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Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Banish the Winter Blues Smoothie

Are you feeling a little bit down because we are now experiencing the long hard cold days winter? The lack of sunshine, cool weather and bad moods of others can be a factor in seasonal depression.  You might also have a case of SAD, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, which just simply has you dealing with a case of the blues because you are not getting enough light or synthesizing enough amounts of Vitamin D.

If you are depressed you might feel foggy, fatigued and emotionally down.  One of the best ways to treat seasonal depression is through diet.  For the purposes of making you feel better we have concocted this special Blueberry Smoothie or Banish the Blues Smoothies.

Banish the Blues Smoothie

Makes one serving

6 ounces Vanilla Coconut Milk (or Coconut Water if want an ultra low fat drink)
½ cup frozen blueberries (use berries from a good organic brand or freeze and pick your own)
¼ cup frozen blackberries  (get a quality organic brand)
1 tsp vanilla blackberries
½ frozen banana
½ avocado
1 full scoop protein powered
1-tablespoon cashew butter or raw cashews (unsalted)
1 teaspoon turmeric

Crush all of these ingredients together in a blender until smooth and pour into a glass.

Why This Smoothie Banishes the Blues

The secret to banishing the blues starts with the frozen dark colored berries. Dar colored berries are shown to boost brain clarity and focus so they are at thievery foundation of this recipe.  The raw cashews or cashew butter is rich in healthy fats and the turmeric powder is a known natural anti-depressant.   The avocado supplies healthy fats that help support mood and brain health in general.


For more information or to book a consultation about treating depression with biofeedback, light therapy and diet or about our  anti-aging and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.




Sunday, January 25, 2015

Dealing With Negative Emotions and Depression


There is a link between negative emotions and depression. Oddly there is not really such a thing as a negative emotion as every emotion that we have serves a purpose.  What we call negative often serves as a deep catalyst for change. Usually the deep hidden reason behind the feeling negative is due to a need for one of the following basic needs to be expressed.

1.         A need to love and be loved
2.         To understand an be understood
3.         To be able to make decisions that allow us to feel like we belong

Often the fear that leads us to believe that we will be denied any of the above basic human emotional needs is what can to depression.  Depression is also experienced by individuals who cannot feel that they do not deserve any of the above three human conditions or that they are not allowed to experience it.

Negative emotions are not that negative because they can teach us great lessons about ourselves. They reflect our personal history, our cultural orientations and our limitations as personalities. If any of the three personal needs listed above are unmet it can lead to the inappropriate expression of thoughts and feelings.  Over the long term this can result in the kind of deterioration of the psyche, personality and physical body that is characteristic of depression.

Emotions sometimes feel like separate entities that are eating a way at us, sucking our energies and throwing us off balance. Many of us are hypnotized by our negative emotions and even addicted to them. In this case emotions that were initially felt as pleasurable quickly end up as their painful opposite. And when we are in the midst of an emotional situation, we can be blinded by the dynamics of our emotions so that our perceptions and perspectives are no longer clear.  Handling your emotions is absolutely crucial to having mental clarity and also avoiding a big case of depression as the result of a traumatic event.
 
 The reason that negative feelings must be dealt with is because emotions are experienced throughout the entire human body. A negative thought or feeling can translate to an emotion that seems to affect everything: our muscles, voices, skins, sweat glands, hart rates and breathing.  This is why depressed individuals always feel physically ill as well as sad, vacant or existential.  The physical symptoms of depression are very real!

Sometimes the cure for depression is the expression of a so-called negative emotion can be healthy. Emotion that is bottled up for too long can cause sickness. For example it is natural to grieve the loss of a loved one. Refusing to face the grief over a long period of time could result in numbness or a severe case of depression.  If you are in such a situation and are not feeling so great it might be time to see a doctor to see if you need temporary medical treatment or counseling to help you get through this difficult time in your life.

If you are concerned about the impact of negative emotions you can contact us for solutions for depression and negative emotions.

For more information or to book a consultation about NLP, biofeedback, anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Give Yourself a Lift With Lycopene

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and it is found in most produce that is red, but it is especially abundant tomatoes and also products made from tomatoes.  Lycopene is also good for your sex life and may have actually been the original apple that Adam gave to Eve in the Biblical tale. At any rate, lycopene is found in things that are red and red is the color of romance and it is also the color of the heart and circulatory system.It seems suitable somehow that lycopene also supports the heart and the health of the prostrate gland. As a free radical fighter it can help prevent all serious diseases

Lycopene Is An Anti-Aging Food

Lycopene is that anti-aging food that keeps your skin looking younger.  There is some truth to that statement that sex symbol and screen goddes Sophia Loren made when she claimed, “Everything you see here I owe to spaghetti.” It is  the lycopene in tomato based spaghetti sauce that kept her skin loosing so supple, soft and youthful well into her old age.  That is because when you consume it, it is deposited everywhere in your body including the lungs, liver, colon, prostate gland and skin.

Classified as a cartenoid, this antioxident tends to retain itself in body tissues for a very long time.  When you eat tomatoes, it is like putting a healthy deposit in “the bank of your body” to supply your personal fountain of youth later.

There are many benefits to consuming lycopene but it is especially effective when it comes to the reduction of the incidence of all kinds of cancer. As well as helping an individual avoid prostrate cancer it is also helpful in the prevention of breast cancer and cancers of the digestive tract.

