Episode 79: Listen to Your Body: Embodied Intuitive Movement with Sharmeen Abeysinghe

In this episode, Dr. Lisa talks with Embodied Intuitive Movement coach Sharmeen Abeysinghe about how to listen to your body and tap into your intuition so you can respond better to your emotions. Learn how the development of your nervous system is linked to how you parent and interact with your kids. They also discuss how to release emotions through movement and how to pause before reacting to your kids. Included is a 5-minute “movement snack” to get you grounded and focused.

Sharmeen Abeysinghe is the mom of 2 boys and an Embodied Intuitive Movement Coach for emotional resilience.  Her areas of focus are the interplay between the body, brain, emotional & energetic self; and how we can influence these through movement. Having experienced developmental trauma growing up, and complex trauma in adulthood, Sharmeen has a deep understanding of how trauma can shape your life.  While being an educator for nineteen years, she is adept at simplifying complex information so that it is not only easily digestible but fun as well! Sharmeen is an advocate of mental & emotional health for all and in herself finds this through movement.  

In this episode, we cover:

  • How emotional releases can happen through movement, since emotions and trauma can be held in your body
  • How you can tap into your intuition and listen to what your body is telling you
  • The importance of paying attention to your breath and sensations in your body
  • How you can retrain yourself to associate different body sensations with fun and excitement instead of anxiety and fear
  • How to observe your emotions and lengthen the pause to stay calm and collected instead of reacting and yelling at your kids
  • The link between the development of your nervous system and how you respond to your kids 
  • Different ways to inject play and movement into your day
  • A five minute movement snack

You can connect with Sharmeen at https://www.myalignedlife.ca/ and on Instagram

Find out more information about Sharmeen’s webinar at https://www.myalignedlife.ca/services/webinars/

This Week’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of cold water at the end of her showers for hydrotherapy.

Sharmeen loves to wear shorts with dresses so she can still move and feel comfortable while wearing what she wants.

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety around labour and birth is happening on July 19. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Dr. Lisa is one of the Experts speaking during the Mom Halo’s Body Talk Inside and Out event on tues June 29th at 7:30pm. Sign up link in her instagram bio and you can register HERE.

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 78: Natural and Effective Approaches for Rosacea with Joy McCarthy

In this episode, Dr. Lisa welcomes back holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy to talk about her personal journey dealing with rosacea. They discuss how to address rosacea effectively using nutrition, natural skin care and more. Did you know that mites on the skin, histamine, food sensitivities, gut health, hormones and more can impact your skin? Listen in to find out more.

Joy McCarthy is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and founder of JoyousHealth.com, an award-winning website focused on healthy living. She is a bestselling author of Joyous Health, The Joyous Cookbook and Joyous Detox, a World Gourmand Cookbook Award recipient. She is also the co-host of the Joyous Health Podcast (Dr. Lisa was a guest on Episode 51: A Natural Approach to Thyroid Disorders AND on Episode 36: Stressed, Tired and Ready for Change) . She runs a business program called The Joyous Health Business Program, has a line of organic herbal teas and natural beauty products as well as a line of children’s natural supplements in partnership with Genuine Health. 

Dr. Lisa was has been a guest twice on the Joyous Health Podcast (in Episode 51: A Natural Approach to Thyroid Disorders AND in Episode 36: Stressed, Tired and Ready for Change).

You can listen to Dr. Lisa and Joy’s previous conversation about detox at Episode 54

In this episode, we cover:

  • How common the skin condition rosacea is
    • Over 400 million people experience rosacea worldwide and most people don’t even realize that they have it
  • What lead Joy is realize that she had rosacea
    • Skin started to change with more redness, also had bumps and visible blood vessels, cheeks felt constantly irritated and was progressively getting worse
    • Always blushed easily, cheeks easily get red when hot or workout
    • Very common in white women from Celtic and Scadinavian descent aged 35-60
    • Can greatly impact self-confidence and self-esteem
    • Often confused with acne since it can change your skin texture
  • The importance of seeing a dermatologist for an official diagnosis
    • Conventional treatments can include:
      • Birth control pill
      • Oral antibiotics
      • Topical antibiotic cream
  • The potential causes and triggers of rosacea are different for each person and can include:
    • Inflammation triggered by specific foods:
      • Gluten, dairy, corn, unfermented soy
      • Sugar 
      • Spicy, hot foods
      • High histamine foods like alcohol, fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha), eggplant, spinach, avocado, banana, papaya, egg whites, chocolate
      • Rancid vegetable oils
    • Stress
    • Environmental exposure
      • Chemicals including in your household and skin care products
        • Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
      • Sun exposure and past sun damage on face
    • Gut health, even when you have no digestive symptoms
      • Leaky gut
      • Microbiome imbalance including H. pylori
    • Skin microbiome imbalance (overgrowth of mites!) and compromised barrier
    • Hormone imbalance
  • Laboratory tests to consider
    • GI-MAP or Comprehensive Stool Analysis
    • SIBO breath testing
  • Natural treatment approaches to consider
    • Nourishing and calming foods
      • Lightly cooked cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale
      • Leafy greens like arugula
      • Turmeric
      • Healthy fats from salmon, mackerel, flax, chia, hemp, walnuts, avocado, olive oil
      • Green tea, white tea, nettle, moringa, rose, lavender 
    • Supplementation
      • Zinc can help to heal skin lesions
      • Borage oil as a source of GLA omega 6 fatty acid to improve skin moisture, barrier and elasticity
      • Collagen peptides to hydrate skin 
        • Consider bovine over marine sources
        • Can increase histamine response 
      • Saccharomyces boulardii to support microbiome balance
      • Vitamin C to support formation of skin barrier and collagen production
      • Astaxanthin to improve skin texture and prevent sun damage
  • Joy’s simple skin care regime to manage her rosacea
    • Fresh Face Cleanser with jojoba oil, comfrey root
    • Hella Hydrating Facial Serum with rosehip oil, hyaluronic acid
    • Jade roller to stimulate collagen and circulation, stored in freezer to cool cheeks
    • DIY Chin Serum with blue tansy oil, lavender
    • Bamboo washcloths with filtered water to avoid chlorine

You can find Joy @joyoushealth on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and on Facebook.

Joyous Health Online Shop: https://shopjoyoushealth.com/

Joyous Health Natural Skin Care: https://shopjoyoushealth.com/skincare/

https://www.joyoushealth.com/27515-blog-rosacea-how-i-care-for-my-skin-naturally
https://www.joyoushealth.com/27518-blog-rosacea-natural-health-supplements

Today’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of her hand held frother for mixing in electrolyte or collagen powder in tea and smoothies.

Joy loves the Four Sigmatic Ten Mushroom blend in her tea to feel energized and still calm.

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety around labour and birth is happening on June 21. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 77: Dealing With Your Kids’ Feelings Using Gentle Mindful Parenting with Amen Kaur

In this episode, Dr. Toni is joined by author and mindful parenting advocate Amen Kaur to discuss how mindfulness practices can help our kids to decrease anxiety and develop emotional regulation and intelligence. Parenting can be hard and being a kid can be hard, especially during a pandemic. Having tools to manage anxiety in both ourselves and our kids are essential, now more than ever.

Amen Kaur has a BA in psychology and is a certified mindfulness facilitator, as well as an author and mindful parenting advocate. After several years of continued meditation, mindfulness, and self-healing practices, Amen was inspired by her son to write her book Dealing With My Feelings: An Essential Guide to a Child’s Well-Being and Prosperity during the 2020 pandemic period and co-founded POM Life Products, a brand focused on creating products serving Peace Of Mind. She is passionate about cultivating emotional intelligence and is committed to unlearning harmful generational patterns, while continuously working on healing so the next generation can do even better. 

