Interpreting Your Dreams for Personal Success “Well-binar” 9/26/09
Dreams are messages from your subconscious, a manifestation of emotional processing that goes on when you sleep. If you can learn to interpret them, you can harness your dreams for self-insight and even solutions to your “problems!” Want to know what recurring dreams mean? Or what it means to grow facial hair? Or what it means to fly or fall or be publicly naked? Well, if you do, then tune in to our inaugural Pavia “Well-binar,” titled “Interpreting Your Dreams for Personal Success,” on Saturday, September 26, 2009, at 10am Pacific. We will talk about what dreams are, what they have to do with wellness, how to remember them, and even go through two example interpretations! You will also have the chance to provide feedback or ask questions at the end. Here is the relevant information:
- Date: September 26, 2009
- Time: 10am Pacific Time
- Cost: $8 ($6.40 for Pavia members)
- How to register: go to this link and choose the week of 9/21 through 9/27/09 and select “Book Now” for the class under September 26, 2009! After you register, we will send you the link for our on-line “well-binar” so you can join us.
- See you there!
I am Vitamin D deficient. You could be too?
Remember how I went to see my ND? Well, she asked me to get a wellness blood panel taken, which I did immediately. Had 6 tiger tubes of blood taken out for $171 (thought it was never going to end)… thank goodness for that HSA!
Anyway, got the blood tests back, and Dr. Hernandez went through each item with me meticulously, explaining what each item is for (T3, T4, FSH, etc.), and what ranges she is looking for. Her ranges are much narrower than those of traditional MDs because she is looking to “optimize wellness,” not just to make sure I’m not sick. I will confide now that I have been going to her because I have been unable to conceive, and wanted to find a natural option to support fertility.
At first I thought that I was hypothyroid (low thyroid function), and that that was the reason I was not getting pregnant. But my test results say differently – my T3, T4, FSH, and all other thyroid indicators are normal – not just normal, in the “optimal range.” In fact, most of my indicators are within her “optimal range.”
However, there is one that is glaringly out of the range, and that is Vitamin D. She called it “out-of-sight low,” and asked me to get on a Vitamin D3 supplement ASAP. So since then, I’ve been on 5,000 IUs of daily Vitamin D3. In the meantime, my curiousity was piqued, so I decided to research on-line why Vitamin D is important.
It turns out that Vitamin D deficiency has become something of a burgeoning global medical crisis. Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and enabling normal mineralization of the bone. Recently, they have found that lack of Vitamin D has been related to more health concerns than just osteomalacia and rickets (the traditional Vitamin-D deficient diseases): osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, parathyroid problems, immune function, and weight loss (darn it – I don’t have that problem. 
) This is a good article on the topic, if you want to learn more.
So my Vitamin D level was 12 nanograms per milliliter, and normal is 20 to 100, and Dr. Hernandez calls “60″ optimal. She’s right, I am out of sight low. But then I got a little upset – I had NEVER been tested for Vitamin D deficiency before by any of my western doctors. If it’s so important and vital to health, how come it was never monitored? How come I didn’t know about this until I went to a holistic doctor? And how long have I now been Vitamin D deficient? And how many others out there might also have the same problem, unknowingly? So that’s the impetus for my blog: go get tested for Vitamin D levels! You could be dangerously low like me, and never know it.
HSAs: I’m Sold!
In Paul Zane Pilzer’s, “The Wellness Revolution,” he talks about why everyone who possibly can should get on a high-deductible insurance plan that is HSA (Health Savings Account)-compatible. I have to say, his arguments made so much sense to me that I took action and made changes to my own insurance plan. I am proud to tell you that I have taken my own advice (and Paul Zane Pilzer’s) that I’m about to dish out.
Basically, the logic is this: if you’re healthy and focused on wellness, then chances are that you are paying a premium into a pool for prepaid health care that you never use. I found that in my case, this was true. To insure myself, I was paying a total of $270 per month in premiums – more than $3,000 PER YEAR. And, I still had to pay a $30 co-pay AND cover 30% of my health care expenses, AFTER I met a deductible of $500. And since I take care of myself, I really only need a plan that kicks in under catastrophic circumstances. I looked around and found that high-deductible plans would save me $100+ a month (about 40%). In exchange, I pay the first $5,000 of my medical expenses, and the plan takes care of 100% above that. I figured, I spent almost that amount every year just in premiums, plus all the co-pays, plus 30% of any treatments, lab tests, and prescriptions.
But, the best part of a high-deductible, HSA-compatible plan is the HSA part. You can put up to $3,000 in an HSA annually (for an individual, and $5,950 for a family, although these numbers will go up next year), and then use those funds to pay for eligible health care expenses – tax-free. If you don’t use those up in any one year, then you can just roll them over to the next year. And if it grows (you can invest the money), you can keep the growth tax-free.
