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The Goal
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep. It can be caused by many things, the most common being stress, mental health, pain or drugs/medications.Causes of insomnia:
Stress:Stress plays a major role in our everyday lives. While it is good to have a certain amount of stress, too much stress taxes the body, robs it of nutrients, agitates the mind (constant thinking about the stressful events), and can lead to insomnia (as well as other health concerns). Often people with too much stress in there life (from finances, career, family etc) have difficulty falling asleep as they are thinking about the day, what they did, how they could have done it better or what they have to do in future. Sometimes they are able to fall asleep only to wake (often at the same time every morning) with these thoughts racing through their head. Other forms of stress include working nightshifts and passing through time zones, which can throw the circadian rhythm off significantly.
Mental health:
Insomnia is often seen in people experiencing depression and/or anxiety or grief. In many cases there is a deficiency that needs to be addressed, or repetitive thoughts, in others it is due to the side effects of the medications used to treat the disorder.
Pain:
Difficulty falling asleep due to pain is a common theme in many peoples lives. Pain may lead to difficulty finding a comfortable position in which to sleep, thus preventing the person from falling asleep in the first place, or pain may cause waking in the middle of the night and the inability to fall back to sleep.
Drug Induced:
Too much caffeine or taking herbs/supplements that are stimulatory too late at night generally will lead to difficulty falling asleep. Medications often have side effects which include insomnia. Alcohol, although depressive in nature, often can lead to restless/disturbed sleep patterns.Allergies/nutritional deficiencies:
Allergies can have many effects on the body, one of them being insomnia. Insomnia may also result from deficiencies in various nutrients, which are involved in the transmission of neural impulses, formation/or release of neurotransmitters or other substances the body needs to induce sleep. These include: vitamins B3, B5 and B12, calcium, taurine and tryptophan to name a few. Too much of a good thing may also contribute to insomnia which is one of the side effects of excess copper intake.
Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, it is produced more at night (darkness) and plays a significant role in sleep induction and balance of our circadian rhythm. As one ages the body often produces less melatonin, which can lead to insomnia. It is important to note that vitamin B12 levels have an influence on melatonin secretion, and this vitamin is often deficient in the older adult.Prevention and treatment:
Prevention is key, so you should ensure you have a way to relieve your stress and give your body the nutrients it needs, as well, it is important to eliminate allergies and food sensitivities. As with anything treated naturopathically it is important to get to the root cause of the problem. So, for example, if the insomnia is caused by back pain then treating and eliminating the back pain should be the main part of the prescription. The conventional medical approach often includes a sleeping pill as part of the prescription. This may be fine for the short term, however, most prescription sleep medications are addictive so long term use is not advisable. Also, if you are using a sleeping pill you should never just stop taking it, you need to wean yourself off it (with the help or the prescribing physician) or you will produce rebound insomnia as a side effect.
Stress:
How you best deal with stress depends on you. One thing for sure is that you need a release for excess stress, as well as support for the adrenal glands which generally take the hardest hit from excessively stressful situations. Exercise, yoga, and meditation are good here, as well as herbs such as panax or siberian ginseng, (no coffee when taking panax ginseng, as there is an interaction), rhodiola, adrenal glandulars, B vitamin complex (especially vitamins B12, and B5). Another great stress reliever is a hot bath prior to bed with a few drops of lavender or other calming essential oil in it. Essential oils can also be used in a diffuser or a room spray mist to achieve a similar effect.
Allergies/diet/nutrition:
Have your food sensitivities/allergies checked and avoid the foods that you are sensitive to. Investigate and address any problems with the gut that may be preventing you from absorbing and utilizing nutrients (A naturopathic physician can help you with this).
Make sure your diet is low in refined carbohydrates (white breads, pasta, muffins, sugar etc) and rich in whole foods (whole grains, nuts, seeds etc), fresh wild fish, free range/organic hormone free meats. This will allow you to get the nutrients you need to prevent deficiencies.
Include sources of tryptophan (which eventually lead to increased serotonin and melatonin if there are decreased levels in the body) especially in the evening. These include: turkey, sunflower seeds, soy products, pumpkin seeds, almonds, oats, fish, avocado to name a few.
Sources of caffeine should also be eliminated while sleep issues are a factor. This includes all sources of coffee (even decaffeinated coffee has some caffeine and coffee flavored foods), chocolate and foods containing cocoa, soft drinks that have caffeine, and black tea. Other sources of caffeine include diet pills, pain medications, and aspirin.Supplements:
Besides supplementation of the nutrients listed above (in deficiencies), supplementation with the following may prove helpful for insomnia: magnesium prior to bed (relaxes muscles), 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan which is made from tryptophan and can form serotonin and melatonin in the body). It is important to include vitamin B6 when taking 5-HTP as it acts as a cofactor for the conversion to serotonin. If on medications, especially antidepressants, you should consult a health care provider prior to using 5-HTP as there may be interactions.
Homeopathy:
Homeopathy is beneficial and especially so for those who are on medications that may have interactions with botanicals or supplements. This would be true for those on many pain medications and antidepressants.
