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You Belong Here
Naturopathic medicine and the world of wellness can seem exclusive in the eyes of some people. It can feel intimidating or like it’s only for people who look a certain way, speak a certain way or have specific beliefs.
What do you picture when you think of the type of person who sees a naturopathic doctor? Do you imagine that they’re young, super thin, wearing fancy matching athletic clothes, sipping on kale smoothies throughout the day? Do you imagine that they are spending their days at yoga retreats, wearing handmade skirts and rejecting all modern science? I hope in this short article I can assure you that these stereotypes aren’t true and that naturopathic medicine is for everyone.
Most of the women I see are regular people from right here in the Greater Toronto Area. They’re moms, professionals and/or students just living normal lives. They’re interested in feeling better and getting healthier but they’re busy and need plans that are practical and can fit into their lives. I see anxious moms, overworked teachers, burnt out masters students, perimenopausal professionals - all kinds of people. I don’t want any of them to feel like they don’t belong because they do.
Sometimes, culture comes into play and people feel like naturopathic medicine is only for certain cultures. They might think something along the lines of “our people don’t do all this wellness stuff.” I’ve heard that from people in my own culture. That’s also an incorrect stereotype. Whether your ancestors are from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America - anywhere - all humans have ancestors who valued nature and used food and herbs as medicine. All cultures belong. Medicine is part of the human experience - and this is especially true for natural medicine.
So the next time you feel like you don’t belong at that gym or in that health food store or at that naturopathic doctor’s office, please think again. You belong here.
Feeling Nervous? Lavender May Help
When you’re feeling nervous and scared, you want to make use of as many tips and tricks as you can to feel more at peace. Simple tips that you can add into your day can make a surprising difference.
Lavender was historically used to help people fall asleep. People would put a few pieces of lavender under their pillow before bed in the hopes of having a better night’s rest. Lavender may also be helpful for reducing symptoms of anxiety. Aromatherapy using lavender essential oil is a super easy way to make use of this herb during times of stress and anxiousness.
Most of the research on lavender aromatherapy is in hospital settings. Small studies have found that it can help calm anxiety before operations, during labour or before medical tests. That being said, many patients find it useful in other anxiety-provoking situations like going into a meeting or during a tense day.
The nice thing about aromatherapy is that it’s easy to do and it’s relatively safe as there are fewer concerns about interactions with medications and health conditions (although you should always double check with your naturopathic doctor). You don’t even have to get an expensive diffuser. You can just put a few drops of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball and keep it near enough to you that you can smell it.
It’s one small thing that can be added into your life to bring you some inner calm. For a list of foods that can help reduce anxiety levels, click HERE.
Focus on Mental Health to Reduce Heartburn
Heartburn from acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) can seriously interfere with your quality of life. It can make the very thought of eating or drinking a trigger food a source of distress. Going to bed at night can start to become something you dread because you know a burning stomach and chest will be keeping you up for a large chunk of the night. Not only are these symptoms annoying, acid reflux can lead to inflammation in the esophagus which, if left unchecked, can have more concerning consequences.
Acid reflux is often a stubborn thing to manage. It requires tackling the situation from a number of different angles. Mindfulness mediation is one of those angles that is starting to be explored by researchers. While there are multiple promising studies on mindfulness for IBS, research on how mindfulness can improve acid reflux symptoms is still emerging. Hopefully more, larger studies will be coming out in the near future. That being said, there is minimal risk in starting mindfulness meditation, and much to be gained even beyond potential benefits to your reflux symptoms.
A number of studies have found an association between acid reflux symptoms and anxiety. Researchers are proposing that stress and anxiety management should be included into treatment plans for acid reflux. As a naturopathic doctor with a practice that focuses strongly on mental health, I constantly see improvements in digestive symptoms when strategies like mindfulness meditation are prescribed to patients.
But how can stress and anxiety lead to acid reflux? Acid reflux can happen when the barrier between the stomach and the esophagus is not working well enough. The barrier is not doing a good job of staying closed when it should, so acid sloshes back up from the stomach to the esophagus. It’s possible that increased anxiety and stress can interfere with the effectiveness of this barrier. High stress and anxiety could also make you more sensitive to the sensation of acid in the esophagus.
In practice, I encourage all of my patients with these symptoms to practice at least 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation and deep belly breathing daily. I also encourage additional meditation or belly breathing during episodes of heartburn. When combined with other recommendations, adding stress management into the mix may be a key way to get a better handle on heartburn.