Beat-the-Bug Baltimore – Part 1
HEALING WITH HYDROTHERAPY
The first cases of the flu have already been reported in Maryland this season, and I have witnessed a number of patients overcome the first round of back-to-school colds. Now is the time when taking preventative steps to optimize your immune system and put your wellness practices into place is most crucial. Throughout the next several months I will be posting simple cold and flu wellness tips rooted in the naturopathic traditions of treating the person and the underlying causes of illness rather than just the disease itself.
This first preventive practice is one I learned in my Hydrotherapy class over 10 years ago and still practice almo
st daily – the Cold Shower Rinse. The instructions are simple: At the end of your shower, turn the temperature dial to cool or cold and rinse your entire body for 30 seconds in the cooler water before stepping out of the shower. Take care to especially let the cool water fall over your throat to stimulate your thyroid gland (responsible for metabolism) and over the center of your chest to stimulate your thymus gland (an important part of your immune system). Regularly practicing the cold shower rinse may not only awaken your vitality and heighten your resistance to infection, you may also notice that your tolerance to cold weather improves and that the normal temperature of your showers begins to go down, leading to savings on your energy bill!
The Gluten Free Lunch Box
It can be challenging enough for adults to manage the adjustment to a gluten-free diet, but most of the food marketed to children is processed and gluten-laden. For parents who are introducing a gluten-free dietary approach for their children or individuals looking for ideas for their own lunches at home or work, I stumbled upon this website today that described several delicious and simple gluten-free lunch ideas that would make your old turkey and cheese sandwich jealous.
What’s Cooking in Dr. Emily’s Kitchen
The fall vegetables are the most inspiring to me when it comes to culinary creativity. I am not sure why, but a butternut squash calls out to me in such a different way then a zucchini or summer squash. In the last few weeks I have become more eager to explore the bounty at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. My kitchen experiments have ranged from the simple roasting of beets with olive oil and dried rosemary to a rather unsuccessful attempt at a loaf of gluten-free, vegan pumpkin bread. A familiar and forgiving old stand-by for me is any variation on the recipe for butternut squash soup described below. Please note that the estimates for measurements of the spices are a rough guess. I recommend starting with less and you can always add more.
Butternut Squash and Apple Curry Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 diced Honey Crisp apple
- 2 cups of roasted & mashed butternut squash
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups organic & low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in large pot on medium heat and stir in onions and garlic. Cook onions until soft. Add in chopped apple and spices and cook for 5 min. Stir in butternut squash and mix ingredients until heated thoroughly. Pour in stock and let simmer for 15 to 20 min on low heat. Remove from heat and let cool for 15- 20 min. Blend soup in blender or food processor and serve warm. Add additional stock to adjust consistency as needed.
HINT: Prepare the butternut squash ahead of time by roasting over the weekend and storing mashed squash in the freezer to use throughout the season.
Love Your Skin from the Inside Out
The cosmetic industry is full of products that make claims to “defy the aging process.” While
these creams and ointments may be marketed to hydrate, moisturize, and revitalize, they may do so at the cost of your health. A large majority of conventional skin care products contain chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, food dyes, and other preservatives. Some of these chemicals act as “endocrine disruptors,” meaning that they can interfere with normal hormone functioning and may be linked to conditions such as thyroid disease and breast cancer. Learn more about the safety of your cosmetics here.
Instead of spending $40 on that overly marketed moisturizer this summer – nourish your skin from the inside out with simple diet and lifestyle modifications to create radiant skin:
- Hydrate: While you are outside watering your garden this summer, remember to replenish fluids for yourself as well. Healthy skin depends on optimal hydration to promote circulation and soften collagen.
- Fend off Free Radicals: Increase foods in your diet that are rich in antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, beta carotene, and anthocyanidins (found in dark berries). Antioxidants slow the aging process by protecting cells from damage and inflammation.
