Naturopathic Treatment Archives - Naturopathic Medicine Dr. Lynn Mikel

Detox Group November 2013

Posted on November 5, 2013February 28, 2015 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Congratulations for stepping up and making a commitment to eat healthy for the next three weeks! Motivation for doing the group for the first, second, third, even forth time for some, is to keep learning and being empowered to be our best and live our best lives!

Suffering is a good motivator for change but feeling good is an even better motivator for continued change and growth in personal empowerment! My intention for this group is: Educate as to how food makes us sick and how it can keep us healthy.

Empower group members to make goals and reach them.

Offer the group an opportunity to see how a group can add support and be an opportunity to support others to be seen, to be heard, and to be cared for.

To bring the invitation for you to bring your spiritual values into your life with food and others.

We will share recipes and food ideas with one another on the blog and everyone will add tasty new cooking ideas to keep them motivated to incorporate whole food into a lifestyle.

Soup that we enjoyed this first evening:

6 cups cubed squash ( organic, cleaned and cubed… Costco)
1 head cauliflower
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 head Kale
2 cups mushrooms
3 boxes Carrot Ginger Soup

Put Squash in a bowl and toss liberally with olive oil. Spread on baking sheet and cook 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut Cauliflower into small like sized pieces. Toss liberally with olive oil. Spread on baking sheet and cook 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile… in large soup pan saute chopped onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes or so. Add boxed soup and keep warming. Once hot add roasted vegetables and chopped kale. Add seasoning to taste: red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, etc. ( any other combination of vegetables can be use such as zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, cabbage, green onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes)

Soups are often good to make enough for a few meals. Heat the portion needed for each meal separately to keep vegetables from overcooking.

Baked Apples:

8 large apples: peel, pare and cube. Toss liberally with coconut oil. Spread on baking sheet and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice. Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy warm or cooled.

Healthy Digestion

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Healthy Digestion
To a Naturopath, healthy digestion is the cornerstone to health. “You are what you eat” and “You are what you don’t eliminate.” Digestion, absorption, and elimination are what makes up our body, what fuels our metabolism, metabolic processes, and what creates our immune system.
Optimal digestion depends on adequate enzyme production in the stomach and small intestines, a healthy mucosal cell lining in the G.I. tract including adequate immune cell protection, proper assimilation, and elimination.
When digestion is inadequate it robs the body of vital nutrient building blocks for all vital processes. Proteins are needed to build tissue and are the building block for neurotransmitters, the communication system of the nervous system. All cells have an outer lipid (fat) membrane which is the control panel for all metabolic processes. Fat also provides the myelin surrounding nerve cells and is responsible for nerve conduction. All hormones begin with a fat molecule in the form of cholesterol. How hormones function and the efficiency as to how they are broken down is dependent on the amount and quality of fat in the diet and how well it is absorbed. Carbohydrates are broken down to glucose and provide energy.
What is not broken down and absorbed must be eliminated from the G.I. tract and what is not eliminated or absorbed efficiently becomes a source of toxic waste for the body to deal with. Food may sit in the digestive tract too long when enzyme production is inadequate, absorption is inadequate, and transit time is too slow. As a result the rotting food gradually becomes a source of irritation to the cells lining the digestive system. Inflammation can begin weakening the intestinal lining that normally maintains a barrier to keep large molecules from entering the blood stream. The term that has been used to describe this is “leaky gut syndrome.” As large food molecules gradually make their way into the blood stream it becomes a stress on immune system to clean them up and break them down. Food proteins can be recognized as foreign and stimulate the production of antibodies. An overproduction of antibodies has been hypothesized as a possible contributor to food allergies and autoimmune diseases. Antibodies produced from abnormal proteins of digestion in some way get confused and begin to set up an attack on various tissues of the body. Another stress these abnormally large molecules create is to the liver. The liver is the organ of detoxification and anything in the blood that is not supposed to be there is broken down and eliminated through complex chemical reactions that require a large source of nutrients and energy. As the liver already has a big job protecting us from toxic exposure in the air, water, and foods we eat, undigested food proteins become a burden that often over-saturates its capacity. Toxins that cannot be handled end up stored in fat cells. Weight gain is often not always the result of eating the wrong food or even too much food but of an ineffective digestive system.
Poor digestive function and overwhelmed liver function cause a cascade of problems and stress to other organ systems and functions in the body such as stress to the adrenal and thyroid glands which regulate metabolism, stress hormones, and blood sugar. An overactive immune system and excess proteins in the blood stream can create acidity which contributes to inflammation everywhere, there again contributing to problems like arthritis and heart disease.
Conditions that indicate the digestive system is impaired include heartburn or reflux, ulcers, irritable bowel, constipation/diarrhea but also can be associated with other problems like inflammatory joint disease and allergies. Working on improving digestion, healing and strengthening the mucosal cells lining the digestive tract, and eating a diet that promotes good digestion and metabolism are some of treatment goals for almost any digestive complaint or condition. Optimizing digestive function and health will also prevent the chronic progression of many other disease processes. Digestive enzymes are a good place to begin improving digestive function and health. The stomach uses primarily hydrochloric acid to begin the breakdown of primarily protein. Making an acid in the body that tightly regulates pH requires a huge amount of energy and bimolecular resources. People who are depleted, consistently eat a poor diet, and have other health stresses are often deficient in HCL. Inadequate HCL will cause food to sit in the stomach too long where it ferments and causes irritation to the stomach lining. This is one of the most common reasons for heartburn. The small intestines use alkaline enzymes from the pancreas which complete the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. They are also natural anti-inflammatory support for the body. Lower abdominal bloating, cramping, and mild nausea are often symptoms of insufficient pancreatic enzymes.
Dr. Mikel’s experience and education help her formulate individualized treatment approaches, including diet assessment and education for your specific symptoms and underlying cause. Digestive health can be a cornerstone to your future health and ability to heal.Teacher Andrew Cohen made the following observation about the liberating challenge of spiritual evolution:
Evolution is a messy process. So anybody who really wants to make the effort to strive for something new is going to have to be willing to make mistakes, take wrong turns, even to fail, but never give up. The simple truth is this: if not failing is more important to you than genuinely succeeding, you’re never going to make it. If you really want to succeed, then you have to have the big heart, heroic will, tenacity, courage, and commitment to fearlessly engage with the evolutionary process until something profound, mysterious, and extraordinary happens that cannot be undone.

Vitamin D

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Vitamin D

There is much information out recently regarding need for more vitamin D. The importance of vitamin D has been recognized by naturopathic doctors for some time. It is an important vitamin that works like a hormone in the body to direct bone growth, remodeling, and mineralization. It has many other roles in the body including regulating the immune system and inflammation. It plays a role in regulating cell growth, differentiation, and removal of abnormal cells. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with osteoporosis and various autoimmune diseases as well as prostate, breast, and colon cancer. Very few foods contain vitamin D in high amounts.