Various remedies are indicated for insomnia. Which one used depends on your entire symptom picture (assessed by naturopathic physician or homeopath). Common remedies for insomnia include: Coffea, Nux Vomica, Metal Album, and Pulsatilla.Botanical medicine:
Herbs used in treating insomnia are often of the sedative or nervine category. These include: avena (oats), passion flower, skullcap, chamomile, lemon balm, valerian and hops. As many of these herbs have interactions with medications it is important to consult with someone (naturopathic physician or herbalist) who can evaluate interactions prior their use. Also, the sedative herbs may need to be avoided during the day as they may affect your ability to perform tasks requiring alertness (eg: driving or operating machines). A sleep pillow (tiny pouch filled with herbs that you tuck into your pillowcase) can be made using some of the above herbs, as well, calming scents (like dried sweet orange peel) may be added to suit your tastes.
Physical medicine:
Craniosacral therapy is a very relaxing hands on therapy which can put a person in a parasympathetic mode (a relaxed state vs sympathetic mode which is a stressed state), spinal manipulation can relieve back pain and proper alignment can help to ensure nerve impulses are firing unrestricted. Hydrotherapy includes hot baths or applications which can be relaxing and support the ability to sleep.
Chinese medicine:
Often insomnia is associated with a deficiency state (of blood, yin and/or qi). Acupuncture and well as supportive herbs can be helpful here. Besides supporting the system, various acupuncture points, including some ear points, can have a calming effect and help in cases of insomnia.
As you can see there are many modalities that can help with insomnia. What route you choose to follow to alleviate your insomnia is a personal choice. It is a good idea to seek the assistance of a trained health professional especially if you have an medical condition that may be causing the insomnia or are on prescription medications. One thing for sure is you do not have to suffer with countless nights of wakefulness, nor do you have to live with fatigue, moodiness and other symptoms associated with to lack of sleep.
References:
1. Maciocia, G. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. Leith Walk, Edinburgh; Churchill Livingstone 1989: 1592. Marz, R. Medical Nutrition From Marz 2nd edition. Portland, Oregon; Omni-Press 1997: 93, 96, 112-113, 128, 195, 207, 224
3. Murray, M. Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements. Rocklin, California; Prima publishing 1996: 127-136, 351-355
4. Murray, M., and Pizzorno, J. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2nd edition. Rocklin, California; Prima publishing 1998: 602-608
5. Pitchford, P. Healing with Whole Foods, revised edition. Berkeley, California; North Atlantic Books 1993: 24, 167, 232
Dr. Elizabeth Stimson ND, is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ontario. She is a member of the BCNA, CNA, and CNPBC. She practices in Ladner, BC, and is a clinic supervisor at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC. Her practice focus is Women’s health and pediatrics.
The liver is the major detoxification organ in the body. One of the many roles the liver plays is to eliminate toxins such as: environmental pollutants, medications and other drugs (alcohol etc), hormones, as well as toxins that are produced in the body due to everyday processes. Keeping the liver in peak condition is important in maintaining good health and is especially helpful in cases of PMS, menopause, cancers, and skin conditions (acne, psoriasis) to name a few. Many foods are beneficial to the liver especially those that are bitter in quality and colorful. These foods include: dark green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, dandelion greens), red and orange vegetables (carrots, beets, red and yellow peppers). Organic produce is preferred as pesticide residues on foods will add to the load of toxins the liver has to eliminate. This is especially important with things like dandelion greens as they tend to concentrate toxins. Some simple things to do to support the liver are: including the above mentioned foods in your diet (try adding grated raw beets or carrots to salads, as an accompaniment to hot food items, or eat them with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of flax oil ), drink plenty of pure water (with fresh lemon), and try to reduce stress in your life (yoga, meditation, exercise etc).
References:
Murray, Michael., and Pizzorno, Joseph. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2nd edition. Rocklin, California; Prima health 1998: 104-125The Challenge:
The New Year is upon us. I trust you had a good holiday, and are now on the road to “recovering” from the festivities. For many of you, resolutions have been made…the challenge being meeting the goals set and promises for change. Hopefully some of those goals/changes include setting some time away for yourself. ‘I’ or ‘me’, and for couples, ‘we’, are sometimes the most neglected of the population, yet often the most important. If you take care of yourself you will have more to give to others. That can be in the form of time, love or patience, for example. It goes back to having a cup that “runneth over” and having abundance in your life. It will bring a sense of fulfillment and often with that happiness, and reduced reactions to stressful situations. Allow time to take that yoga, or dance class you have always wanted to take, read the book you enjoy so much, or go for dinner and a movie with your spouse or partner. If you haven’t done so already, get out the calendar…mark off the days, or hours, and stick to it. It may take an hour or two of planning to fit this relaxation/enjoyment time into your schedule but once you make it part of your routine you are on you way to having a wonderful, healthier and happy year!
The Office:
As you can see from above I am once again in two offices. January 31 I am joining Dr. William Russell ND in his South Surrey office (Whiterock area) 2 days a week. I will be there Mondays and Tuesdays generally 10 am to 6 pm. Pat is the receptionist…yes, I know, for those of you that are used to dealing with me directly this is a change. When you call you will find Pat very pleasant and easy to deal with.
