Jenny Crissman MS L. Ac
August 16, 2020
I hope your summer has been full of creative social distancing, ripe and yummy stone fruit, lot's of out door physical activity along with a few home and self help projects you never even dreamt of before now!
I have been back in my office treating many of you for the last 2 months. I feel confident in all of the safety measures we have in place and have added HEPA filters ( high efficiency air filtering system) to each treatment room in addition to fresh air from windows open and fans on.
I am learning from you, what your concerns and needs are. I want to be of service to help you in anyway I can to maneuver the uncertainties of moving forward with COVID19.
The emotional roller coaster is a rough ride for many and FEAR AND ANXIETY are the two buzz words that I am hearing most about these days.
Fear relates to a known a threat and anxiety often follows from an unknown, or poorly defined threat.
Our lives are full of both of these “threats” at the moment.
The symptoms that occur as a result of Fear or Anxiety often overlap. They are sometimes immediately debilitating but more often we find they exaggerate our Hypothalamic Pituitary, Adrenal Axis ( HPA) aka stress response! If this exaggerated response is maintained for long periods of time it becomes the norm for your body and will negatively effect many biological functions such as:
Immune Response/ Decline
Sleep Patterns /Disrupted,
Blood Sugar levels/Weight Gain
Lack of Focus
Chronic Inflammation /Physical Pain
Digestive Distress
Hormonal Changes
At this point in time we may not be able to mitigate the external factors causing stress but we can influence our response to it.
Some simple suggestions:
Avoid eating Processed Refined Foods
Avoid dieting - just eat plenty of whole foods ( from the rainbow of vegetables and fruits) to supply your body with the macro and micro nutrients that will best support your HPA axis and your whole body health
Eat Nutrient Dense Carbohydrates ( Sweet Potato, Quinoa, Berries) with good fiber. A moderate Carbohydrate diet is sometimes better to support to your HPA function
Add more fiber and healthful fats to help regulate your Blood sugar. Avoid carbohydrate centric meals and snacks ( pasta, rice, pizza, bread)
Dark Chocolate, at least 70% cacao. It contains phytochemicals with beneficial effects on cortisol response. HU Dark Chocolate ( no soy lecithin) ! https://hukitchen.com/collections/chocolate?sort=created-desc&compactView=true
EAT MINDFULLY- sit down, avoid screen time, acknowledge your mealtime and how it will nourish all of your daily activities
Supplements/ foods you can add:
Omega 3 Fatty Acids - lower evening cortisol, help gut dysbiosis, lower inflammation.* Wild caught seafood 3 x per week
Designs for Health HI PO Omega Avail: https://shop.designsforhealth.com/sca/checkout.ssp?is=login&login=T&origin=home&origin_hash=omegavail-hi-po
Magnesium - normalizes HPA axis function, enhances calming GABA retransmission. *Dark leafy greens, Almonds, Cashews, Avocado
Pure Encapsulations Magnesium glycinate or citrate: https://www.pureencapsulations.com/magnesium-glycinate.html
L-theanine - an amino acid that supports a balanced stress response * Green tea is an amazing source ( decaf if your sensitive)
Pure Encapsulations Cortisol Calm: https://www.pureencapsulations.com/cortisol-calm.html
This is the time to help fortify your body’s innate abilities and all of the above are simple doable suggestions. Our best defense is a good offense and sometimes we have to up our game with the basics.
I have provided links to my favorite sources and have supplements available in the office or through my online Pharmacy Wellevate, (find it here on my site), SHOP NOW
You will receive a 10 % discount on all orders placed through the pharmacy !
I hope this serves as a good reminder that I am here still here to help even if you are not ready to come in for treatment. Reach out and I can share more tools and tips: Herbal medicine, Food as “medicine” , Functional medicine testing ( DUTCH Adrenal and Hormonal Panels https://dutchtest.com/, GIMAP https://www.diagnosticsolutionslab.com/tests/gi-map) with recommendations and lifestyle suggestions...
Stay safe and be well as we maintain our diligence to contain the spread of COVID 19:
Wear a Mask
Keep your Distance
Wash your Hands
Come in for some personal acupuncture care when you are ready
Revised office hours and COVID19 safety measures found here on my website!
Hope to see or hear from you soon!