Mindful Medicine

How can you harness stress?Chronic stressors are very real and impinge on activities. How can you keep up when you’re so stressed? Being hit with something out of left field can stir up your impulse control. You might overwork, overthink or freak out. You are not at your best. How can you catch yourself before the impulse control goes out the window? No one wants to be a terrible version of themselves. You don’t want to underperform. It’s easier to make changes in your reactions to stress by making personal discoveries. What happens to you when you get hit with stress? How do you react? 4 Common Elements to Stress Response Internally The mind floods with thoughts and emotions during stressful times. It can be distracting and overwhelming The body tenses. You might feel tightness in your chest or hear your heartbeat in your ears. You engage in pressured behavior. You overstep or hold back. Your mind and body distress compound and make you feel regret from taking impulsive actions. Tips for Striving with Stress  What triggers your stress response? The only things that stress you out are the ones that are really important to you. Examine what about the situation is so stressful for you. You can get stuck in a stress spin cycle like an off-balance washing machine. Negative thoughts keep kicking around, reinforced by earlier negative experiences. It’s easy to adopt a negative self-belief and throw in the towel. You can catch yourself in the process and respond more productively. Listen as Dr. Frank Wood joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how to thrive with stress.

What's getting in the way of your weight loss goals?Have you ever said, “I’ll start my diet on Monday?” The week happens, you lose enthusiasm and decide to push it off until the next Monday. Overeating comes from being overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed. Life factors throw challenges at your workout and nutrition plans. It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You can work on making better choices today. See where things went off the rails. Discover what triggers choices that don’t align with your goals. Make sure your plans are manageable for your current lifestyle demands. Listen as Gowrie Hayden joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss the special challenges women face when trying to lose weight.

Stop buying into 30-day diets that leave you with weight gain when your plan ends.You’re surrounded by diet advice. Quick-fix diets are of no use once the expiration date of the diet passes. Changing your eating habits are the true solution to weight loss. 10 Simple Tips Eat protein and fiber at every meal. Lean meats, fruits and vegetables are the simplest way to arrange your plate. Check your starches. Have two per day maximum if you are trying to lose weight. Clock your meals. Give yourself an eating schedule. Eat something every four hours. Eat some fats. Sauté your vegetables and eat the skin on your chicken. Skip the fat-free salad dressing. Enjoy butter and olive oil. Watch the sugar. It’s addictive. Don’t bombard your taste buds with sugar substitutes. Indulge intelligently. Decide to eat your vice food once a week with no regrets. Supplements are important. Today’s foods require a nutritional boost. Get some sleep. Your body needs sleep to be healthy and lose weight. Drink plenty of water. It helps balance and energize your body. Move your body. Increase intervals and intensity. It’s easy to pack the pounds back on once you’ve finished a diet’s term. Use these tips to see results on the scale and feel them in your body. Registered dietitian Brooke Alpert joins Dr. Holly Lucille to guide your weight loss journey with practical and doable steps.

The time to work on your heart health is now.Eighty percent of heart disease is preventable. Yet, 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor. Some risk factors are not modifiable. Your family history and age can’t be prevented or changed. Find out your genetic risk for heart disease. You can’t change either of these factors, but you can control other things. Modifiable risk factors are the things you can change. These include: Weight (obesity/overweight) Diabetes (type-2) High blood pressure Abnormal cholesterol Sedentary lifestyle Anxiety/depression Women also have special risk factors. Issues during pregnancy like gestational diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure have an impact later. Rheumatologic diseases increase risk for heart disease as well. The best time to get aggressive about heart health is in your 20s. Improve Heart Health in Six Weeks Week One: Clean out the pantry and refrigerator, removing those processed foods. Restock with fresh fruits, grains, vegetables and lean meats. Week Two: Get moving. Increase your speed or distance when walking. Take the stairs when you can. Get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Get up once an hour if you work at a desk. Week Three: You are what you eat. Make smart choices when dining out. Prepare by handicapping the menu before you reach the restaurant. Create tasty, healthy foods at home. Week Four: Form a great relationship with your doctor. You should be partners in health. Prepare for your visits. Ask for referrals from friends and families to find a doctor who works for you. Never be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Share the journey of heart health with your loved ones. Week Five: Reduce your stress. Take some time to enjoy life. Stop bragging about how little sleep you get and start working on how to get more quality sleep. Lack of sleep is no longer a badge of honor. See your doctor if you aren't getting good sleep. Week Six: Figure out how to turn these things into habits. Listen as Dr. Stacey Rosen joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss the importance of working on your heart health right now.

