Health

Surviving Exam Season

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Grunge image of a stressed overworked man studyingExam time is a stressful and challenging time regardless of what educational institute you are in. As a result, healthy lifestyle and eating habits often “go down the drain”. Over the many exam periods I have had to endure, I have developed tips and tricks to help me stay “above water” when it came to my health and my needs. In addition to studying, it is my hope that developing these healthy habits will help you not only ace your exams, but survive the exam season.

Prepare healthy snacks in advance

Having snacks already made such as cut up vegetables and fruit will help you to avoid the temptation of going for “easy” snack food such as chips, candy, pastries, etc.

Prepare meals in advance

Similar to the point above, cooking meals in advance helps to avoid the temptation to eat out and grab that big mac as opposed to a salad. Often, I cook my meals on weekends in preparation for the week. This way, I know I have a quick and healthier choice to rely on.

Green tea

Green tea has a constituent in it called “theanine”. Theanine helps you to be able to focus without the jittery feeling that coffee can often give. As a result, green tea is great for those long study sessions.

Chamomile Tea (or a relaxing tea) before bed

Not only will this help you to sleep better, but it is also a therapeutic action that helps prepare your mind and body for bed. Which leads to my next point. . .

Sleep

Sleep is important not only for your health but also for your memory prior to exams. Research has shown that getting the 8 hours of sleep before an exam is more beneficial than “pulling an all-nighter”. So do your body and you a favor and sleep.

It is okay to take breaks

Giving yourself permission to take breaks is important. It helps change the way you are thinking and allows your brain to function better and be more productive.

Exercise

Exercise has many health benefits including helping our brains to function effectively, improving energy, and improving mood, all of which are important during exam time. As little as 20 minutes per day has shown to be enough to experience health benefits from exercise. Even if you go for a short walking around your residence or block for a break would be enough to help you refocus and gain a different perspective on your studying.

Deep breathing prior to exams

Finally, breathing is important. Deep breathing prior to exams can help calm you and focus you on what needs to be accomplished. With this in mind, remember to keep things in perspective by asking yourself, is this really a big deal? What would happen if I did fail (realistically)? Often putting things into perspective helps us when we are facing these challenging times.

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!

Gut – Brain Connection

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Healthy Nutrition Against DementiaRecently, a lot of research has emerged suggesting that there is a connection between gut health and your mental health. Though this seems odd, in a way this does seem quite logical. Within our guts is an additional nervous system called the enteric nervous system that responds to hormones in the gut, and so, by association, one might think that this nervous system would connect to our central nervous system. Therefore, the health of the one nervous system might in turn affect the health of the other nervous system. This in theory is poorly understood, but much research has shown that this could be useful for treatment of mental health concerns.

To begin with, some mental health concerns are due to inflammation in the brain, specifically in neurons. When neurons are inflamed, the system cannot function the way that it was meant to. Some studies have shown that an inappropriately balanced gastro-intestinal system (in regards to microorganisms) can lead to increased inflammation in the gut, which is associated with increased anxiety. By correcting the inflammation and altering the gut micro-flora, the inflammation and resultant anxiety was decreased.

Some research has also shown the influence of the specific gut microorganisms on hormones. Specifically, it has shown these the micro-organisms secrete dopamine and serotonin. These two compounds that are secreted are hormones that are related to mood and energy. I like to call them your happy hormones, though to be honest, undermining the full potential of these two hormones.

Finally, research has also shown that the appropriate gut micro flora can help to decrease the stress hormone cortisol. This could be due to several mechanisms including improved mood, therefore improved tolerance to stress.

If you are concerned that your gut health could be impacting your mental health, or that your gut could be in a healthier state, do not hesitate to consult a naturopathic doctor or seek health. The concerns you have could be very simple in origin and fixed simply if addressed sooner than later.

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!

Forgiveness and Health

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ForgivenessMental health is a huge area of concern and public interest in recent decades. In particular, there has been much research into the effect our attitudes can have on our health. Forgiveness is one of those attitudes that can greatly affect our health in the moment and later on in life. This does not only include forgiveness of others but also includes forgiveness of ourselves. I would challenge you to explore your own thoughts and see if there are any areas of your life where you notice patterns of un-forgiveness. I do recognize that this is not an easy or comfortable process, but I challenge you to consider it and if you feel led to act to remedy the un-forgiveness, then do so for the benefit of your health.

Signs of Un-forgiveness

These may be some useful questions to ask yourself when reflecting on a particularly harmful situation or event that has transpired against you. For more information on un-forgiveness please see the source below from which this questionnaire was retrieved.

