Simple Stress Reducers…

by SchaOn Blodgett, CCP, BTAT

It’s no secret that stress is a huge issue. Study after study seems to be coming out almost daily about how it impacts our health, immune system, relationships, aging, etc.

One of the biggest things to help manage stress, and I am sure that almost all of my clients are tired of hearing about this, but the Moist-Heat Liver pack is amazing! The liver helps us to process the stress and emotions from the day.

The next thing for being able to process the stress in your life easier is having healthy digestion. Now, how to get to healthy digestion ranges from one person to the next, though a few things that can go a long way are:

• Doing a Kitchari-cleanse based on your Dosha or your imbalances. You can try my Vata-Kapha Warming Kitchari (great for breakfast) as well as the Vata Balancing Kitchari from Banyan Botanicals. Kitchari’s help to gently cleanse the digestive system and are very supportive to the kidneys (we’re currently in the Kidney-Bladder season according to Traditional Chinese Medicine). Try this for 1 or 2 meals a day for about 7 to 14 days.
• Triphala. High in Vitamin C, also helps to cleanse the digestive system. This is a great traditional Ayurvedic remedy for people on the go. For those who eat a lot of fast food, have slower digestive system, those with higher anxiety, or those working on losing weight, you might want to look into Trikatu.
• Add some Turmeric to your proteins. Turmeric helps with the digestion of proteins, is cleansing for the liver, warming, is a natural antibiotic that is also beneficial for the intestinal flora, and about a half-million other things. Just sprinkle some into your food. Honestly, 1/8 to a 1/4 tsp will be more than enough. Don’t want to add it to your food? Maybe try the Turmeric-Cumin Tea.
• Do you love Popcorn? Pop up some Organic Popping Corn and add some ghee onto it with a little bit of salt. Popcorn helps to cleanse the digestive track, and helps remind the intestines to increase serotonin production. Pssss — maybe try sprinkling some Turmeric on your Popcorn 😉
• Red colored light or clothing is a great option during the cold wintry months. The color Red is a warming color and helps with increasing circulation, makes people more talkative and upbeat… though, if you notice your anger starting to creep up… then you’ve had enough red and might want to consider some green until the anger subsides, and then maybe switch to using Orange. You can also try having it as the dominate color on your computer desktop background, or have a picture near your work area that has that as it’s dominate color.

Next is a duh… but Vitamin D is crucial for almost everyone this time of year, though you want to get Vitamin D with Vitamin K with it. We carry the Thorne Research Vitamin D/K2 in the office. Also, if you’re taking Calcium or Magnesium, it’s a good idea to also take your Vitamin D at the same time as it helps the body absorb them 😉 Vitamin K helps coordinate the functions of the intestines (as well as a bunch of other things) and works synergistically with Vitamin D.

Golden Milk is also a nice tasty treat. Golden Milk is a pretty standard recipe, very easy to make, and a tasty way to get Turmeric into your system. I’ve seen online some “alterations” to the Golden Milk recipe using just Coconut Oil and massive amounts of Turmeric, though coconut oil is a cooling oil and hence not good during a cooler time of year for many… and way too much turmeric can be problematic as well.

Well, I could go on and on about various things to help reduce stress and increase strength for this time of year… though, then I would be writing a book instead of a newsletter 😉 Need a little help with curbing the stress? Book either a Full Wellness Appointment, one of the Sound Therapy Sessions ($10 each or $5 for Members), or one of the Synapsis Brainwave Sessions ($15-$35 – members receive 10% off).