try eating foods that will keep your TCM liver balanced like young green plants & sprouts. Check out this table of TCM Liver Food Cures from AcuPro Academy.



Although spring has this heavy and thick quality in the air, it is also the time of year in which the world around us is full of life. So with our health we can tap into this nurturing season and grow personally, expand our mind, and pursue our goals! Try journaling, daily meditation, and spending time out in nature. If all this talk of blooming flowers makes your nose stuffy and eyes itchy, come in for a visit at Living Wellness. Get natural allergy relief, an environmental allergy scratch test, or find out more about the curative treatment for allergies - Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT).

Warmly,
Dr. Emily Munn BSc, ND

ps. If you want to keep receiving my occasional newsletter straight to your inbox make sure you check your social or promotional folders or junk mail so you don't miss out!

pps. This spring newsletter was inspired by Live Yoga.




Thursday, February 11, 2016

4 MINDFULNESS MEDITATIONS

SAVOUR YOUR MEALS • Be mindful during the first 3 bites of your meal. Really focus on the smell, texture, and taste. Savour the moment.

STOP TO OBSERVE • Take a moment each day to stop what you are doing and watch your surroundings, free of judgement. Simply observe.

BREATHE... JUST BREATHE • Simply sit and breathe in a quiet room for 10 minutes. Focus on the suble movements of your body at rest – how is your body moving and how does it feel.

VISUALIZE YOUR THOUGHTS • Empty your mind by envisioning your thoughts as objects, and through breathing and focus, on each one for a few seconds before pushing the ghoughts further and further away.

"Yoga is not for the flexible it's for the willing."   

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Wellness Coaching, Surrey, BC

Just 4 You Wellness Coaching Sessions
"A goal without a plan is just a wish."


Just 4 You Wellness Studio facilitates healthy, sustainable behaviour change by challenging our clients to develop their inner wisdom, identify their values, and transform their goals into action. We make a difference in our clients’ knowledge, skill, self-efficacy to achieve behavioral change when facing fitness, health and nutritional challenges.

• We establish good relationships with our clients.
• Conduct motivational interviews focusing on your personal dreams, desires and goals.
• Present a well rounded wellness vision Just 4 You.
• We set attainable goal layers that reflects our clients needs and lay it out in a step by step and easy to follow plan.

Call today for your Just 4 You Wellness Coaching Session at 604.612.7538.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms

Depression symptoms often improve with exercise. Here are some realistic tips to help you get started and stay motivated.

When you have anxiety or depression, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do. But once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference.
Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on anxiety, depression and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help reduce anxiety and improve mood.
The links between anxiety, depression and exercise aren't entirely clear — but working out and other forms of physical activity can definitely ease symptoms of anxiety or depression and make you feel better. Exercise may also help keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you're feeling better.

How does exercise help depression and anxiety?

Regular exercise probably helps ease depression in a number of ways, which may include:
  • Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)
  • Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
  • Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects
Regular exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits, too. It can help you:
  • Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
  • Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
  • Get more social interaction. Exercise and physical activity may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
  • Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.


Is a structured exercise program the only option?

Some research shows that physical activity such as regular walking — not just formal exercise programs — may help improve mood. Physical activity and exercise are not the same thing, but both are beneficial to your health.
  • Physical activity is any activity that contracts muscles and expends energy and can include work or household or leisure activities.
  • Exercise is a planned, structured and repetitive body movement done to improve or maintain physical fitness.
The word "exercise" may make you think of running laps around the gym. But exercise includes a wide range of activities that boost your activity level to help you feel better.
Certainly running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping can help. But so can physical activity such as gardening, washing your car, walking around the block or engaging in other less intense activities. Any physical activity that gets you off the couch and moving can help improve your mood.

You don't have to do all your exercise or other physical activity at once. Broaden how you think of exercise and find ways to add small amounts of physical activity throughout your day. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little farther away from work to fit in a short walk. Or, if you live close to your job, consider biking to work.

Oct. 10, 2014
Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day for three to five days a week may significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of physical activity — as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time — may make a difference. It may take less time exercising to improve your mood when you do more-vigorous activities, such as running or bicycling.
The mental health benefits of exercise and physical activity may last only if you stick with it over the long term — another good reason to focus on finding activities that you enjoy.