Foods containing Vitamin D
iu per serving

Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon 1,360iu
Salmon, cooked, 3.5 ounces 360iu
Mackerel, cooked, 3.5 ounces 345iu
Tuna fish, canned in oil, 3 ounces 200iu
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 1.75 ounces 250iu
Milk vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup 98iu
Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon 60iu (not recommended)
Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 0.75-1 cup (more heavily fortified cereals might provide more of the DV) 40iu
Egg, 1 whole (vitamin D is found in yolk) 20iu
Liver, beef, cooked, 3.5 ounces 15iu
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce 12iu

Foods do not adequately supply this important vitamin need. Most people meet this need through sunlight exposure. UVB light waves convert a cholesterol molecule in the skin to a pre-vitamin D3 which then gets modified once in the liver and again in the kidney. Sun exposure to skin is limited in our area by many gray days. It is also limited by our northern latitude where we are further from the sun. Other factors that limit sun exposure are use of sunscreen, smog, and skin pigment.

The best way to test for adequate vitamin D levels is through blood work analysis. The form of Vitamin D to test for is 25(OH)D which is the best reflection of total D vitamin from food, sun, and supplements. Optimal levels are 50-55 ng/mL. I frequently include this when I perform lab work. Most frequent levels found are between 15 and 28. This indicates most people here in Seattle need some additional vitamin D.

The body stores the vitamin in fat cells therefore, if supplementing, could potentially achieve toxic levels. However, patients taking fish oil regularly and even those supplementing 400 to 1000iu for several months or years are still far below optimal levels. My recommendation is to get your levels tested and use a quality supplement of Vitamin D3 not the synthetic Vitamin D2. Current recommendations of 200iu to 600iu are generally much too low. New recommendations of 2000iu to 5000iu may be needed according to some studies. Once supplementation has been started for a few months retesting is recommended to assess levels. Toxicity is possible for an adult at levels over 200 ng/mL. Symptoms of toxicity are nonspecific such as nausea, vomiting, loss appetite, constipation, weakness, weight loss, confusion, and heart rhythm abnormalities.

Dr. Mikel would be happy to test your levels and provide safe recommendations and supervision in your use of vitamin D. Many people who are deficient and start supplementation of D3 report improvement in mood, decrease musculoskeletal pain, improved energy and outlook!

Osteoporosis and Bone Health

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Osteoporosis and Bone Health

Osteoporosis means that there is loss of bone mass and that bones are thinner. It does not necessarily mean that they are more prone to breakage. At the same time, good bone mass does not guarantee bones will not break. The American College of Physicians says: “The majority of women with hip fracture have a density of the hip that is within the normal range.” However, most people see a loss of bone mass after age 40. Women see the greater percentage of decline usually around peri and post menopause. To quote Susan Weed’s Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30 – 90: “For a post-menopausal woman to ask, ‘Osteoporosis, how can I prevent it?’ is like asking ‘How can I prevent the sun from setting each evening?’ When we try to prevent the natural flows of life, we begin to think that these natural processes (such as bone thinning with age and menopause itself) as problems, which we are told we need to ‘cure’ by technological means.” The point is that there is some natural rhythm to this process and some degree of change is “normal.” However, to optimize bone health, especially with the increased possibility of falls as we age and remain active, it is important to look at how to keep bones as healthy as possible!

Weight-bearing exercise can reverse bone loss and increase density. Walking for an hour four times/week and lifting weights can improve bone mass.

Women between 40 and 50 should consider a DEXA or bone density screening test.

Eat Foods Rich in Calcium and Other Minerals To Build Healthy Bones

Green leafy vegetables: Some of the best sources of calcium, as well providing vitamin K and boron needed for healthy bones. Other good sources of minerals include broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, green tea, sea vegetables, yogurt or whey, and seaweed such as kelp.

Micronutrients: selenium, chromium, strontium, copper, boron, silicon, zinc, and cobalt. Good sources: seaweeds, nettles, dandelion, and organic grains and produce.

Good herbs to consider for mineral support: horsetail, nettle leaves, red clover blossoms, raspberry leaves, alfalfa, sage leaves, oat straw seed, and uva ursi leaves.

Avoid soft drinks: Phosphates in soda interfere with calcium solubility in the blood making calcium less available to make bones, teeth, and other structures. Limit pop to a special treat for you and your kids!

Garlic, onions, and eggs: good sources of sulfur and are also needed for healthy bones.

Vitamin D at 1000 to 3000 iu’s per day: assists in calcium utilization for bone.

B6, folic acid, and B12: needed in combination to maintain proper homocysteine levels which is associated with less risk for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.

A Note About Calcium: Proper levels of stomach acid are necessary for calcium absorption. People with low stomach acid should take enzymes or at least use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to acidify their stomach and help with absorption. Anyone on acid blockers (see me fast to get off them!) will have compromised calcium absorption. People on thyroid medicine should not take their medicine with calcium supplements and those on thiazide diuretics may need to keep supplementation a little lower.

The dose of calcium is individual depending on the form of calcium you use to supplement, your digestive health, age, risk factors, and general health. Magnesium is also needed in generous amounts often 1:1 ratio with calcium.

Recommened Products for Bone Health:

Calcium Lactate (from beets most easily absorbed calcium to the blood) from Standard Process
(avoid calcium carbonate it is not easily used and may cause calcifications)
Cal Ma Plus from Standard Process
Biost, Biodent, or Ostraplex from Standard Process
Cal Mag Plus D from Priority One
Trace minerals, Organic Minerals, Min Tran (from sea kelp and alfalfa)
Sun D 3000 from Priority One
High quality fish oil, tuna oil, or flax seed oil

Come in for a thirty minute visit to customize your bone health treatment plan!

Paradigm Shift, Energy Medicine, Quantum Science, Consciousness

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

This month, I would like to share with you a summary I wrote after attending a conference on energy medicine a couple years ago. This topic may be a little esoteric for some but it was exciting to see science confirming, with devices and measurements, the effect of thought and energy on the physical body. Practitioners who work with touch therapies like massage, craniosacral therapy, and acupuncture see the beneficial effects of intention in the results they achieve and now there are instruments to measure physical change! Our mind is perhaps our most powerful tool to create healing. Practice in visualization, considering a best outcome, praying for healing, keeping our thoughts on what we want instead of what we don’t want. . . they all help us step into that realm of possibility that over time becomes the real of probability that can be our reality! Enjoy!

Paradigm Shift, Energy Medicine, Quantum Science, Consciousness

Several years ago I attended a symposium called Paradigm Shift, Energy Medicine, Quantum Science, Consciousness. There is an evolution of awareness that our thoughts truly are creating reality and this symposium brought scientists together to explain, demonstrate, and confirm what more and more people in medicine are experiencing. I will summarize the conference as it had meaning to me with the intention that it may offer you something to think about.

Reality is really a wave of unformed, uncreated, un-originated possibility. Matter or the physical is only one aspect of being. Physical, mental, vital, and bliss are all other states described and it is from these states of consciousness that we mediate the perceived reality. And, we have a choice!

Consciousness and possibility

Quantum collapse

Physical Mental Vital Bliss

Disease is possible at each level and health can be affected through mediation at each level. For example, organs are associated with chakras which are associated with feelings. Real healing and change takes place in quantum leaps. That is, through the assignment of meaning.

Energy medicines such as homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and craniosacral therapy are techniques and medicines that mediate on dimensions of reality beyond the physical. Often there is a concurrent effect on the physical but many times it is more dramatic on some other plane. How we perceive meaning and changes in habits can change what we experience. Creative healing involves the patient and physician in a creative process together making a quantum leap. This is a discontinuous process, an example of which can be seen when an electron moves from one orbit to another. As it jumps, it disappears and then reappears. This is not a linear change. It is quantum.

