Healthy Mind Archives - Page 8 of 10 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Naturopathic Approaches for Depression

March 31, 2015 by elisha

Depression can be a very crippling condition to experience despite it being classified as a mental health condition. However, there are treatments that can help, that can be provided through your naturopathic doctor. A Naturopathic doctor can use the following therapies to achieve therapeutic benefits in depression:

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
Botanical Medicine
Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle
Hydrotherapy
Homeopathy
Physical Medicine

Ultimately, the goal of treatment will be to treat the root cause of disease. This will be different for each individual based on the cause of depression for that specific individual, eg nutrient deficiency vs. grief. As a result, the following list offers examples as to what goals might be developed for a treatment plan for an individual:

Correct for deficiencies
Reduce stress or Improve stress management
Improve coping mechanisms
Improve mood
Alter lifestyle and diet to increase mood and reduce stress
Improve gut microbiology and digestion

How can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) help?

TCM views the body differently than western medicine. TCM theory suggests that when there is an imbalance in the body system, disease manifests. Each “organ” is associated with an emotion: Heart with joy and is the center of one’s personality, liver with anger, spleen with worry, lungs with grief, and kidneys with fear. As one can see, all of these organs could play a part in depression, and so, individual cases are taken, and the root cause is determined. Once a specific diagnosis is made, a treatment plan is created, and may involve using acupuncture, herbal formulas, diet, or lifestyle, all with the purpose of bringing the body back into a state of balance.

Specifically regarding acupuncture, acupuncture has been shown in some studies to be beneficial for depression and decreasing symptoms associated with depression. The following link offers one such study where benefits were received from acupuncture. http://www.i-healthbenelux.nl/pages/comp.concept/Clin_Psychiatry_2006.pdf

How can Botanical Medicine help?

Botanical formulas have similar effects to medications, often without the side effects, however this is not true for all herbs and plants. Specific herbs or plants will be selected based on their properties and combined based on the specific individual’s presentation of depression. For example, one person may need help with sleep, where as one may need help with stress, both in combination with needing help with mood. Some beneficial properties that some useful herbs may have include: nervine, anti – depressant effect, sedative and adaptogenic.

There are several plants that have more research behind them in regards to their use in depression, but other plants exist that are effective as well. Research has shown that such plants are beneficial for various degrees of depression. The following link offers one such study where the benefits of various plants were outlined: http://www.europeanneuropsychopharmacology.com/article/S0924-977X(11)00071-X/abstract

How can Nutrition and Diet help?

Depression can be aggravated or caused by various nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it may be necessary to correct for these deficiencies in order to treat the root cause of the depression. In addition, various changes to one’s diet can help to improve mood and decrease inflammation (and thereby decrease inflammation in the body, which may contribute to the depression). Based on your specific case, several classes of action may be recommended for you, and thus foods or supplements recommended. These actions might include: anti-oxidant, mood – boosting, or anti – inflammatory.

Research has shown that not only are nutritional deficiencies associated with depressive symptoms, but specific dietary patterns can be associated with depression. For example, diets that were higher in fruits and vegetables were associated with less depressive symptoms, where as diets that were deemed lower in fruits and vegetables were more likely to be associated with depression (http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-8-31.pdf).

How can Hydrotherapy help?

Hydrotherapy can be performed via a number of methods: constitutional hydrotherapy, sauna, peat bath, Epsom salt baths, or alternating hot and cold showers. These therapies may not be available at every naturopathic doctor’s clinic, but if you are interested in these therapies, they can be performed by myself, Elisha Cook, at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (416-498-9763).

Very little evidence has surfaced for the efficacy of hydrotherapy to treat depression, however, the research that has surfaced has been quite promising. The article link provided below shows a study where depressed patients were given hydrotherapy treatments ending in cold (most hydrotherapy ends in cold for approximately 30 seconds), that caused anti – depressive effects soon following treatment (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030698770700566X).

How can Homeopathy help?

