Lullaby Lavender

What's your favorite flower? Tulips are mine favorite appearance-wise, though in terms of health and therapeutic benefit, lavender is my healing flower of choice. 

Tulips surrounded by blue flowers that look a lot like lavender

Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is a versatile plant: you can eat it, smell it, and apply it topically. It is antiinflammatory (can be applied topically to acne when diluted with rosewater), a nervine (soothes the nerves; great to sniff when stressed), is anxiolytic (meaning it helps decrease anxiety), and assists with sleep (sleep with some dried lavender under your pillow (keep the buds contained in a sachet; I bought my sachet of dried lavender in the South of France, a place where lavender grows like weeds!) or spray some lavender essential oil (that has been mixed with water) into the bedroom before hitting the sack). 

Lavender infused foods (here is a raw lavender tart recipe) and drinks, like lemonade and tea are quite tasty too. When cooking with lavender, just make sure you buy food grade buds. I've got some lavender to use up, so you can expect a lavender baked good recipe on the blog soon.  

Music to the Madness

In a perfect world, we'd all have lots of down time, meditate, relax more, and be less stressed. But everyone is so busy, go-go-go, and strapped for time. There is little time to kick up your feet and meditate. Recently a patient I saw while shadowing complained of stress and fatigue, but absolutely could not slow down due to family demands and long-work hours. My suggestion to slow down without actually slowing down: play soft music in the background. 

Add some music to your madness!

When life is so busy, you can at least try playing calming, soothing music in the background. Even if physically you aren't on the coach relaxing, a part of your brain will be able to unwind with the soft tunes. Subconsciously  on some brain level, you'll be relaxing with the help of the music.

Music suggestions: audio meditations (may work in some situations), ocean sounds, nature sounds, orchestra music, classical music, or instrumental music.  If none of these examples interest you, then play your favorite music (only music that gets you in your happy place; nothing too upbeat or fast, however). The more calming and soothing the better.

Monday Morning Dangers

It's beginning to feel like Spring here in Toronto! Today is 12*C and partially sunny. With daylight savings occurring today, that means we'll get to enjoy this sunshine thanks to more daytime hours.

With that said, please be careful driving to work tomorrow. The morning after the Spring daylight savings time adjustment is one of the most dangerous times to drive, as I discussed last year.

Secondly, because tomorrow is Monday, be extra easy on yourself, as research shows that the incidence of heart attacks is highest on Monday mornings. This paper concludes that: "The incidence of sudden cardiac death is markedly increased on Monday". 

The day after daylight savings plus the fact that it is a Monday = one very dangerous day

So take care of yourself tomorrow morning, dear reader. Take care! 

Salty Suds

Epsom salts (which aren't actually salt but minerals, specifically magnesium sulfate) are salts that when added to bath water. They help relax, physically and mentally, by relaxing both the mind and muscles (see below for a more thorough explanation). The use of Epsom salts originated from observing the use natural mineral baths or soaking in hot springs to treat conditions in Europe.

Directions: Simply add a 1 cup (or 2) of the salts to a warm bath. Those with high blood pressure or those taking blood thinning medications should talk to their doctor before initiating this treatment.

Mental Effects: The body's magnesium levels get depleted during stress, causing fatigue both mentally and physically. When the salts are dissolved in the bath water, they are absorbed through the skin. When absorbed, they increased the level of magnesium in the body. Magnesium is a cofactor in the enzymatic reaction that produces serotonin. Serotonin is a bodily chemical that helps regulate our mood and improves overall energy.

Physical Effects: Magnesium is a known muscle relaxant. When absorbed into the skin from the bath water, the magnesium relaxes the muscles, making Epsom salt baths great for menstrual cramps, sports injuries, body pain, upper body muscle tension, and even constipation (especially if the constipation is linked to stress and an inability to "let go").

I was at Dollarama last month and saw them on the shelf for $1! So they are an extremely cheap treatment option. The one at Dollarama something looked like this:

Source here. 

Around the time that I saw these cheap (and effective!) salts at the dollar-store, was also when I had a disagreement with a teaching assistant (TA) over the cost effectiveness of naturopathic medicine.

I had said "Naturopathic Medicine is very cost effective" and the TA thought this was false. I still disagree. While some naturopathic treatments can yes be very costly and while seeing an ND ($100-150 for the initial visit, $80-100 for follow-up visits) is pricey, a good ND should be following the doctor as teacher principle: teaching the patient ways to take care of their health without relying in their ND for every ache and pain for the rest of their life. There are many, many frugal and sustainable health tips that a doctor can teach a patient during the first few visits that the patient can use throughout the rest of their life. Take my Naturopathic Pantry post for instance. Once a patient has been educated and guided by their doctor about simple and cheap home remedies, and aside from follow-up appointments with the ND, naturopathic medicine should be very cost effective as it relies heavily on lifestyle changes, and using items straight from nature to heal.

Next year, students will complete rotations in clinics that serve low-income and even homeless individuals. If we are able to help these patients, then cost-effective treatment strategies must exist!

Anywho, just my thoughts now. I'm curious to see how my outlook on the cost-effectiveness of my profession may change as I enter clinic starting in May!

Setting Intentions & Giving Gratitude

More de-stressing and mood boosting mental exercises today. These are also courtesy of my clinic intern!

Exercise 1: Start your day off right by setting intentions

Set the tone of your day by setting your day's intentions when you wake up in the morning. Right when you wake up, while you are snoozing and procrastinating getting out of bed, think about what kind of day you want to have. Set your intentions by defining the type of day you want to have. Will it be an active day? A stress-less day? A fun-loving day? A motivated day? A family-focused day? Etc, etc...

Exercise 2: Sleep better after giving gratitude

You may improve your sleep if you make happy thoughts be the last thing you think about before falling asleep. Achieve these happy thoughts by giving gratitude while lying in bed at night. You can give gratitude by answering these questions: What made you smile? What are you thankful for? What  about today made you proud? What did you do well? Etc, etc...

Squared Breathing

Exams start Monday, yikes! I was feeling a bit anxious this week and so my intern at the school's teaching clinic recommended I try this squared breathing technique to calm myself whenever I'm feeling super anxious to calm myself down. By focusing on our breath, we take ourselves 'out of our mind' temporarily. Breathing exercises like this one have been shown to help people to acutely decrease their stress and anxiety.

Directions:

Imagine that you are tracing a square with your breath (see the drawing above for an exam). Breathe in/inhale over the course of 4 seconds, then hold the breath for 4 seconds, then breathe out/exhale over the course of 4 seconds, then hold for 4 seconds before taking the next breath in. Repeat as necessary.