Life as we know it is more than electrical energy. We are becoming aware and even able to measure magnetic type fields. This magnetism is more subtle and less affected by interference. These fields are not linear and not in space and time as we know it. Devices are now available that are able to record and deliver this energy. It is known that the heart emits a field and that each heart field induces flow into the tissue of people around it. It also registers perceptions ahead in time and space beyond immediate surroundings. (For more information, check out “The Electricity of Touch”.)

An example of manipulation of this energy was given in relation to inflammation. Inflammation in tissue is the biochemical result of excess negative ions. Hands and various instruments are now able to alter charge density with resulting reduction in inflammation very effectively. Contact with cells seems to amplify this energy into tissue as a whole, referred to as an electromagnetic whisper. This energy seemingly does not travel in linear time and space and it is more sensitive to frequency than amplitude. The frequency that affects the human body appears to be very subtle or sensitive, confirming in techniques like craniosacral where the best effect is often a result of the practitioner doing less not more. And, all touch treatments appear in some way to be a mechanical signal transduction for the heart field of the practitioner.

Homeopathy appears to improve the physical body but act within the realm of the vital body. Succession or the shaking required to make and activate a remedy may in some way transmit the vital, vibration imprint of the substance into the water molecules of the dilution. Water has some incredible power as a medium of transference for magnetism.

Mind – Body implies mental meaning affecting the physical. When we have insights or awakenings where do we jump to? The supramental, spiritual, OM. Correcting our aberrations requires quantum leaps! Healing can mean regaining holiness or wholeness. This ability to alter our mode of consciousness collapse feels like surrender to a different reality. And it is our way Home. Ego in partnership with the Quantum Self may mean man in partnership with God. . . co-creating.

Flower Remedies

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Flower Remedies

Flower essences are the blossoms of plants prepared from a sun infusion in a bowl of water, further diluted, then preserved with brandy. These preparations embody the distinct imprint, or energetic pattern, of each flower species.

Each flower has the potential to help by treating a specific negative emotional state.

The man who developed the Bach Flower Remedies, Dr. Edward Bach “studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London, and was a House Surgeon there. He worked in general practice, having a set of consulting rooms in Harley Street, and as a bacteriologist and later a pathologist he worked on vaccines and a set of homoeopathic nosodes still known as the seven Bach nosodes.

Despite the success of his work with orthodox medicine he felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate on diseases and ignore the people who were suffering them. He was inspired by his work with homoeopathy but wanted to find remedies that would be purer and less reliant on the products of disease. So in 1930 he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice and left London, determined to devote the rest of his life to the new system of medicine that he was sure could be found in nature.

Just as he had abandoned his old home, office and work, so now he abandoned the scientific methods he had used up until now. Instead he chose to rely on his natural gifts as a healer, and use his intuition to guide him. One by one he found the remedies he wanted, each aimed at a particular mental state or emotion. His life followed a seasonal pattern: the spring and summer spent looking for and preparing the remedies, the winter spent giving help and advice to all who came looking for them. He found that when he treated the personalities and feelings of his patients their unhappiness and physical distress would be alleviated as the natural healing potential in their bodies was unblocked and allowed to work once more.

In 1934 Dr Bach moved to Mount Vernon in Oxfordshire. In the lanes and fields round about he found the remaining remedies that he needed to complete the series. He would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and then try various plants and flowers until he found the one single plant that could help him. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life’s work.

Dr Bach passed away peacefully on the evening of November 27th, 1936. He was only 50 years old, but he had left behind him several lifetime’s experience and effort, and a system of medicine that is now used all over the world.”

I use the flower remedies from Bach Flowers as well as the North American flower essences from Fes Flowers. Most often the remedies are made in combinations of three to five flower essences to assist with the emotional state or cause of anxiety a person is having during a specific period. They work at a similar vibrational level as homeopathy, meaning some energetic resonance is felt and affected to bring a person to better balance.

One of the most well known Bach Flower remedies is called Rescue Remedy. It is a combination of Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem which together help one deal with any emergency or stressful event. This remedy has helped me with nerves before exams in medical school, with grief during the loss of my first husband, and with anxiety giving presentations! Children and animals are very sensitive to the effects of flower remedies as they are often more open to energetic influences. They have fewer ego defenses to judge and less intellectual challenge as to how things work. For example, one night my beloved dog, Cubbsy, an 8 pound poodle, had a seizure. His poor little body was wracked with spasms and his eyes were rolled back in his head. It went on for some time and did not look good as blood started coming from his mouth. I ran downstairs and looked in my cupboard for supplements or something that might help. The Rescue Remedy bottle caught my eye so I poured it over my hands and ran back upstairs. Cubbsy was still seizing. I began stroking the remedy over his poor little head and within 5 seconds the seizure stopped. He was taken to the vet that night but by the time we arrived, he was back to normal. I am convinced the remedy helped him out of the seizure and contributed to his good recovery.

Flower essence remedies are taken as drops under the tongue three times per day or as needed. If sensitive to the small amount of alcohol they contain, they can be used topically over the wrist or dropped into boiling water to evaporate the alcohol. Flower remedies are not addictive or dangerous and can easily be taken in conjunction with other types of treatments. They are especially helpful for treating mental and emotional problems and are suitable and safe for all ages including children, pregnant women, and animals.

During these times of change and uncertainty emotional and spiritual support is important to keep our perspective on what we want, not what we fear! Flower remedies are a nice adjunct to our self care. I would be happy to formulate a personalized remedy for you.

Depression and Naturopathic Treatment

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Depression and Naturopathic Treatment

I am currently reading a great book called The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. It describes the biochemistry disruption of various moods and their link to nutritional deficiencies. As Summer approaches and we are getting a little more sun, I notice many people’s mood pick up as well as my own! However, depression is still quite a problem for many people and it can be quite common to blame yourself which only compounds the problem. I would like to share some information and approaches to consider for treating depression. Please call for a visit if you are struggling with your mood and we can explore what is appropriate for you!

Depression is one of the most common medical problems in the U.S. affecting some 17 million people. It affects the whole body, nervous system, mood, thoughts, behavior, appetite, and sleep. People can be chronically angry and irritable, feel sad, or feel very little emotion at all.

Causes of depression: stress or a traumatic event, imbalances in the brain, untreated low thyroid conditions, nutritional deficiencies, poor diet, high sugar diet, lack of exercise, allergies (including food allergies), hypoglycemia, and other medical conditions.

Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers in the brain that regulate mood. The most important ones related to mood and depression are serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Low serotonin levels can cause depression, along with anxiety and sleep problems. Antidepressants like Prozac work by keeping levels of serotonin more available within the nerve area of communication called a synapse. Tryptophan is the amino acid that is the foundation molecule to make serotonin. Foods that support serotonin production are carbohydrates but the nutrients that are specifically needed to make serotonin come from tryptophan, B6, vitamin C, and the B complex. Tryptophan is an amino acid or protein building block and it is plentiful in milk and turkey. Tryptophan, in a supplement form of 5HTP, is often prescribed by naturopaths for depression. Again, it supplies the body with the foundation molecule to make serotonin if it needs it. If people’s depression is a result of low serotonin they usually respond quickly to this modified form of the amino acid tryptophan.
This should not be taken if a person is using a serotonin enhancing anti-depressant as a side effect of excess serotonin may occur causing the same symptoms as the one needing to be improved.

