Seattle Naturopath Dr. Deborah Epstein | 206-547-1980

Lumina Health Naturopathic Medicine, PLLC ---Holistic & Naturopathic Medicine
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Ask Dr. Deb - A blog by Naturopathic Doctor Deborah Epstein
My apologies, but my blog is posting out of order and I haven't had a chance to track it down yet. Please scroll down a few for this month's post: Sweet Sleep.

  

January 14

How to Eat to Lose Weight

I wonder if “Lose Weight” is the most common New Year’s Resolution of them all. We start the year with every intention in the world of finally committing to “eating right.” Then when we find that it’s not working, we beat ourselves up for not being fully committed, and being too weak to stick with it. But what if the problem isn’t with your willpower, but with your notion of what it means to “eat right?”

Unfortunately, you would be in good company. The low-fat high-carb public-health exhortations whose drumbeat got pretty loud starting in the 1970’s, launched an epidemic of rising obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Type 2 Diabetes (what used to be called “adult-onset Diabetes,” but now occurs disturbingly often in children as well). In fact, obesity/overweight is now the single largest risk factor for death from preventable disease in America.

What if I told you that most people who need to lose weight could do so by changing the way they eat, without going hungry? What if I told you that it’s not about starving yourself, but about:

  1. quality of food intake, and
  2. learning how to eat and live so that your body’s hormones are sending messages to burn fat, rather than store fat (which turns out to not be about how much fat you eat)?

Well, in fact, I’m telling you that. I’m not saying it would be a piece of cake (pun intended). I am saying that it’s doable. You would have to be a) committed, b) willing to let go of habits in your life that aren’t serving you, and c) willing to adopt habits that promote normal weight, health, and lifelong wellness. And let’s be honest, I am also hinting that if you are one of those people who refuse to cook, you might have to become willing to cook. Cooking doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to involve some method of getting vegetables (cooked or raw) into your body, and some simple methods of getting good protein sources into an edible format. If you are overweight, and you are serious about losing weight and cutting your risk of premature death or disability, you need to make food preparation a priority. Good health doesn’t come from a box of processed food, no matter how low-calorie they say it is. And, if you are overweight, and you are serious about losing weight, you need to get competent guidance in how you can make it happen.

Here are 2 ways to get started:

  1. For normal-weight people who want an introduction to incorporating quality nutrition into their health regimens, attend my monthly “Eating 101” nutrition talk. Click here to find out when/where.
  2. For overweight people, for starters I highly recommend that you also attend the “Eating 101” talk mentioned above for a jump-start to my orientation toward healthy nutrition. However, this is only the beginning. Book an appointment with me today, to begin your series of individualized weight-loss visits.

May the Light of the Returning Sun inspire you toward luminous health in the New Year,
Dr. Deborah Epstein



11:42 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

March 04

Health and Your Life’s Mission

Sometimes when I tell a new patient, “your health should be an asset that helps you pursue your personal mission in life, rather than a barrier keeping you from it,” I get a rueful laugh, as if the patient simply can’t fathom such a thing. I picked up my copy of Sacred Contracts by Carolyn Myss this weekend. In her introduction she quotes James Hillman, who said, “you have to give up the life you have in order to get the one you want.” Seem unrelated? Not to me: It’s gotten me ruminating on how building our optimal health and pursuing our individual life missions are two sides of the same coin; perhaps you can’t have one without the other.

What might happen if we’re willing to let go of habits that may not be serving us, and embrace new habits, even those that might seem difficult upon your first exposure to them, but could be just the health-nourishing and life-giving foundational treatments that develop our health as an asset? Could we perhaps develop the strength and energy to do what we love? And might it not work both ways? If we are willing to let go of safe life patterns, such as friends and other relationships that are familiar yet potentially toxic, diets that may bring “comfort” but actually send us down a path toward a rather uncomfortable old age featuring degenerative health problems, or jobs that we dread and deplete us (or any of a myriad of other energy-draining scenarios), could we more effectively build optimal health and wellness?

Eventually all my patients learn that the healing herbs and nutrients I prescribe give a boost to, but do not substitute for, a foundation of healthy nutrition and lifestyle. What health-giving changes in your life might you be avoiding due to fear of the unknown? The first step might be acknowledging that the unknown might be something BETTER.

My personal mission is to guide you on the road to lifelong optimal wellness, so that you are free to pursue your own life’s mission, and become more of who you really are. Let me know if I can help you.

May you enjoy luminous good health,
Dr. Deborah Epstein



2:11 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

May 06

"What Do You Think About Doing a Detox?"

It’s a question I’m often asked. It turns out there’s no easy answer, since there are dozens, if not hundreds of detox programs out there, and even more variations on the theme.

 

I don’t at all question the value of doing a Detox or “Cleanse” program — in modern society we are exposed to a shameful number of toxic chemicals simply by breathing air, drinking water, and eating food. An interesting study was done last year by the Environmental Working Group; researchers tested 5 female environmental activists from different areas of the country — whom you would imagine might have some knowledge and skill in avoiding avoidable toxins. The researchers looked for 75 chemical contaminants that are in common use in everyday consumer products, but are poorly (or not at all) regulated. All five were “contaminated with flame retardants, Teflon chemicals, synthetic fragrances, the plastics ingredient bisphenol A and the rocket fuel component perchlorate.” As for the rest, each woman had between 35-60% of the 75 chemicals tested for, detectable in their systems.

