Beating Brain Fog and Improving Focus

Brain fog is not a medical term but it’s a term that nicely captures something that many people experience. Brain fog is that feeling of being spaced out and struggling to focus and engage. Have you ever read a book or listened to someone talk for several minutes only to realize that you didn’t absorb anything? Do you feel like you’re perpetually lost in thought? These are common signs of brain fog. When you have brain fog you might forget what you were just about to say or do, or whether you locked the door or packed your water bottle. It can leave you feeling disconnected from the world around you. These little mental slips are normal to an extent but if they’re starting to interfere with your quality of life it may be worth doing something about it.

If things feel like they’re getting out of hand, it’s important to discuss these issues with a health care provider who can assess for potential underlying causes like thyroid dysfunction, anemia, depression, anxiety, ADHD, digestive conditions or cognitive disorders.

Here are some important concepts that can help to improve your focus and clear some of that brain fog:

Mindfulness: You might feel like all this talk about mindfulness is getting repetitive, but useful things are worth repeating. I’m not only talking about doing meditation sessions (which is valuable), I’m also talking about doing your everyday tasks mindfully. Living mindfully involves focusing on one thing at a time rather that scattering your focus in a million different directions. If you’re watching TV, just watch TV. If you’re speaking to someone, just speak to them. If you’re writing something, just write. Don’t try to do these things while also texting, planning your response, thinking about something unrelated, checking emails etc. Practice single minded focus.

Nutrition: Many of my patients notice a huge improvement in their mental clarity when we clean up their diet. This usually involves reducing foods that spike blood sugar, moderating excessive carb/grain intake and increasing protein, good fats and nutrient-packed produce.

Exercise: Mental clarity is one of the first things to improve when you start increasing your exercise. The general recommendation is 150 minutes/week of aerobic exercise. This is the kind of exercise that gets you breathing faster to the point where it would be hard to sing if you wanted to or you have to pause to breathe when you try to talk.

Supplements: When relevant, I will sometimes use supplements to help people struggling with brain fog. My choices vary depending on the case. I will recommend certain supplements based on nutritional deficiencies, hormonal irregularities, digestive health and other components of your health history. But don’t just jump straight to the supplements and ignore the lifestyle things I mentioned above.

If you want a custom-fit plan for your brain fog so you can start interacting with the world with a fresh, clear mind, reach out to me and we can start bringing you back into focus.

Why I Became a Naturopathic Doctor

I think it all started with reality TV. Weird right? But it’s true. I actually think the concept of holistic health was first introduced to me through makeover shows on TV that I would watch as a kid and teen. I especially liked the shows that worked on a full inside-out transformation. You know, the ones that gave the lucky person new clothes, new hair and makeup and also a new diet plan, exercise routine, new daily habits and coaching for an improved mindset. I don’t even remember watching a lot of these shows but I guess the ones that I did watch left a lasting impression. They made me passionate about the idea of transformation.

In late elementary school and throughout high school I would create little “wellness” programs for myself. I never called them that at the time. It was just something fun to do for myself. I would write down goals about what healthy foods I would eat, what daily habits I wanted to incorporate, what herbal remedies I’d have and how I would exercise.

In high school and during my undergrad at the University of Toronto, I became fascinated with traditional medicine. I learned about traditional Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine on my own and I took history of medicine courses where I learned about ancient Greek and other traditional European medical systems. There was something that all of these old systems had in common: they were all holistic. They all treated “the whole person”. It wasn’t only about a single pill or formula. Although single remedies played an important role, they were incorporated into a broader plan. Dietary changes were prescribed. Daily habits and routines were organized for patients carefully. Special attention was given to optimizing sleep, improving the surrounding environment and cultivating inner tranquility. Adjustments in diet and routines were even made based on the seasons of the year. It all seemed so comforting, so soothing, healing and restorative.

But for the most part, my interest was just a hobby for me. It was just interesting stuff for me to read about, experiment with and talk about with my parents and sister. My family found these things interesting and were always supportive. My mom would let me make little health programs for her. My dad brewed up herbal concoctions and was always trying new natural remedies (and still is). My sister’s work in public health was a reminder that health and wellness is a multifaceted thing that needs to be addressed at all levels. All of their support and interest kept the passion for this field alive for me.