Norepinephrine deficiency can cause depressions especially with associated fatigue and low energy. Norepinephrine is supported by improving the availability of the amino acid tyrosine. We find tyrosine in foods like meats and cheese. In order for tyrosine to make norepinephrine we also need adequate amounts of B6 and Vitamin C.

St. John’s Wort works by inhibiting serotonin reuptake. This results in keeping serotonin around longer and there by simulating an effect of higher levels. This should not be taken when on an SSRI anti-depressant medication.

Some people have a metabolic deficiency in their ability to produce the essential fatty acid GLA. They are typically depressed since youth, and find that alcohol helps. Risk for this deficiency is greatest in those of Celtic Irish, Scandinavian, Native American, Welsh, and Scottish backgrounds. Borage/ Evening primrose oil and cofactors B6, zinc, magnesium, niacin and Vitamin C will provide the needed building blocks to produce the needed essential fatty acid and resulting prostaglandins to support mood.

Other supports for depression include:

Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, rice, legumes and whole grains with exception of wheat (wheat gluten is linked to depression and is a common food allergy). Complex carbs promote serotonin production. If you are depressed and anxious concentrate on complex carbs such as fresh fruits and vegetables or whole grain rice for feeling more relaxed.

Include quality proteins from egg whites, turkey, salmon, white fish, and spirullina that are high in the amino acid tyrosine if your depression is associated with fatigue and lethargy.

Avoid all artificial sweeteners but especially aspartame or NutraSweet, this may interfere with serotonin production and can disrupt brain chemistry associated with insomnia and headaches.

Avoid all concentrated sugars and the quick rise in blood sugar which is often followed by a feeling of fatigue and depression. Try stevia as an herbal alternative or agave, a low glycemic sweetener made from fruit.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods as these quickly deplete the minerals and cofactors to synthesize amino acids into neurotransmitters. They also spike blood sugar and deplete the adrenals both leading to fatigue.

Keep your mind active and get plenty of rest and regular exercise.

Work with your conscious and unconscious thoughts and ideologies. Even our brain chemistry is affected by our thoughts which are creating our perception of our life and experiences. If most of our responses to the world are unconscious then get help and learn ways to change patterns that are not bringing you happiness or peace. A skilled therapist, a group, books, spiritual teachings, and a multitude of techniques are available to work on attitude and thinking.

Light therapy is helpful in the production of serotonin and melatonin, another biochemical that supports a positive mood. Full spectrum light is needed for at least half an hour a day to improve mood.

Treating low thyroid, blood sugar problems, and other medical conditions often results in a better sense of well-being and mood.

As a naturopath, I use an array of nutrients, herbs, and homeopathy to help people with depression. The examples I have listed are only a few and should be tried under the supervision of a naturopath. There are many alternative treatments for other emotional and mental conditions as well, such as anxiety, attention disorders, fear, and grief.

Using food, specific nutrients, and herbs can be done from several perspectives. The scientific tradition uses intellect, knowledge, and results to form a rationale for treatment. As a Naturopath, I am inclined to combine the scientific tradition with a more healing perspective. The mentioned medicines may be prescribed as outlined previously but hopefully there is also attention to the soul through which the symptom of depression is expressing some challenge. Each physical and emotional challenge that I see is an opportunity to take time and attention to the individual and their life. We all need and desire to be heard and understood. The unconscious wants our attention and to explore it is to have more insight into the thoughts and perspective from which we react and act out our life. Nourishing with medicine can go beyond physical substances and may also include words, touch, environment, consciousness, prayer, and intention. All these have as dramatic effect on biochemistry as do specific substances. These are often neglected or discounted by the scientific world because they are harder to measure and quantify. Who hasn’t felt uplifted by a walk in a garden, the sound of a baby’s laugh, an inspired sermon, a hug, or someone taking the time to listen to our life story?

My favorite quote from the past week was, “Practice is progress but perfection is prison”! The other one, from a physicist was, “My parents taught me there is always an answer”. Keep looking for your answers and “expect a miracle”!

Take care and call for an appointment or bring it up at your next appointment if depression or some other mood just seems to persist!

Dr. Mikel

Cold and Flu Natural Approach

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Colds and Flu Natural Approach

Many of my patients are asking my opinion on flu vaccination and prevention. I would like to present a little more information to balance the media’s hype that tends to provoke fear and anxiety.

In an interview with the Cape Coral Daily Breeze, Dr. Erika Schwartz, medical director of Cinergy Health in Miami reminds us that, “More people died from the side effects of the vaccine [in 1976] than the swine flu. If we don’t pay attention to history, then we are bound to repeat it.” She goes on to say that while each year approximately 36,000 people die from influenza, there have only been 555 deaths in the United States from swine flu. She also emphasizes prevention over vaccination, pointing out that even after getting the shot it is still possible to get sick.

At this point, the swine flu vaccinations are still in the trial stage and their efficacy has not yet been determined. In 1976, the swine flu vaccine actually killed more people than it helped and despite this there are recommendations for even children to be vaccinated.

Vaccinations carry risks and I advise people to research those risks to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate in vaccinations. I will support whatever decision my patients make about vaccinations but feel it is my responsibility to provide information that presents the risks of vaccinations such as flu like symptoms, neurological damage, autoimmune diseases, and possible contamination from metals, chemicals, and other viruses.

References:

CDC downplays estimates on flu deaths, infections
How dangerous is the swine flu?
Flu Vaccine
Should you get the flu shot?
Swine flu ‘debacle’ of 1976 recalled
The last great swine flu epidemic
Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda

Natural Protection

Susceptibility to colds and flu are in direct relationship to the strength of our immune system and internal hygiene. Viruses and bacteria will not thrive or take hold if our internal hygiene is balanced and healthy. For example, diets that are too high in refined carbohydrates, chemicals like pesticides or preservatives, and heavy metals can create too much acidity. Diets too low in enzymes can create environments too alkaline. Stress can weaken our adrenal system impairing our immune anti-inflammatory response.

Each system of the body is intricately connected with the health of the whole organism so when we discuss mechanisms and systems it is very complicated to break them down in isolation. Each of these recommendations has benefits to more than one system in the body but in combination they support that balance and homeostasis that supports health and optimal resistance to infection and disease.

1. Get enough sleep. Your immune system functions much better when you get enough sleep. Most people need about 8 hours per night for optimal health. If your body is tired your immune system cannot mount an adequate immune reaction such as the production of antibodies and numerous immune cells and anti-inflammatory molecules.

2. Exercise regularly. Exercise helps keep your immune system strong. Exercise increases respiration and higher oxygen content in the body deters the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells and boosts the production of macrophages that attack viruses and bacteria as well as increasing circulation to move white blood cells to where they are most needed.

3. Avoid sugar. Even small amounts of sugar can significantly impair your immune function, making you more susceptible to a flu infection. Sugar molecules look similar to vitamin C and compete with the vitamin C needed in macrophage cells that gobble up viruses and bacteria. Think of it this way: when you eat sugar think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.

4. Drink lots of pure water. Keeping your mucous membranes well-hydrated helps optimize the mucous membranes of the mouth, ears, and nose. This is your first line of defense where immune cells reside to capture and prevent further entry into the body.

5. Wash your hands often.

6. Eat Vegetables. Vegetables contain huge amounts of the array of nutrients the body needs for health. The nutrients to metabolize energy, support detoxification by the liver, and to support a strong adrenal or stress response are loaded in fresh foods. Chicken soup made with fresh vegetables works for a reason!