 

Thus the value of Cleansing in concept is not in question, even though studies evaluating various cleansing protocols don't exist. In my opinion these chemicals don't belong in our bodies, and if we can do something to reduce the "total body burden," even though we can't necessarily eliminate it, that is goodness. My experience in seeing notable clinical improvements in patients who have undertaken a systematic Cleanse certainly bear this out.

 

That said, there are more healthful and effective variants, and ones that are less so. To help you understand what to look for in various Detox options, I will be offering a talk on the general topic of Spring Detox. Come learn about why to do a Detox (or “Cleanse”), what some major versions look like, and the pros/cons of including vs. excluding certain elements. Do also bring your questions about programs you’ve heard about, done, or are wanting to try and I will do my best to guess what other folks are up to – I’m sure it will generate a lively discussion! Click here to find out more.

 

May you enjoy luminous good health,
Dr. Deborah Epstein


12:07 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

July 01

Sweet Sleep!

No big surprise: sleep is good for you. While most of us know that intuitively to be true, did you know that one of the reasons it’s true is that we do most of our healing while we’re asleep? And that kids do most of their growing while asleep? [It might really be true when you tell your niece: “holy cow, it’s like you shot up overnight!”] Both of these – healing and growing – occur at least partially under the influence of growth hormone, which is released into your body in highest concentration – you guessed it – while you sleep.

So when I hear a patient, who has come in for other concerns, mention almost offhandedly that they never sleep through the night, I immediately ratchet that issue up the priority list. I gotta get you sleeping so your body can heal itself.

Often a sleep problem can be due to a dysregulation of the daily circadian rhythms of secretion between the hormones cortisol (supposed to be high in the morning, and low at night) and melatonin (which is high at night and helps you stay asleep). Generally this comes as the result of a long-term experience of stress, keeping cortisol inappropriately high. If that’s what’s happening for you, do come in so we can get you on some herbs that tone the adrenal glands and get them working correctly.

However, for many of us, it’s as simple as beginning to wear a sleep mask! Melatonin secretion is controlled by darkness. Most of us, especially in the city or suburbs, are exposed to “light pollution” and are not sleeping in total darkness. It’s actually the light that filters in through your closed eyelids that influences the amount of melatonin secretion! Usually our curtains or blinds let city light in around the edges (though if you’re interested, I will gladly refer you to someone who can custom-install blackout blinds in your bedroom). If, with all the lights out and after your eyes have adjusted you can still see your hand when you hold it up in front of you, your room isn’t dark enough.

After trying several uncomfortable sleep masks, I have finally found one I find comfortable enough and dark enough. I’m not carrying it in my dispensary, but you can order it directly at www.hibermate.com. Get the black one – the goal is to maximize darkness, not to match your nightie.

So start there, with sleeping in total darkness. At least half of you reading this will need to go no farther. If you need additional support, you know where to find me.

With best wishes for your luminous good health,
Dr. Deborah Epstein



12:37 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

December 21

3 Starter Steps to Getting Healthy in the New Year

How many times have you thought your New Year’s Resolution, rather than really made it? You know, the kind of resolution you say silently to yourself, but don’t declare aloud, because you’re afraid not only of failing, but of people knowing you’ve failed. This year I’d like to challenge you to shout it out. Whether it’s health-related or anything else, my prescription for you is:

Get clear with your intentions,
Get support, and
Get started!

First, it’s always important to notify the universe (and your subconscious, while you’re at it) of what you’re after. So make your goals clear, and then spend some time with inward reflection to see if there’s any part of you that doubts what you want. For example, if you want to lose weight, but you secretly fear your spouse will be unhappy with you if you do because it may seem like an implicit judgment of their weight troubles, your conscious desires and subconscious desires will be in conflict. Guess who’s likely to win? You need to excavate your truth, make the subconscious conscious so that you can resolve those inner conflicts, and get really clear with your intentions.

Next, you will have a higher likelihood of success if you enlist your community of fans and supporters. Collect people who will support you constructively, and not judge you in case of any slip-ups. A setback is not about beating yourself up – it’s simply an opportunity to recommit yourself and start again.

Last, most of us have had a goal or three we’ve set in our lives but not reached, which can make it daunting to set new ones. It’s an unfortunate characteristic of human nature to collect reasons to justify why “that one” was impossible from the beginning and really couldn’t have worked out anyway. However, externalizing blame rather than internalizing responsibility is a recipe for an untrue sense of powerlessness. If this sounds at all familiar, my advice for you this season is to stop making excuses for why you can’t make this change or that change, and start finding reasons, strategies, support for why you can make your life happen just the way you want it to.

If you are inspired this year to make a resolution for getting healthier or getting on the road to your optimal weight, now’s the time to register for my New Year’s “Healthy Living” series. You can put it off and ponder while you finish up your Holiday preparations or some Christmas pie, but as soon as the holiday is over, call my office to register: the last session in October “sold out.” The program starts January 5, giving you no time at all to falter in your resolution!

So, be bold and share: what do you resolve?

May the light of the returning sun inspire you toward luminous good health this season,
Dr. Deborah Epstein



6:37 PM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

 

 

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