elisha, Author at Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Your Mind and Your Brain: What you did not know

December 2, 2014July 8, 2014 by elisha

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a conference where the guest speaker was Dr. Caroline Leaf, whom happens to be a cognitive neuroscientist. There were quite a few take home messages that I received from listening to her, that I have summarized into 5 key points, that I wanted to share with you, my readers:

You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

Your body is a wonderful, amazing piece of machinery that has the capacity for health and wholeness. You are unique and there is no one like you. Embrace this, and embrace who you are and who you were created to be.

You have a great gift

Though most people might think that this strictly means talents, it actually doesn’t. Yes we all have skills and abilities that are wonderful and unique, but we also have a great gift within us which is the gift of choice. You have a choice as to whether you live your life happy or sad. Some people might immediately start to think “You have no idea what it is like to be me or live in my shoes.” And you are absolutely right, but you have a choice. You can choose to be sad, angry, envious, etc.; or you can choose to step out from your circumstances and choose to be happy, loving, caring, compassionate, and whole. No one said this was easy, or that it could be done overnight. But you do not have to wake up and be depressed just because you feel depressed. As Dr. Caroline Leaf eloquently put it, “Your mind contributes to the cause and healing of what ales you.”

Negative Thoughts can be Destructive, Positive Thoughts can be Protective

Not only do negative thoughts lower your self-confidence and make you feel angry, depressed, or anxious; but they can also be physically destructive. Negative thoughts can cause inflammation in the brain (which could transcend to the body) and also cause destruction and decreased connection of brain cells. Positive thoughts have the benefit of not only making you feel better, but also of protecting your brain from damage, as well as causing the growth and increased connection between brain cells.

Your Thoughts can Impact Others

Your thoughts have great potential beyond yourself. This can be explained through research in Quantum Physics (stay with me, I will not go into it too much). Basically, the way you act and think impacts those around you (and even those not around you). Quantum physics explains that basically time and space are endless, and our mind and thoughts are able to reach across this expanse, and impact one another, because of this common connection that we each possess. As a result, if we are angry, bitter, and ungrateful; this not only affects our bodies, but can also impact others.

Stress is not the Enemy

Many people think that stress is a bad thing. This is actually not quite true. It is actually how we respond to stress that is either beneficial or destructive. If you remain positive in the face of struggles and stress, you are more likely to live longer according to recent research. On the other hand, if you tend to be negative in regards to your stress, you are more likely to die early.

The bottom line is, don’t you owe it to yourself to start changing your thinking? You do not have to continue to live in the critical mindset that you may have, and you can choose to change your thoughts and perceptions to those that will be health promoting.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

The Benefits of Exercise

December 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by elisha

Many people know that exercise is good for you, but what exactly is it good for other than getting that “beach body”. Aside from helping maintain or gain a healthy weight, exercise has also been shown to have the following benefits:

Boosts energy
Encourages healthy sleep
Relieves stress
Improves mood
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol
Reduces sensation of pain through release of endorphins (natural pain killers)
Reduces risk of future disease such as heart dsease and cancer
Enables more time in nature – causing more exposure to fresh air

Even as little as 30 minutes a day for 3 days of the week has been shown to have benefits for one’s overall health. With having more of a focus on being active, one might be better able to achieve their health goals.

Power Food: Strawberries

November 26, 2014June 24, 2014 by elisha

Strawberries are a delicious fruit with quite the history. Historically, they were used for such conditions as kidney stones and were believed to possess great medicinal value. Strawberries were also used to symbolize perfection, righteousness, and love. Beyond these historical traits, strawberries provide an array of health benefits.

To begin with, strawberries are a terrific source of Vitamin C. They contain even higher concentrations of vitamin C than citrus fruits. A hand full of the fruit is enough to meet daily requirements for vitamin C. Strawberries also contain a high concentration of folate. Aside from these nutrients, strawberries are also a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin A, manganese, iodine, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorous. In combination with these vitamins and minerals, strawberries also contain Quercetin, which has been shown to be effective for allergies. This fruit has also been shown to increase the absorption of iron from the diet.

Currently, we know that Strawberries have the following therapeutic actions, which makes it such a “Power Food”:

Anti – neoplastic – research has suggested that strawberries can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
Anti – inflammatory – reduces or eliminates inflammation in the body
Anti – oxidant – reduces free – radical damage that can promote or cause disease
Anti – allergenic – reduces allergies, or symptoms of allergies
Anti – bacterial – kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria
Anti – aging – promotes health
Anti – coagulant – reduces blood thickening that might lead to disease
Anti – hypertensive – lowers blood pressure

Along with these health promoting benefits of strawberries, they also have the capacity to reduce insulin spikes following consumption of bread, protect against DNA damage (which can contribute to diseases such as cancer), and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

Based on all of the properties that strawberries possess, they have the potential to aid in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and plaque forming within arteries. One might argue that based on the properties that strawberries contain, that they could be beneficial for infections, high blood pressure, allergies, and promoting overall health.

Before you go running to pick those healthy, delicious strawberries, one thing should be taken into consideration. Food preparation matters. The fresher the fruit, the healthier it is for you! The more processing, such as cooking, that the fruit undergoes, the less of the nutritional properties that will be available.

So, the next time you look at a strawberry, do not merely judge it by its lovely red exterior, but acknowledge its nutritional value and how it can help you achieve your health goals!

Beach Body Tips and Tricks

November 26, 2014June 18, 2014 by elisha

Billions of dollars are being made on the topic of weight loss. Whether it is self-help books, diets, pills, or programs, a fortune is to be made in regards to helping people lose weight. There is no magic pill for weight loss. Ultimately, the way that you will achieve your weight loss goals is through making appropriate changes to your diet and lifestyle. However, there are some tips and tricks that might help encourage your body to lose weight:

Sleep

It might be surprising and sound very simple, but adequate, good – quality sleep is one of the ways we can prevent our bodies from “packing on” extra weight. When you do not get a good quality sleep, the following day you are more likely to eat 200-400 more calories! Giving your body the rest it needs will also help give you energy needed to exercise and make other lifestyle changes.

Water

Starting your day off with a glass of water will help not only with appetite but also with energy. You are asleep for 8 hours (give or take), at which point you are not drinking any water. This causes your body to wake up in a dehydrated and depleted state. Drinking a glass of water helps to replenish those water stores causing you to have more energy and a fuller stomach before meals. Often, when we are feeling hungry, it might even be our bodies trying to tell us that we are actually thirsty.

Slow Down

In our society, everyone is on the run, and that includes meals. By slowing down our eating, we are giving our body time to release the appropriate hormones that will tell our body that we are full. It takes 20 minutes to release this hormone, and so, by rushing through meals, we are not allowing our body to know precisely when we are full. “Mindful Eating” can help slow down our eating to help our bodies know when they are full. For more information on Mindful Eating please see my Handouts page at https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca.

Smaller Portions

Everyone has heard time and time again to limit portions. A contributing factor to our larger portions might be the size of your plate. By using a smaller plate this will help to encourage smaller portions, as well as trick your mind into being satisfied (fuller plates tend to be more appealing to the eye hence why you normally want a full plate of food).

Note that anything beyond change in diet and lifestyle will not adequately retain weight loss goals. Please contact your doctor to inquire about how to make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes to achieve appropriate weight loss. You can also come see me, Elisha Cook, at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (416-498-9763) and let me help you achieve your weight loss goals.