Blog Archives

The Caterpillar & the Butterfly

4/29/2020

Whoa, what a month. I'll be honest... some days I feel like I've been hit by a truck, and other days I feel pretty calm and hopeful. Typically April is the busiest month of the year for my family. My husband and I both have increased workload (in a good way), but there is also heavy overlap of sports seasons for my kids and regular spring chores to do. This year, it has been almost the complete opposite in many ways, and yet we're still feeling stressed out (of course). So, we've had to rework and reflect on our coping strategies and just do the best we can each day.

One thing that seems to set me up for a more peaceful mindset is the amount of time I spend outdoors, especially in the sun, and offline. Another is trying for 10 minutes per day of meditation or yoga. What have been your sanity go-tos?

An image that is resonating with me right now is the metaphor of the caterpillar - you've probably seen this reference in a few places now. Caterpillars hatch from eggs and go about their lives eating, collecting nutrients and preparing. When the time is right, the caterpillar forms a pupa or chrysalis, where is undergoes major metamorphosis. Through this process, the caterpillar's form all but transforms into imaginal cells and nutritive goop. Using the imaginal discs to direct growth, and the surrounding nutrition, a new form takes shape and eventually a butterfly emerges. It is thought that as a society we may just emerge from all of this as a newly organized, and more beautiful version of humanity. Now that's a nice thought.

Of course, I am not making light of the grief and fear that has been felt across the board - from care providers, to essential workers, to the loss of normal, to juggling responsibilities, to heavy worries about a number of things - I know that people are struggling. I also know through the field of neuroscience, that we can change our experience by changing our thoughts.

By choosing to focus on love instead of fear, we can become butterflies.

Love - feels calm, peaceful, grounded, open
Fear - feels small, panicky, restricting, unsettled

We often make decisions out of fear because it seems like it will keep us safe (like staying away from tigers). It works for us in the moment, however lasting fear eats up our nutrients, puts stress on our bodies and our immune systems, affects our sleep, and creates pain, amongst other things. Did you know that feelings of fear and love cannot exist at the same time?

So, to create a mindset of love:

Be mindful and present
Take care of yourself, as best as you can
Treat your body well
Give yourself a break
Change the things that aren't working for you, find a new way, or let go of expectations
Stick to positive comments online
Vent or share your experience, but avoid prolonged negativity
Ask for help
Press pause
Help someone else
Drop off a gift for someone or reach out and let them know you're thinking of them
Practice gratitude

I've been deliberately vague because some of these things will mean different things to different people, and some options won't be as available to us as others (I've had lots of previous posts about self care, gratitude, and stress management if you visit my blog.)

The point is to just do the best you can in whatever way makes sense to you. It's about finding your own best way to cope, and doing it from a place of hope and compassion.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way.

Big hugs,
Dr. Christa

"Love opens you to the world, which allows you to bring in the joy, the energy and the happiness... Fear closes you down... Love enhances energy, fear shuts the energy down." ~ Bruce Lipton

Inspiration for this article has come from the work of Bruce Lipton, Joe Dispenza, and Christiane Northrup.

Are you getting cold sores?

4/27/2020

You may not know this, but a large number of people carry the herpes simplex virus (HSV), even though not everyone experiences cold sores. It's thought that 60% of adults have the virus, but some reports claim that rates could even be as high as 90%. As a virus that effects neurons, it seems to be particularly sensitive to stimulation or stress of the nervous system. Perhaps then, people who have a susceptibility of their nervous system (as opposed to someone else who has more of a cardiovascular, or digestive weakness) are more likely to have cold sore outbreaks. Reactivation of the virus can be triggered at different times, but I've heard from many people who have said they've had a cold sore in the last month and we agree that stress is the likely culprit.

So what triggers a cold sore?

emotional stress
illness or infection (colds, other viruses)
sun
wind
trauma (or surgery)
hormone imbalance
foods

There are a number of ways to lessen the frequency and severity of cold sore outbreaks.

