by Jamila Owens-Todd,
Naturopathic Doctor
The Winter Solstice is a time of self-reflection and quiet. This is needed in order to keep a healthy outlook on life and to promote balanced moods. When exploring the mind-body-spirit connection, it is best displayed by the use of the medicine wheel created by numerous indigenous tribes to represent wholeness and balance. In order to be holistically healthy, each person needs to achieve a balance between spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional forces.
There are many factors in life that allow us to feel emotional imbalances, such as anxiety and/or depression and increasingly common, is the season of winter. The decreased sunlight, the memories of loved ones, holidays and excessive sugar consumption are all triggers as well as causes for a negative shift of emotional health. If we take the true healing of this season, and spend time in positive, self-reflection, meditation/prayer and introducing more grounding, root herbs and vegetables, we can achieve an inspired, enlightened self. We can have balance.
There is no one area that promotes health alone. I have listed a few suggestions to encourage healing during this time of the year and these suggestions are meant to be implemented into a total treatment program that includes diet, counseling, movement, homeopathic medicines/energy medicine, herbal medicines, lifestyle changes and nutritional supplementation.
Oatmeal – is a nervine (nerve healer), which supports brain health and function
Brown Rice/Quinoa – rich in B-vitamins which are important for hormone balance
AVOID excessive neurological stimulants (sugar, caffeine, artificial colors and packaged foods) and mood depressants (alcohol).
Quiet the mind – meditate, pray, journal, walking
Rescue Remedy ® flower essence – helps with acute stress and anxiety
Vitamin D3 – clinically shown to elevate moods associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder
Exercise – physical movement worked better than prescription antidepressants in scientific study (Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:2349-2356)
When addressing the mental/emotional health, it is important to have a full workup to exclude a diagnosable health condition. Many physical conditions contribute to an imbalanced emotional state via hormones, genetic factors, nutrient deficiencies, metabolic disorders or other imbalances.
Jamila Owens-Todd is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Webster Groves. For more information please call (314) 918-1555 or visit www.minthealth.org.