Then finally, during my undergrad, I was given the key to my profession. An MD with a passion for integrative medicine did a guest lecture and a course on integrative medicine at the university. Integrative medicine involves different types of health care providers working together. He mentioned naturopathic medicine a couple of times. I did some research about naturopathic medicine and quickly came to the realization that my passion wouldn’t have to remain a hobby. There was actually a profession where I could put my passion into practice. And the rest was history.

I guess the qualities of a naturopathic doctor have been wired into me for a long time. There always has been (and I think always will be) controversy surrounding the field of “complementary and alternative medicine.” As someone who loathes conflict and controversy this can make it hard at times for me to stand tall in this field. But when I remind myself of everything that pointed me in this direction, I don’t think there could be any other profession more suited for me than a naturopathic doctor.

Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

How is winter treating you? Many Canadians are not loving the dark mornings and early sunsets. For some, winter is a pain but it’s tolerable. For others, the season can really bring them down and they can’t seem to shake their winter blues.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a feeling of depression that happens consistently during a particular season. It can happen during any season, but winter-SAD seems to be the most common. These changes in mood are believed to be triggered by changes in sunlight during the season. This change in light affects your internal clock as well as some of the chemicals in your brain that regulate your mood.

SAD can make you feel depressed, change your appetite, interfere with your sleep, lower your energy and just slow you down in general.

Light therapy is considered a core treatment strategy for SAD. It helps to combat some of the negative changes that happen in some people in response to changes in the season. It’s considered a safe therapy but it’s always important to speak to a healthcare provider before starting any new treatment.

Some risks involved with light therapy are: irritation to the eyes, interactions with certain health conditions (eye disorders, lupus, skin conditions etc.), and interactions with some medications and supplements.

Many public libraries offer light therapy lamps so be sure to contact your local library about this service. Some people purchase their own light therapy lamps. The most common type of lamp used is called a light box that emits 10,000 lux. Those who use light boxes are typically advised to sit in front of the lamp for 30 minutes during the daytime (preferably morning) doing some sort of activity like reading or relaxing without staring directly into the light. These are not regulated devices so it’s important to choose carefully. You can learn more about safely selecting a light box here: https://cet.org/how-to-select-a-light-box/

There are many natural options for managing mood whether your mood is affected by the season or not. Be sure to seek out the help and the resources you need to feel good all year long.

Anti-Aging Foods for Your Skin

I’m going to take a detour from my usual posts about mental health and focus on another area that I work with: skin health. Since I do facial acupuncture regularly, I often get asked what foods can promote anti-aging. More and more people want to work on skin anti-aging from the inside in addition to working on it from the outside. Research in this area is still growing but the good news is that most of the dietary recommendations that reduce aging in the skin are also good for your overall health.

One study done in 2007 on 4000 American women in their 40s-70s found that women who had a higher dietary intake of vitamin C had fewer wrinkles. Some good sources of vitamin C in the diet are citrus fruits (obviously), bell peppers (any colour), guava (a very rich source), rosehips and blackcurrants but vitamin C is found in many other fruits and vegetables.

This same study also found that women who ate more linoleic acid in their diet were less likely to experience the drying out and thinning of the skin that often happens with age. Linoleic acid can be found in things like vegetables oil, nuts (like walnuts), seeds and soybeans.

A more recent study done on about 3000 Caucasian women ages 45-60 found that higher dietary intake of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and EPA was associated with fewer signs of aging in the skin. These are both omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is a great source of ALA but this fatty acid is also in walnuts and soy as well as some other foods. EPA is mainly found in fish – especially anchovies, mackerel, oysters, salmon and whitefish.

High fruit and vegetable consumption in general helps slow aging of the skin. It’s hard to find studies on what fruits and vegetables have been shown to be useful. Some sources recommend things like avocados, dark leafy greens, berries, orange vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots and pineapples.

Things you should consider limiting in your life to keep your skin youthful are sugar, alcohol and excessive caloric intake. These things are popular in the anti-aging research right now.

If you would like to learn more about how naturopathic medicine can help you age well book a free 15-minute consultation today.

Vitamin B12: What You Should Know

Having enough B12 can make a big difference in how well you feel. Here are some quick facts about vitamin B12 that you should know about. Knowledge is power - especially when it comes to your health.  