1. Limit foods that contain high amounts of the amino acid Arginine
- nuts
- red meat
- chocolate
- corn
- wheat
- protein shakes (check the label, many "work-out" specific formulas are high in arginine)
- oats
- spirulina
- seeds

-> you may find that you have a tolerance level for certain arginine containing foods (e.g. you can tolerate chocolate once per week but not every day, or if you combine it with a high lysine food)

2. Increase foods that are high in the amino acid Lysine
- fruit (apple, mango, pear, starfruit)
- dairy (if you are not sensitive)
- vegetables (cauliflower)

-> there are many online resources if you look for foods that have a high lysine to arginine ratio, be sure to check those out

3. Lysine Supplement
- Preventatively, Lysine can be taken as a supplement to maintain an appropriate lysine-arginine ratio. The recommended dose is often 1000mg per day.
- With first onset of a cold sore until its resolution, the Lysine dose can be increased to 3000mg per day, or even higher under practitioner supervision.

4. Stress Management
- Techniques and therapies to nourish the nervous system and keep stress levels in check can be beneficial. There are many ways to manage stress, what's important is finding something that resonates with you and do it often. Some ideas are: exercise, deep breathing, yoga, herbal tea, reading, sleep, listening to music, chatting with a friend, journaling, gardening.
- There are herbs and nutrients that can help to improve your stress pathways as well. In this case, I typically choose ones that also have some antiviral activity.

5. Antivirals
- Discouraging viral replication could be an important part of preventing recurrence of cold sores. L-lysine is an antiviral, but there are also many herbs that fit into this category. Selecting the right one for you depends on your health history and needs to be selected with the help of your provider. Some herbs that show antiviral activity specifically against HSV are: Licorice root (caution blood pressure), Lemon balm, and St. John's wort (caution if taking medications).

6. Use lip balm
- Protect the skin from sun and wind with a layer of your favourite lip balm

7. Notice trends
- If you tend to get cold sores under specific circumstances (e.g. right before your period, or when you get sick) then it might be worth addressing those underlying concerns first. Remember, symptoms are the way that our body communicates with us, and show us that something is out of balance.

In this stressful climate, I hope to offer you useful suggestions. If there's a health topic you'd like to learn more about or you wish to see me (virtually) as a patient, please let me know!

Wishing you and your family a healthy week,
Dr. Christa

Do You Know All the Ways that Vitamin D Improves Your Health?

4/20/2020

It is apparent that sunlight makes a big difference in how we feel, if you just take note of the overall moods of people on sunny versus cloudy days. There is a general appreciation for the value of sunlight in our health, but it can be confusing that we've also been taught to fear too much exposure to UVA and UVB rays. Like everything, balance is key.

Living in a Northern climate puts us at risk of inadequate Vitamin D levels in our bodies, particularly when we are only able to make it ourselves from about April to October, and even then it depends on our exposure to daylight and use of sunscreens. (And let's be honest, there are a lot of us that drive to and from work in the dark, sit at a desk all day or use SPF 60 to prevent sunburns.)

Interestingly enough, 50% of the world's population is deemed to have insufficient Vitamin D levels, and 1 billion people are deficient in this important hormone. (1)

So, why is this a big deal?

"..hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population."(1) Meaning that low levels of vitamin D increase your risk of dying. And given that half of humans don't have optimal levels, this is something to pay attention to.

Even when we checked Vitamin D status in my patients that supplement this winter, it was common to find deficiency.

Now you know that I don't like bringing things up to scare you, there's more than enough of this going around right now. I mention the importance of Vitamin D to you because I feel this is something that we can control and modify in order to improve our health. Feelings of being able to shape your own future have been shown to increase your ability to handle stress and adapt to change. You don't need to sit around and wait for illness to find you.