Each person’s symptoms reflect systems of the body that are usually deficient. Even toxicity is a limitation in the body to maintain optimal balance. Digestion, liver support, adrenal support, and immune support cannot really be separated as their influence on one another is so complex and interrelated. Your best protection comes as we treat the body as a whole and work together to bring the body into optimal balance and health.

Naturopathic Treatments for Cold and Flu Symptoms

The best treatment for colds and flu is prevention! Here are some tips to help you stay healthy this winter:

Eat your vegetables and fruits strengthen your immune system.
Avoid sugar which weakens the immune system.
Avoid dairy which causes an overproduction of mucous and may aggravate the immune system.
Don’t over heat your home as dry air dries out mucous membranes. (Mucous membranes are loaded with enzymes, immune cells, and lymph glands designed to catch viruses/bacteria and are our first line of defense against infection!)
Keep rooms a moderate temperature and consider using a humidifier to keep air moist.
A HEPA filter in bedrooms is a great way to minimize dust and toxins, thereby reducing the burden to your immune system.
Wash hands frequently and avoid putting fingers in mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.
Drink plenty of fluids, get enough rest, and exercise to balance stress.

If you do happen to catch a cold or come down with the flu, consider the use of vitamins, herbs, and homeopathics. They are best used at the onset and can help lessen their severity and prevent secondary infections. Unlike antibiotics, which are not effective against viruses and work by preventing the replication of bacteria through one or two mechanisms, herbal products work by many mechanisms. For example, they may directly kill bacteria, stimulate white blood cells, stimulate circulation, or prove vitamins and minerals that nourish glands involved in the anti-inflammatory response. The more ways an herbal product works, the less likely resistance can develop! Homeopathics work as an energetic catalyst to stimulate the body to overcome symptoms. They can be extremely effective and have no side effects and are usually taken as small pellets under the tongue.

I often recommend the herbal/vitamin combinations Bio Vegetarian and Super Bio Vegetarian from Priority One in big doses the first day or two to beat a cold. A homeopathic remedy I recommended for the flu is Oscillococcinum which can be used safely alone or with other medications. Homeopathics are very safe for children.

Call at the first sign of a cold or flu or for a recommendation specific to you about what products to keep on hand.

Stay well and enjoy the season!

Please contact me if you would like to discuss products to have on hand to enhance immunity and for cold and flu prevention including Standard Process whole food supplements, homeopathic remedies and herbal medicines. I also love to hear about your progress so feel free to email me if you run out of product or if you need a change in your treatment plan. Often such changes can be made without an office visit. Your feedback is needed to keep you in good health and on a progressive program. We are changing health care one person at a time as we take responsibility for educating ourselves about good health. Education empowers us to make the right choices. It’s a process so stay open, keep learning, and congratulations on the changes you’ve already made!

Estrogen Dominance

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Estrogen Dominance

This topic comes up with nearly every woman I see. The very common symptoms for women that we attribute to hormones are most often a result of imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen promotes growth of tissue (i.e. the uterine lining in the first half of our cycle). But most women know breast tissue also can increase in size, we can gain weight, tissue can swell a bit, and mood can be affected. Progesterone helps to moderate these effects of estrogen, including the growth effects.

Here are some symptoms of estrogen not balanced well by progesterone:

PMS Breast tenderness
Excessive menstrual bleeding and cramps
Early onset of menstruation
Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs
Hot flashes
Perimenopause sleep disturbance
Depression and anxiety
Fibrocystic breasts
Hair Loss
Irregular menstrual periods
Water retention, bloating
Low or absent libido
Infertility
Insomnia
Polycystic ovaries
Uterine cancer
Uterine fibroids
Cervical dysplasia
Breast cancer

Women make estrogen in their ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat cells. During the first two weeks of our cycle, estrogen is the hormone secreted to promote the growth of the uterine lining for implantation. After ovulation, the ovulating egg produces progesterone to maintain the lining and vascular system. If an egg is implanted, progesterone continues to be increased for this uterine sac to maintain the growth of an embryo. If the ovulated egg does not become fertilized, then the progesterone production falls off and the uterine lining is not maintained and it sluffs off with our monthly bleeding.

Women become out of balance with their total estrogen/progesterone hormones for several reasons. One reason is that we are being exposed to a huge number of chemicals that mimic estrogen in our body. These chemicals actually sit down on estrogen receptors and mimic the effects of estrogen.

These chemicals come from many places including:

Birth control pills
Hormone replacement drugs
Additives in lotions, shampoos, make up, and deodorants
Plastics and cookware
Growth hormones found in factory-farmed animal products beef, chicken, and fish
Pesticides and herbicides on foods and in the environment
DDT
PCBs – polychlorinated biphenyls
Foaming agents in soaps and detergents

Sometimes, women produce too little progesterone when under stress because the precursor hormone to make progesterone gets used to make the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands to help us fight or flee. It raises blood sugar, keeps us mentally alert, and heightens our immune system among other responses. Many of us under pressure at work or home or due to psycho/emotional stress maintain high cortisol and, over time, this depletes the resources to make adequate progesterone thus promoting the estrogen dominance or imbalance with progesterone.

Peri menopause is a time when we start missing some ovulations. Remember it is the ovulating egg making progesterone so a few missed cycles and our total load starts to be reduced. This often initiates the start of menopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and anxiety or moodiness. The balance may have been leaning in that direction from chemical exposures or stress but with the missed ovualtions the imbalance is exacerbated and new symptoms or exaggerated symptoms develop.

The last thing I’d like to address are the functions of the liver and how they relate to estrogen dominance. The liver is the organ responsible for degrading toxins and our hormones. The liver is working hard for most people because of diets high in chemicals, environmental exposure, topical exposures, poor diet, and so on. The liver is sometimes at or past its capacity to do its job or under functioning because it lacks the nutrients from a healthy diet to work properly. Toxins that cannot be completely processed end up being stored in fat cells, including toxic estrogen. Estrogen that is only partially degraded and stored in fat cells can be recycled and has a higher growth promoting potential than regular estrogen. This creates a combined effect of more fat cells as a result of storing toxins that can potentially make even more estrogen.

What can we do?! Our past detox groups reviewed this information repeatedly to emphasize the benefit of improving diet and liver function to help remove toxins including toxic or excessive estrogen. Amazingly, almost all women see improvement in estrogen dominance symptoms – decreased hot flashes, improved sleep, lighter periods, easier premenstrual week, and they feel more calm and at ease.

Basic Recommendations to improve estrogen dominance:

Stop eating processed foods with chemicals.
Eat more vegetables and fruits, along with hormone/antibiotic free protein.
Eat at least one serving cruciferous vegetable a day. A specific sulfur chemical in these vegetables enhances the livers capability of degrading estrogen.
Reduce your exposure to xenoestrogen. A good list can be found here.
Join the next detoxification group in the new year.
Find support and learn ways to decrease your stress.

