A while back in med school I was totally broke and stuck at the grocery store deliberating over buying the small box of kitchen trash bags or the large box. There was a significant savings in money from buying the larger box. Unfortunately, I was so poor at the time that the three bucks made a huge difference in my mind. After a long process, I thought about it and realized that the “trash in my life” was not going anywhere anytime soon. I grabbed the large box of kitchen bags because buying the small box of garbage bags in my mind was not accepting the fact, nor making a serious commitment to removing the “trash” in my life.

Regardless if the trash in your life is compulsive behaviors, addictions, depression, anxiety, bad relationships, financial problems or what not, the first step to resolving the issue is to make a commitment to doing something about it every single day over a very long period of time. “Inch by inch is a cinch. Yard by yard is hard” they say…

I have to laugh over trash bags because I remember back in under-grad none of us would ever even spend money on trash bags. Beer was much more important than trash bags. Whether I was at my own house or a friend’s house it always seemed that a grocery store bag was ridiculously overflowing with trash. Consequently back then our lives were all a mess too. Was it because of Feng Shui? Or was it that we were always thinking of immediate gratification without considering the long term possibilities?

Hopefully by the time this year’s supply of “trash bags” get used up you will be ready to work on cleaning up a new area of your life.

Author: Dr. Nicole Sundene, Naturopathic Physician

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I will not dispute the fact that many people (me included) simply do better with a nice cozy cup of coffee or tea to start their day. But what I do wonder, is if people really need that afternoon stimulant pick-me-up. They say in order to ensure a good night’s sleep that one should not consume caffeinated beverages after 2pm. Caffeine in our system leaves us jittery and irritable and unable to engage in sound sleep for the most part. The lack of great sleep one night leads to a groggy morning the following day, which then sets the stage for another drowsy afternoon fueled by caffeine…and the caffeine-sleep pattern perpetuates.

So, you may be intrigued enough at this point to consider giving up your afternoon stimulants, yet may be left wondering “what can I do to treat a bad case of the afternoon slumps”.

When I worked at Virginia Mason we would refer to 4pm as “Slump time”. The nurses would feed me peanut M & M’s which they referred to as “Prozac” to treat my “slumpies”. After making it through Naturopathic Medical School I have learned a few helpful tips better than peanut M & M’s for treating the afternoon slumpies:

First of all PREVENTION is the best medicine, so be sure to eat protein and vegetables for lunch. A high carbohydrate lunch will simply make the slumpies a million times worse. Before reaching for an afternoon cup of caffeine, consider trying the following first:

1. Be sure you are not dehydrated, you should have already had at least four 8 oz glasses of water by mid-afternoon. Dehydration is a leading cause of fatigue, and easily treatable!
2. Try to stop and stretch and do some deep breathing. We tend to sit hunched over at our desks all day long, which deprives the system of optimal oxygen levels. Sit up straight, breathe and let your lungs open to their full capacity.
3. Get in the fresh juice habit. I find that a glass of fresh vegetable juice actually picks me up better than caffeine.
4. Try a packet of Emergen-C in a glass of water. Some people think that the B-vitamins will give you an added lift without making you jittery (really do you want to actually be working so hard?)
5. If all else fails and you just need some sort of caffeine then try grabbing for a cup of green tea instead of coffee. Green tea is a powerful “super food” and adding more green tea in to your lifestyle is a simple way to protect your system from a variety of diseases.
6. Fatigue can be caused by a myriad of problems, if you experience a level of fatigue that is suddenly worse for you, or a case of fatigue that is debilitating (not just the average afternoon laziness) be sure to check in with your doctor!

Author: Dr. Nicole Sundene, Naturopathic Physician

Emotional Nourishment - Many people eat when they are not hungry; instead they are lonely, bored, angry, or feeling empty inside. This is how food becomes medicine. The food might displace the feelings temporarily, but that empty feeling is still there. During times like these it is very important to be one’s own best friend. Allow the feelings of loneliness, depression, or boredom. It’s really okay to feel all these emotions; everyone does from time to time. If the feelings get too overwhelming, do something to pampering. Take a relaxing bath, read a favorite book, or do whatever feels good. (more…)

High Fructose Corn Syrup might as well just simply say “High Chance For Diabetes” on all food labels. If there is one major improvement you can make to your health starting today it is to eliminate all high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Diabetes at the current rate is soon to become a national epidemic. Exercising and eating whole unprocessed foods are the best way to protect yourself from becoming another victim of Type II diabetes, a disease typically the result of bad diet and lifestyle habits. Aside from sweets, High Fructose Corn Syrup is cleverly hidden in most processed foods, juices, breads, and frozen meals. Start reading labels now and picking and choosing your battles.

Despite the fact that we spend the most on health care dollars, Americans are only second to Finland as the unhealthiest country in the world. Let’s not take the crown away from Finland anytime soon, so how about we all just avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup whenever possible.