In today’s episode, we cover:

  • How her personal experience with bullying lead Amen to her healing journey with meditation and mindfulness
  • The impact of the pandemic and the inspiration Amen experienced to compile resources for helping kids to manage emotions
  • The importance of being able to name your emotions, as well as having tools to help your kids manage their emotions
  • How mindfulness exercises can be used to help reduce anxiety and bring your child back to the present, instead of worrying about the past or the future
  • The importance of modeling self-compassion and emotional regulation to your kids
  • How mindfulness practices can help highly sensitive and empathetic kids become aware of the emotions of others and help them distinguish between the feelings of others and themselves
  • The importance of engaging your senses to shift your focus to the present and reduce anxiety
  • The ability to rewire your thinking and behaviour, no matter what your experience was growing up with your parents and family of origin 
  • How to deal with family members questioning your parenting style, especially when using gentle mindful parenting techniques

You can find Amen’s book at https://www.amenkaurbooks.com/ and connect with her on Instagram @mindfulgentlemama and by email at info@amenkaurbooks.com

Today’s Mama Must Have: 

Dr. Toni loves books that help foster her child’s emotional well-being like Amen Kaur’s book Dealing With My Feelings, which includes a number of actions kids can take to manage their emtions and meditations to practice together as a family.

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety around labour and birth is happening on June 21. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Episode 76: Is Going Gluten Free Just Trendy or Can Gluten Be a Problem if You Don’t Have Celiac Disease?

In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni discuss the spectrum of how you can react to gluten, from celiac disease to non-celiac gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance. Gluten issues can cause more than tummy troubles if you are sensitive and needs to be considered whenever you are experiencing any kind of inflammation. Common reactions can include: brain fog, fatigue, skin rashes, joint pain, headaches, boating and more.

Gluten sensitivity is estimated to be 6 times more prevalent than celiac disease, which affects about 1% of the population, but about three quarters of people are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. 

There are 3 major categories of gluten or wheat–related conditions: 

  1. celiac disease
  2. wheat allergy
  3. gluten sensitivity (aka non-celiac gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance)

Research by Dr. Fassano from Harvard shows that the frequency of common symptoms of gluten sensitivity:

abdominal pain (68%)

eczema or rash (40%) 

headache (35%)

“foggy mind” (34%) 

fatigue (33%) 

diarrhea (33%) 

depression (22%) 

anemia (20%)

numbness in legs, arms, or fingers (20%)

joint pain (11%). 

What is gluten?

Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in common grains like wheat, rye and barley. It provides a gummy consistency.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a multi-system autoimmune disorder that is triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Autoantibodies can be produced in your body and can be tested in the blood, along with genetic markers.

If your antibodies are positive, the second step is a small intestinal endoscopic biopsy to look for atrophy of the villi along your intestinal tract. You have to be regularly consuming gluten for the test results to be accurate.

This inflammatory autoimmune condition breaks down your gut lining, manifesting digestive symptoms and/or extraintestinal symptoms. Celiac disease is a serious disorder, resulting in an increased risk for nutritional deficiencies and development of other autoimmune disorders.

The classical or typical symptoms of celiac disease include:

  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Malabsorption of macronutrients like protein, healthy fats and micronutrients like iron, vitamin B12 and other B vitamins, vitamin D and calcium
  • Weight loss

Other symptoms of celiac disease are often considered as non-classical or atypical:

  • Anemia, osteoporosis or osteopenia due to nutritional deficiencies, also dental enamel defects
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Oral ulcers and burning tongue
  • Skin issues like eczema or dermatitis herpetiformis (raised blister with intense itching and burning) 
  • Hair loss and brittleness
  • Liver enzyme elevation
  • Constipation, heartburn
  • Infertility (causes unexplained infertility in 5.9% of women), miscarriage, gestational diabetes
  • Migraines, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle aches and pains
  • Neurological problems like depression, anxiety, peripheral pain or tingling, balance issues

 Children with celiac disease can have:

  • Short stature
  • Irritability
  • Vomiting

Gluten sensitivity can be indistinguishable from celiac disease or wheat allergy based on your symptoms alone. Lab testing is needed!

