by Dr. Oler, ND | Feb 5, 2015 | Eating Naturally, Natural Remedies, Naturopathic Health, Nutrition |
What you eat can have a dramatic impact on the balance and function of the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous systems. Most often, people experience SNS dominance (to determine SNS or PNS dominance, see this post); the following recommendations can be used to calm the sympathetic nervous system. (more…)
by Dr. Oler, ND | Jan 20, 2015 | Amino Acid Therapy, Depression, Eating Naturally, Naturopathic Health, Stress
There are many natural approaches to try and eliminate depression. Everyone responds to these approaches differently, but there are many common homeopathic and naturopathic solutions that work for a wide number of people.
Form a homeopathic perspective, each person has just one remedy that fits their particular situation at any given time, so it is important that a person wanting to use homeopathic remedies for depression to consult with a homeopath or a naturopath that can help them determine the correct remedy to use. (more…)
by Dr. Oler, ND | Dec 23, 2014 | Digestive Support, Eating Naturally, Natural Weight Loss, Nutrition
Yes, it is officially holiday season. Christmas is this week. We know that health and wellness goals tend to go out the window around this time. Many people feel too busy to focus on weight loss and find it easier to put it off until the New Year. The Optimal Plan can change that for you. It will allow you to go through the holidays feeling great and you will get a head start on those new years resolutions.
The Optimal Plan is a 30 day program that is simple, tasty, low-cost and extremely effective at helping people lose weight quickly. It takes you step-by-step through every day so you know exactly what and when to eat, gives you recipes and menus for each day and even provides guidance on supplementation and further testing that may help you accelerate your results.
Sounds great, right? It normally costs $47.0o but we have it on sale right now for $29.00. Get it now and don’t just survive the holidays. Purchase the plan here.
This plan brought to you exclusively by our friends at Optimal Body Balance.
by Dr. Oler, ND | Nov 20, 2014 | Eating Naturally, Migraine, Natural Pain Relief, Natural Remedies, Naturopathic Health
There are many common triggers for migraines, with diet playing a major role for many people that suffer from migraine headaches. Some of the most common foods that can trigger a migraine are:
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits
- Alcohol (especially red wine or beer)
- Meats preserved with nitrates (ham, bologna, luncheon meats, etc.)
- Pizza
- Aged cheese
- Caffeine (especially while cutting back or eliminating), including coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, over-the-counter and prescription medications that contain caffeine (consult with your physician before changing or discontinuing any medications)
- Nuts
- Fermented, pickled, cured or marinated foods
- Foods prepared with monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Foods high in tyramine, including aged meats, avocados, bananas, beer, cabbage, canned fish, dairy products, eggplant, hard cheeses, potatoes, raspberries, red plums, tomatoes, wine, and yeast
This is a long (and by no means all-inclusive) list of foods for a person to try and avoid. However, keeping a food journal and completing food hypersensitivity testing can help each person determine their exact triggers to make avoidance more manageable.
In addition to avoiding foods that can trigger a migraine, there are a number of foods that can help improve the production of key neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine. Eating these foods daily can help maintain proper neurotransmitter function.
The pesticides, herbicides and insecticides used on many foods can also disrupt proper neurotransmitter function. Buying these foods organically or substituting them with foods that are lower in chemical exposure can be a great help. To learn more about dietary solutions for migraines, click here.
by Dr. Oler, ND | Oct 7, 2014 | Eating Naturally, Natural Weight Loss, Nutrition
Many people, in an effort to lose weight and/or control their blood sugar levels, turn from sugar-sweetened beverages and products to those that use artificial sweeteners. The theory is that since artificial sweeteners contain no calories, a person consuming these products can still get the sweet-taste they love while avoiding the calories, blood sugar spikes and extra pounds that can come along with sugar sweetened beverages. Unfortunately, there is mounting evidence that not only is this not true; the research is showing that artificial sweeteners may cause weight gain and cause dramatic blood sugar spikes – exactly the behavior we have been led to believe they would prevent. (more…)
by Dr. Oler, ND | Sep 30, 2014 | Eating Naturally, Men's Health, Natural Weight Loss, Way of Life, Women's Health
It may not be slim down season, but if you want to be healthier and happier, you should do it for you.
Outlined is a simple, four week challenge to jump start your journey to optimal health. The weeks build upon one another, so you keep adding goals, trying new things and learning what works for you and your body.
WEEK ONE: FINDING BALANCE
The theme of this week is is transforming your diet into a more balanced one. For most people this means cutting back on starchy carbs and eating more vegetables. Start off the week by observing the meals you normally eat. Write them down. After two or three days, go over your diet history with a highlighter and a red pen. Highlight the good stuff and make changes where you can. Also make notes of your hunger levels and energy so you can come up with an eating plan that works best for your body.
Also start reading labels during this week. The shorter the ingredient list, the better. Watch out for anything with added sugar. Sugar is hidden in all sorts of foods. Also watch out for any ingredients that you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize as a food. If you don’t know what it is, don’t put it in your body. To cut back on label reading time, eat more whole foods — whole foods are foods that don’t have labels — fresh fruits and veg, beans and grains from the bulk bins, good quality meats from your butcher.
WEEK TWO: SWEAT AND SLEEP
The theme of this week is working your body and getting adequate rest. Schedule some sweat sessions — at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time. Write these session in your calendar, make an alert on your phone, whatever you have to do to remind yourself. If you can get a partner to get sweaty with you, even better. Make sure you mix up the way you sweat — cardio, strength training, yoga, group fitness classes, walking, running, paddle boarding, biking — don’t let yourself get bored.
After all this added movement, make sure you give your body some R&R. You should be able to wake up in the morning, without an alarm, feeling rested. Everyone has a magic number. It will take a little experimentation to find yours. Record how many hours you sleep, and how you feel in the morning. Figure out what you magic number is and then aim to get that amount of rest each night.
WEEK THREE: FOODIE FINDS
Take time to menu plan. Get out some cookbooks or do an online search to find some recipes that work with your healthy eating goals. Try to pick things that have ingredients or flavors that are new to you. Keeping your eating plan exciting will help keep you on track.
Also make sure you are still keeping track of what you are eating, drinking, your energy levels and your sleep. Go over this record at the end of each week. Make notes about what went well that week and what you can improve on.
WEEK FOUR: SHOW YOURSELF SOME LOVE
None of these changes will be sustainable or meaningful unless you have self love. Treat yourself kindly and gently. Reward yourself. Schedule time to do things you love. Start a meditation practice. Use visualization. If you don’t think you are worth anything, your healthy habits won’t stick.