Vitamin D and Its Many Jobs

Cell regulation
- by controlling cell growth, insulin production, and blood vessel development, turns genes on/off
- studies show that those with optimal vitamin D levels are half as likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer as those with low vitamin D
Bone health
- it dramatically increases the absorption calcium and phosphorus (which is why extreme deficiency presents as rickets in children)
- low levels associated with osteoporosis
- low vitamin D levels correspond with risk of bone fracture in older individuals
Immune
- it is an immune system balancer
- children given Vitamin D in winter have 40% less risk of having Influenza A (4)
- supplementing shows prevention for TB and acute airway illness (5)
- has been shown to suppress an overactive immune response and reduce inflammation (6)
Cardiovascular
- the Framingham Heart Study showed that people with low vitamin D had 60% greater risk of heart disease
- deficiency of vitamin D is associated with hypertension, possibly through its influence on calcium regulation and the kidneys
Depression
- depressive symptoms improve with optimal vitamin D status
Cognition
- deficiency linked to lowered executive functioning (focus, follow directions, regulate emotions) in older individuals
Autoimmune Diseases
- lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Grave's disease, IBD, SLE and rheumatoid arthritis when Vitamin D levels are optimal
Age-related Macular Degeneration
- Vitamin D associated with decreased risk
Risk of Death
- Vitamin D3 supplementation reduced risk (7)

Where Do We Get Vitamin D?

1. Food sources:
- fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, herring
- cod liver oil (watch vitamin A dose)
- egg yolk
- fortified foods

2. Sunlight:
Vitamin D actually functions like a hormone, which is different than the roles of other nutrients. It is made naturally in our bodies when sunlight hits the skin, is hydroxylated by the liver, and then finally by the kidneys to reach its active (useable) form.
- wearing a hat and sunscreen with SPF 30 or more could reduce Vitamin D production by 95% (2)
- people of colour require 3-5 times more sunlight exposure than those with lighter skin tones (3)
- Northern latitudes are a factor since the angle of the sun's rays and the amount of sun exposure to the skin because of colder temperatures mean that we can only manufacture Vitamin D from about April to October, assuming you get outside at all
- we make 10,000-25,000 IU of Vitamin D with sunlight exposure (and possibly 100,000 IU on a beach day)
- lasts twice as long in our blood as supplemented D3

3. Supplementation
I always prioritize 'natural' ways of obtaining our nutrients or supporting hormone production first, but as you can see, there are reasons that supplementation of Vitamin D is often indicated.
- D2 is the form that's used in fortified foods, but D3 is the optimal supplemented form of Vitamin D. In fact, the benefits of Vitamin D on reducing your risk of death were only shown when supplementing with Vitamin D3. (7)

- It's best to have your levels tested to know where you stand, but the general recommendations for supplementation are:

Infants 400 IU
Children 400-1000 IU
Adults 1000-5000 IU

(Higher doses may be suggested temporarily to bring levels into normal range, but should be monitored since Vitamin D can be toxic at high levels. Vitamin D above 1000IU is considered prescription in Canada.)

- Other factors that modify dose: amount of sunlight exposure, ability to digest fats (vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin), BMI over 30, age (the skin isn't as efficient at capturing and producing it, and the liver and kidneys aren't as great at converting it), medications

Vitamin D plays a critical role in our health in ways that we are only just beginning to understand. I bring it up now because of the overwhelming research to support its value, and the ability for us to control this important predictive health marker, even though not everyone is able to get outside right now.

If you have any questions about how Vitamin D might fit into your own health goals, please ask! My newsletters are for information, awareness and inspiration purposes only.

Yours in health,
Dr. Christa

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3033008
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6119494
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20219962/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27009076
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5067742/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24414552

Steps to Improve Your Mood & Signs to Know if You're Depressed

4/15/2020

Hi <<First Name>>

Here we are, a month into this surreal time, and I'm really at a loss for words. Despite the knowledge that we have a collective experience happening, I still find it hard to process it all.

I usually don't watch the news. I read highlights and stories and journal articles to stay up to date, I check the Weather app and catch the local radio station on my drive to work, but my focus beyond being generally informed is to stay up to date with health topics. Lately though, I'm doing my best to be current with the research, political decisions, restrictions in how I practice and also the wisdom & perspective of respected professionals. It is a lot.

