Tips for Healing When You Feel Stressed

Tips for Healing When You Feel Stressed

Regular selfcare is a practiced resource for when life gets overwhelming and stressful.

Stress can impact the body in many ways if it goes unaddressed. First and foremost, it is important to recognize stress, confront it, and then take steps to manage stress to stop it in its tracks. It’s time to discover techniques for healing and feeling better when experiencing periods of high stress.

Be Mindful

When it comes to stress reduction and healing your mindset matters. Negative thoughts are the fuel for stress. Being caught in a pattern of negative thinking can cloud your mind and prevent you from finding solutions and a path forward. Mindfulness can ground you and help you to find the clarity you need. If you tend to be a pessimistic thinker, getting into mindfulness can seem daunting at first. However, there are some simple things you can start doing to help you get started with being more mindful. One way is to set aside time to relax with a mindful session. Take ten minutes out of each day to be grateful for the opportunities in front of you without allowing negative thoughts to creep in and bring you down. Another way would be to write down what you are thankful for in a journal. Doing so can help you stay positive. Additionally, you can even learn about different types of therapy that can help you to be more mindful and reduce stress. Having effective strategies to rely on can help keep stress in check.

Unwind With Massage Therapy 

Why not pair mindful therapy with massage therapy? Bodywork can be very relaxing and help you to feel better. Put stress behind you and unwind with a massage. Trying something like cupping can be worthwhile and not only helps you to relax but has benefits for the body as well such as improving circulation. Massage can help you be more in tune with your body overall, and help your muscles relax. For instance, a massage is an excellent form of self-care. It allows you to dedicate time solely to your wellness and helps you to slow down and rest. It is important to have relaxing activities built into your schedule which can help you to value your health and mental wellness. 

Make a Change

Often stress is caused by lifestyle factors. For instance, a lack of work-life balance, toxic relationships, and even negative self-talk just to name a few. Certain lifestyle factors can keep stress high and never-ending. Don’t be afraid to make a lifestyle change that can help lower your stress levels. For instance, address relationships that may not be healthy, set boundaries within your personal and professional life, try something new, and take steps to replace unhealthy habits with positive ones. Making a change may be difficult at first, but start by taking little steps and it will be easier to make the transition into your new routine. For example, some changes could be 

• Getting to bed earlier

• Embracing positive self-talk

• Striving to be more organized

• Trying mindful eating 

Get Relief With Movement

Strive to move your body each day to form a healthy habit that will help you feel better. 

• Take a walking in the morning even if it’s around the block a couple of times

• Incorporate tai chi movements (balance, movement and breathing)

• Use music that makes you happy and dance like no one is watching!

According to a study, “regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults.” Therefore, do your best to work and move your muscles to stay physically and emotionally healthy. You may wonder where to begin or how to get started with exercise, but there are some great activities you can try that don’t involve a dedicated trip to the gym. For instance, you can go for a power walk to get your heart pumping, or even try doing calisthenics workouts in your backyard or a nearby park. Whatever you choose to do, make exercising fun, and pick something that resonates with you. 

Start your journey to healing today. Don’t flounder and suffer from built-up stress and pressure. Get started with managing your stress by trying one of these tips. Once you master one, you can build upon your skills to help your mind and body feel better.

Post Viral Fatigue is Real! Get your Energy Back With These Healing Tips

Recover from illness is extremely important as the lingering effects and weakness can make you susceptible to other viruses and infections. People need to take recovery as part of the healing process seriously.

It is apparent that while Covid-19 virus may not be present in the body ; the immune system is not back to functioning optimally. Everyone is vulnerable. Treating the person with the virus means helping them to be strong while knocking out a virus. As the body fights the pathogen it also weakens the person as the immune system does its job. Imagine a tornado that blows through a town, the town will still be there, but the devastation and the rebuilding will take some time.

The solution:

Work with a Chinese medicine professional and get a personalized treatment plan with acupuncture and herbs. For thousands of years Asia has dealt with hundreds of pandemics and the way to heal has been developed from real human experience.

The principles of Chinese medicine are prevention and cultivating a strong constitution as an important path for health and longevity. Acupuncture and herbs to help regulate the body’s nervous system and help with immune support. Gaining a strong immune system and constitution means recovery is how to get strength back.

If you have been wondering why In China the virus is being controlled and people are recovering from Covid-19 and going back to normal, the secret is they received acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine as part of the recovery phase of the illness. This is making sure to get health back to its best state. 