  • When you think of that person, does your heart leap up with love and joy for him?
  • Do you desire to have fellowship with them or do you try to avoid them?
  • Do you have no blame or condemnation of them or for them?
  • Do you say or feel in your heart: “I forgive them, but I don’t have to like them”?
  • Do you still make up speeches of what you are going to say to them, or what you should have said to them?
  • Do you still think that they should hurt or should pay for what they have done to you?
  • Do you still think of ways to get even with them?
  • Do you sometimes think hard thoughts and have to repent, only to think those hard thoughts again and have to repent, over and over?
  • Do you have strong emotional reactions when you think of or see the person who hurt you?
  • Can you sincerely pray for this person and bless them, sincerely desiring to see them blessed?
  • Can you, and do you honestly rejoice when good things happen for the person who wounded you?

Source: http://www.thhmi.org/Transformation_and_Sanctification/Symptoms_of_Unforgiveness/

Health Benefits of Forgiveness

  • Decreased stress
  • Improved mood
  • Positive attitude
  • Improved conflict management
  • Improved sleep quality
  • Decreased heart rate
  • Decreased pain
  • Improved overall health
  • Improved life satisfaction

Practical Ways to Incorporate Forgiveness

It is important to understand that a lot of these exercises will not work if there is not a direct intention behind them. If these are done just for the sake of doing them, it is similar to not having done them at all. It is important to be mindful and have a direct intention to forgive and be well when practicing these exercises. In addition, a lot of these exercises are not easy and they can even hurt when you do them. Embrace the discomfort, but remember to work within what is safe for you. If it is not wise to confront someone about the hurt, for example, do not do so. I also encourage individuals that sometimes you have to “fake it until you make it”. What I mean by this is that in some cases you try to forgive someone, but deep down inside you know you can’t. It may then be helpful to start speaking that you forgive them until you feel you are ready to forgive. It may also be important to seek more help on this issue from a spiritual leader, counsellor, psychologist, etc.

  1. Forgive quickly. When someone wrongs you, as hard as it might be, attempt to forgive quickly. This will prevent any bitterness, anger, or negative thoughts from setting in.
  2. Confront the person who has done you wrong and express forgiveness. Please note that this may not be safe or wise in all situations.
  3. Write down “I forgive _______” on a piece of paper.
  4. Do something kind for the person who hurt you.
  5. Speak out loud “I forgive myself. I am not mistakes”, or “I forgive _____. They are not their mistakes.”
  6. Pray for help to forgive.
  7. Consider the perspective of the other individual and attempt to empathize with them. Literally getting up and switching to a different seat may be helpful.

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 Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Source:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638280903166360?journalCode=idre20

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/12/2/117.short

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-005-3665-2

 

 

 

Gratitude Practices

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GratitudeAs Thanksgiving approaches this weekend, it is important to consider what one is thankful for. However, as some may have heard before, an “attitude of gratitude” is a type of attitude that should be adopted year round. This type of grateful thinking on a regular basis can have many health benefits including, but not limited to:

  • Increased ability to achieve life goals.
  • Increased happiness
  • Strengthened and built relationships
  • Increase alertness and energy
  • Longer and better quality of sleep
  • Increased immunity
  • Increase overall physical health

For more detail on the mechanism and precise estimates on how much gratefulness can benefit your health, see my previous blog on the health benefits of being thankful. Now that we know what being thankful can do for our health, one needs to know how one can adopt this gratitude mindset. Different individuals may choose to do this differently. For some it will be more of an outward expression, for others it may be more internal. The bottom line is choose what suits you best, and go from there. The list below provides some examples of what has been researched and shown to have positive health benefits, but you do not need to limit thankfulness practices to these suggestions. Get creative and get thankful in the way you deem best! I challenge you to try and conduct a thankful exercise of your choice every day and see how it benefits you.

  1. Record happy events – improve well – being and positive emotions
  2. Express gratitude – improve well-being and positive emotions
  3. Give thanks to God for all you have both tangible and non-tangible – In some studies when expressed toward God caused decreased stress and improved health in stressful situations
  4. Record things grateful for – improve emotional well-being and interpersonal benefits
  5. Look in the mirror and say I appreciate you and am thankful for you – For the health benefits of positive self-talk and for some other self-affirmations you can speak over yourself, refer to my past blog on positive self-talk.

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 Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources:

http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/29/6/12.full

http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-XLKX200903022.htm

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/84/2/377/

http://roa.sagepub.com/content/28/2/163.short