What can help us achieve perfect sleep? let’s see what the science suggests

1. Aromatherapy: try a bedside diffuser with relaxing scents or blends or a hand, foot, head and neck self massage before bed.

Benefits of aromatherapy for insomnia.  My favorite sleep oil available for you on Fullscript.

This study suggests single aroma inhalation, lavender, offers the greatest sleep benefit.

Had a long day? Try a reflexology massage bonus if you add aromatherapy.

2. Acupuncture – Get on my schedule book today

A review of studies shows acupuncture, acupressure and herbs enhance sleep quality. Acupuncture also supports your pharma choice for a best night’s sleep.

3. Postmenopausal? Try reflexology, yoga or walking 

Commit to a regular yoga class that works with your schedule. Find a local class, schedule private sessions or discover a you tube instructor.  I invite my friends to walk and talk in the park, downtown or along the river instead of meeting up for happy hour or coffee. 

4. Classical music trumps audiobooks.

In a comparative study between  music and audiobooks, sleep and depressive symptoms improved with relaxing classical music 45 minutes before bedtime.

5. Earthing is amazing.

It’s impossible to count all the ways, on two hands, in which walking barefoot on the earth benefits humans. Yup, sleep improvement is in the count. A recent study entitled Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review discusses inspiring research and anecdotal evidence from patient treatments involving direct contact with the ground. Give it a read by clicking on the title above.

6. Try a caffeine free trial

While age and genotype contribute to caffeine tolerance, it’s a safe bet that caffeine is not helping your sleep.  Many of my patients report, after reducing or eliminating caffeine, that they had no idea how much it impacted their ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, sleep quality, feeling rested or their energy level throughout the day.  Remember, black tea, green tea, caff and decaf coffee, energy drinks, chocolate all contain caffeine.  I typically suggest a step down then complete elimination for a 4-8 week trial because dose matters. Patients report enjoying adaptogenic mushroom blends as a substitute. Some patients that tolerate caffeine better or wish to enjoy it on special occasions benefit from waiting several hours after waking to allow natural cortisol levels to rise. Discover a herbal tea that strengthens your constitution or try hot ginger or lemon water upon waking.  Additionally, take that first hit of caffeine with a little food to minimize gastric discomfort.

Try some of my favorite Mushroom Coffees or sign up & search the Fullscript catalog for a full listing.

7. Give up Alcohol

Not only does it destroy sleep quality, but even moderate use encourages snoring by relaxing the muscle tone of throat and neck.  You may be disturbing your bed mate, and who wants that? No one. You may fall asleep faster, but alcohol disrupts REM sleep and reduces overall sleep quality.

How did you come to know and love tea?

I grew up with a mom who always created an herb garden wherever she has lived and helped me develop a taste for herbal brews early on starting with spearmint sun tea and catnip.I learned so much about tea in the town I lived for medical school – Portland, Oregon. They actually have tea shops and tea shops within Chinese gardens. My Chinese Medicine teachers always packed their traveling suitcases with tea and spices. The ah too true joke with them is that packaged teas that we drink in this country are the sweepings off the factory floors from their country. I choose bulk tea from high quality vendors and use a tea pot with strainer or french press.  I add hot water until the liquid is near to colorless. Any extra tea can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

What is your favorite tea or tea blend for Winter?
My go to winter tea is chai or a spiced bone broth

Click to learn how to free the medicine in leaves, roots, barks and berries in this week’s Cultivating Wellness blog http://drsaritaelizabeth.com/brewing-teas-free-their-medi…/

Below is an easy Bone Broth preparation for you to enjoy.

Simple Slow Cooker Bone Broth

Crockpot, Pruning shears, Ladle, Skimmer, Mesh strainer, Freezer containers

Instructions

Fill crockpot ¾ of the way full with bones. Add dried spices/herbs. Add salt/seaweed. Add vinegar/lemon juice. Add just enough filtered water to cover the bones. Cook on low 18-72 hours

Add vegetables, skins/ends/stems at any time during the cooking process. Skim fat/gelatin and retain for later use. Fill containers with broth. Freeze for later use.

Soup = cooking liquid for gains, vegetable simmers, tea, gravy

Five Element Analysis

Soups, especially broths are Water Element nourishment. Each type bone directs the energy to more specific Elements

Pork, Deer, Turkey or Duck to Water to nourish the Kidney, Bladder & Adrenals

Chicken to Wood to nourish Liver & Gallbladder

Beef to Earth (and Water) to nourish Stomach, Spleen & Pancreas as well as Kidney, Bladder & Adrenals

Every felt ‘butterflies in your stomach”? Ever become nauseous at the thought of a situation or seeing a person? Ever had a “gut wrenching” experience? 