- Fatten Up!: Omega-3 fatty acids found in flax oil and fish oil not only help repair damaged and inflamed skin, but they also improve skin elasticity and reduce dryness. Other food sources of “good fats” for the skin include olive oil, avocado, walnuts, and almonds.
Sunscreen Safety
Now that summer is officially underway, it is time to trade in those winter woolly boots for flip flops and intensive skin salves for chapped dry skin for high-grade SPF sunscreen. Protecting yourself and your family from the growing intensity of the sun’s rays may not be as simple or as safe as grabbing the cheapest SPF 50 spray-on sunscreen from the drugstore shelves. Most traditional sunscreens contain numerous chemical compounds that absorb through the skin and can disrupt healthy hormone functioning (also known as “endocrine disruptors”). According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research group dedicated to raising awareness about environmental exposures that impact health, only 8% of 500 sunscreens tested were deemed both safe and effective. The top rating sunscreens are mineral-based and do not contain oxybenzone or vitamin A (which may be harmful to skin with exposure to UV rays). To check the rating for your sunscreen and to read more about sun safety, visit the EWG’s 2010 Sunscreen Guide.
BRINGING WELLNESS TO CAPITOL HILL
Every year the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) sponsors an amazing event that brings the field of Naturopathic Medicine to the attention of our nation’s congressional leaders. The Federal Legislative Initiative, or “DC FLI,” takes place in early May involving several days of training and preparation before sending forth over 150 naturopathic physicians and naturopathic medical students ready to lobby for changes in healthcare that will increase access to naturopathic sevices for more Americans. During this year’s Lobby Day on May 3rd, I had the privilege of visiting the offices of Senator Cardin and Congressman Sarbanes from Maryland as well as Senators McCaskill and Bond and Congressman Clay from my home state of Missouri.
Our specific requests included:
- Adding naturopathic physicians to federal loan reimbursement programs that support primary care physicians working in rural and under-served communities.
- Incorporating a more specific definition of “integrative healthcare practitioner” into future Healthcare Reform Bill revisions.
- Protecting the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA) as it is written to ensure safe access to quality nutritional supplements.
Thankfully, our profession’s core philosophy of encouraging individuals to take a more active role in their own health was well-received by the legislative aids we met with on the Hill. One day we hope that naturopathic medicine can help meet the growing need for more primary care physicians in our country’s challenged healthcare system. Until then, we will keep bringing ideas and recommendations for shifting the “healthcare conversation” back to health and healing to the offices and ears of those who can implement change.
How can you participate in this change? Visit the AANP website and sign up for the Action E-List to receive alerts when you can e-mail your congressmen and congresswomen.
Let your voice be heard!
Honor Your Mother
In my family, we hold a mystical and supernatural belief that my maternal grandmother reincarnated as a monarch butterfly. Before she passed away nearly 15 years ago, my mom asked my grandma (between her drifts in and out of consciousness) to appear to her as a butterfly in her garden as a sign that she had experienced a peaceful passing yet was still nearby. A year or two after Grandma’s death, I woke one morning and wandered into the kitchen to find my mom joyously tearful. She explained that this was Grandma’s birthday and the night before she had prayed for a sign. “And there is this butterfly in my garden that just won’t fly away!” Sure enough, I went outside and saw a monarch butterfly fluttering about in her garden – remaining so still at times that you could touch it. We found the appearance of a monarch butterfly to be all the more convincing as my grandma had beautiful red hair! There have been many other Grandma sightings over the years during significant times in our family’s history. This photo was taken during a trip my Mom, sister and I took to Costa Rica where Grandma joined us for a visit.
Gaia, or Mother Earth, is always reaching out to create connection…through subtle breezes to calm the mind or with inviting fragrances that remind us to stop and smell the roses. While we all have different experiences of Mothering or being Mothered, stories of love, sacrifice, grief and healing are universal. At this time of honoring those people in our lives who nurture us, inspire us, feed us good food and empowering words – let us also remember and honor our dear Mother Earth who waters the same seeds she plants and support us all in growing in harmony with Nature.