I think the most compelling part of the argument is that it puts your health care in your own control. If you want to spend your HSA funds on alternative health care (chiropractors, acupuncturists, Naturopaths), then you can. If you want to spend the money on traditional health care, you can do that too. If you’re like me, then you want to spend the money on wellness and preventative maintenance.
One last point that Paul Zane Pilzer makes is this: don’t depend on your job to provide your health benefits. Why? Because if you lose your job, you also lose your health care, and then where does that leave you? Good food for thought.
Julie & Julia: Great Movie, But Illustrates What NOT to Eat
We went to see Julie & Julia tonight. I loved the movie, really really passionately loved it. It was heartwarming, uplifting, and life-affirming. Julia & Paul’s marriage is like a romance out of a book. If she had not been a famous chef and television personality, she would have done great as a marriage counselor and therapist, I think. I found myself laughing and tearing up and wanting to know a lot more about Julia Child and her life.
About the only thing the movie did not have me wanting to do, was learn to cook Julia Child’s food. Did anyone else notice the number of times the main characters took antacids (Tums) in the movie? I think in one scene of juxtaposed medicine cabinets, all four of the leads did (Julie & Eric, Julia & Paul). Doesn’t that ring any alarm bells for anyone, that perhaps, this kind of food is just not what we should be putting in our bodies for optimal wellness?
I feel a bit sad about this because, while the moment of all 4 of them taking Tums was humorous (and I did laugh, but guiltily), it also shows just how unconscious most people are about what they are eating that is causing all this ‘acid indigestion.’ We shove foods into our mouths for the sheer taste, convenience, flavor, BUTTER of it, but then we have to put up with the bloating, heartburn, indigestion, and dyspepsia afterwards? Isn’t that just the biggest clue (HELLO?) that it is a cycle we need to break? Eat bad food (tastes great, I don’t deny it), feel great in the moment, but feel bad afterwards, take Tums to defuse it. Eat bad food again, feel great in the moment, feel bad afterwards, take Tums to defuse it. Eat bad food again…need I go on? At what point does the human soul wake up and get it? Just a thought.
Why Be Well?
Before I get on with the fifth pillar of wellness, I wanted to address an important question: Why be well in the first place? It may seem like a question with an obvious answer, but that doesn’t make answering it any less important. Why be well? Why is it important to be healthy? For me, the answer lies in the fact that we are physical beings, and we are experiencing life in the physical realm.
By coming forth from the realm of energy, or the non-physical realm, we have made the choice to interact with the world in a physical body, to experience physical pleasures through the five senses, and to fulfill our highest purpose. Which is what, you may ask? To create. To which you may rejoin, to create what? Well, that depends on you. I came to create health and wellness for myself and others. My friend, Claire, came to create beauty and order. Others came to create love, and still others came to create abundance. Whatever your purpose for coming into this three-dimensional place (four-dimensional, if you consider the concept of time), you will need to be as healthy and well as you can manage to live up to that purpose.
Being well is not just about the physical body, however. In fact, there are 3 other bodies we need to cultivate wellness for: our spiritual, emotional, and mental bodies. Our spiritual body is that which is connected to our highest Self, where our divine intuition and wisdom comes from, that “spark” that propels us forward through the ups and downs of life. Our emotional body is that which feels the pangs of the heart: love, joy, fear, anger, and so forth. And our mental body is that which analyzes, rationalizes, and uses logic to reason and solve problems. And it is when our four bodies – spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical – are operating in alignment with our highest purpose and at optimum capabilities, that we can say we have achieved true wellness.
Sleep: The Fourth Pillar of Wellness
And now we move onto something I DO like to do: sleep (my last blog was about exercise, hence the contrast). Sleep, especially REM sleep, is absolutely crucial to mental and physical health and wellness. There is increasing evidence that lack of sleep is associated with such health issues as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and depression (there is a great article on WebMD about the growing research that shows the connection between sleep loss and poor health). Murray and Pizzorno, the NDs who wrote the seminal, “Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine,” THE textbook used in my Master Herbalist studies, say that sleep is absolutely essential. “Many health conditions, particularly depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia are either entirely or partially related to sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep (p. 40).”