So I reached out to a great friend, who is also a Naturopathic Doctor, last night. We video chatted for almost two hours. (Which is how long it takes when you have work, family, personal feelings and the meaning of life to get through). As an extrovert and self-proclaimed social butterfly, she thrives on people and is majorly feeling the lack of physical connections right now. She admitted that she is experiencing depression, which she never has felt before in her life.

Before all this went down, it was thought that 1 in 3 people would experience anxiety or depression at some time in their lives. Of course, I think that number will go up a lot higher now. Not everyone who feels depressed or anxious has a triggering event that they can pinpoint, but our current situation is putting a lot of people in that space.

It actually can be hard to recognize yourself, but here are some things to watch for:

Signs to Indicate Depression or Low Affect

fatigue
trouble concentrating
inability to make decisions
feelings of worthlessness, guilt or helplessness
loss of interest
sleep changes - insomnia or sleeping too much
pessimism and hopelessness
change in appetite (overeating or no desire for food)
sad feelings
negative outlook
digestive issues
low libido
headaches, other pains
increased substance use
dark thoughts

It can be hard to recognize these signs within yourself, which is why I'm providing you this list so that you can check in with your own feelings and behaviours, and also keep an eye on those close to you. Your friends and family members could be dropping you clues about how their sleep or eating habits have changed, for example.

A low mood or depression are common responses to life changes and grief - two things that we are all going through right now.

Here are some things we can do to boost our mood:

Practice gratitude to focus on staying positive
- e.g. journal something you are grateful for each day
Talk to someone and maintain connections
- friends, family, and therapists (lots are doing online or phone visits)
Turn the corners of your mouth up
- replicating a smile can create a smile and brighten your spirit (your muscles feed back to your brain to tell you that you're happy - weird, eh? Try it.)
Walking, especially in nature if that's available to you
- get Vitamin D
- envision the forest absorbing your thoughts, and hug a tree
Help someone or ask for help
- divide up household responsibilities
- do a porch drop off for someone
Stay in a routine
- try to get up and go to bed at the same time every day, eat at roughly the same times, etc.
Eat foods high in...
- Omega-3s: sardines, salmon, mackerel, hemp & chia seeds, walnuts
- folic acid: spinach, avocado, asparagus, beets, broccoli
- antioxidants: berries, bright coloured fruits and veggies
- protein: fish, chicken, beans, lentils, beef
- probiotics: kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut
-> eat whole foods (not processed)
Watch sugar and carbs
- the "white" foods (potatoes/chips, flour, bread, cookies, candy/sugar) cause a quick improvement in mood by triggering serotonin (and an opoid-like response) but it quickly dissipates
-> other starches like sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, squash are preferable options
Monitor your inputs
- phone use, news, technology/screens
- balance with positive messages (e.g. follow some inspiring social media pages, look for goodness, create boundaries with negative talk)
Extras
- There is a lot of great research on Fish oil, Vitamin D, Probiotics, B vitamins, St John's Wort (pictured above- it's a happy looking yellow flower, isn't it?), Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Lavender, and many other mood supports. It's best to be guided when selecting these treatments to get the best match because there can be contraindications (I can help with this).

Furthermore, it has been said that mental health will be the next health crisis we face, so I believe that it's important for us to really focus on our emotional wellbeing as much as possible.

Remember that you can't "fix" someone, their feelings aren't personal, they aren't lazy or unmotivated. If you've never been there, you likely won't be able to fully understand, but you can always be kind.

Warning signs to think about - here's a link for yourself or someone you suspect needs support (Dufferin help line, a number to text and resources from Crisis Service Canada)

Warmly,
Dr. Christa

The Effects of Stress and Other Things

4/6/2020

You may not feel stressed - some people are really enjoying the changes in our new routines: sleeping in, not rushing to make lunches, daily walks, cooking at home (yay!). Yet, there are plenty of other people who are just as busy or busier than before, concerned about money, worried about loved ones working without proper protection, wondering how long this will last. Regardless of which camp you fall into, there's no denying that the energy of our current climate carries the weight of the unknown.

