Free Health interventions
In the age of never ending health information, biohacking, and feeling like you need to be on a million supplements all at once - I’m here to tell you that there is SO much you can do on a lifestyle level that can make huge shifts in your health.
At the root of naturopathic medicine is the idea that the foundations of health need to be in order for optimal health. This includes a good diet, good sleep, moving our body, practicing stress reduction techniques, building a community, connecting with nature, and pretty much all the things that bring us back to the roots of being human.
Health doesn’t come in a bottle in the supplement aisle at whole foods or an expensive workout program. It doesn’t come from following the regimen of your favorite influencer to a T or the latest episode of a podcast. Health is about finding routines and habits that feel good for YOU. You can always add on supplemental support, but that support is never meant to outweigh the benefits of nurturing a nourishing lifestyle. Listen to yourself and chase after simplicity and what feels good, long term. That is where the answers are.
Connection with Others: Social Life
It is no gate kept secret that our social relationships heavily influence our health and well being. Although, I believe that as of late, the importance of this has come under the knife. Western cultures tend to demonize the desire to depend on someone, want to have someone to talk to every day, or feel an attachment to someone. This can apply to romantic relationships, parental figures, friendships, etc. We have an underlying belief in our society that being a lone soldier is better and even a marker for a well developed, successful individual. In reality, based on research and speaking to these people alone, the truth is quite the contrary.
We need healthy, supportive relationships to thrive. In fact, we need interaction daily as a biomarker for true health and longevity. We can look to Blue Zones, scientific studies, communities in foreign countries that live in a close knit village, or just speak to our grandparents about how things were when they were younger in order to see the truth in this.
Having secure, supportive relationships in your life shows time and time again to not only lower cortisol levels in the moment, but also to help you manage your stress response to future situations. Beginning at birth, the quality of social relationships with our caregivers begins to permanently alter our stress responses and how we manage the demands of our environment throughout our lives. In addition, these early healthy relationships help us to form properly functioning systems such as immune, metabolic, autonomic nervous, and HPA axis.
For women, having supportive female friendships is of the utmost importance. Keeping cortisol levels low is crucial to optimal hormone health.
We know that social isolation and a culture of forced independence is harming us, but there is also a reverse side. The benefits to disconnecting yourself from those in your life who are toxic is irrefutable. Negative relationships, whether they be romantic, friendships, or even family, can have serious consequences on your health and well being. It is important in these circumstances to really sit with yourself and ask how you feel after spending time with these people. How does your body react? Do you feel tensed? Or do you feel expanded?
Connection with Ourselves: Learning
Truly. It is that simple. Pick something you care about, sit down, and learn. We are in a time of such urgency. We scroll through millions of 30 second videos, we read 3 line tweets, and converse about almost nothing of true material day in and day out. What does this do to our brains? It teaches them that they cannot relax. It teaches our brains that there is no time to truly sit down and absorb our environments and nothing really matters either, it is self induced fight or flight. It also decreases our ability to experience true pleasure because we are used to quick hits.
There comes a time when we need to choose peace over pleasure. Pick one topic you want to learn about, find a book on it that sounds truly engaging to you, and read it. True, slow, intentional reading, rather than mindless skimming, can do wonders for your mental state. Reading lowers your heart rate, reduces tension in your muscles, slows your breathing, and has been shows in studies to reduce stress by up to 68%.
There is a sacred beauty in really giving things the time that they take, not rushing through them or trying to skip to the end to “get to the point”, as our brains have been trained lately to do. Learning takes time, reading takes time.
Learn a new language, pick one recipe a week that challenges you and learn how to perfect it, pick up a new hobby, take a MOOS (massive online open course), or even just start taking a different route home from work. I recently have embarked on starting my own herb garden. You can grow mint, rosemary, basil, oregano, chives, parsley, and thyme all just on your windowsill. This is an amazing option if you live in an apartment or just don’t have access to a yard. In addition, you have the benefit of researching and learning a new skill while not taking on too large of a challenge, and upping your health by having access to fresh herbs!
Challenging your brain, slowing down, being intentional and present, these are true elixirs to health.
This also comes full circle. Aside from keeping your mind young, reducing depression and anxiety, easing inflammation and tension, learning can also encourage you to broaden your social circle. It is much easier to learn a new skill when you surround yourself with other people doing the same thing. You have now upped your health in 2 different ways at once.
Connection with our Environment: Blue Mind Theory, Forest Bathing, and Feng Shui
Your environment is so crucial to your well being. It is incredibly difficult to thrive if you are not placing yourself in an environment that fosters it. Exposing yourself daily to nature and then coming back to a home that is clean and designed to foster calmness can truly do wonders for your mental health, inflammation, nervous system, and more.
Blue Mind Theory is the theory that will apply to you if you life near a body of water. Blue Mind is essentially a mindset that people fall into when they are on in, near, or under water. If you have the opportunity, going for a daily swim or simply sitting near the water and meditating every day can have a profound impact. Being in or around water can increase dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin while simultaneously lowering cortisol. A large body of water, such as looking out at the ocean, also inspires a certain sense of awe that is so important .Being pulled into the present moment by awe is such a powerful force of grounding and expansiveness. As mentioned in my last blog on hydration , we are composed almost entirely of water, and its importance to our bodies cannot be understated. That being said, our brains like being around it too. It simply feels right, like a sense of coming home to yourself, and when you have experienced it you will know what I mean.
Forest bathing will apply to you if you don’t have direct access to a body of water but are surrounded by trees and flora. Getting outside around trees is not about the physical benefits of exercise that come from walking or hiking, it is about simply existing in nature. Humans are hard wired to connect with the natural world. When we go too long without being surrounded by the natural green of a forest, our systems start to sense it and things go awry. Studies have consistently shown that forest bathing improves sleep, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, improves focus and mood, and lessens anxiety. If you live near evergreens (pines, cedars, or spruce trees) you are really in luck as they contain the highest levels of a certain chemical called phytoncides that seem to be connected to all these health benefits we reap. How to forest bathe? Simply be still, grounded, amazed, connected to your senses, and let your body take you.
Feng Shui is an art you can take part in to use your environment to improve your health no matter where you live. Focus in on your bedroom, as you spend the most precious time here and it has a much larger impact on your mindset and wellbeing than you are likely aware of. The philosophy focuses a lot on your bed. Do not place your bed directly in line with the bedroom door, assure it is up against a solid wall or (preferably) headboard, and declutter underneath. You want your qi, or vital life force energy, to be able to flow freely around you while you are in the yin state of sleep. Create a sense of harmony. This means if you have one nightstand, you will want one on the other side as well. This also goes for lamps, chairs, etc. Add plants to your room, but only one or two. Too many can create a disturbance of energy and take away from the relaxing atmosphere of a bedroom. As an extra bonus, plants such as Snake plant, Bamboo palm, Spider plant, and Peace Lily ( be careful if you have pets), are all excellent additions for your air quality and health.
Lastly, try your hardest to keep technology and work out of the bedroom! Create clear boundaries and show respect to yourself.
When you become more intentional with your life and un-complicate health, you will notice things start to happen. Movement becomes more naturally integrated into your day, cooking becomes enjoyable and rewarding, you have coping mechanisms that replace a glass of wine at the end of the day, your inflammation goes down, your cramps and PMS lessen to a degree where you hardly notice them, your anxiety is decreasing, and more. Finding your own routine that works for you, and then embellishing it by creating meaningful connections, expanding your mind, and immersing yourself in your environment.
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