Homeopathy is an energy medicine that involves finite doses of a substance that are diluted in water, which amount to a higher therapeutic dose overall. In this form of medicine, individualized remedies are chosen based on the individual’s specific symptoms and presentation. Each person requires a different remedy based on their unique presentation. Homeopathy does not interact with any medications, making it quite useful especially if you are taking other medications.

In recent studies, homeopathy has been shown to be just as effective as anti – depressant medication in the relief of depressive symptoms. In addition, other studies have shown homeopathy to be 58% effective (http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1111%2Fj.20427166.2012.01163_5.x?r3_referer=wol&show_checkout=1).

How can Physical Medicine help?

Physical medicine involves a number of different potential therapies. These therapies might include massage, naturopathic manipulation, ultrasound, laser therapy, electroacupuncture, or Gua Sha. The general effect of these therapies includes relaxation, increased circulation, decreased pain, and decreased inflammation. Similar to what was mentioned above, depression may be decreased or alleviated based on these potential effects.

Research has shown that patients with depression may benefit from massage therapy (http://journals.lww.com/jnrtwna/Abstract/2004/03000/The_Effect_of_Acupressure_With_Massage_on_Fatigue.7.aspx).

How can Lifestyle changes help?

Various lifestyle factors can play a role in depression. By improving sleep, exercise, scheduling, and stress management, it is possible that some individuals may have reduced depressive episodes. In addition, the way that an individual thinks can influence mood. By addressing negative thought patterns, poor sleep patterns, lack of exercise, or stress management concerns, one may experience decreased depressive episodes. Naturopathic doctors are trained to help individuals through lifestyle counselling, and can use methods use as motivational interviewing or cognitive behavioural therapy to do so.

Research is quite extensive regarding exercise and its benefit on depression. Even as little as two times per week has been shown to benefit depression (http://condor.depaul.edu/hstein/NEMSSAH.pdf).

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 (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Naturopathic Approaches for Stress

December 9, 2014 by elisha

Stress is a very common “condition” to experience that can often lead to a variety of different health conditions, both physical and mental in nature. However, there are treatments that can help, that can be provided through your naturopathic doctor. A naturopathic doctor can use the following therapies to achieve therapeutic benefits in stress: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Botanical Medicine, Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle, Hydrotherapy, Homeopathy, and Physical Medicine.

Ultimately, the goal of treatment will be to treat the root cause of the stress. Though your naturopathic doctor cannot provide you with money, vacations, etc., they can help you to better cope with your stress. Some individuals may also have a root cause to their stress that could be easily addressed by a naturopathic doctor’s approach to treating the root cause of disease (e.g. if you are stressed because you are in pain all of the time). Thus, the approach to each individual will be different based on the root cause of your stress. As a result, the following list offers examples as to what goals might be developed for a treatment plan for an individual:

Correct for deficiencies
Reduce stress or Improve stress management
Improve coping mechanisms
Improve mood
Alter lifestyle and diet to increase mood and reduce stress
Improve gut microbiology and digestion

How can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) help?

TCM views the body differently than western medicine. TCM theory suggests that when there is an imbalance in the body system, disease manifests. Each “organ” is associated with an emotion: Heart with joy and is the center of one’s personality, liver with anger, spleen with worry, lungs with grief, and kidneys with fear. As one can see, all of these organs could play a part in stress, and so, individual cases are taken, and the root cause is determined. Once a specific diagnosis is made, a treatment plan is created, and may involve using acupuncture, herbal formulas, diet, or lifestyle, all with the purpose of bringing the body back into a state of balance.

Specifically regarding acupuncture, acupuncture has been shown in some studies to be beneficial for Post – Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in helping to decrease the symptoms associated with it, for up to 3 months following treatment (http://journals.lww.com/jonmd/Abstract/2007/06000/Acupuncture_for_Posttraumatic_Stress_Disorder__A.7.aspx). Some would even argue that acupuncture specifically can be a relaxing experience, and thus help with stress.

How can Botanical Medicine help?