Here are some tips to help with post viral fatigue:

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine: 

Acupuncture has shown to help with mediating the cytokine storm and relieve inflammation this is also why it is so good for recovery. Much of the post viral fatigue and symptoms are coming from the lingering inflammation and the body not being able to regulate nervous system response of rest and digest. Acupuncture research has shown to help with immune regulation and an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

Getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important activities you can do for your health. 

Sleep is when growth hormone is produced for tissue repair, immune regulation, organ and brain detoxification and mood regulating hormones like serotonin are made. 

Lack of sleep can cause other body functions and inflammations to occur that can then lead to ischemic death (cell death).

Nourishing foods:

Bone broth is full of nutrients and is easy to absorb to regain energy, adding some ginger and a little bit of astragalus root will make it a medicinal soup. 

Astragalus root is used in many classic Chinese herbal formulas for supporting immune function and has shown to be a strong antiviral.

Choose foods that are organic and naturally immune boosting such as mushrooms, fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Mushrooms: are considered a superfood, this means they have a potentially positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition.  For vegetarians dried mushrooms are also a source of Vitamin D. 

Move your Qi:

Make sure to get exercise, but don’t over do it, it takes time for the body to recover and regain strength and stability. Walking and stretching will increase circulation and improve lymph flow. 

Get some sunlight: Vitamin D is important for a strong immune system.  Low Vitamin D is linked to higher instances of complications with Covid-19. Getting sunlight helps synthesis or Vitamin D.There are also supplements and is found in food sources such as fatty fish, eggs and cheese. Zinc also plays a crucial role in the body’s ability to maintain health and protect it from colds and flus.

Choose tea: Both green and black teas (Camellia Sinensis family) have shown to have natural anit-microbial and antiviral properties . The antioxidants in black help prevent stomach cancers and have a direct bactericidal effect against Streptococcus mutans. The throat is the gateway for bacteria and viruses to enter the body so Tea is what the doctor ordered.

Tulsi tea: ( holy basil) Research shows it is a “super herb” that has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, the list is long for its healing properties. It is ideal for immune support and easy to keep with you in tea form or as an essential oil.

Why a Balanced Immune System is the Key to Total Body Wellness

Health is not a matter of luck. It is something you create.

The immune system is a regulatory function meaning that it is in a state of “dynamic balance” this is something that is observed in the Daoist principles of Chinese and East Asian Medicine. Using the metaphor of Qi or life energy flow helps to look at health as vital energy.

Wei Qi is the defensive Qi that surrounds us and protects us from illness that are referred to as “evil” pathogens.

For the most part we don’t notice our immune system at work unless we get a runny nose , a rash or a fever. A well balanced system just works, this is know as homeostasis.

When a person has a balanced immune system, they may not notice any “symptoms” because the immune system is able to recognize immediately pathogens surrounding them and escort them out or “kill them”. Their body can sense when there is something off and respond rapidly to auto-regulate. 

Getting sick is really our immune system responding to an attack and it just happens that we are the battlefield where the attack is taking place.

In Asian culture, the practice of cultivating health and longevity, this involves practices that strengthen the mind body connection. There are principles that support the development of optimal health and wellness. The 8 principles in East Asian medicine are. food, exercise, meditation/mindfulness, acupuncture, herbs, bodywork, cosmology (season and planetary influences) and Feng Shui (the art and science of placement).

How to work with the genetics you were born with so you can take charge of your health destiny.

You are born with a constitution (genetic predisposition) that has strengths and weaknesses and as you develop nutrition, activities, behaviors environmental factors influence your health and wellbeing.  

Scientific research shows that environmental factors play a role in our immune system in the form of epigenetics. Environmental chemicals, nutrition, emotional and stress challenge the immune system and your body chemistry can turn on certain genes that later can become chronic diseases. 

A balanced immune system does not mean you won’t get “sick” The symptoms we call sick such as, a runny nose, sneezing, fever, cough, sweating, vomiting and diarrhea are the body’s way of getting rid of a virus or bacteria. 

This means making sure to get proper nutrition, exercise, sleep as well as cultivate mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.  

The idea of “boosting” is really more like making sure that the immune system is supported so that your body will do what it does best balance and heal, and will have energy when it encounters a pathogen or virus.

• Start now even if it is a baby step!

• Hydrate with water and avoid sugary drinks, caffeine and alcohol

• Foods that are plant based and anti-inflammatory

• Food that is nutrient dense so that the body can absorb and metabolize easily

• get regular exercise, this helps with circulation and mood

• sunshine and vitamin D

• probiotics to balance your gut flora

• getting restorative sleep

• relieving stress, acupuncture can immediately shift the brain chemistry to rest and digest

• keeping a healthy weight, relieve strain on joints, the heart, lungs and kidneys

• mindfulness practice of meditation to help calm the brain

How the Pandemic is impacting pregnancy, IVF and adoption decisions.