Lycopene may also help reduce your risk of macular degeneration, more commonly known as blindness caused by old age.

Getting more Lycopene Into Your Life

It is easy to get more of this wonderful antioxidant into your life.  Start making meals in which tomato sauce or tomatoes play a big role in one or more dishes. You will get the most lycopene if you consume it cooked so think about making vegan tomato curries and stews, lasagna, pasta and brochettes.  You can also get lycopene from eating raw tomatoes or drinking a glass of tomato juice.  If you want to feel especially healthy and rehydrated, squeeze the tomato juice yourself and drink it fresh. However eating tomatoes that are processed, cooked or even from a can is actually recommended in the case of lycopene because processing increases the presence of this free radical fighter in the food.  A study done at the American Institute for Cancer Research has reported that lypcopene is more readily absorbed by the body when the tomatoes or cooked or process.  Canned tomatoes are a tremendously beneficial source of lycopene.

The tomato is the all-star source for lycopene but you can also source the antioxidant from fresh fruits and vegetables such as guavas, rosehips, pink grapefruit and watermelon.  you can also find rich sources of lycopene in red peppers, roasted and pickled red peppers and sun-dried tomato products.

For more information or to book a consultation about anti-aging, diet and weight loss programs or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Clinic website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.





Saturday, January 10, 2015

The Pinewood Team Has Solutions for the Winter Blues

With the glow and celebration of the holiday season behind us, the dark cold days of January and February the can really take a toll on your psyche and leave you with an overall feeling of being blue. Your body has slowed down and your system has become sluggish. You feel tired, irritable, your brain is foggy, you’ve gained weight and you’re overall outlook on life can be less than positive.  Yikes! 

You don’t have to suffer any longer.  Help is here!  Our panel of expert practitioners shares their advice to lift the winter blues.

Dr. Audrey Sasson, Naturopathic Doctor
Map of the Body's Meridians
A positive perspective about how we plan to approach those wintery days will have great impact. Daily affirmations are an excellent way to keep positive thoughts top of mind.  Balancing yin and yang is essential for us battling the winter. Both Chinese herbs and acupuncture are excellent ways tocombat the wintery blues. Meridians are pathways in the body through which energy flows.  Each meridian is related to a specific organ system which also possesses an emotion, a flavor and a season. In the winter months we crave more carbohydrate dense meals that are linked to the spleen meridian. In an acupuncture treatment, needling specific points related to imbalances in the meridians can dramatically elevate your mood. Tongue and pulse assessments will ensure that your treatment is individualized and caters specifically to your needs.   A series of 6-8 acupuncture sessions is sufficient, although significant improvements are generally seen just after 2 sessions!

Christianne James, Registered Massage Therapist
Manual Therapies such as Cranial Sacral Therapy, Lymphatic Activation and Massage during the winter months can provide much relief from the pesky symptoms of the winter blues. Treatments can boost your immune system, decrease anxiety and depression, help alleviate a foggy head, increase energy, promote stage IV sleep and increase circulation all of which can aid to restore balance and function to the body.   

Karen Gilman, Holistic Nutritionist
There are several dietary changes you can make to help boost your mood while waiting for spring to come.  Add Omega 3 fats to your diet! Certain inflammatory chemicals in the brain called cytokines can cause feelings of depression. Omega-3 fatty acids block the action of these cytokines. Research suggests vitamin D may help relieve symptoms of winter blues by boosting serotonin levels in the brain.  Vitamin D can be obtained from moderate sun exposure, but if you live in the northern hemisphere in the winter, getting enough sun exposure can be difficult.  Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to impaired mental function and depression and another important B vitamin, folate, may help boost your mood and reduce fatigue by helping your body produce serotonin. Ensure good intake of Vitamin D, B12 and folate during the winter months.

Make sure you eat breakfast each morning!  Eating a good breakfast is linked to better job (and school) performance and mood.  Eat protein at each meal and snack, hummous and veggies or almonds and apple slices, to regulate your blood sugar levels so you don’t get irritable during the day.  Make your plate interesting and colourful by adding different fruits and vegetables.  For more information on which foods to eat to help keep away the winter blues join me on Monday January 13 from 12:15 - 1:15pm for a ‘Food For Winter Blues Workshop’.  Cost of this workshop is $20.  To register, call 416-949-0164.

Dr. Ana Nozari, Naturopathic Doctor
Light Therapy and Melatonin are two treatments shown to be effective in improving the symptoms of winter blues. Light therapy could be as simple as getting out for a walk on a bright winter morning, or using a full spectrum light box in the morning hours. A low dose of the melatonin in the afternoon can reset the body’s clock to normal. See your Naturopathic Doctor for the best dose for you. Make sure to keep active in winter months, as exercise can improve your mood and burn off the extra calories we take in during holiday season.

Even though the winter months can bring on the blues, you are probably glad the running nose and itchy eyes or throat from seasonal allergies has finally subsided!  Did you know winter is the best time to address seasonal allergies if you want to be proactive and truly treat your seasonal allergies rather than taking numerous antihistamines or remedies? NAET treatments can effectively treat seasonal allergies, and the time to start treatment is now when you are not exposed to the environmental allergies.  A few months of regular treatments are needed to overcome symptoms.  Act now so you can fully enjoy the spring and summer seasons we eagerly wait for! Contact Dr. Ana Nozari ND for a short complimentary information session to answer any questions you may have regarding NAET treatments or visit www.naet-canada.com to learn more.