Chinese medicine has a different approach to women's health.Practicing Chinese medicine requires thinking outside of the conventional box. An anthropological approach is used when thinking about health and the body. Menstrual cycles are approached with caution in Eastern medicine. Nutrition is greatly considered. Activity is taken into account. Women are weary of eating cold foods during their periods. As menstruation is an indicator of overall health, women approach it proactively. After birthing a baby, women will sit for a month. This process involves just nursing the baby, resting and eating plenty of nutritious foods to replenish the body. Listen as Dr. Eric Karchmer joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss Chinese medicine and women’s health.

Help today's girls deal with the demands of the modern day.Today’s girls are trying to be everything to everyone. Conflicting values and external demands take their toll on them. These young women become anxious, depressed and sleep deprived. Overthinking is a huge issue for teen girls. It peaks in young adulthood. Talk to girls about their concerns to help with overthinking. The young woman of today is told to be a scholar, athlete, and model. These demanding expectations are stressful. Parents need to reflect on their own challenges before teaching things to their kids. Your kids are still watching you when you make mistakes. Beware the negative self talk. Examine what success means to you. Talk to your girls about how they view success after considering your own values. Help your children find purpose instead of passion. Listen as Rachel Simmons joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how to be a better friend to the young ladies in your life.

Take the reins of your healthcare.You have to be your own primary care provider. No one is a better advocate for your health than you. You have power over your choices. Learn about the medications that your provider prescribes. Make informed decisions about treatment. With the ever-changing Affordable Care Act and increasing prices of health insurance, it’s important to ask your provider all the questions you can. Taking the reins of your own health can be very cost-effective. Listen as Dr. Jade Wimberley joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share how you can take more control over your health.

Improve your chances for addiction recovery by improving your health and wellness.Addiction is a challenge. Those recovering from addiction may face temptations every day. Following a wellness-oriented lifestyle may help those who have recovered from addiction avoid relapse. Tackling one addiction at a time makes the changes easier. Smokers should work on the nicotine habit 12 to 18 months after a more pressing addiction has been handled. The Mediterranean diet and vegan diet can improve health and wellness. Listen as Dr. John Newport joins Dr. Holly Lucille to discuss how people in recovery can improve their wellness.

Take some simple steps to improve your health today.Wouldn’t it be fantastic to transform illness into wellness? With Dr. Samm Pryce’s advice, you can make progress with that very thing today. Mindset. Having the right mindset is important when you’re facing chronic illness or trying to prevent a condition. Sleep. Get the right amount of sleep so your body can heal. It assists your mood and physical function. It’s free. Water. Drink plenty of water to move toxins out of your body. Food. Read all the labels. Make sure you have plenty of fiber so you poop regularly. Supplements. Take the supplements you need for optimal health. Movement. Move your body. It needs some fitness on a regular basis. Detox. Eliminate toxins from your diet and environment. Listen as Dr. Samm joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share what you can do today to improve your health, how the blood type diet works, and how a naturopathic doctor can help you.

Denial doesn't get you in the headspace to successfully lose weight. Chocolate does.You want to lose weight, but don’t want to give up eating real food. You may now be able to have your cake and eat it, too. The Swiss chocolate diet centers the idea that people don’t want to be deprived. Deprivation is stressful. Stress does not assist weight loss. Decide what you want for an ideal body. Meditate on that for 15 minutes every morning. Behave as if you have manifested that body in a quiet way. This reduces the stress of change. Eat nutritious foods but don’t deny yourself portions of the foods you love. Listen as Mary Well Bray joins Dr. Holly Lucille to share the magic of this diet.