 We can all get stuck in a pattern of negative thinking sometimes that can impact how we’re feeling about ourselves andcontribute to depression and anxiety. There are some common patterns of negative thinking, also known as cognitive distortions, that you can become more aware of. Once you notice these cognitive distortions you can challenge them and replace them with an alternative thought with the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). See how many of these cognitive distortions that you’ve been caught in before…
1. All-or-Nothing Thinking Also known as black and white thinking or polarized thinking,where we see things as either all good or all bad. It’s important to pause and find the grey area or middle ground in those scenarios instead. 2. Overgeneralization This happens when you make a general conclusion after a single event and might use the words "always" or "never" to then describe that situation or person. There is value in recognizing that it is possible a future event will have a different outcome. 3. Mental Filters This is when the mind focuses only on the negative outcomes and filters out anything positive about an event or themselves. Filtering back in the positives will require you to redirect yourfocus. 4. Jumping to Conclusions There are two ways of jumping to conclusions including Mind Reading, which is when you make assumptions that someone is thinking a certain way, or Fortune Telling, which is when you make a prediction that things will turn out a certain way. Notice when your mind is doing this and challenge yourself to examine other possibilities. 5. "Should" Statements This is when you are focusing on thinking you should do something or someone else should act a certain way. This can lead you to feel more anxious so there is value in replacing this word with a more supportive and encouraging statement. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT involves the process of developing the awareness of thesecommon negative thought patterns, noticing how you feel when you think those thoughts and then challenging that thought and replacing it with a more helpful or accurate thought. This process of CBT can involve keep track of thought patterns with a Thought Record Sheet which is provides deeper insights as well. Contact Carol Cowan, Registered Social Worker, to book your first appointment and get started with CBT. Carol Cowan, Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist
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 EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapeutic approach that involves 8 phases which can alter maladaptive responses to traumatic memories. EMDR Therapy was developed in the late eighties by a woman named Francine Shapiro and it addresses symptoms associated with stress and trauma including flashbacks, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, anxiety and phobias, as well as depression, over-reactive anger, worrying, disturbed sleep and so on.
When we experience a traumatic event the brain goes into either the “fight, flight, freeze or fawn” response. If we freeze in response to trauma, then memories can get ‘stuck’ in the information-processing system of the brain, along with the emotions and the physical sensations that occurred during the original experience. During the processing phase of EMDR, you focus your attention on a traumatic memory and engage in either bilateral eye movements or listen to a headset with alternating beeps or use alternating taps with the hands. The eye movements, beeps or taps facilitate a ‘back and forth’ or bilateral stimulation of the brain. The bilateral stimulation of EMDR allows you to ‘reprocess’ the stuck emotions and physical sensations of the traumatic event. EMDR therapy “desensitizes and reprocesses” the difficult memory or issue so that you can be at peace with it. EMDR Therapy has been studied by neuroscientists and it has been shown to significantly decrease activity in the hippocampus and amygdala which are the parts of the brain responsible for the processing of emotionand declarative or episodic memory. EMDR essentially quiets down the stress response in the brain and body that can be “stuck on” due to the experience of a traumatic event. EMDR has also been shown toresolve earlier life memories since the brain typically stores memories along associative networks (Shapiro, 2018). Your EMDR Therapist, Carol Cowan, would complete EMDR therapy by guiding you to desensitize your emotional reaction to the memory and then affirm a more positive belief about yourself, your safety, and your ability to move forward with your life with a new found perspective. After EMDR treatment many clients report feelings of relief, a renewed sense of control and hope. They also describe a decrease in the intensity of traumatic memory, a decrease in maladaptive emotional responses to those memories, and greater feelings of self-worth. If you are experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or you are bothered by certain memories, please reach out to book your first appointment with Carol Cowan MSW, RSW. Reference: Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.  So often we are taught that our health is in silos - meaning, only one organ does one thing, and it’s not an integrative system. What if I told you that our stress hormones affect the gallbladder? And what the heck is the gallbladder anyway? The gallbladder helps us to emulsify fat and produce bile salts. Anything that has fat that needs to be digested into a more water-soluble form, basically. Why should you care about it? Well, all of our hormones are made from fat. So if we’re stressed, it stands to reason that we will also be needing more fat to make more stress hormones. That means our little gallbladder has to work overtime. And for some people that doesn’t always equal good things. It can highlight where it is more difficult for our gallbladder to actually do that work entirely - that our body might not like doing fat digestion at that rate. The bile salts can become sludge-like, crystallise (form into solids) and form stones. Those stones can get stuck in a duct that moves bile into the small intestine. That means pain for you, infection, and inflammation. So you’re not only stressed but you are feeling bloated, short of breath, a sore upper back, heartburn and heart palpitations. It doesn’t mean we can necessarily avoid the stress that our body is interpreting and making all of that hormone. We can however help our body manage that more easily with a few simple actions:
 Question: My digestion has changed a lot since the pandemic. Can you tell me about it?
