As prices rise we often look for ways we can cut back, but we know that our health should never be compromised.  Fortunately, I truly believe that health is accessible without expensive gadgets, pricey ingredients, or designer products.  In order to maintain our most valuable asset, we can use simple tools to tremendous advantage.

Invest in your health:

1.  Meal Plan

• Meal planning is helpful in many ways, from reducing stress to having fewer take out meals.  It's also a great way to prevent food waste.  
• Eating seasonally is also worth considering.  Read about winter produce tips here.
• Here's a meal plan with a focus on fibre, which keeps you full longer and can help digestive health (if fibre makes you feel worse, we need to chat).
  
  Download Meal Plan

2.  Local Farms

• We are so lucky in this area to have several options for locally grown produce, eggs, poultry and meat.  It's a wonderful way to source healthy & vibrant ethical food, while supporting our own community.  It can often be more economical than the grocery store, but can require a different way of shopping.
• This is the time of year that you start to sign up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) veggie shares for the 2023 season, or start planting your own seeds for your garden.
• I will attempt to keep a positive spin, but I do feel that our food supply and soil is greatly damaged.  Knowing where your food is coming from, eating food that hasn't come from a manufacturing facility, and being confident in the farming practices are becoming more and more important.
• Higher quality, nutrient dense food actually keeps you fuller longer.

3.  Develop Health Hobbies

• I enjoy a good TV show as much as anyone, but having hobbies that support health will contribute to your overall well-being. 
• Find something you enjoy:  walking, hiking, biking, swimming, yoga, sauna, epsom salt baths, playing music, gardening, dancing... anything.
  
  

4.  Sleep

• Often underrated, quality sleep is vital to health.  When you prioritize sleep your recovery, mood, energy, immunity, thinking and stress management all improves.
• I've been experimenting with "mouth taping" to try to improve the amount of restorative sleep that I've been getting and it's been very helpful.
• For more information about getting a good night's sleep read more here. 

5.  Sunlight

• In a way, our bodies can be solar powered.  Vitamin D, which we make through a complex manufacturing process when sunlight hits our skin, is involved in many different pathways and imperative to multiple systems like our immunity and hormones.
• Sun also helps to set our circadian rhythm, or sleep wake cycle, so that we release the right hormones at the right time of day.  It may sound weird but a good night's sleep can depend on getting morning sunshine.
• New research also suggests that the sun structures the water in our bodies and literally turns our electrical systems into a battery.  Pretty cool.
  
  -> There's a saying that we are just complicated houseplants with feelings :)
  
  

6.  Breathe

• The way that we breathe sets the tone of our nervous system.  Fast, rapid breaths go along with a sympathetic dominant, or stressed, state; while slow & deep breaths support a parasympathetic, restful state.  Being in parasympathetic mode is also needed for good digestion.
• Try taking a few moments to check in on your breath and slow it down if you can, you may notice a sense of calm and peace.

7.  Focus on Prevention

• Whenever possible, focusing on health from the side of prevention is ideal.  Any insights, strategies, or tests that help to work in this space will help you in the long run.  Of course there are no guarantees, but generally speaking healthier people have better resilience when things do come up. (Pay now or pay later)

In many ways, the simplest strategies provide the best outcomes when it comes to our wellness.  Walking, eating, sleeping and breathing well are all incredibly powerful tools for shifting towards health.


Take care,
Dr. Christa

Each one of our body's systems is of unique importance to our health, but the cardiovascular system is particularly vital and yet often compromised as we get older.  You can read more here about Caring for Your Heart and Tips for a Healthy Heart.

The complexity of this system is often undervalued, we think of a pump and some tubes.  The heart is a muscle that is highly innervated, with forty to fifty thousand neurons, and has a lot of mitochondria (energy producers) as well.  One hundred thousand kilometres of blood vessels transport not just red blood cells (oxygen & carbon dioxide) but also white blood cells, waste products, nutrients (sugars, fats, proteins, vitamins), hormones, water and other things, all in a vortexed wave. Red blood cells need to be efficient at delivering oxygen and also flexible to wiggle through capillaries in a single file.  Cell membranes, fascia, and the walls of blood vessels also need to be considered.  Consequently, strategies that support the nervous system, endocrine system, nutrient status, water structure and muscle tissue are all ways to impact the cardiovascular network.

For cardiovascular health assessment, bloodwork is an easy access point.  There are several markers that help to indicate cardiovascular function and inflammation, as well as the quality of our red blood cells, which is helpful to notice trends and also gauge treatments.  Since red blood cells have a lifespan of 3 months, this is usually the recommended amount of time between blood tests.

• Tests to consider:  CBC, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, HbA1c & Blood sugar, Iron, Fibrinogen, Cholesterol (tells us about inflammation)
  
  
• Read about Blood Pressure here

Many of my patients are interested in optimal health, and living with as much vitality as possible at every age.  Here are some unique ways to support your heart health, when incorporating the mind, body and spirit for total wellness.

1. Gratitude
   - Living gratefully and with appreciation opens the heart chakra and allows energy to flow freely between the upper and lower body.
   - A great way to practice is to name something (or three things) you are grateful for each day, either in your head or by writing it down.
   
   
2. Laughter, Joy & Love
   - All three emotions are expressions of the heart.  
   - The heart has its own nervous system that communicates with the brain, and positively responds to these emotions while being negatively impacted by fear and anger.  Monitor your inputs and your emotional state, and nourish your vagus nerve.  You can track it by measuring Heart Rate Variability.
   
   
3. Consider Frequencies
   - The electrical field of the heart is said to extend 6 feet around us, interacting with our immediate environment and detecting subtle shifts (and danger).
   - Music that is 432 or 639 Hz is healing to the heart, and also increases the number and lifespan of red blood cells, and makes them more efficient at delivering oxygen (they also respond to the sound of our own heart beat).
   - Infrared can increase blood flow up to 300% through the vortex.
   - Find ways to escape technological frequencies, like wifi and cell phones, when possible.
   
   
4. Connection
   - Community - Being with people that we connect with or share common interests actually lowers our stress levels, which impacts our nervous system.
   - Nature - Our heart has its own circadian rhythm, separate from the rest of the body, connecting our heart rate to night & day (slower at night and faster through the day) and ultimately creating a relationship with the world around us.
   
   
5. Follow Your Heart
   - Living incongruently to our heart's desires creates disharmony.
   - Our minds can be helpful, but our hearts can lead the way.

On another note...

It should also be mentioned that cardiac symptoms often go unnoticed or are dismissed in women, partially because they can be unrelated to chest pain.  Of course, everyone should watch for the more classic heart symptoms:  chest pain/pressure/fullness, pain or tingling in one or both arms, cold sweat, lightheadedness, greyish complexion.

Extra Signs to Watch in Particularly in Females

• jaw pain
• shortness of breath
• nausea/vomiting, or upper abdomen pain
• back pain
• heartburn
• swelling in the legs
• weakness
• fatigue

I deeply believe that when we have the knowledge and tools accessible to advocate for ourselves and live a healthy lifestyle, our wellness allows us to live a purposeful life.

Wishing you a beautifully balanced day,
Dr Christa


P.S.  You may have noticed that my website and email were temporarily down earlier this week, but I'm excited to let you know everything is up and running now!

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This article is intended for information purposes only and does not replace medical advice.