a pill won’t fix this. In order for you to feel and act differently; you need a new ap- proach," I suggested. I rechecked her blood pressure. “It’s
down to 120/85. I suggest you continue deep breathing and rubbing your tummy when you feel uptight.” Her weight was up 10 pounds from six months ago. Her face was rounder and her trunk was thicker. She had a fat pad at the base of her neck in back (buffalo hump) and in the hollows above her collar bones. Cheeks were flushed and puffy. Acne on her chin. All signs of too much cortisol. I ordered a urinalysis, EKG, chemistry
and lipid profiles, hemoglobin A1C, thy- roid functions, and salivary cortisol and DHEA levels. "Your blood pressure dropped beauti- fully with that relaxation exercise," I smiled.
"It's also because I feel like you un-
derstand Dr. Vaughan," said Debbie. "Thank you and I think your husband will also understand if you're able to sit down quietly and discuss what's going on. I'm certain he is under just as much stress as you are. You can get control of this. It's not going to fix the problems with your job or your daughter's new boyfriend, but you can control your response to the stress by choosing to take care of you first. I want you to choose to “pause” and nurture yourself. Give yourself a break. "Here are some other suggestions for
how you can nourish yourself and calm down. Take a nice hot bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil before you go to bed. Soak for about 20 minutes and count your blessings. If you don't take a bath, still count your blessings when you lie down in bed and do a relaxation technique to prepare yourself for sleep. It may be rub- bing your tummy and doing some ab- dominal breathing as we did today or it may be more elaborate. It's important to find a technique that works for you. And just do it daily. "I want you to do the abdominal
breathing at least five times a day -- when you get up, go to sleep and before each meal. And anytime you feel stressed. Do it. What is important is taking the time to nurture you and put things in perspective. “I encourage you to take time each
day to focus on the big picture. What are your core values? Are you living the life that you choose to live? Be grateful for all that you do have. Many people find jour-
Natural Triad Magazine JUNE 2011 11
naling every morning to be helpful. You may find meditation useful,” I suggested. "I've heard it takes 20 years for medi- tation to help," Debbie objected. "It may take men 20 years to master
meditation. Women tend to have bigger connections between the left and right sides of the brain which is why we are so much better at multitasking than men. For the same reason, women find that they can achieve the same benefits of meditation in two years rather than 20. Personally, I feel calmer most times I meditate. And I’m a novice. Mastering it is different from the calming effects that it provides. “If you're never meditated, just relax and sit for 20 minutes. If you relax enough that you're almost drooling, you'll benefit from it. Focus on a candle or an object and soften your gaze or lightly close your eyes. Focus on your breathing and just be pres- ent. If you're uncomfortable, change posi- tion. If thoughts come up, notice them, and say to yourself ‘thinking’ then refocus on your breath. Don't be critical of your- self. This is not a matter of DOING IT RIGHT. There isn’t a right way to do it. It's just a matter of doing it every day. "If this doesn't appeal to you, I suggest
a computer program called Heart Math or The Wild Divine. Heart Math is more flex- ible since they have handheld units that
you can use anywhere to monitor and assist you in shifting from being stressed to calm,” I explained. "Can I have some Xanax? I've used it in the past and it's really helped," asked Debbie.
"I'll be glad to give you a small amount of Xanax, Debbie. It's a wonderful drug to use in an emergency. But Xanax is not go- ing to help you lose weight, correct the memory problems, stop the food cravings, or slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. It does not treat the cause of your problem." I told her. "I want you to go back on the magne-
sium glycinate and add 5-HTP at night to raise your serotonin. A good multiple vi- tamin with antioxidants and minerals (that means four to six pills a day). Omega-3 fats including DHA 200 mg twice a day and phosphatidylserine 100 milligrams twice a day both to help your memory and to reset you HPA axis. And an adrenal adaptogenic herb, Holy Basil, that will rebalance your cortisol production. Col- lect the saliva samples tomorrow and I’ll review the results with you in one month. “If you feel anxious, I want you to try taking glycine before the Xanax. This will help you calm down very quickly. Open a 500 mg capsule and put the contents in your mouth. Let the powder dissolve; it
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52