How do I get started — and stay motivated?

Starting and sticking with an exercise routine or regular physical activity can be a challenge. These steps can help:
  • Identify what you enjoy doing. Figure out what type of physical activities you're most likely to do, and think about when and how you'd be most likely to follow through. For instance, would you be more likely to do some gardening in the evening, start your day with a jog, or go for a bike ride or play basketball with your children after school? Do what you enjoy to help you stick with it.
  • Get your mental health provider's support. Talk to your doctor or other mental health provider for guidance and support. Discuss an exercise program or physical activity routine and how it fits into your overall treatment plan.
  • Set reasonable goals. Your mission doesn't have to be walking for an hour five days a week. Think realistically about what you may be able to do and begin gradually. Tailor your plan to your own needs and abilities rather than trying to meet unrealistic guidelines that you're unlikely to meet.
  • Don't think of exercise or physical activity as a chore. If exercise is just another "should" in your life that you don't think you're living up to, you'll associate it with failure. Rather, look at your exercise or physical activity schedule the same way you look at your therapy sessions or medication — as one of the tools to help you get better.
  • Analyze your barriers. Figure out what's stopping you from being physically active or exercising. If you feel self-conscious, for instance, you may want to exercise at home. If you stick to goals better with a partner, find a friend to work out with or who enjoys the same physical activities that you do. If you don't have money to spend on exercise gear, do something that's cost-free, such as regular walking. If you think about what's stopping you from being physically active or exercising, you can probably find an alternative solution.
  • Prepare for setbacks and obstacles. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small. If you skip exercise one day, that doesn't mean you can't maintain an exercise routine and might as well quit. Just try again the next day. Stick with it.


Do I need to see my doctor?

Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program to make sure it's safe for you. Talk to your doctor to find out which activities, how much exercise and what intensity level is OK for you. Your doctor will consider any medications you take and your health conditions. He or she may also have helpful advice about getting started and staying motivated.

If you exercise regularly but anxiety or depression symptoms still interfere with your daily living, see your doctor or other mental health provider. Exercise and physical activity are great ways to ease symptoms of anxiety or depression, but they aren't a substitute for psychotherapy or medications.

Article by Mayo Clinic Staff

    Friday, December 18, 2015

    Spanakopita Bites

    2 green onions cut into thirds
    2 medium garlic cloves
    1 ½ C loosely packed flat leaf parsley
    12 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
    2 oz (roughly ½ C) crumbled light feta cheese
    1 egg white
    1/8 tsp salt
    Pinch ground nutmeg
    20 all natural whole wheat mini filo shells

    Preheat oven to 450°F. Place filo shells side by side on a small baking sheet.

    Add onions, garlic, and parsley to a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Process until they are very finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

    Place the spinach in a fine strainer and squeeze as much moisture from it as possible. Then transfer the spinach to a clean, lint-free dish towel and squeeze until water is gone. Add it to the onion mixture along with feta cheese, egg white, salt, and nutmeg. Mix the filing until well combined.

    Divide the mixture among the shells, forming it into tight balls and placing them so they are neatly mounded over and lightly packed into the shells.

    Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the shells are lightly golden brown and filling is hot through. Serve immediately. Serves four.

    Per serving (5 bites): 143 calories, 8g protein; 18g carbs (2g sugar); 3g fat; 3mg cholesterol; 2g fiber; 443 mg sodium.

    Recipe courtesy of Idea Food and Nutrition Tips Magazine, November-December 2015 edition.


    Thursday, November 19, 2015

    Onsite Couples 20 Sessions Fitness Training


    Onsite training for couples or two friends! Keep each other focused on fitness.

    • 20 one hour sessions for two at Just 4 You Wellness Studio.

    • 90 day expiry.

    • Must adhere to policy of attending a minimum of 2 times/week. Daytime or weekend available.

    • Plus attend FREE group fitness classes for the duration of your package.

    • One time $30 Registration Fee.

    Please call for your FREE couples training consultation (A $75 Value) at 604.599.5561 or email us.

    $637.50/person+GST

    Just 4 You Wellness Studio
    6195-136 Street Surrey, BC
    604.599.5561