Tag Archives: stress management

Treating Eczema With Natural Remedies

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Eczema is a skin condition that affects the young, the old and everyone in between. The classic presentation symptoms range from dry scaly patches or wet blistering clumps that can be intensely itchy and painful, and often bleed when scratched.  The traditional way of treating eczema has been the application of corticosteroid creams of different percentages on the affected areas or the use of thick moisturizers and at best being tested for skin allergies but with no available treatments for those allergies except for antihistamines.

The physical appearance and related symptoms are frustrating and debilitating for the most sane of us, and exhausting especially for parents who newborns have been diagnosed with eczema, especially since they did not already have enough to deal with on their plates to add to their sleepless nights. Psychologically it can do a number on most of us. So what are some of the alternative natural remedies that we as naturopathic doctors use for our clients?

The naturopathic way of treating eczema is not to hand out immunosuppressant creams or ointments, but to assist the body in its healing this vicious symptom. Eczema is usually caused by allergens that could be ingested or topical or in the environment of the individual and usually exacerbated by the climate and stress. Its the body hypersensitive reaction that causes the itching and the red rashes at times, and eliminating the offending cause is usually how naturopathic medicine works to treat eczema.

In order to provide relief from the symptoms, and get rid of the eczema, one must first treat the root of the problem. Allergens are the most common culprits but its not necessarily allergens that cause anaphylactic reactions. Generally I find that mild food allergies cause eczema in over 70 % of the clients. Stress may bring on a flare up of eczema as well, hence stress management techniques are key to tone down an over active immune system. A change in the climate may bring on a bout of eczema as well.

A change in use of body products such as body wash or shampoos, deodorants or make up , type of clothing such as use of wool or acrylic or introduction of new food items could bring on eczema if the body is allergic to any of the products of food items that have been introduced.

A lack of moisture due to inadequate water intake or lack of essential fatty acids could also effect eczema symptoms.

For more information on eczema and how to treat it naturally, please check this eczema article.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto.

Natural Ways Of Decreasing Stress In Life

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Life presents us with talks and turns which for most part are a learning experience and something to build on. If we had no ups or downs, no bends and turns, life would be boring or empty, which may be sufficient for some people, but not for most of us. We seek thrills and adventures in life, excitement and that rush, that drives us, but most of the time, they come at a price + interest- the interest being the amount of stress that these put on the body and the after effects. Most times I see patients who are stressed out because of work, family, kids, relationships, and so on. When asked about stress, most people say that they do not feel stressed, but when we test their bioavailable hormones using saliva, majority of the times, at stress glands are either overworked or fatigued.

So what are some of the simple ways of reducing stress in life?

1. Create a list of things to do weekly or every few days and make sure you schedule time for you in – even if its just for 15 minutes.

2. One task at a time or per day is okay. Most of us have a tendency to schedule too many things in our day, majority of the times this is unrealistic and then feel overwhelmed when we do not get them all done that day, so go easy on your self and treat yourself for that one accomplishment rather than stressing your self over not having finished all the tasks.

3. Tomorrow is another day, so if you did not finish something today, there is always tomorrow.

4. Try not to stretch yourself too thin in all directions – such as kids activities, work, extra curricular activities, additional commitments with friends and family. Its important to maintain good relationships with people, especially friends and family, but not at the cost of your health and peace. If you are not able to find time for you because of all sorts of external commitments, you will soon feel resentment towards activities that are generally supposed to be fun, such as spending time with friends and family, so try to find balance and a happy medium where everyone gets their share of your precious time, including you.

5. Its okay to say no! especially if you are so pressed for time.

Energetic treatments like acupuncture and Reiki work very help for relaxing the body and calming the mind.  Yoga classes can be very beneficial too –   especially if they have a meditation component to them. You can also look at our stress management program for more therapies and tips for stress relief. Come in for a relaxing deep tissue massage, which I find always does the trick.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto

Natural Immune System Boosters

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As the weather changes, you hear more and more people coming into the office with sniffles and coughs. So what we all can do to decrease the chances of falling ill is to boost our immune system naturally using simple natural therapies and supplements.

One of the best ways to keep your immune system in check is to make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. You are most likely to get if you have not been sleeping well and are already run down and stressed, especially this time of year. Your body replenishes / restores itself through sleep and diet, so its very important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you are feeling stressed or are chronically stressed, your immune system will suffer and leave you more susceptible to getting sick, so make sure you are managing your stresss well. Acupuncture and massage are great as relaxing therapies that will help improve your immune function.

Diet plays a role too. Eating foods that are naturally very high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, along with high sterol contents and zinc are excellent to support the immune system.  Try to include plenty of broccoli, dark colored fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds – especially pumpkin and walnuts in your diet. Herbs such as thyme, basil and marjoram along with ginger, garlic and onions have strong anti viral, anti bacterial and anti fungal properties, and are great for taste and boosting immune function when added in cooking.

Personal hygiene is another factor that is important in preventing influenza and coughs.  Its good to keep a hand sanitizer with you especially if you are using transit often. Keep you hands away from touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you have been in contact with someone who has been ill. Hand washing is key when it comes to preventing spread of bacteria and viruses that cause most common colds and coughs.

So stay safe and healthy in this cold season using simple natural therapies.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Treating Insomnia / Restless Sleep Related To Stress

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Quite often we have people at our naturopathic clinic who come in to be treated for insomnia or restless sleep.

What causes sudden insomnia and restless sleep?

Stress is a huge factor for most people. Especially for those individuals who tend to take work stress home, have a hard time managing stress, and tend to internalize it. In doing so, when they try to get to sleep, all the thoughts that weren’t dealt with during the day, come up at night and disturb the individual sleep – where they might have a very active and restless mind and cant stop thinking when they should have been sleeping.

A simple solution to this would be to try and journal all your thoughts before bedtime in your library or study area or any area away from the bedroom.

You could also try some form of deep breathing or mediation before bedtime to help you calm your mind and body down. Physical exercise during the day is also great for stress relief. Acupuncture and relaxation is what we found to be the most effective, along with certain supplements for sleeping ailments that are stress related.

A deficiency in certain key nutrients may also cause restlessness during sleeping hours, talk to your naturopath about perhaps checking your nutrient status, especially if you are using stimulants such as coffee to get you through the day.  You might also want to get your cortisol levels checked (a key hormone that allows the body to adapt to stress), especially if you are getting a second wind at night or are rather alert when you wake up in the middle of the night. Usually saliva hormone testing is the best way to check the cortisol levels. Talk to our Toronto naturopath to see if this would be applicable in your case.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Treating Constipation Naturally

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People suffering from constipation often tend to do various cleanses and diets, which seem to find helpful for a few days or months and then their symptoms of gas, bloating and constipation recur. The thing that I have found to be most beneficial for my patients is determining what exactly is causing the constipation – usually we find the cause is the foods that they have been eating and not tolerating well or they have diets which is are high in carbohydrates such as breads and pastas, or they are not drinking enough water or they have too much stress in life, once all these issues are addressed- from determining what foods people are intolerant through specific blood tests and changing their diet and lifestyle and teaching them proper techniques for stress management, the issue of constipation is generally RESOLVED!

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.