Answer: Okay, this is a great question. I like to call this the Time Warp. Stress affects our gut. Sometimes it isn’t direct, and I have seen a delay of 6 months to a year until things change. How is this happening? When we have elevated stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, they increase the activity of parts of our system responsible for inflammation (which in the short term, actually help with stress). They also suppress our immune system functioning temporarily so we can handle what is most important. Over a longer period of time, suppressed immunity makes us more susceptible to infection, more sensitive to inflammation, and more unable to manage what we normally can (crappy food, detoxification through the kidneys and liver, lowered vitamins, poor sleep etc). Our digestive tract then has more to handle and manage with less resources to do so. So, if we can’t completely eliminate the message of stress, where do we begin? Normally we begin in 2 places at once: 1. Support fatigued immunity 2. Reduce inflammatory triggers There are herbal supports that help to boost a very fatigued immune system (like medicinal mushrooms, or certain cortisol-managing herbs that help to calm down the stress response). However, because it takes awhile to give the body the message that it will be okay, we also have to take away things that might be temporarily difficult to digest. These include things like high fat foods, processed foods, gluten, dairy, soy, or any food that is high in the potential to release histamine (which increases inflammation). Getting to sleep, drinking lots of water, and minimising things that fatigue you mentally or emotionally are also included in this process, which is unique for everyone. So the next time you think your gut is all to blame, think again! It’s just trying to help, and the sooner we create safety in the body and self, the happier it will become. Our team of Naturopaths at Dalhousie Heath and Wellness are ready to help you with your Covid-related time warp fatigue!  Did you know rolling tummy to back occurs around 3-4 months? Many steps are needed to allow infants to roll. These 4 steps are important in helping our little ones reach their rolling milestone. Let’s break down each step. ✨TUCK: Placing weight through the forearms and shoulders with arms tucked under the body is the first step to rolling. Shoulders should be higher than hips. Practice this during tummy time and try putting baby on an exercise ball, inclined couch cushion or parents legs. ✨TRANSFER: Baby should be able to shift weight from side to side on elbows. Incorporate this into your routine by holding out a toy to one side for baby to reach for. Side lying play can also help with transferring of weight. ✨TURN: Baby must be able to rotate their head side to side while lying on their tummy. Practice this by getting baby to track toys side to side. ✨TRUNK STRENGTH: Good core control when baby is seated will help with the transition from tummy to back. Weight bearing on hands is also imperative. Use techniques like plank over legs or plank over towel to develop the proper strength needed in this last step to rolling. There are many different ways to make these exercises fun. Try to incorporate them into play time with your little one!  Did you know rolling back to tummy occurs around 5-6 months?