I will continue to work in Ladner with Dr. Jacob Keyzer ND 2 days a week and 2 Saturday’s a month. I will be in this office Wednesdays and Fridays and the first and third Saturday each month. The office in Ladner doesn’t have a receptionist, as you know, so you will talk directly to me, to Dr. Keyzer, or Jackie who will do callbacks for appointments as she always does.
I am taking new patients at both offices and referrals are always welcome. If you need to get in touch with me directly you can always leave a message on my cell phone, or send me an e-mail. I am hoping to add/make changes to my website more frequently this year. If you would like to receive my newsletter by e-mail in future, send me your e-mail address or leave it with me next time you are in the office.DID YOU KNOW?
Naturopathic Doctors have a minimum of 3 years post secondary training as well as 4 years training at a Naturopathic College or University. The training includes courses in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, pathology and diagnosis as well as nutrition, botanical medicine, manipulation, homeopathy and Chinese medicine to name a few. ND’s have to write extensive North American board exams as well as pass BC board exams in order to practice in BC. The regulating body for naturopathic doctors in the province of BC is the CNPBC. The BCNA is the professional association. Recipe:
What would a newsletter be without a recipe? This recipe is from a cookbook that I have used for years. I changed quite a few ingredients to make it more healthy:
Cranberry Nut loaf:2 cups light spelt flour**
1 ½ tsp non-alum baking powder
1/3 cup maple syrup**
¼ cup oil (sunflower, safflower etc)
1 egg
½ cup orange juice
1 to 1 ½ tsp lemon zest
1 cup cranberries roughly chopped
½ cup walnuts chopped
pinch of sea saltMix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add oil and combine until mixture looks like course meal.
In a separate bowl beat the egg with the orange juice, maple syrup, and the lemon zest. Fold this mix into the flour mix until just blended.
Fold in the cranberries and the walnuts.
Prepare a small cake or loaf pan by lightly greasing and flouring the pan. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake in a 400 F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Bread is done when it springs back when touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
*If you like it sweeter you could increase the maple syrup to ½ cup, or increase the orange juice to ¾ cup (if you do this you may need to decrease liquid elsewhere in the recipe).
** Light spelt flour can be found at some health food stores. You can also sift the bran from whole spelt flour or use whole spelt flour (this will produce a more whole grain loaf).What is it and how does it work?
The body is an amazing machine. It houses countless reactions, processes and electrical impulses. It is able to recognize substances in incredibly small quantities that appear inconceivable to us. It can communicate with great precision with all of its cells, organs and tissues.
Using various modalities we can tap into the body’s wealth of knowledge, provide stimulus to swing a state of pathology into a direction of health and challenge and get feedback from the body regarding the benefit and harmfulness of substances towards it.Applied Kinesiology/Muscle Testing:
This technique is often used by chiropractors with respect to a weakness in a muscle group or structure of the body. However, it was found that it may provide insight as to where to start treatment, and what systems or organs may be weak or overstressed and need support.
This technique involves the use of various points on the body (generally acupuncture points) that are associated with a system or organ. Through muscle testing these points can provide feedback. Once the associated point is stimulated, and if a system is weak, it generally is indicated by a weakening of a reflex, and subsequently a muscle group. As mentioned previously the body has countless electrical and neural impulses happening every millisecond. Here’s an analogy I have heard to describe the reaction that goes on in kinesiology/muscle testing. Think of a circuit breaker; if there is a weakness in an electrical system adding more energy (touching the organ or system’s associated point) will overload system and circuit (reflex), and this will blow the breaker (eg: arm muscle). This indicates there is a problem and something must be done about it or the system won’t be able to function as it usually does (ie: you take some of the load off the system and change the fuse or switch the breaker to get things working again). In practice usually a supplement or remedy is tested to see if it will switch the reflex back on indicating that the remedy with help to support the system.
The accuracy of muscle testing has been evaluated various studies. In one double blind study subjects tested weak to envelopes containing artificial sweetener vs placebo.1 In another study “a statistically significant (P<.05) increase in muscle strength” was shown in a group tested with a beneficial nutrient vs placebo.2 It has been noted that generally people test negatively to certain substances such as artificial sweeteners, toxic metals (eg: mercury). Interestingly enough (and a little aside), it has also been noted that people generally test positively to classical and pop music but that heavy metal produces a negative response when tested.3
The muscles often used in testing are those found in the arm (or sometimes a leg), and so you will often note that your practitioner challenges your arm muscles in the testing procedure. The change that occurs in the muscle group is generally what the practitioner uses to evaluate your system, vs just strength or weakness, but I won’t go into the details of that here. Lets just say that significance of a strong or weak muscle depends on what the practitioner is looking for.
In my practice I use muscle testing is to help in the evaluation of a patient’s weak and overstressed areas and to assist me in deciding which supplements, remedies, or nutrients will have the strongest supportive impact on their health.References:
1 David R Hawkins, Power vs Force revised edition. (Carlsbad: Hay House INC., 2002), p. 52 David S Walther, Applied Kinesiology (Pueblo: Systems DC, 1981), I, 2
3 Hawkins, p 5