SPRING DETOX CLASS
Isn’t it time you learned how to Love your Liver?
Dr. Emily’s Spring Detox Class at SEEDS offers you an opportunity to learn simple wellness practices to promote detoxification, enhance liver function and optimize digestion. In this 4-week class series, each session will cover a different wellness topic with the incorporation of a progressive elimination diet to help identify food sensitivities.
Week 1: Love Your Liver
Week 2: Trust Your Gut
Week 3: Calming Down the “Troops” of Inflammation
Week 4: Practicing Detoxification in Everyday Life
2 Class sessions are being offered at:
Seeds Center for Whole Health (3600 Roland Ave. Ste 4)
Wednesdays April 21st, 28th, May 5th, & 12th – 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Saturdays April 24th, May 1st, 8th & 15th – 9:00 am – 10:30 am
COST: $250
TO REGISTER: Contact Dr. Emily at (443) 226-7665
Sources of Inspiration
Nearly ten years ago, my journey towards becoming a naturopathic physician was just beginning. A large leap of faith had landed me amongst over 100 1st year ND students crowded into an auditorium at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington for orientation. Hints and highlights about what to expect for the next four years of our lives gradually unfolded with each speaker who stood before us – everything from tips on how to protect our livers from the formaldehyde in the gross anatomy lab to reminders that arriving to Bastyr at all reflects a deeper calling towards becoming a healer. But what still stands out most to me from those few days of absorbing all that this new world of natural healing and learning had to offer was my first introduction to homeopathy from Dr. Ellen Goldman. At that time Dr. Goldman was the head of the Homeopathy Department at Bastyr, and when she stood before my class with her true passion and love for this modality echoing through words, I knew that when I “grew up,” I wanted to practice homeopathy. I wanted to listen deeply to a patient’s story and have a place to understand why the patient stuck his feet out of the covers at night or craved bacon. I wanted to be able to address fears of thunderstorms and chronic respiratory illnesses all with the same medicine. At that moment, I became inspired.
Before I was able to take any of Dr. Goldman’s classes, she retired from her position at Bastyr and moved to Florida. I still remembered how she lit that spark in my soul for homeopathy and often shared the story when patients asked me how I came to study and practice this form of medicine. Much to my surprise and joy, I recently saw Dr. Goldman at the National Center for Homeopathy Conference in Alexandria, VA this past weekend. I was so excited to share with her what a gift she had given me without even knowing it nearly ten years ago. She, too, found joy in this story as many of us would in learning about a seed we’ve planted that later comes to full bloom. I’ve been blessed with many mentors who continue to guide and shape my experience as a healer. My hope is that my patients will be the ones who most benefit from this circle of learning and teaching, mentorship and inspiration.
Add Wellness to that Spring in your Step…
Dr. Emily will be spreading the word about the benefits of naturopathic medicine at several different venues in the Baltimore community this Spring, and you are welcome to attend!
Homeopathy 101: The Art of “Less is More”
An introduction to the art and practice of homeopathy.
When: Thursday March 25th 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Where: Evolvewell Healing Arts Studio (4800 Roland Ave., Baltimore, MD)
Cost: FREE
Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine Symposium
How Can Nature Heal You?
When: Thursday April 8th 7:00pm
Where: Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus – Krieger Room 205
Cost: FREE
Spring Detox Class – 2 Class Offerings!
A 4-week course designed to promote safe & gentle detoxification while reconnecting you back to your “most well” self. Class includes a guided elimination diet plan, a deeper understanding about how to care for your liver and GI tract, recipes and weekly wellness plans to help reduce inflammation and support natural detox pathways in the body.
When: Wednesdays 7:00pm – 8:30pm April 21st, 28th, May 5th, 12th
OR Saturdays 9:00am – 10:30am April 24th, May 1st, 8th, 15th
Where: Seeds Center for Whole Health (3600 Roland Ave. Suite 3)
To Register: (443) 226-7665 or dremilytelfair@gmail.com
Cost: $250