Botanical formulas have similar effects to medications, often without the side effects, however this is not true for all herbs and plants. Specific herbs or plants will be selected based on their properties and combined based on the specific individual’s presentation and symptoms associated with their stress. For example, one person may need help with sleep, where as one may need help with low mood, both in combination with needing help with coping with their stress. Some beneficial properties that some useful herbs may have include: nervine, anti – depressant effect, sedative and adaptogenic.

Specifically in research, one such example of a botanical that might be used for stress is Rhodiola. In the research, Rhodiola has been used to help individuals in stressful situations to function more effectively. In one particular study, students took Rhodiola prior to being examined, and found that concentration was better, and physical and mental fatigue was much less (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711300800781).

How can Nutrition and Diet help?

Stress can be severely impacted by one’s diet. In addition, the many ill health effects that can be caused by stress can be caused by poor diet, if not aggravated by it. For example, depression can be aggravated or caused by various nutritional deficiencies. Based on your individual needs, a naturopathic doctor will help you to improve your diet in order to help treat any root causes of stress, as well as prevent ill health effects.

In addition, stress can often cause changes in one’s eating habits, e.g. eating more or less in general, eating more processed foods, etc. This can further aggravate stress and increase it overall (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193953X14000768). A naturopathic doctor can help you to develop a diet that best suits your individual needs, including developing strategies to motivate you to eat a proper diet. In addition, they can correct for any nutritional deficiencies that may be aggravating your stress and overall health.

How can Hydrotherapy help?

Hydrotherapy involves alternating hot and cold water applications to achieve the following goals: promote detoxification and relaxation, increase circulation, improve immune system functioning, promote digestion, and decrease pain. Based on all of the following actions, hydrotherapy could be beneficial for stress based on the different root causes. For example, if an individual is stressed because they are in pain, hydrotherapy may be beneficial by helping to decrease the individual’s pain. An example of this can be seen in studies for hydrotherapy during labour. The hydrotherapy treatments caused a decrease in pain and anxiety, as well as caused an increase in relaxation (http://brn.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/03/29/1099800410361535.abstract).

How can Homeopathy help?

Homeopathy is challenging to study in research, but research does exist. In one particular study, homeopathy was used for various psychiatry conditions including anxiety, stress, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression. In the study, the results were not as beneficial for stress or anxiety in general, but proved to be effective for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (which can often cause individuals to become stressed) (http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/21733480).

How can Physical Medicine help?

Physical medicine involves a number of different potential therapies. These therapies might include massage, naturopathic manipulation, ultrasound, laser therapy, electroacupuncture, or Gua Sha. The general effect of these therapies includes relaxation, increased circulation, decreased pain, and decreased inflammation. Similar to what was mentioned above, stress may be decreased or alleviated based on these potential effects.

Research has shown that patients undergoing cancer treatment may benefit from massage therapy by helping them to experience less stress as well as having decrease stress hormone circulating (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00737-009-0143-9).

How can Lifestyle changes help?

Various lifestyle factors can play a role in stress. By improving sleep, exercise, scheduling, and coping mechanisms, it is possible that some individuals may have reduced stress, and stressful experiences in general. In addition, the way that an individual thinks can influence stress significantly. By addressing negative thought patterns, poor sleep patterns, lack of exercise, or coping mechanisms, one may have decreased stressful experiences overall. Naturopathic doctors are trained to help individuals through lifestyle counselling, and can use methods use as motivational interviewing or cognitive behavioural therapy to do so.

Research has demonstrated that sleep can have a significant impact on one’s stress response. For example, individuals who had better sleep, were less likely to experience stress (http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/hea/26/3/288/).

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.

Stress – How to Cope

October 28, 2014October 14, 2014 by elisha

As mid-term exam season approaches, and school is well under way, many individuals may feel stressed or worn – out. Even the wear of every – day life can wear on you and cause you to feel over – whelmed. As a result, I thought it might be beneficial to discuss stress and what your naturopathic doctor can do to help.