Wow! That’s huge. Especially because it seems like, as a society, we’re increasingly sleep-deprived and tired. In fact, the prescription-drugs-for-sleep business is booming: up to ten million people in the U.S. each year obtain prescriptions to help them get those ZZZs (Ibid). And REM sleep is especially important, because it’s during REM sleep (mostly) that we dream, processing emotions, memories, and other things that happen to us throughout the day. Professor William Dement (I’m proud to say he taught “Sleep and Dreams” at my alma mater, but I never got to take his course) showed the significance of REM sleep by conducting a study in which he woke subjects up just as they were going into REM sleep. Sounds cruel, if you ask me…but his findings were worth it: he learned that REM sleep-deprived people suffered from extreme irritability, depression, and anxiety – all of which disappeared when they were allowed to dream again (more information can be found here).
So it appears that when it comes to sleep, more is better. If you want to try botanicals or herbs that support you in getting to sleep, look for those that have “sedative” or “soporific” in their list of properties. “Nervine” is also another good property, since it means that it tones and strengthens the nervous system and reduces nervous irritability. Just off the top of my head, herbs that fall in these categories include valerian (Valeriana officinalis), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), hops (Humulus lupulus), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). You might see these individually or in combination in some vaunted herbal remedies. Research does actually validate the use of valerian and passionflower as herbal sources of sleep support – too bad valerian smells like a cross between used gym socks, cat litter, and the inside of a jockstrap. But mixed with other herbs, it’s perfectly okay!
Exercise: The Third Pillar of Wellness
I have to admit, I don’t like to exercise. If it wasn’t so imperative for my health – and as a Master Herbalist and Natural Health Consultant, how would it look if I didn’t pursue my own health? – I would never do it. But I recognize the benefits of exercise for my health so I force myself to get off the couch and get moving at least 2-3 times per week. But I can definitely do more. (Husband, are you reading this article? You need to take me out and exercise me more.)
I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows the benefits of exercise. If you don’t, there are several excellent sources on the Web, including this Mayo Clinic article about the 7 benefits of regular physical activity, which range from improving your mood to improving your sex life. So I won’t re-iterate what’s already said…but I DO want to talk about specific health issues for which exercise is the best or main remedy.
* Lymph System: The lymph system is responsible for keeping our immune system strong, something I covered in an earlier post. But since the lymph system has no pump (a la the heart), the only way to move the lymph around is through exercise or manual manipulation, as in a lymphatic drainage massage. Now, my spa charges $95 for a lymphatic drainage session, which is wonderful if you have the money, but walking/jogging/running around your neighborhood block is free, so you can’t beat that. I don’t mind earning your money, but if your pockets are not as deep as you would like them to be these days, I am sharing this information with you because I still want you healthy.
* Hypothyroidism: This is when your thyroid gland is underactive, and does not produce enough thyroid hormone, the purpose of which is to run the body’s metabolism. Not surprisingly, in those who have underactive thyroid (aka, ME), a slow metabolism is what seems to manifest. Exercise can help dramatically here by stimulating thyroid gland secretion and increasing tissue sensitivity to the thyroid hormone. In fact, if you’re on a diet, you need to combine it with exercise because your metabolic rate slows down, but exercise prevents this from happening.
* Osteoporosis: Studies have shown that exercise lowers the risk of osteoporosis. How? The action of your muscles pulling on your bones builds bone mass, so weight-bearing activity is helping you build stronger, denser bones. Experts recommend weight-lifting, step aerobics, racquet sports, and other activities that force your muscles to work against gravity (so this is NOT swimming or just walking) for at least 30 minutes a day (which don’t have to be done all at once – you can do 10 minutes 3 times a day, for example).
Okay, I’ve convinced myself. Time to go work out!
My first visit to an N.D.
I thought I’d walk my talk and consult a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) for both general and specific issues (infertility). I’ve been preaching the greatness of the naturopathic, holistic approach for a long time, after all. So I made an appointment with Dr. Connie Hernandez of Pacific Naturopathic, in Palo Alto, CA.
Our first visit was 90 minutes long, and I had to fill out a full health history beforehand. During the session, Dr. Connie asked me about everything from what I ate to how much I exercised to how much stress I experienced in my life – getting the “whole picture” of who I am and my health at this moment in time. As we talked, she jotted down thoughts, which I find myself referring to again and again afterwards. I learned that my diet is probably not what it should be – I am vegetarian, but not necessarily healthy. I am not getting nearly enough nutrients like proteins and fats, so she suggested that I take in more nuts, quinoa, soy, eggs, and whey. Since I don’t eat any fish, she also suspects I am low in Omega-3 fatty acids, so I went home with a jar of fish oils that day.
She also suggested some hormone-balancing herbs for me, one I had heard of (Vitex agnus castus, or chaste tree), and one that I had not (Maca root). Incidentally, the maca root is pretty disgusting – in terms of pleasantness, it is somewhere between a poke in the eye and sticking my head up someone else’s ass. I would much rather have a poke in the eye – at least the pain goes away in a little while.