Dr. Mikel has a host of whole food products that enhance these recommendations and, depending on your symptoms can prescribe the right ones for you. SP Green Food, for example, is a combination of Brussel sprouts, kale, and alfalfa sprouts that many women love! This product has the vegetables that help the liver detox estrogen so they lose weight, have lighter periods, diminished hot flashes, and sleep better. Determining what is a appropriate for you and the cause of your imbalance will lead to the correct treatment. Salivary hormone testing is sometimes done and very useful in some cases. In my experience, 9 out of 10 salivary tests show some degree of estrogen dominance. Hormone supplementation is seldom needed for estrogen dominance if some of these other recommendations are maintained. Adding hormones for estrogen dominance may suppress symptoms by artificially balancing estrogen/progesterone but they can elevate both to alarming levels which increases the load of work on the liver which is why they often lead to weight gain from storing the by-products away in new fat cells.

There is hope and many women are finding safe and effective treatment for their complaints. I give this talk over and over and I have found that this information needs to be heard a few times in order to “get it.” Successfully using these suggestions to improve symptoms and overall health is really the best way to learn.

Resources

http://goodbyepms.com/fail.htm

http://www.sensiblehealth.com/Journey-04.xhtml

Estrogen dominance and men: http://www.greendivamom.com/2009/04/19/how-men-can-avoid-estrogen-dominance/

Are Endocrine Disruptors making us fat & making our children sexual mutants?

Sugar

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Oh so good Sugar!

Most people know that sugar is not good for your health, but few control the intake of it. Worse yet, it is given to children in greater and greater quantities. Every month you (yes you) eat 5 pounds of sugar and most of it doesn’t come from the sugar bowl. More than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the U.S. are soda. More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000 and the number is rising every year. That means every man, woman, and child consumes at least one 12-ounce can every single day. Obviously not everyone consumes sodas so many people are drinking more than their share! In one study 56% of 8 year olds consume sodas daily and at least 30% of teenage boys drink greater than 3 cans a day. Sugar and corn syrup just from soft drinks now supply more than 10% of our total calories.
Refined sugar was first produced in India around 500BC, with the introduction to Europe from the Crusaders in 1100AD. Venice, at the height of its financial power, was the chief sugar-distributing center of Europe. Modern industrialization created processed foods; where sugar was added to almost everything from ketchup to crackers.
We are a culture that has replaced real foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats) with carbohydrates that are refined and treated by the body no different than eating a cookie. Fat, fiber, and protein slow the rate carbohydrates enter the blood stream. This prevents a sudden rise in insulin levels, with a sudden drop thereafter. Refined carbohydrates such as cereals, pasta, potatoes, white rice, breads and other refined grains contain virtually no nutrients. The body breaks itself down to recruit the nutrients to turn those empty calories into energy. It is no wonder why we have so many diseases!
Sugar harms the body in many ways: it suppresses the immune system, causes a rapid rise in adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children. It contributes to gallstones, appendicitis, and suppresses calcium absorption in bones (in fact, soda is now considered the number one contributor to osteoporosis). It causes problems with digestion, increases hormonal imbalance, fuels cancer cells, contributes to PMS, diabetes, tooth decay, and on and on.
All of this is accentuated if your body does not handle blood sugar well. Blood sugar is managed primarily by the liver, adrenals, and pancreas. A weakness in one of those glands results in a weakness in how the body responds to sugar.
Overwhelmingly, the main culprits behind weight gain are grains and sugars. High-carbohydrate foods like bread, grains, cereal, potatoes, fruit, and sugar are converted to glucose (sugar) in the body. When your body can’t burn off this sugar, it accumulates in the blood, causing your blood sugar level to rise. In response to this, insulin is released to break down the sugar and store it.
Your body will increase its output of insulin to compensate for the higher blood sugar levels. Over time this causes progressively increasing levels of insulin and resistance to the effects of insulin. If the body cannot use the insulin the glucose is sent back to the liver and converted to fat as high triglycerides.
Insulin resistance is one of the fundamental mechanisms behind aging and all of its related diseases, including obesity.
Dr. Mikel can help you start down the path to repair the damage done from a lifetime of sugar/processed food overuse which can assist in achieving healthy weight and optimal health.

GMO

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

TIME TO PAY ATTENTION!!

Last month we talked about Organic labeling so I thought we would continue this month talking about Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s. You may be surprised to learn that you have a 75 percent chance of picking a food with genetically modified (GM) ingredients when you’re at the supermarket. This is because at least seven out of every 10 food items have been genetically modified.

In fact, the United States leads the world in GM crop acreage with 123 million acres in all (that’s close to one-third of the agricultural land in the United States planted with gene-altered crops).

And the blight of genetically engineered crops across the globe continues to grow. Worldwide, there are at least 222 million acres planted with GM crops, and the number keeps rising.
Although the major food giants are carrying on with their claim that GM foods are no different from conventionally grown varieties, the research begs to differ.
Here is just a sampling of the unsavory findings associated with GM foods:

GM peas caused damage in mice
GM potatoes may cause cancer in rats
Bacteria in your gut can take up DNA from GM food
They may be spurring the creation of weed-killer-resistant superweeds

Aside from the potential risks to your health, genetic modification known as “terminator technology” is now being used to create, you guessed it, seeds that “self-destruct.” In other words, the seeds (and the forthcoming crops) are sterile, which means farmers must buy them again each year (as opposed to using the seeds from their harvest to replant the following year, which is the traditional way).
This, of course, means bigger profits for the food companies that are patenting GM seeds, and more money shelled out from farmers. Worse still, this practice could actually threaten the entire food supply because the sterile seeds can spread to nearby fields.
There is an incredibly important documentary on this topic that I urge you to watch yourself and then pass on to ALL of your friends and family. This should be required viewing for everyone that is living in the 21st century. It will open your eyes to the dangers of GM foods and do it in a way that is very easy to learn. It’s called “The Future of Food”. This documentary will help you understand the very real threat that ALL future generations face as a result of genetic engineering, check it out here: http://www.thefutureoffood.com/.
Also, there is a new tool to assist you when shopping for food. It’s called The True Food Shopping Guide. Created by The Center for Food Safety. This shopping guide is an excellent start, as you can print it out and take it with you to the store so you can avoid GM foods like the plague. There is even a free app that you can download to your smart phone to use while you are at the store, check it out here: http://truefoodnow.org/2010/07/15/shoppersguideapp/.

Along with using The True Food Shopping Guide, you can also follow these tips to avoid GM ingredients:

Examine produce stickers on the fruits and vegetables you buy. The PLU code for conventionally grown fruit consists of four numbers, organically grown fruit has five numbers prefaced by the number nine, and GM fruit has five numbers prefaced by the number eight.
Buy organic produce as often as you can. By definition, food that is certified organic must be free from all GM organisms.
Stay away from processed foods. Most of these contain corn and soy products, and most corn and soy are genetically modified.

The major danger of genetically engineered foods may be related to the increased use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed killer Glyphosate, which is the most common weed killer in the US and just happens to be more toxic than DDT. Roundup, can accumulate and persist in the soil for years, where it kills off beneficial microbes and stimulates virulence of pathogens (not good).
Since organically-farmed fields are not doused with glyphosate, organic fields still contain beneficial soil bacteria that actually hinder pathogens in and on the food from multiplying out of control. This may be yet another reason why organic foods are less prone to be contaminated with disease-causing pathogens than conventionally-grown foods
When applied to crops, glyphosate becomes systemic throughout the plant, so it cannot be washed off. And once you eat this crop, the glyphosate ends up in your gut where it can decimate your beneficial bacteria. This can wreak havoc with your health as 80 percent of your immune system resides in your gut and is dependent on a healthy ratio of good and bad bacteria
Glyphosate is a strong chelator, meaning it immobilizes critical micronutrients, rendering them unavailable to the plant. As a result, the nutritional efficiency of genetically engineered (GM) plants is profoundly compromised. Micronutrients such as iron, manganese and zinc can be reduced by as much as 80-90 percent in GM plants
As you can see there is much to be concerned about in regard to GMO foods. The truth is we really do not know what the end result will be. We have never done this in the history of mankind. You, I, and our kids are the guinea pigs in this great experiment. It reminds me of a comercial from many years past that said: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”.