These sensations may be fleeting or protracted.  How do we care for this intuitive, reactive nervous system?

Here are two ways to support the gut:

1.My favorite physical support is a yogic cleansing technique, nauli.

2. My favorite nutritional support includes personalized probiotics & herbs.

Gut Roll: the Good Kind!

Nauli is a yoga technique used in Panchakarma to cleanse the internal organs and tone the abdominal by doing a rolling motion using the abdominal muscles. While perhaps more directly impacting the large and small intestines, the spleen, stomach and pancreas get a great massage with Nauli.

Give Nauli a try by following the beginner’s basics below!

NAULI 

• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and  knees slightly
  bent (about 5 degrees)
• Straighten your spine
• Relax your shoulders, arms and chest; feel the weight of your body
  directed down toward your knees
• Begin the exercise by pushing your abdomen out, feeling a slight
  pressure as if your stomach was full
• Pull your abdomen inward and try to make your belly button touch
  the spine; this completes one full round
• After completing 10 rounds pull your abdomen inward
  as much as you can and hold then allow gravity to release the hold. repeat the series, increasing to 50 by the end of week four.

Attaching a healthy habit to an already existing habit simply sets us up for success

I find it convenient to start my morning with nauli immediately after I neti or brush my teeth.  Try nauli every time you brush your teeth.

Watch a demonstration video here

Herbal Gut Support

Support the Earth element and our guts, by trying Triphala, the “Ayurvedic pre/probiotic.” Triphala contains three fruits with five of the six tastes recognized in Ayurvedic medicine including: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Pungent and Astringent. Triphala (or a constitutionally appropriate probiotic or a spore formulation) is an excellent supplement for the transitional Earth seasons (four times a year). Two weeks of continual use then as needed or on a rotational basis is my general prescription for folks.

I encourage you to choose probiotic strains, spores, fermented foods and drinks suited for your unique health. Strains of flora should be customized for food allergies, weight loss, constipation, diarrhea, cognition, post anti-biotic care. At times, a triphala enema with sesame oil may be right for you.  Other times a butyrate or coffee might be a best choice for your digestive health concerns. Probiotics and enemas can be used prophylactically in a seasonal rhythm during the 14-18 days around the solstices and equinoxes to support the earth element. Schedule a telemedicine visit to customize your probiotic strains, discuss your health concerns or create a seasonal wellness plan here:

LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL

At Alberta Orchard Wellness in Tuscaloosa, we recommend shopping local when possible and utilizing Fullscript, our professional online pharmacy for specialty products or home delivery and convenience.

Sign up for your free account today to have professional grade products that you can trust the quality delivered to your door. The catalog is open & a discount applied for you to shop your prescription, personal needs and seasonal sales.

Don’t worry, be happy.

How to soothe your nervous system:

• Take a cold shower or plunge
• Splash cold water on face & neck
• Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug
• Restore the microbe of the gut
• Relax jaw tension
• Meditate on loving kindness
• Positive Social Connect
  

  ---

Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The word “vagus” translates to “wandering” in Latin, and the vagus nerve certainly does that. As the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves, it starts at the stem of the brain, behind the ears before it meanders down the sides of the neck, through the chest, and eventually ends in the abdomen linking the brain to the heart, lungs, throat, and gut.

When we are in parasympathetic dominance we are able to rest and digest, rest and heal.

Vagus Nerve Connects the Brain and Gut

The vegas nerve is the sensory network that informs the brain of what’s going on in our organs, most specially the digestive tract (stomach and intestines), lungs and heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.

People with good vagal tone can relax faster after a stress and are more capable of regulating blood glucose levels, reducing chances of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Poor vagal tone, however, is associated with chronic inflammation and basket load of subsequent health issues. Recent research presented by the European League Against Rheumatism indicate that vagus nerve stimulation significantly reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Significant and important research has been making the news about a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read up on this fascinating subject here. Also this article discusses the science behind gut microbiota, brain function and stress related disorders.

Relevant to Earth element health, I’ve collected these research links for you:

• Vagal mechanisms as neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of metabolic disease.
• Impact of blood glucose control on sympathetic and vagus nerve functional status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Vagal afferents contribute to sympathoexcitation–driven metabolic dysfunctions.
• Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet-induced diabetes.

