Health

Nature Cure: Health Benefits of Nature

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2014-10-11 07.12.17From the beginning, humans have been surrounded by nature, and one cannot deny that humans have a connection to nature. Not only is nature beautiful to look at, but it also has some health benefits. These health benefits may be different based on your exposure or encounter with nature.

Viewing Nature

One does not have to be in nature to view it. The health benefits from viewing nature can even be obtained from viewing a picture on a wall of a scene involving nature, or looking out a window. The following list of health benefits can be obtained from simply viewing nature:

  • Decreased physical symptoms including headaches
  • Better test results (in regards to exams)
  • Better performance in attention demanding tasks
  • Decreased stress and quicker recovery from it
  • Increased well – being
  • Increased mood and faster recovery from mental fatigue
  • Increased job satisfaction
  • Improved immunity
  • Faster recovery following surgery

Being in Nature

Being in nature can involve many different things including sitting outside, playing outside, or working outside. The health benefits of being nature depend on what an individual is doing and how they may experience being in nature. As a result, this is not a comprehensive list, but can provide insight into the health benefits of being in nature:

  • Decreased severity of symptoms in children with ADD
  • Increased concentration
  • Improved cognitive functioning
  • Aid individuals recovering from substance abuse
  • Increase confidence (if performing different tasks in nature)
  • Increased physical activity, and subsequent health benefits from physical activity

Observing Plants and Gardens

Many communities have developed community gardens and many individuals have plants in their home. By observing either of these, one can experience several health benefits, including:

  • Increase feelings of peace
  • Improved psychological well – being

Observing or interacting with animals

Observing animals in nature can be very peaceful and tranquil, but there can be added benefit from also spending time with an animal (preferably a well – known animal) such as a dog or a cat:

  • Express intimacy and facilitate social connection
  • Decrease stress
  • Decrease blood pressure and heart rate
  • Decreased minor health problems
  • Improved mental health
  • Decreased cholesterol
  • Decreased triglycerides
  • Improved quality of life

With all of these different ways of interacting with and experiencing nature, I would encourage you to find your own way of interacting with nature and embrace the health benefits that can be obtained from that. The information from this article was derived from the following resource: http://www.georgewright.org/262maller.pdf. For more information please refer to this resource or ask Elisha Cook for more information.

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.

 

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.

Health Benefits of Gratitude

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GratitudeAs 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:

  1. 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!).

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

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.

 

Book Review: The 5 Love Languages

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Love: At SunsetBefore my husband and I got married, we did pre-marriage counselling, upon which we were asked to read the book, “The 5 love languages” by Gary Chapman. Before this experience, I was sure that myself and my spouse had a solid relationship and that there were minimal areas that needed to be improved upon. After reading this book, not only did the dynamics of our relationship change, but how we understood one another and others. I now normally give this book as a gift to those getting married because of how impactful this book was in our relationship. You might be asking yourself, “Okay I get it, this is a great book, but what does this have to do with health? I thought you were training to be a Naturopathic Doctor not a Marriage counsellor?” The reason why I am including this in my blog is quite simple. What happens in our interpersonal lives, i.e. our relationships, has a profound effect on our health. If we are stressed because our marriages or relationships are falling apart, this can cause depression, anxiety, and even physical health diseases. Therefore, though it may not be obvious, our relationships can impact our health, and so, I invite you to read the review I have provided below regarding the book and what you can expect from reading it.

The premise of this book is that everyone has their own love language. This means that everyone shows love in specific ways, and knows that they are loved in others. If we do not speak each other’s languages, we can often leave the other person feeling unloved, or feel unloved ourselves. In order to keep each other feeling loved, you need to speak your partners love language. As foreshadowed by the title of the book, there are 5 love languages: Acts of Service, Quality time, Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, and Gifts.

If we show love one way, and our partner receives it another way, this can often lead to conflict and mixed emotions. For example, let’s say Jim cuts the lawn for his partner Mary because his love language is Acts of Service. He feels as though he is showing Mary a sign of love because that is how he shows others that he loves them is through Acts of Service. However, what if Mary’s love language was words of affirmation? She would not necessarily see Jim cutting the grass as an act of love but maybe instead a duty. If we are unaware of how we each show love and receive love, it can sometimes cause unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings.

This book helps you to discover what language you speak, what love language you receive (how you know you are loved), and what love language your partner receives. This book also provides you with some ways that you can speak your partner’s love language if you do not know how to show affection in that particular way. In some editions, there is also a quiz at the back to help you to identify what love language you or your partner speak.

Please note I do not have any association with this author or with the publisher’s. This is merely a review of the book based on my opinion and experience. 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.