What is Stress?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Stress can be defined as, “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.; something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety; a physical force or pressure”. I think it goes without saying that all of us have experienced stress in our lives, and what we perceive as stressful, might not be so stressful to another, and vice versa. We all respond to and cope with our stresses differently as well. Some of us try to adopt healthy coping habits, others not so healthy. It is my hope that I can provide you with some ideas as to how to cope effectively with your stress.

Naturopathic Treatments that may help

There are many different things that can be done to help someone to cope with stress. In short, all of the different modalities (tools that we use) that we practice can be beneficial for helping to relax and cope with stressful situations. All of the treatment options might be useful to help you to cope with stress depending on your specific case and needs: Acupuncture, Massage, Naturopathic Manipulation, Hydrotherapy (i.e. sauna treatments, peet baths, constitutional hydrotherapy treatments), Counselling, Nutrients, Botanical Medicine, Lifestyle Counselling, and Homeopathy. Each individual is different, and so there is no one treatment that would be good for everyone. So, as mentioned above, a treatment route would be chosen based on your specific, individual needs.

Ways to deal with stress at home:

No one answer provides a suitable option for everyone and their coping needs. As a result, I have provided examples below of healthy ways to cope with stress:

Journaling
Listening to Music
Breathing
Exercise
Talking to others
Meditating
Praying
Give yourself time for you – do something that brings you joy

The next time you are feeling stressed, and need to find a healthier way to cope with your stress, take the time to explore these options and find what works best for you.

What not to do

As forshadowed above, there are some coping mechanisms that are less than ideal when trying to cope with stress. Below I have provided a few examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms:

Binge eating
Drinking
Avoidance
Gambling excessively
Smoking
Using elicit drugs
Isolating yourself from others who can help

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.

Health Benefits of Gratitude

October 28, 2014October 7, 2014 by elisha

As Thanksgiving approaches in Canada, I began to ponder exactly what has been researched in regards to thankfulness, specifically, what health benefits could be obtained from being thankful. In my search for the answer, I stumbled across a resource that summed up a significant amount of research that detailed how being thankful can not only benefit yourself but others. As a result, this article is based on the following resource (as well as several others): http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/29/6/12.full. This blog acts as a summary for you, my readers, on why gratitude should not only be practiced once a year, but should be practiced on a daily/weekly basis. By adopting a routine of giving gratitude and being thankful, one can hope to achieve the following health benefits:

Increased ability to achieve life goals.

The research has shown that those who are thankful and express this gratitude on a regular basis, are more likely to achieve their personal goals (and feel loved while doing it!).

Increased happiness

Not surprisingly, those who were more grateful were more likely to report increased happiness, optimism, and life satisfaction. The gratitude these individuals expressed caused them to have happiness increase by 25%, which lasted up to and beyond 6 months. Subsequently, these individuals were less likely to report stress, and depression, and were more capable of extracting joy out of life experiences, regardless of what they were.

Strengthened and built relationships

Not only did being thankful strengthen relationships that already existed, but it also initiated relationships being built in one study. The gratitude that was expressed causes those around you to feel more loved and cared for, as well as encouraged an overall appreciation of life. It also allowed individuals to demonstrate their appreciation for one another by interacting with them better and devoting more time to them. Overall, this had an impact on relationships by encouraging new ones to be formed, as well as strengthen already existent ones.

Improve overall physical health

Overall, the research on individuals who are thankful shows that these individuals tend to participate in more activities that benefit health, such as regular exercise, healthy diet, and regular check-ups with their medical doctor. In addition to these healthy lifestyle habits, these individuals also demonstrated increased alertness, vitality, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. These individuals also experienced longer and better quality of sleep, increased immunity (whether sick or healthy), and fewer physical symptoms (such as headaches, coughs, nausea, or pain).

Now that we know what being thankful can do for our health, one needs to know how one can adopt this gratitude mindset. This can be easily achieved by writing out 3 things that you are thankful for. Others may choose to outwardly express gratitude towards others whenever they can. Choose what suits you best, and go from there. I challenge you to try and conduct a gratitude exercise of your choice every day and see how it benefits you.

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.