Dietary Sources

Animal protein like fish and meat

Dairy and eggs

Fortified foods and drinks (e.g. some soy-based meat substitutes and beverages)

Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency

Note: you don’t have to have all of these symptoms to have low B12 levels (you don’t even have to have any of these symptoms).

Fatigue

Abnormal CBC results with blood work – this is often the first way that a B12 deficiency is discovered

Heart palpitations

Tongue inflammation

Pallor  

Changes in the skin like loss of pigment or darkening  

Potential impacts on fertility

In more severe cases it can affect the nerves (numbness, tingling), cognitive function and memory

Who’s Most at Risk for Deficiency

Note: Even if you don’t check off anything on this list, you could still have a deficiency. Also, being at risk does not mean you will definitely have a deficiency.

Patients with stomach and colon issues (e.g. surgeries, auto-immune gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease)

Those using certain medications: metformin, some medications for GERD or stomach ulcers

Vegans and vegetarians

Adults over 50-75 years old

Patients with an H.pylori infection

Testing and Results

The “normal” level for B12 varies widely between countries and even depending on which lab you go to! Anything below 150-220 pmol/L could be considered low. But sitting right at the bottom of the normal range doesn’t feel great for many people. I usually like levels to be comfortably above the low end of the reference range.   

Testing B12 isn’t excessively expensive. If your MD tests it, it’s usually covered by OHIP. If I test it, it’s either covered by your workplace/ private health insurance or it’s around $20 out of pocket.

Note that measuring B12 in the blood isn’t a perfect science. If your levels are normal or low-normal but a deficiency is still suspected, other testing may be warranted to confirm deficiency (i.e. testing methylmalonic acid or homocysteine). This extra testing is on the pricey side.  

Supplements: Oral Versus Injection

In many cases oral supplementation is just as useful as injections. But injections can have faster results and some people only seem to respond to injections. I wouldn’t consider injections as first line in most cases.  

I’m all about getting our nutrients from the diet over supplements but in the case of B12, absorption is often better via supplements than food. So if you’re deficient, supplements may be the way to go. Many B12 products come in a form that you dissolve under the tongue. We don’t know for sure if this is better than swallowing the pill.  

How Long Until You Feel Better?

Many patients feel better within a week of taking B12 but just because you don’t, doesn’t mean you should stop taking it. It can take several weeks (even a couple months) for CBC blood test results to normalize and for symptoms to improve.

For a free list of foods linked to lowering anxiety, click the link below.

4 Week Stress Release: With Dr. Samantha Dass, Naturopathic Doctor

Stress is an all too common problem in our society. Millions of Canadians report moderate to high stress levels across various surveys. We’re stressed about work, school, finances, caregiving, health, relationships and what the future holds for us. I ask almost all of my patients what their stress management strategies are and the majority of them say they don’t have any strategic ways to manage their stress. Some people have a couple strategies that help them feel more calm (like exercise or listening to music) but they wish they were doing more to deal with stress.

It’s easy to feel like there’s nothing you can do about your stress – that it’s just a normal part of life to be stressed out all the time. Life is busy and we all have numerous responsibilities to juggle right? But even if you can’t change stressful situations that you’re in, you can still increase your ability to cope with stress and feel better in the midst of the stress around you.

So many patients have come to me asking for stress management help and that is why I created the 4 Week Stress Release Program. It’s designed to help those who want to manage their stress better. It’s an individualized, easily implemented protocol of acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, diet and lifestyle interventions to help bring some calm into your life.

Imagine a weekly escape to a relaxing acupuncture session. For the first part of the acupuncture session, I’ll guide you through building your natural stress management plan. The remainder of the acupuncture session will be a time of quiet and deep relaxation. You’ll be on a heated table with diffused essential oils and calming music around you. Your acupuncture points will be selected specifically for stress reduction and relaxation. Here is a breakdown of the topics that we’ll cover at the start of each session:

Week 1 – Assess your stress levels and implement carefully selected herbal and nutritional supplement support tailored to your health history and the symptoms you’re experiencing.

Week 2 – Build in science-backed habits for stress reduction.  

Week 3 – Optimize your diet to give your body the nutrition you need to cope with stress.

Week 4 – Reassess stress levels, come up with a maintenance plan and connect to other resources.

If you have a jam-packed, busy lifestyle, you might be worried about how you’ll have the time to implement these recommendations. Don’t worry. I always meet my patients where they’re at and make sure my recommendations are realistic for their lifestyle.