Many steps are needed to allow infants to roll. These 4 steps are important in helping our little ones reach their rolling milestone. Let’s break down each step. ✨REAR UP: First step in rolling back to tummy is engaging the lower abdominal muscles. Practice getting baby to bring feet up into a curled position toward the face. A towel can be rolled under the low back to bring feet into the visual field. ✨REACH: Once feet are in the visual field get your little one to start reaching for their feet. Use a dangle toy or light up toy to encourage reaching across the midline. ✨ROCK: Strong neck and core muscles are needed to sustain a flexed up posture. You can perform a pull up and if legs remain up with chin tucked they will be able to roll soon. ✨RAISE UP: While chin tucking is important, extending neck up to ceiling is as equally important in our final step of rolling back to tummy. In order to encourage this final step try moving a toy to the top of the head so baby looks up and completes the roll. There are many different ways to make these exercises fun. Try to incorporate them into play time with your little one! Dr. Stav 💖~ Chiropractor with a special interest in pediatrics  ✨Your pelvic floor is very important and it’s a big deal! But why?✨
Deep inside the pelvis is where the a group of muscles called the pelvic floor lie. The pelvic floor serves the following functions including supporting the organs, sphincter control, sexual function and pelvic stability. Supporting your organs: - The pelvic floor, which can also be described as a hammock, runs from the front of the pubic bone to the back of the tail bone. The bladder, rectum and uterus to sit inside the hammock. Sphincter control: - The pelvic floor muscles wrap around the urethra, vagina and rectum to maintain continence. The muscles contract to keep bodily secretions in and relax during urination, bowel movements and during birth. Other times the muscles maintain a resting tone, which is why we should be able to run and jump without bowel/bladder leakage or heaviness in the pelvis. Sexual function - The pelvic floor muscles provide tone for vaginal and rectal canals and play a role in orgasms. Pelvic stability - The pelvic floor muscles offer stability and control to the spine and pelvis. Abdominal, low back and hip issues are connected to pelvic floor dysfunction because the core four muscles for stability are the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus and the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor muscles, the diaphragm, multifidus (spinal stabilizers) and the transverse abdominis (deepest layer of abdominals) work synergistically in anticipation of movements during physical activity and activities of daily living. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a loss of that synergetic pattern and can lead to loss of bowel/bladder, heaviness in the pelvis or low back pain. Other signs of pelvic floor/core dysfunction include diastasis recti, feeling of “core”weakness, hip or pelvic pain. How can your health team at Dalhousie Health and Wellness help? Chiropractors are an integral part of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction. Your pelvic floor muscles attach to the pelvis and sacrum, so treatment with adjustments and external muscle work can assist with rehabilitation and restoration of the pelvic floor. If you have any questions about your pelvic floor, we are here to help! ✨Dr. Stav  Pain is a subjective experience that occurs in the somatosensory cortex of your brain. When pain receptors are stimulated, the signal travels into your spinal cord and up to your brain to be interpreted in the frontal cortex (see image). The pain pathways are part of a complicated warning system in your brain. Sometimes our brain doesn’t accurately locate the source of pain. Sensory nerves supplying different areas will share a similar pathway and enter the spinal cord through the same dorsal nerve root. The brain tends to perceive the pain signal as coming from the site where there is a higher density of pain receptors. This phenomenon is known as referred pain: pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus. For example, pain from a heart attack is commonly experienced in the arms, chest, neck, jaw, or upper back. Thus, the specific point of pain is not necessarily indicative of the problem area or cause.
Mechanisms of chronic pain In a structural lesion there is rigidity and tension in the muscles and ligaments of the joint. This sets up the conditions for disturbed blood flow and abnormal stimuli to the nerves in the area. The change in anatomy (structure) affects the physiology (function).
When a joint or region of the body is out of sync with the structural integrity of the body as a whole, compounding or knock-off effects occur. Joints in connection along the kinetic chain may also begin to present with restricted mobility or faulty articulation. Additionally, other areas of the body have to compensate for lack of functional movement in one part. These strain patterns can also be sources of pain, discomfort, or poor function. To address chronic pain, Osteopathic treatment does not focus on treating only the area of pain. Instead, Osteopathic practitioners look for the cause of the collective structural dysfunction occurring in your body to get to the root of the problem. Therapeutic Interventions for Pain Management: The purpose of pain is to tell your body that it has been injured or is at risk of harm. Pain circuits in the brain are complex and have many connections to emotional centers and stress centers. In order to reduce pain the body must return to a state where structure is balanced and the body feels safe. Once pain pathways are stimulated, cells such as glial cells play a role in modulation, amplification, and distortion of the sensory experience. This serves a purpose by heightening the brain’s alertness. The longer the brain processes the pain, the more sensitive it becomes. The pain cycle may continue until this feedback cycle is interrupted or the initial structural deficit has been returned to normal. Pain signals can be inhibited by endogenous chemicals in the central nervous system (opiod-like substances produced and released by your own body). These endogenous chemicals have been shown to have comparable analgesic effects to morphine but are much more potent! Manipulative therapy has been shown to enhance pain inhibition/modulation pathways in a number of ways. Positive sensory input elicits the release of these analgesic substances and furthermore, puts the body in a state of healing. When the body is relaxed and at ease the parasympathetic nervous