To our patients, friends and community. I hope each one of you and your family is doing okay during these difficult times. This is such a fast- moving situation with uncertainty. Many of us, including myself, are feeling anxious and maybe fear during this global pandemic. For me, there is comfort in knowing we are all going thorough this together and we are not alone. It is heartwarming to see how our global community has come together during this difficult time.
I wanted to write to you today about one aspect of my personal experience as a Naturopathic Doctor. I have been reaching out to patients via telemedicine. I have had wonderful conversations with so many patients and I must say, I continue to learn so much from them. I am hearing of certain health symptoms improving as people are staying home, getting rest, spending time reading or relaxing. Some patients report their skin health is improving, their mental clarity is improving, they are less moody or irritable, their digestion is improving, the list goes on. This is a reminder of how important it is for the body to heal. How taking the time to rest and reduce mental fatigue can result is improvements in so many areas of our health. Although anxiety and fear may be heightened right now, some of us have to time to take care of ourselves. I know this is not true for everyone, but for those who can take time to rest I urge you to take this time to heal. Stress and the Cortisol response may have so many affects on the body. Here is a list of symptoms that may be related to adrenal fatigue. If you answer yes to any of them, consider your adrenals may be taxed and this may be a good time to implement dietary and lifestyle changes to support your stress hormones.
Possible signs of adrenal fatigue:
- -feeling tired after you exercise, even feeling you need a nap after exercise
- -difficulties losing weight even with exercise and a clean diet
- -difficulties sleeping, being a light sleeper and/or waking between 2-4 am
- -mood swings. Feeling easily overwhelmed, anxious or even depression
- -blood sugar fluctuations. Feeling “hangry” or low blood sugar when you go too long without a meal
- -difficulties concentrating or feeling “brain fog”
If you have experienced these symptoms in the past or present, consider your stress hormones may be taxed and rest will help.
Here are some suggestions for general health and adrenal health restoration (please click here). Try to incorporate some of these recommendations into your life as we go through this pandemic. Try to use this time at home to strengthen your stress response systems. Try to maintain a routine. Get enough sleep! Note how you feel including your energy, mood, digestion and hormones. Even your immune system may benefit.
We will continue to keep in touch with you via email and social media. We are here to support you and are available by phone, email and online bookings. We would love to hear from you to know you are doing okay. This is a difficult time and we will get through this together. We, at Vitalia Health Care, continue to stay positive we will flatten the curve and return to normal life soon. But during this time we are still here to support you. Look for more posts coming soon in our Vitalia Naturopathic Health Care Series.
Sending positive vibes for health and safety.
Dr Tasreen Alibhai, ND