This program may be a good fit for you if you can relate to any one of these:

• You feel like you’re constantly stressed out.

• You want to manage the physical and emotional effects of stress (bowel and stomach issues, acne, eczema flare ups, hair loss, depression, insomnia, anxiety, irregular menstrual cycles etc.)

• You’re going through a stressful period (e.g. preparing for a big event, dealing with a difficult situation).

• You feel like you need more stress management support than what you’re currently doing.

• You need help building stress management strategies into your life.

• You have a good handle on your stress levels and you want to make sure you maintain that.

• You want to make use of your naturopathic medicine benefits in a way that will make a difference in your quality of life.

We all know that stress can take a toll on how we feel both physically and mentally. Getting a handle on your stress can take you from feeling like you’re struggling to make it through the day to feeling more balanced, more at peace and happier in your day to day life.

This is covered under your naturopathic medicine benefits. The duration of the program and frequency of visits can be modified to suit your needs. Book a free 15-minute consultation to find out more.

Can This Diet Help Your Anxiety?

Treating anxiety is never a one-solution problem. But every useful strategy that we incorporate into a treatment plan can bring you one step closer to better managing your mental health. Diet is one strategy that is often overlooked in anxiety cases.

Two studies published earlier this year explore how the Mediterranean diet impacts anxiety and depression. A study published in Nutritional Neuroscience looked at over 3000 adults and found that those who adhered most closely to a Mediterranean diet had lower odds of psychological disorders like anxiety and depression compared to those who did not follow the Mediterranean diet closely.

But what part of this diet is really the most helpful for mental health? A study published this year in the European Journal of Nutrition aimed to answer this question. It was found that having more non-refined grains (e.g. whole grains) and more fruits and vegetables were associated with lower severity of depression, anxiety and fear.

An older study found that the DASH diet was associated with lower odds of anxiety and depression. The DASH diet has a lot of similarities to the Mediterranean diet. It involves high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and healthy grains and limitations on dairy, sweets, sodium, red and processed meats. Other older studies looking at various populations around the world have come to similar conclusions with the most common pattern being that more fruits and vegetables and less refined grains are important. The overall pattern of the diet is likely important too.  

At this point, there are not enough studies where researchers actually put depressed and anxious people on these types of diets and monitor their symptoms. Nutrition is complicated and difficult to study in this way, but fingers crossed we’ll get more positive trials like this in the future.

A good diet plan needs to incorporate your personal preferences, your schedule and your lifestyle. I always discuss diet with my patients when managing anxiety and depression. I often connect patients with local dietitians who can help them see what their meals will look like if they incorporate certain changes into their diet. It takes teamwork and multiple different strategies to thoroughly address mood disorders. Thorough treatment is what you deserve.   

Facial Acupuncture for Pimples, Acne and Scarring

Facial acupuncture has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s something that I have incorporated into my practice because skin health can be a significant source of stress for people. One of the most popular conditions I treat with facial acupuncture is acne and acne discolouration scars (dark spots and red spots). I’ve seen facial acupuncture calm down active acne - i.e. reduce the number and intensity of pimples but I find it’s also great for correcting uneven skin tone from scarring.

Pimples come and go but one of the most frustrating things about acne is the dark or red marks that get left behind once the pimples go away. Many of my patients find facial acupuncture is helpful for reducing these spots of discolouration. After a few sessions, most patients report back to me that their skin looks more vibrant, more even, and that it feels softer and healthier.

The awesome thing about being a naturopathic doctor is that we never just focus on the skin when it comes to pimples. There are so many contributing factors to acne such as hormones, diet and stress. At each facial acupuncture session, I make sure we address these underlying factors so that we’re treating your acne from the inside as well as the outside.

Many of my acne patients find that they break out more in response to high stress. Because mental health is a core focus of my practice, using acupuncture to manage stress and anxiety is an obvious choice for me. During a facial acupuncture session, I’ll often include acupuncture points that promote relaxation and stress reduction. 

If facial acupuncture sounds interesting to you but you’re new to acupuncture or hesitant about it, read my FAQ article on facial acupuncture by clicking HERE. The more you know, the more comfortable you’ll feel diving into treatment.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to clear your skin up without satisfying results, facial acupuncture may be the perfect next step for you.