system over-shadows the sympathetic. Parasympathetic is the side of your autonomic nervous system responsible for “rest and digest”, where your body systems are striving for homeostasis and dedicated towards functions such as repair and nourishment. In comparison to the sympathetic nervous system, called the “fight-or-flight”, where the body’s resources are redirected towards the stress response. It is well known that stress is a health problem in the modern day because our lifestyles often induce stressful states far too often and without just cause in terms of survival purposes (we aren’t running from saber tooth tigers anymore). By promoting relaxation and steadiness of mind the body is more likely to heal and resolve pain stimuli. Music, lighting, sounds, touch, aesthetics, and ambiance can all be used to access and promote a parasympathetic state where the body produces more pain-blocking chemicals like opioids and dopamine. Non-noxious stimuli (non-painful stimuli) can also overload the sensory signals traveling to the brain. Try to gently massage in and around the area of pain to get some relief or try taking a hot bath. Exercise may be an effective way to override pain stimuli and it releases endorphins. However, be cautious and do not try to push through the pain as this could potentially cause further harm. The pain response in the brain has many connections to emotional centers. Pain and emotion circuits overlap in the brain. Many studies have shown how positive thoughts and beliefs change brain chemistry. Meditation and deep breathing can change the pain perception by altering your emotional response to pain. Osteopathic practitioners conduct their work in a way that makes the patient feel relaxed and soothed in order to appeal to the central nervous system. Moreover, Osteopaths act like mechanics to adjust the abnormal back to normal. Osteopathic treatment returns balance, harmony, and health to the body through an understanding of your unique structural pattern as a whole. By minimizing disturbances to the structural framework of the body it can work optimally as an integrated, dynamic whole.  January is the time for colds and other viral infections! I have certainly noticed more people with colds since the holidays, including myself. Many patients ask what they can do to support healthy immunity. First, there are some key nutrient levels I like to check via blood work including vitamin D levels. But in addition to making sure patients are supporting a healthy immune system with taking so key nutrients, I also like to talk about the role of SUGAR on the immune system. I do my best to inform my patients of “obstacles to cures” — things that we do to HINDER our body from getting better. When it comes to colds/flus and other infections, we can significantly hinder the ability to recover with excess sugar consumption. There are some key studies that have been done on the role of dietary sugars and their impact on immune health: An older research study found that excess sugar consumption — especially in the form of fructose, sucrose, honey, glucose and orange juice — depresses the ability of neutrophils to destroy bacteria for up to 5 hours (1). A more recent study found that fructose (ie. high fructose corn syrup) inhibited the immune system’s ability to fight off both bacteria and viruses, while sucrose only impaired the ability to fight off bacteria and fungi (2). Carbs did not seem to negatively impact immune function in the study. When it comes to food poisoning, animal studies have found protein- and fat-rich diets were protective against listeria poisoning, while a glucose- and carb-rich diets inhibited the ability to recover. When it comes to health conditions, type 2 diabetes in particular is linked to higher risks of infection. One study found that patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes experienced more severe infections and had a higher mortality rate from infection than patients with well-controlledtype 2 diabetes (3). So what does this mean when it comes to making meals and snacks while trying to recover from an infection? Meals and snacks should be:
Interestingly enough, I notice with myself, that if I have a sore throat even a small glass of orange juice can really make my throat worse for a number of hours. I almost turn into the “sugar police” when I am sick! I do my best to make tasty meals that have absolutely NO SUGAR at all. This above photo is an example of a pancake recipe I made recently that contains absolutely no added sugar at all. Its easy to do and it tastes oh so delicious! See the recipe below: Pancakes:
Berry Topping:
Coconut Cream:
What are you doing to support your immune system this winter?! Call Dalhousie Health & Wellness to make an appointment with your naturopath to help support your immune system! Warmly, Dr. Noelle ________________________ REFERENCES: (1) Albert Sanchez, J. L. Reeser, H. S. Lau, P. Y. Yahiku, R. E. Willard, P. J. McMillan, S. Y. Cho, A. R. Magie, U. D. Register, Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 26, Issue 11, November 1973, Pages 1180–1184, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/26.11.1180 (2) Kazue Takahashi1, Wei-Chuan Chang1, Patience Moyo1, Mitchell R. White2, Parool Meelu3, Anamika Verma2, Gregory L. Stahl4, Kevan L. Hartshorn2, Vijay Yajnik3. Dietary sugars inhibit biologic functions of the pattern recognition molecule, mannose-binding lectin. Open Journal of Immunology. Vol.1, No.2, 41-49 (2011). doi:10.4236/oji.2011.12005 (3) Lihua Zhu, Zhi-Gang She, Xu Cheng, Juan-Juan Qin, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Jingjing Cai, Fang Lei, Haitao Wang, Jing Xie, Wenxin Wang, Haomiao Li, Peng Zhang, Xiaohui Song, Xi Chen, Mei Xiang, Chaozheng Zhang, Liangjie Bai, Da Xiang, Ming-Ming Chen, Yanqiong Liu, Youqin Yan, Mingyu Liu, Weiming Mao, Jinjing Zou, Liming Liu, Guohua Chen, Pengcheng Luo, Bing Xiao, Changjiang Zhang, Zixiong Zhang, Zhigang Lu, Junhai Wang, Haofeng Lu, Xigang Xia, Daihong Wang, Xiaofeng Liao, Gang Peng, Ping Ye, Jun Yang, Yufeng Yuan, Xiaodong Huang, Jiao Guo, Bing-Hong Zhang, Hongliang Li. Association of Blood Glucose Control and Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19 and Pre-existing Type 2 Diabetes. Cell Metabolism, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.04.021 _________________________  Osteopaths are trained extensively in anatomy and physiology to have a thorough understanding of how and why the body is structured the way it is. The efficacy of osteopathy is based on the inherent principle that structure governs function. Any variation from normal structure will lead to impairment in function.