Sources and further reading:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/31/monsanto-worst-company-of-2011.aspx?e_cid=20120131_DNL_art_1
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01
/15/dr-don-huber-interview-part-2.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/13/gmo-crops-destroying-food-system.aspx

Organic Foods

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

There is a lot of confusion in the marketplace in the use of the word “organic”. To be classified as organic there are many steps a producer must go through.

Making sense of organic labeling can be difficult, and many consumers do not understand the significance of the USDA Organic label. Since October 21, 2002, the following guidelines were established by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) to assure consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy.

Requirements involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:

avoidance of synthetic chemical inputs not on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances(e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of bio solids;
use of farmland that has been free from prohibited synthetic chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more);
keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products;
undergoing periodic on-site inspections.

While there are many different certification organizations, USDA Organic is considered the gold standard.

Single-Ingredient Foods
On foods like fruits and vegetables, look for a small sticker version of the USDA Organic label or check the signage in your produce section for this seal.

The word “organic” and the seal may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese, and other single-ingredient foods.

Multi-Ingredient Foods
Foods such as beverages, snacks, and other processed foods use the following classification system to indicate their use of organic ingredients.

100% Organic—Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients* and may display the USDA Organic seal.

Organic—These products contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.

Made With Organic Ingredients—Food packaging that reads “Made With Organic Ingredients” must contain 70–94% organic ingredients. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.

Other—Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the packaging. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal.

Keep in mind that even if a producer is certified organic, the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary. At the same time, not everyone goes through the rigorous process of becoming certified, especially smaller farming operations. When shopping at a farmers’ market, for example, don’t hesitate to ask the vendors how your food was grown.

Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.

Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps all families live less toxic-ally.

11 years ago genetically modified foods were not part of our food supply. Today 30% of our cropland is planted in GMO’s.
USDA Organic is the only de facto seal of reassurance against these and other modern, lab-produced additions to our food supply.

In addition, buying organic supports small local family run farms.

The quality of food we eat repairs and rebuilds our bodies every day. You and your families are worth the cost. Pay now or pay later…. “And what’s less expensive organic food or chemotherapy?” Ha! Remember even adding 30-50% organic over months and years reduces your exposure to chemicals 30-50% which means a huge relief to your liver and other organs in there ability to maintain health and vitality!

Juicing

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Juicing

Juicing is a fun and delicious way to add nutrients from fresh vegetables and fruits in a way that is easy to digest and absorb. The dense nutrients are available then to repair, rebuild and promote the detoxification’s system of the body. The benefits of fresh juice is that most of the enzymes and nutrients are intact able to be used for the cleansing and regenerating processes. Almost all store bought juice is pasteurized which destroys these beneficial properties. Even fresh juice stored open or for too long will begin to lose nutrient potential through the oxidation process with oxygen. It is best to drink immediately and perhaps mix with a portion of purified water.

Juicing fruits is a fun way to start but like we emphasize in the detox groups smoothies add some greens to balance the sugar! All fruits except citrus and melons are good combinations. Add several along with acceptable vegetables, mixed green lettuce, and celery.

Vegetable juicing is more impacting for detoxification and regeneration. Small amounts of several vegetables including kale, spinach, and beets for detox impact are wonderful. A little apple and carrot will sweeten and keep you interested!

Four to eight ounces a day is a nice addition to your diet. It is best to do juices alone, that is in between meals for optimal digestion and absorption of the nutrients that will enhance your body’s healing power. Fruits with protein can cause mal-digestion. Attention to those fruit and vegetable combinations will also optimize digestive power and utilization.

Juicers can sometimes be expensive but often can be found used or on sale. Clean up can be an excuse to not juice often but the health benefits are the pay off! Remember taking time to clean and prepare fresh food is a nice way to reconnect with Nature! She is so willing to heal us if we get back to the foods put here to nourish us!

http://www.bastis.org/juicing.htm

http://juicing.mercola.com/sites/juicing/juicing.aspx

http://www.juicingbook.com/juicing_questions_and_answers/juicing_combinations

Healthy Blood Sugar

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Healthy Blood Sugar

This article will try to explain how glucose is one of the main sources of energy for all cells including the brain, how it stabilizes energy, how it contributes to healthy weight, how it maintains healthy veins and arteries and why it contributes to healthy mood and vitality.
Every cell in the body needs glucose as an immediate source of energy. Brain cells have severely limited storage capacities, and for this reason, the blood must maintain a fairly constant supply of glucose. For this reason even though the brain represents only 2% of the body weight, it receives 25% of total body glucose utilization.

To utilize carbohydrates for energy, your body converts them to glucose in the liver (or glycogen for storage and use later). Carbohydrates–from sugars, fruits, vegetables or grains–follow a similar route in the process of digestion. Carbohydrates are broken down to mono saccharides (very basic sugar molecules) which are absorbed and carried to the liver. The liver release the glucose into the blood stream as needed.

Glucose is transported into cells via insulin and once inside of the cells, the energy producing reactions begin. The powerhouse of energy production is a result of breakdown of chemical bonds. This energy release helps initiate the many needed chemical reactions for life; protein formation, enzyme production, movement of chemicals across cell membranes to movement of skeletal muscle. ATP is the carrier and regulation-storage unit of energy. It is a molecule stored and generated within each cell. When it is chemically changed to form ADP a huge amount of energy is released. The energy for constructing ATP is food. 2500 calories of food translates into 400 lbs of ATP. There is a huge need for energy in the cells to keep all the functions going from moving muscle, elimination, respiration, and repair.

Complex carbohydrates are whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, brown rice, potatoes, and grains. They are molecules that combine sugars in chains and complex structures and for that reason break down relatively slowly. Because of their slower digestion, these complex carbohydrates are better for the body as the eventual glucose they become is released more gradually and steadily.

Fats and proteins contributes to available energy via ATP production even more slowly through a different process than glucose production called and the energy available is even more dense per calorie.

Simple carbohydrates break down and absorb quickly which turns then out to the blood stream or to the liver very quickly. Processed food including most white flour products. packaged foods like cereal and noodles, cookies, chips, candy, fruits, juices, milk, yogurt, honey and sugar will break down quickly and soon raise blood glucose levels.