Infertility affects both men and women and the pandemic has created and added layer of stress that needs to be addressed for a successful pregnancy.

Struggling with fertility is anxiety producing and one of the most stressful situations for women and couples.  A study shows that 68% (204 million) of Americans are worried about their family’s health related to COVID-19. 

The pandemic has increased the level of fear and anxiety over whether it is safe to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy and baby. The influence of Covid-19 pandemic on the psychological status of infertile couples is having an affect.

Studies report that as many as 30 percent of women are postponing pregnancy because of all this (health risks and worries; isolation; job loss and more)

Women with infertility will still be recovering from having their fertility treatments cancelled, surgeries postponed and closed clinics. Many women feel like they will have to start from square one. There is concern about when it will be safe to resume treatments and if COVID-19 would cause deformities such as Zika virus.

The information on the impact of Covid-19 has not been conclusive making it difficult for couples to decide if it is safe to move forward with getting pregnant. 

The CDC findings are that pregnant women are at risk for more severe illness from covid versus non-pregnant women. 

Pregnant women with Covid-19 or more likely to be admitted to the hospital and in the ICU with a 70% more likely to need ventilators according to data, though death numbers are not impacted. Even with these findings there are gaps in the data.

What do we know for sure? 

Patients that have pre-existing health issues such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and immune problems that would have also been considered high risk under normal circumstances are at higher risk if they contract Covid-19. 

During pregnancy there are changes in the immune system that make women more prone to severe illness from influenza and can also be harmful to the developing baby. Flu vaccines are an added protection during pregnancy because the antibodies will pass on to the developing baby. 

The difference with Covid-19 is that there is no vaccine available and will take time to study efficacy once it is used.

 What can couples do now?

Each couple will have to take a hard look at their health right now and if they can improve their overall health, which in turn will help with fertility and pregnancy. Look at setting a timeline and health goals around getting pregnant for both male and female.  If it is possible to postpone or wait a bit, couples that can are rethinking when they will resume if they are working with a fertility clinic. 

Taking a whole health perspective of eating well, exercising, losing weight and stress reduction will help to strengthen their immune system and reduce their risks of severe illness. 

Relieve Stress

Stress is the biggest disrupter of reproductive hormones. It’s not about relaxing, it is about the overall function of the nervous system being triggered over and over creating anxiety.

Focus on your overall health

Think of the big picture of habits that contribute to your overall health - sleep, nutrition, exercise, mind-body practices, and self-care. This can also include the relationship with your partner, as fertility can put a strain on relationships. These habits all support fertility, no matter what stage of the fertility journey you are on. 

Holistic approaches

Acupuncture: studies show acupuncture can improve fertility outcomes for both men and women. Acupuncture helps to regulate the nervous system and has shown to activate certain neuropeptides in the brain that reduce inflammation and stimulate the immune system to heal. 

Males: It is important that male fertility is investigated. Studies show the virus can damage testicular cells and interfere with spermatogenesis causing problems with male fertility. Men should get tested for antibodies and also sperm health, preemptively they can freeze sperm for the future as well.

How can ginger and ginger tea be beneficial for your health?

Ginger tea can improve your digestion and support you immune system.

Drinking ginger tea has many health benefits, in addition to being caffeine free ginger has many medicinal properties. Helping with nausea and settling an upset stomach are only some of the benefits.

Ginger (root) tea has great antioxidant properties and has shown to have anticancer potential. 

Ginger can help fight colds and bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Together with some lemon and honey it is a powerful addition for a cold remedy.

Pain relief from osteoarthritis in the knee.

Improve heart health by lowering cholesterol lowering and lowering blood pressure.

Ginger is an aromatic spice and comes from the zingiberaceae family that includes turmeric and cardamom. Ginger is used in food and drink for flavor and medicine because they can the stomach and in It was one of the first spices to make its way to Europe during the spice trade.

Chinese cuisine: You will always find a little ginger and garlic blending flavors and it will assist in digestion and overall health.

Chinese Medicine: Ginger (Sheng Jiang) is found in most of Chinese herbal formulas together with licorice because of its effect on the gastrointestinal system. It helps to improve the delivery of medicine by helping with digestion and absorption.   

Ginger has so many health benefits and can easily become part of your immune boosting toolkit.