I've written to you many times before about strategies that can help you to cope with stress and busy lives. Here are just a few of those posts:

Let's be honest, many of us went into this mess just barely hanging on and this is putting people over the edge. Our stress response, while clever, is generally much better at helping us when there is a physical threat - a quick reaction on the highway, or more historically, meeting a bear in the woods. Elevating our heart rate, diverting blood flow, sharpening our reactions, and increasing focus are all incredibly useful responses if we need to act fast to run away from danger.

Our present day stressors more often tend to be of the emotional nature: fear, worry, heavy workload, busy schedules. We have been living in a chronic state of fight or flight or freeze, and now we have a new level of uncertainty.

A Note About Kids
A lot of parent I've spoken with have mentioned that their kids are doing surprisingly well under the circumstances. Watch the emotions of children carefully and choose your words mindfully, they don't always have the understanding or vocabulary to let us know when they are confused or internalizing emotions. There are plenty of online resources and articles about this, but one thing the experts are agreeing upon is that this will be a defining childhood moment. In many cases, kids have lost their outlets, supports, and routines (friends, lessons, school, activities). This is a great opportunity to help them develop other good coping strategies and understand their feelings, as we do the same for ourselves.

Adults
It is important to do our best to deal with the acute stress we are feeling now, in order to lessen the impact of chronic stress down the road. Different people resonate with a variety of tactics, but I encourage you to strike a balance of getting things out and resting (e.g. going for a run or lifting weights paired with a nighttime bath, tapping or meditation). If you are feeling overwhelmed, depressed or anxious, please reach out so that we can plan a way to support you best. Or, if you're someone that is working around the clock right now (thank you so much!), I can suggest ways to stimulate your energy levels in a heathy way to keep you going.

Other Signs of Stress
Even if you don't feel stressed, your body could be responding to it or showing signs in different ways. As we divert nutrients and hormones towards stress pathways we inevitably have less resources for other things that our body deems not as important in the short term; or we could have symptoms that occur or worsen as a byproduct of an active stress response.

What else can be affected:

period changes
eating differently / cravings
loose or sluggish bowels
cognition
sleep
flare-up of autoimmune conditions
mood disruption
indigestion
heartburn
muscle tension
blood pressure
acne flares

Don't feel like you've failed if you have a return of old symptoms or new things are coming up for you right now. This is very common when your body is under pressure, but we can always troubleshoot and establish a plan of action.

Three themes that have been coming up over an over when navigating our current situation:
1. Gratitude
2. Focus on the present as much as possible
3. Take care of yourself, and pay attention to the things you can control in your daily life

I'm grateful to have had an opportunity to rediscover a few self care tactics, and also introduce them to my kids. Last night actually, I made myself a foot bath (hot water, salt, apple cider vinegar, 2 drops of lavender), which was incredibly lovely until my sons wanted to try it. At first I was frustrated with the interruption, and then I remembered that they need to learn to take care of themselves too. So, I nurtured their curiosity and we all did it while we watched a movie.

I've also been alternating between yoga and running, with an evening meditation to help get ready for bedtime. I've been prioritizing sleep, and I feel with all the extra stuff lately other people have been needing much more of it too - just go with it.

Missing hugs and all of you,
Dr. Christa

P.S. Please let me know if I can support you in any other way, or if there are topics you'd like me to address in my clinic newsletters. I'm still available for phone appointments, and video is an option now too. We're doing our best to keep the dispensary full, but if you'd prefer to shop online that's also an option.

The Caterpillar & the Butterfly

Are you getting cold sores?

Do You Know All the Ways that Vitamin D Improves Your Health?

Steps to Improve Your Mood & Signs to Know if You're Depressed

The Effects of Stress and Other Things

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The Caterpillar & the Butterfly

Are you getting cold sores?

Do You Know All the Ways that Vitamin D Improves Your Health?

Steps to Improve Your Mood & Signs to Know if You're Depressed

The Effects of Stress and Other Things

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