I also learned that I can use sitz baths to stimulate the energies of the pelvic area – she encouraged me to do sitz baths twice a week (while not menstruating). She even demonstrated – it was so cute to see my doctor sitting on the floor with her skirts gathered up! I am supposed to have two sitz baths going, one with hot water and one with cold. First, I sit 3 minutes with my butt in the hot water and feet in the cold, then I switch for 30 seconds (butt in cold and feet in hot), then switch again.
Lastly, she ordered a full wellness blood panel for me, which involved my giving six tubes of blood for testing, plus a urine sample. I will find out the full results when I next see her in August, but so far, she’s already called to let me know I am “out-of-sight low” in Vitamin D, so I’ve added that to my daily supplementation as well. Can’t wait for my next visit – in the meantime, am going to research the effects of Vitamin D deficiency…
Elimination: The Second Pillar of Wellness (Part 2)
In Part 1 of Elimination as a pillar of wellness, we covered the bowels, kidneys, and lungs and how to keep those healthy. Now, let’s talk about the remaining three systems of elimination: the skin, liver, and lymph.
The skin is part of our integumentary system, and is our body’s largest organ. By sweating, you assist in cleansing the skin and detoxifying the body. So working up a sweat through exercise, going to a sauna or steam room afterwards, and drinking diaphoretic (sweat-promoting) teas are great ways to keep up the natural sweating process. Some useful diaphoretic herbs include chamomile, spearmint, hyssop, peppermint, yarrow, and cayenne.
The liver is literally our body’s detoxification factory. Even now, your liver is working hard to metabolize food, filter out toxins, and store vitamins and other nutrients from the foods you eat. The liver also breaks down harmful substances like alcohol and other chemicals, and removes waste products from your blood so that you can have just the right balance of chemicals in your body. Keep the liver healthy by staying away from excessive alcohol. Certain herbs are also considered “hepatic,” or beneficial to the liver. These include milk thistle and dandelion. Other herbs are alterative, which help the liver do its job of cleansing the blood, and these include burdock root, yellow dock, garlic, plantain (plantago major), and red clover.
Lastly, we have the lymph system. The lymph supports the body’s immune function and filters out foreign substances and bacteria. So having an ill-functioning lymph system can quite literally lead to becoming ill. Unlike our blood, which is circulated by the heart, the lymph does not have a pump, so the only way to circulate the lymph is to exercise or manually move it around (through massage or dry brushing). I recommend all three as ways to keep the lymph system healthy. There is a special type of massage, “lymphatic drainage,” that manually – and pleasurably – helps the body drain the lymph – ask about it at your local spa or chiropractor’s office. There are also, as you might suspect, herbs that support the lymph system. The most prominent of these is Cleavers (or gallium aparine). Bay Laurel (the essential oil) is also great for the lymph, especially swollen lymph nodes/glands.
Elimination: The Second Pillar of Wellness (Part I)
When you think about it, our physical bodies are essentially here to take in nutrients, take energy from them, and then “spit out” the waste. Keeping our bodies’ ability to eliminate waste is, therefore, a crucial part of maintaining health and wellness. After all, how can you be healthy and well while “clogged up?”
Our bodies have six elimination systems – pop quiz, can you name them? The bowels and kidneys are obvious, eliminating toxins and waste through feces and urine. Then, there are our lungs, which eliminates through outbreaths, our skin, which eliminates using sweat, our liver, which filters our blood, and finally, our lymph system, which eliminates bacteria and foreign particles.
Let’s talk about how to keep each of these systems functioning optimally. The bowels, which transport waste out of the body, can be kept healthy by being kept hydrated. Drinking an equivalent number of ounces of water to your body weight every day will improve colon health and keep constipation at bay. Herbs that I like to use to keep bowel movements regular are licorice root, cinnamon, clove, ginger, anise, and in times of greater need, senna.
Our kidneys are responsible for urine formation. They also love water, and often times, kidney problems are the result of dehydration. Kidney-friendly herbs include such diuretics as juniper berry (assuming the kidneys are not already inflamed), uva ursi (or bearberry), parsley, celery, and carrots.
The lungs are vitally important – without food, we wouldn’t last three weeks. Without water, we wouldn’t last three days. Without breath, we wouldn’t last three minutes. So it is essential to take care of the lungs. Give them lots of deep breaths, fresh air, and exercise. Stay away from smoking or being near smoke. Herbs that have an affinity for the respiratory system include eucalyptus, pleurisy root, mouse ear hawkweed, and licorice root (expectorants).
Well, it looks like I’m over 300 words, so I’d better cut this blog in two. When I next come back, I’ll discuss how to keep the skin, liver, and lymph healthy.