Coping

Heart Healthy Habits

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As some of you may know, February is Heart Health Month. Your heart is a very important organ, and its health can be impacted by and impact many other organs. Rather than only including information on some heart healthy habits, I thought it might be interesting to provide some insight into the heart from a Traditional Asian Medicine perspective (please note that this perspective looks at more of a metaphorical heart and pathologies do not specifically correlate to physical heart issues, e.g. heart blood stagnation does not mean you literally have blood stuck in your heart). In Traditional Asian Medicine, the heart has a very important role in controlling personality, and joy. If there is an imbalance in this organ it can lead to excessive or deficient joy (mania, depression), anxiety, or insomnia. With this mental – emotional perspective in mind, it may give more fuel to the research findings below that connect depression with an increased risk of heart disease (this is of course in addition to much research between various other connections between depression and other factors which lead to heard disease). With that being said, below are some findings and habits that may help you to adopt a more heart healthy lifestyle:

  1. Exercise: Exercise helps keep your heart healthy on many different levels. Firstly, it improves your cholesterol levels by increasing good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. In addition, exercise can also help to decrease blood pressure. All of these parameters can contribute to heart disease if left unchecked. Exercise also combats depression, which can be a risk factor for heart disease. For more health benefits of exercise, consult my previous blog: https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca/the-benefits-of-exercise/
  2. Avoid Smoking: Smoking has several negative impacts on the heart which include stiffening the arteries and causing plaque build-up in the arteries, which could lead to atherosclerosis. By avoiding smoking, one can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease.
  3. Laugh: Laughter can help improve heart health by decreasing blood pressure and helping to combat depression (as mentioned above, a risk factor for heart disease). Some find that laughing can help them to cope with stress as well. For more health benefits of laughter, consult my previous blog: https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca/laugh-out-loud-health-benefits-of-laughing/
  4. Eat lots of fruits and veggies: Fruits and vegetables provide a hefty source of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients, all of which can decrease one’s risk of heart disease and improve heart health overall. Many of the nutrients can also protect arteries and help the body become more resilient especially with stress. In addition, fruits and vegetables can help to decrease blood pressure and promote healthy cholesterol levels.
  5. Manage Stress: Stress can have a negative impact on the heart by increasing blood pressure, increasing blood sugar, increasing cholesterol, and increasing fat retention (which makes the heart have to work harder by having to pump blood further to more tissue). By managing stress more efficiently, one can decrease their risk of heart disease and improve heart health overall.

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, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Grieving: How to Cope and Make it Through

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Depression - Narrative photoLoss can be a hard thing for many people. It does not simply mean a death, but can extend itself to a loss in a role that you played, a loss in a job, a loss of a piece of your identity. Regardless of how you identify loss, it can be difficult to cope with, adjust to, and move through. Grieving is the process by which we work through that loss. We are all different and process a loss differently. This is normal and okay. It is okay to be angry, sad, etc. What is important, is that you give yourself the space to feel those emotions, acknowledge them, and sit with them.

Get Support

During this time, it is also important to seek support. Many people find it challenging knowing what to do when someone experiences a loss. Often they may acknowledge the loss and express sympathy. Not knowing what will best suit you, many draw back and wait (of course this is not true for everyone or every situation). Thus it is important to ask for support and help when you need it. This is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of being human.

Take Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself is vital during this time, though it may be challenging. Important considerations include eating healthy, making sure to eat or not eat too much, getting an adequate amount of sleep, drinking enough water, and exercising. All of these can help not only to boost mood, but can help to protect your body from getting colds or flues, which may be more likely. Attempting to follow regular routines may be beneficial during this time depending on the loss that you incurred. In this case, if regular routines are more harmful, it may be beneficial to get professional advice on strategies that would best help you during this difficult time. Taking care of yourself includes forgiving yourself. It is important to forgive yourself for any last words or actions (whether unspoken/undone or not) that may have happened, or past events that may have happened. Events cannot be changed, but what we can do is appreciate the experience that happened, learn from it, and let go of the negativity that we may carry with it.

Seek Professional Help when Needed

Finally, it is important to see extra help when needed. If you feel that the loss is too much to handle please see counselling or extra help. If you begin to think “life is not worth living” or thoughts similar to this reach out. There is help and there is hope. The Canadian Mental Health Association is available 24 hours to receive any calls! In addition, the following resources may be helpful and provide other things to consider when grieving:

https://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/grieving/

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief-loss/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm

Have you benefited 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, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

Stress – How to Cope

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Grunge image of a stressed overworked man studyingAs 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.

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) today and let me help you achieve your health goals.