EARTH

TRANSITION

In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means knowledge of life.  Ancient Ayurvedic medicine classifies a person’s physical and emotional state of being using the three doshas—vata, kapha, and pitta. The doshas are the energies running throughout our bodies and minds that control all of our physical and mental systems. Everyone has a specific constitution, or Prakruti, that is determined by the proportions of the three doshas at the time of conception. A person’s body contains elements of all three of the doshas with one element usually taking precedence over the other two elements. These energies create the characteristics and particulars that define every person’s individual makeup. Disease and health issues occur when the three doshas are out of balance. The doshas derive from the Five Elements and their related attributes.

Vata ~ Space and Air

Pitta ~Fire and Water

Kapha ~ Earth and Water

Pitta energy, associated with fire, influences the digestive and endocrine systems. People with pitta energy have fiery personalities and are intelligent and quick-paced. Ulcers, inflammation, digestive issues, anger, heartburn, and arthritis can manifest when pitta energy is out of balance, and practices to restore balance are: staying cool, unwinding, laughter therapy, me-time and rest.

Vata energy is of the air and space. It is associated with breathing and blood circulation. Vata energy is dominant in people who are lively, creative, and think outside of the box. Vata imbalance can cause joint pain, constipation, dry skin, and emotional stress.  Vata types benefit from meditation, and other nourishing self-care practices like: oilation and oil pulling, staying warm, (learning how to) be still, relax and stay calm.

Kapha energy, related to earth and water, is associated with the chest, torso and back. Kapha dominant people display a strong constitution with a calm temperament. A person with a kapha energy imbalance may suffer from obesity, diabetes, sinus infections, and gallbladder problems and can benefit from dry skin brushing, short periods of intensive exercise that increase internal heat and result in sweating, energizing music and home/workspace organization.

The doshas are constantly reacting and responding to our environments and choices. Toxic exposures, an unhealthy diet, habits and lifestyle choices, seasonal changes, emotional upset, and stress all affect the balance of the tridosha. Watch for our upcoming fall guest post with Gillian Shapiro on sound healing;  she will provide a dosha quiz link to learn more about your patterns.

PANCHAKARMA

Panchakarma is the purification therapy used in Ayurvedic medicine , which is based on the concept that all disease is created by the build-up of toxins in the body and by imbalances between the body, mind and spirit. To address the accumulation of toxic substances in the body, a detoxification therapy is prescribed to cleanse the body. Panchakarma is used to treat any disease, especially those that are chronic, systemic, and stress-related. 

Panchakarma brings the doshas into equilibrium while restoring health and wellness.

Panchakarma consists of five detoxifying treatments that use oil treatments, massage, sweating, exercises, and herbal remedies among other methods to help restore balance in the body. I was fortunate to learn these treatments apprentice style at Mount Madonna Center just after graduation from NUNM. I worked at and managed Kaya Kalpa Wellness Center for three years, and fell in love with oilation therapies like abhyanga, swedena, and shirodhara (my absolute favorite treatment to bliss out!) I encourage all my patients to check out and book bodywork at their work or vacation destinations, particularly new therapies that may not be offered in their own communities. These cleansing treatments help to eliminate toxins from the body and restore the nervous system.  Panchakarma typically includes gut support through supplementation, diet and yoga exercises to cleanse the gut. 

I will be offering Shirodhara as a seasonal wellness opportunity this winter at my clinic in Tuscaloosa. You will be able to pre-pay and book online for my limited availability.  The treatment requires two quarts of pure or medicated and organic oils (typically sesame, sometimes cocount oil) or milk.  I create a ritual space and perform the treatment with a deeply meditative presence.  On-line booking will be available during December for Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox dates. You can also contact our office to pre-pay for first available and preferred scheduling choice. According to a research project published in Journal of Ayurveda Integrative Medicine. 2013.

A standardized Shirodhara leads to a state of alert calmness similar to the relaxation response observed in meditation. The clinical benefits observed with Shirodhara in anxiety neurosis, hypertension, and stress aggravation due to chronic degenerative diseases could be mediated through these adaptive physiological effects.

Herbal Gut Support

Support the Earth element and our guts, by trying Triphala, the “Ayurvedic pre/probiotic.” Triphala contains three fruits with five of the six tastes recognized in Ayurvedic medicine including: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Pungent and Astringent. Triphala (or a constitutionally appropriate probiotic or a spore formulation) is an excellent supplement for the transitional Earth seasons (four times a year) and, at times, an appropriate enema ingredient with sesame oil. Two weeks of continual use then as needed or on a rotational basis is my general prescription for folks. I encourage you to try various probiotic strains, spores, fermented foods and drinks as well.  They can be used in a seasonal rhythm during the 14-18 day period around the solstices and equinoxes to support the earth element.

LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL

At Alberta Orchard Wellness in Tuscaloosa, we recommend shopping local when possible.  Manna Grocery (I worked here before going off to the West Coast for medical school) carries good quality herbs, supplements, produce, and spices. If you can’t find exactly what you need there, or you live out of town or simply don’t wish to deal with the traffic cones and road construction round town, we suggest you use our on-line pharmacies Fullscript or Wellavate, which deliver professional grade, reliable supplements, and teas right to your door.  If you are already established with them, just click through or visit our website to create an account. Simply enroll and search the catalog.  Be assured that all of these products are professional quality.  No worries for outdated, counterfeit, or adulterated products.

Persimmons & Park City!

I’ve been in Park City, Utah this week for a professional workshop (more on that later!) and I’ve been looking forward to coming home to the persimmons at AOW. They are approaching peak ripeness and I will be sure to post here and on my social media accounts when they are ready for U-peak. In the meantime, lets have a peek at the nutritional value of persimmons. They are a wonderful locally grown, fresh, whole food to include in your diet during their Earth transitional season. Just this past week, a study was published that shows that the stalk extract is an effective anti-inflammatory agent. Many Asian cultural medicines use all parts of the plant:  root, rootlets, bark, inner bark, caylx, branch/stem, leaf, flower, fruit, etc.  These different parts have  different affinities for the body parts and the same or different properties in the body.

The edible fruit of the persimmon tree is sweet, flavorful, and full of antioxidants and nutrients. In fact, the Greeks called the persimmon fruit  “the divine fruit”.  The tree belongs to the Ericales order of plants, which also includes brazil nuts, blueberries, and tea. Although there are several varieties of persimmon fruit, the most commonly cultivated comes from the Japanese persimmon fruit tree, known by its scientific name of Diospyros kaki. Persimmons originated in ancient China and a United States military officer brought a persimmon variety native to Japan back to Washington D.C. during the 1880s. Today, persimmons are grown throughout the U.S. and especially in California, where hundreds of different varieties are grown. These cultivars are most typically grafted to our wild, native persimmon rootstock, Diospyros virginiana.  This female wild variety produces a small fruit with a nutty, amaretto flavor only when completely ripe.  It is a favorite treat of our deer population, a puker trick for unknowing kids, and the seed design serves as winter weather folklore.
The persimmon fruits are eaten raw, cooked or dried and they be can added to just about anything from salads to baked goods and more!

At Alberta Orchard Wellness, our success with the Asian grafted fruit trees has been greatly because we planted where the native American persimmons on our property naturally grow.  Imagine that.  Nature shows us how to be successful gardeners if only we observe then act in harmony with her wisdom. 

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2016/2

One persimmon (168 grams) contains:

• Calories:118
• Carbs:31 grams
• Protein:1 gram
• Fat:0.3 grams
• Fiber:6 grams
• Vitamin A:55% of the RDI
• Vitamin C:22% of the RDI
• Vitamin E:6% of the RDI
• Vitamin K:5% of the RDI
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine):8% of the RDI
• Potassium:8% of the RDI
• Copper:9% of the RDI
• Manganese:30% of the RDI

Also: thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), folate, magnesium, potassium and  phosphorus with trace selenium, copper, zinc.

Persimmon Benefits

1. Packed with antioxidants
2. Supports regularity
3. Promotes healthy vision
4. Reduces cholesterol levels
5. Decreases inflammation
6. Leaves: Lower blood pressure
7. Antibacterial

Gut Roll~the Good Kind!

Nauli is a yoga technique used in Panchakarma to cleanse the internal organs and tone the abdominal by doing a side-to-side rolling motion using the abdominal muscles. While perhaps more directly impacting the large and small intestines, the spleen, stomach and pancreas get a great massage with Nauli.

Give Nauli a try by following the beginner’s basics below!

NAULI 

• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and  knees slightly
  bent (about 5 degrees)
• Straighten your spine
• Relax your shoulders, arms and chest; feel the weight of your body
  directed down toward your knees
• Begin the exercise by pushing your abdomen out, feeling a slight
  pressure as if your stomach was full
• Pull your abdomen inward and try to make your belly button touch
  the spine; this completes one full round
• After completing 10 rounds pull your abdomen inward
  as much as you can and hold then allow gravity to release the hold. repeat the series, increasing to 50 by the end of week four.

I find it convenient to start my morning with nauli immediately after I neti or brush my teeth.  Attaching a healthy habit to an already existing habit simply sets us up for success.  Try nauli every time you brush your teeth.

A video demonstrating nauli is linked below.

https://youtu.be/yHtNn0jKk0w