3 ways Ashwagandha work for stress
Ashwagandha has been shown to positively affect the neural receptors responsible for receiving GABA, an important neurotransmitter in reducing anxiety and worry.
Read MoreAn ayurvedic perspective on addiction
Ayurveda is the Eastern philosophy of holistic health that deals with body constitutions and what we should eat to thrive according to our body constitution and what imbalances we might be experiencing at the moment. When it comes to addiction, we are dealing with two core issues: too much fire aka pitta and too much vata aka air element. When these elements get out of balance, we need more grounding aka the earth element.
Read MoreAre acidic foods bad?
If you are a vegetarian or rarely eat meat and have a craving for carbs and just don’t feel satisfied until you are filled up on breads, pastas or sweets, you may have unstable blood sugar due to a deficiency of protein.
Read MoreSleep deprivation and the addiction connection.
When we don't sleep sufficiently for our needs, our brain doesn't recharge and our body cannot repair optimally. We feel a bit worn out. A bit edgy. A bit tense. A bit teary. A bit irrational. A bit forgetful. Oftentimes compensating by our lowered stress tolerance by exhibiting some overly neurotic tendencies aka perfectionism. Over time, we exhaust our energy reservoirs and we begin searching for the quick fix. First, if we have no history of addiction, we might reach for something socially acceptable. A fix like caffeine to keep us alert. A fix like red wine to make us feel a bit calmer, when our nerves feel frazzled. Or maybe we pop a Xanax to take the edge off. Many of us will also reach for something edible - our hunger feels insatiable, because it is interwoven with cravings now.
Read MoreThe Morning Routine
Your first ritual that you do during the day is the highest leveraged ritual by far, because it has the effect of setting your mind, and setting the content, for the rest of your day. - Eben Pagan
How we wake up sets the frame for the rest of the day. Every high-achiever - and that is what breaking an addiction essentially is: a high-level achievement - has a set morning ritual. A ritual that triggers clarity, motivation, purpose and determination... that taps into the essence of who we want to be. Every. single. day.
Read More3 Things To Help Deep Sleep
Lack of sleep is one of the most typical issues I get asked about. We live in a stress-filled world, where we are constantly exposed to nervous system overstimulation through our electronic devices and smart phones, wifi and EMF. Add to that, it is well-known that addictions and eating disorders cause major damage to the sleep related neurohormones, serotonin and melatonin. Luckily once you have weaned off drugs, you can reset your sleep cycle. Read on to get my favorite 3 remedies to help the body get back into deep sleep mode in 3 months or less....
Read MoreAn Ayurvedic Perspective On Addiction
In Ayurveda (Eastern body-mind-soul health philosophy), addictions are tied to an imbalance in the air element. Everything and every one of us is made up of the basic 5 elements: air, ether, water, fire and earth. When one of these elements get out of balance, we get sick. Modern neuroscience overlaps with classic Eastern medicine, although we use different terms in Western science - but it is all the same: the truth is the truth. Addiction is linked to the air element as it corresponds to our mind. There is too much nervous energy, which leads to an imbalance in our central nervous system. This, in change, causes us to feel disconnected and unbalanced. We are searching through drugs, foods and addictive behaviors in order to feel more grounded - that is the essence of any addiction.
Read MoreSleep timing for optimal recovery.
You might know that 8 - 9 hrs sleep is recommended for general health. However, what you might not know is that WHEN you sleep is absolutely vital during recovery. We know that physical recovery and healing takes place from 10 PM - 2 AM. What is the science behind this time you might ask? Well, approximately 3 hrs after dark the output of ACTH of the pituitary decrease, allowing the cortisol to come down. Elevated cortisol is an inhibitor of Human Growth Hormone (early adrenal stage insufficiency where cortisol is chronically elevated). This puts your body naturally in the perfect biochemical state for cellular repair mode. Only if you are sleeping, though.
Read More10 Benefits of Walking Barefoot
Now you may be thinking what on earth does walking barefoot on the earth have to do with any type of recovery from drugs, alcohol or food. Well, any type of self-destructive behavior is a disconnect from our soul and the most basic things in life that help us to thrive. It is about tapping into our basic instincts. Walking barefoot helps to re-connect us with body-mind-soul in a way that any talk-therapy will not be able to copy. When we connect with nature, a profound level of healing takes place. For every ailment there is already invented a cure in nature - we just need to utilize it.
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Why You Need Sleep In Recovery
It is critical for anyone dealing with an eating disorder or addiction to get their sleep routine down to rebalance biochemically. This is the single most important step before focusing on any other behavior and nutritional steps. Simply because your brain cannot use its frontal lobe aka rational decision-making, nor can your body utilize all the nourishing foods you may be giving it, if you don't allow time for rest and digest. Timing is important because we have an internal clock that sends off specific hormones at specific times, so you want to honor that with your lifestyle to not only survive recovery, but to THRIVE in recovery.
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