Excess glucose happens when taking in more than you need to burn for energy. If this happens too often it eventually contribute to high triglycerides and increase in body fat. Your body breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into glucose to be used for energy by your cells. Once the cells have what they need, the excess glucose is sent back to your liver and converted to glycogen. Glycogen can then be stored in your muscles but there is a storage capacity. Once glycogen stores are filled glycogen is sent back to your liver again, where it becomes triglycerides. These triglycerides become stored as fat. Llowering refined carbohydrates in your diet a is the most significant way to lower triglycerides and one of the most effective ways to lose excess weight.
Some of these triglycerides are not stored as fat, but remain in your blood stream, which is where the problem lies for artery and veins. Excess levels of triglycerides thicken your blood, making it sludgy, which increases the possibility of clotting and blockage which could eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found, if your triglycerides are high, you have two to three times the risk of heart disease and stroke – even if you have low cholesterol. [Vol. 86: 943-49] Triglyceride levels over 200 mg/dl are considered high and put you at serious risk. An optimal level is below 150 mg/dl. Many doctors focus too much on cholesterol, and not enough on triglycerides. However if you have high cholesterol AND high triglycerides, your chances of developing heart disease go up exponentially. Both indicators must be looked at together for cardiac risk.
Lowering your intake of refined carbohydrates is the key to improving your triglyceride levels.

Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose in the blood stream to enter cells that need it for energy (ATP). Often a diet that is in excess with simple carbohydrates (processed foods) will develop problems with insulin. If the body has the fuel it needs and glycogen stores are filled then the body will respond by turning down receptivity to insulin. With glucose in the blood stream, storage as glycogen filled it will be rerouted to the liver again converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. People frequently become overweight not from eating too much but from eating too much processed foods. Exercise will increase the demand for energy and will optimize the use of glucose or glycogen. Insulin resistance can be reversed by eating foods that break down more slowly to glucose in the digestive tract (high in fiber and complex starches, proteins and fats) so that the production of glucose is more gradual appropriate to the energy needs of the body.

Finally how does blood sugar affect mood? Refined carbohydrates like white sugar and breakfast cereals, broken down quickly with result of high glucose stimulate a quick boost of serotonin, that’s why after eating sugary donuts and other similar foods you feel pretty good. However the feeling drops and you want more. These high spikes of serotonin confuse the brain and it shuts down some of the receptors to try and restore balance. Serotonin resistance means we can’t use the serotonin we have, something similar to insulin resistance. The more this cycle goes on the more problems with serotonin resulting in mood swings or just generalized low mood and energy. The mood problems are even worse when combined with insulin resistance. In the last 20 year depression and diabetes have both significantly increased .

The human body is amazing in it’s complexity as to how it handles food we take in and getting it to the vast array of physiological processes call life. Most imbalances can be reversed and we see this over and over again as people get education, understanding as to how their food is contributing to their complaints and guidance to change their choices. Just to eat natural whole foods seems like an old prescription but my patients, along with myself, are really convinced when they try it! The body and mind will eventually find harmony. If you have been neglecting your body and mind then this will take time, so don’t think that one good day of eating is going to make a difference it must become a lifetime quest. However, build in success on those days when you do make good choices and pay attention to how you feel.

Better energy, more consistent energy to stay alert, weight loss and improved metabolism, improved mood, motivation, memory and vitality are the motivators to do a little better job each day.

Dreams and Metaphors

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dr. Lynn Mikel

Dreams and Metaphors

For those of you already working with Dr. Mikel you may have had her ask you about your dreams. In this newsletter, I would like to explain a bit about what I have learned and experienced with dream analysis. My master’s degree was focused in Transpersonal Psychology which is reflected loosely in my synopsis. As my experience and education are reflected in this writing it is also subjective in regards to my belief system. So take what is of value for yourself and leave that which in not congruent with your belief system. I do believe there is a universal experience of yearning for wholeness and we are designed to experience and unfold into that perfection. My own dream work has transformed my life and I love to share what has helped me with others!

The famous psychologist Carl Jung’s theory is that the personality is always growing and the Soul in its entirety is made up of the conscious self and the unconscious. The unconscious are those parts of us yet to be developed and integrated into the personality. As a child we come whole but not necessarily conscious. The child’s job is to build through experience an ego from which to interpret and function within the world. Many things shape this. With good parenting or luck or personality we keep our soul’s light intact and are encouraged to open up and discover our nature and gifts. On the other hand intentionally or not often many parts of the child’s souls expression do not get nurtured ane are often discouraged. Defenses are created by the ego to protect us from getting hurt based on those experience from the past.

Jung said in the adult life the opportunity for us to become conscious and claim back or integrate parts of our soul that were messed up, lost or never developed is the path of individuation. Individuation is the integration of the unconscious into the conscious personalitywhich allows one the capacity to know their true nature … that reflection of the Holy Spirit, Christ consciousness, wholeness, unity, etc… Man’s search for that connection to Spirit is found within himself. The work to experience that is dependent on that experience of unconditional self love that one must have to claim the shadow and realize individuation.

Those conscious and unconscious aspects of the self were what Carl Jung called the archetypes. Archetypes are symbols of the human nature common to all cultures and peoples. He saw these symbols represented in myths, stories, art, cultural ceremonies and rituals. These powerful symbols of human nature were what he saw expressed in dreams and became the foundation for his dream interpretation. He found in his analysis process with patients that the dream images contained these universal symbols and that the meanings and challenges they represented were themes of common psychological development. The unconscious contained the shadow elements or archetypal challenges in the person that he or she rejected. When they were emotionally caught up in a conflict or situation it was often because there was a part of their nature that they had yet to understand or integrate. They would project this rejection onto people and situations most often in a negative way or judgment, not realizing that what there was to learn was really something about their own nature they had not yet claimed.

For example it’s easier to give than to receive. Sometimes I give too much! In analysis if one explores where and why that is a sensitive area one might find out that there were only positive messages given to the child for being a “big girl” and helping out. Maybe neediness was an inconvenience, irritated those around her so she was scolded when she expressed needs. Going back to why that interpretation was made allows for some compassion then around being needy. Integration involves awareness of the rejected parts but also some healing from the past to bring that aspect more fully into realization within the conscious personality. The shift happens when one acknowledges where they are needy, how that is healthy and a very human experience; perhaps grieve for missing the care they needed as a child. This shift could allow one to receive care as well as have better boundaries in how they give their time and energy away. There is a feeling of wholeness within both.

My dream analysis has been an amazing process. The dreams repeatedly would bring information to me that seemed to open up more of who I wanted to be in the world. Overcoming fears and insecurities…. the dreams would repeatedly help bring light to some misperception from my past. I was repeatedly amazed that what I would interpret as a scary or a “bad” dream was really a dramatic symbol representing my ability to see more of who I was with compassion and understanding. Self acceptance and self regard, unconditional love for myself began and continues to be a foundation of emotional and spiritual wellbeing from which I go out into my life… The repeated authority from which the dreams have given me information and guidance has transformed my life and has become a validation to me that there is a God, Higher Power or Healing Power of Nature from which we come and are a part of… calling us into wholeness.

Even without interpreting dreams, they are a sign of our soul’s yearning for wholeness. The work with others in using dreams taps into this inner world and power in such a dramatic way. Just asking about the dream connects the patient to their inner world, inner authority and spiritual nature. Even without interpretation. Adding some skilled work with the dream, that conscious dialog can be opened and facilitated. Once a person has contact with their soul through this process there is an empowerment for that person to face those hidden shadows, which include their gifts, that lie dormant. Work with the unconscious teaches us we are creating our reality through our thoughts and unconscious projections. To change our life we must change our projections and that requires work with the unconscious. When I did this it gave me the life and emotional freedom I always wanted and never had, especially from my anxieties and fears. I have worked hard for every good day I’ve had and the difficult ones are still now opportunity for more meaning to surface!