The body works as an integrated whole and should therefore be treated as such. Osteopaths understand how everything in the body is connected through the soft tissues, the pathways of the nerves, arteries, veins, and lymphatics, as well as through the way the vital systems work together to regulate life. Your entire body is wrapped in one continuous fascial sheath and many muscles span multiple joints (the latissimus dorsi muscle (your lats) spans from your pelvis to your arm). Therefore, your shoulder problem might not be JUST a shoulder problem! When you see an Osteopathic practitioner for treatment, we will perform an assessment looking for asymmetries and restrictions in motion which might be taking place on the fascial layer, neuromuscular layer, ligamentous articular layer, or within the organ field. Osteopaths are trained to feel even the slightest restrictions in the body. These restrictions might be global, local, or focal. This assessment helps build a picture of your unique structural pattern, which can be the result of repetitive movement patterns, posture habits, past injuries, and compensatory effects over time. Through treatment, these anatomical restrictions and structural disturbances are addressed, thereby liberating obstructions to normal physiology and providing the ideal structural conditions for your body to better access its innate pharmacology and healing mechanisms. Osteopathy based in principles means that the practitioner doesn’t simply apply a set of techniques to every patient but rather, can be innovative and customize ways of treating based on your particular needs. Every individual’s structural pattern is unique and therefore, must be treated with individualized approaches using skills and methods which are always rooted in principles of practice. Principles of practice are guided by laws of nature, physics, mechanics, and working with the body’s natural design and mechanisms. If you would like the opportunity to discuss further if and how osteopathic treatment can benefit you, you can call the clinic to book a complimentary consult with Elyse. Stubborn weight loss is a topic that produces a lot of confusion. In the last few months I’ve had many naturopathic patients coming to see me because they can’t lose weight despite doing EVERYTHING POSSIBLE with diet and exercise. These patients put most of us to shame when it comes to healthy eating and being physically active. Often these patients are extremely frustrated and confused with why they are not losing weight. The first thought is typically that the thyroid is under functioning. But when the thyroid panel test results come back “normal”, this cues us that there is something else going on entirely!
Over the years, I have discovered many of these patients struggle with INSULIN RESISTANCE. Insulin resistance makes it easy to gain weight, but very hard to lose weight. Sometimes these patients also have a blood sugar level that is creeping up, without them or their doctor noticing it. However insulin resistance can also start when the blood sugar levels look relatively normal as insulin resistance is often present for many years before blood sugar levels start to climb in the blood work. Insulin resistance can run in families, and sometimes it can be related to other health conditions (ie. hormones, liver issues, etc) as well. The top 2 screening tests I run to investigate insulin resistance with patients include:
There are a few conditions which are linked to insulin resistance, and this predisposition can be passed down from parents and even grandparents. Conditions with associated insulin resistance include:
If you struggle with losing weight and it seems disproportionate to your diet and physical activity level, it's worth being assessed by your naturopath for insulin resistance. These labs are simple and cost-effective to run at Dalhousie Health & Wellness. It may be worth investigating with your naturopath if you struggle with stubborn weight loss! Warmly, Noelle |
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