Research suggests that gluten sensitivity may be linked with the activation of your innate immune response, which causes an inflammatory response without the damage to your intestinal tract that happens due to the specific immune response that happens with celiac disease.

See Episode 8 to learn more about leaky gut and your microbiome and how gluten and other foods may be impacting your health.

Research also links the high intake of gluten containing grains during pregnancy with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes in kids.

What are sources of gluten?

Gluten is commonly found in wheat, spelt, kamut, rye and barley. Other grains that contain gluten are wheat berries, spelt, durum, emmer, semolina, farina, farro, graham, khorasan wheat, einkorn, and triticale (a blend of wheat and rye). 

Oats are naturally gluten free, however commercially available oats often contain gluten from cross-contamination when they are grown near, or processed in the same facilities as the grains listed above. 

Gluten is also sold as wheat gluten, or seitan, a popular vegan high-protein food. Less obvious sources of gluten include soy sauce, modified food starch and personal care products like shampoos

There also may be cross-reactivity with other foods like oats and corn. 

How do you go gluten free?

 Gluten free grains include:

  • Quinoa
  • Brown, black, red, white rice
  • Buckwheat
  • Amaranth
  • Millet
  • Corn
  • Sorghum
  • Teff
  • Gluten-free oats

Gluten free doesn’t automatically equal healthy – check your labels!

It’s key not to rely on processed gluten-free foods that may be high in calories and sugar, and low in nutrients, such as gluten-free cookies, chips, and other snack foods. Consider gluten free grains as filler foods and focus more on getting your carbohydrates from vegetables. Listen to your body!

Other things you need to know about gluten:

A low gluten diet has been shown to increase the release of Peptide YY, which binds to your brain receptors to decrease your appetite and make you feel full after eating.  

Gluten is different in North America vs. Europe!

  • Faster processing of bread and pasta in North America
    • Overnight to allow enzymes in yeast to break down peptides in Europe; 2 hours in North America
  • Certain pesticides are not used in Europe
  • Traditional forms of wheat are used in Europe instead of more modern and genetically modified wheat in North America

Glyphosate is the core ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide sprayed on many crops, including gluten containing grains like wheat. Research on rats has found a disruption in beneficial gut bacteria at doses considered safe. Levels of glyphosate found in the human bloodstream have spiked by more than 1,000% in the last two decades!

Lab testing to consider:

  • Celiac screen – IgA tissue transglutaminase antibody (TTG), endomysial antibody (EMA) and deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP)
  • Endoscope and biopsy
  • Other antibodies – IgA/IgG anti-gliadin, IgE wheat
  • Genetic markers – (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes)
  • C Reactive Protein, Iron levels, vitamin B12 and D
  • IgG food sensitivity testing
  • Comprehensive Stool Testing with zonulin 

What do you do if you are diagnosed with celiac disease, wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity:

  • Eliminate gluten containing grains to lower antibody and inflammatory levels in your body
    • Can consider re-introduction to tolerable levels if you have gluten sensitivity
    • Re-test antibody levels if you have celiac disease to confirm you have not been exposed to gluten unknowingly 
  • Consider full hypoallergenic elimination challenge or food sensitivity testing
  • Support gut healing with bone broth, glutamine, NAG, aloe, probiotics, digestive enzymes, DGL, slippery elm, marshmallow, mastic gum
  • Consider immune support with vitamin D, fermented food, probiotics, prebiotics like arabinogalactans

Today’s Mama Must Have:

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of the gluten free bread by Slice of Life and Un-Bun, along with Glutenberg gluten free beer.

Dr. Toni loves her favourite gluten free pasta – black bean spaghetti by Explore Asian and Liviva, which is yummy, and higher in protein and fibre than regular pasta. 

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth is happening on June 21. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Sign up for Dr. Lisa’s free sleep webinar on Monday, June 7th at 8:00pm to discover how to use Naturopathic Medicine, essential oils, yoga, meditation, osteopathy and massage to get those zzz…s!

Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!