- Sleep 8 hours a night. In the 1920s the average American slept 9 hours a night. We have not evolved physically since then, instead we allow artificial light and activities to distract us from sleep. Lack of sleep leads to high cortisol, stress and obesity. Sleeping in a dark room or with a blindfold has been shown to be more beneficial.
- Clean up your diet. While there is no single diet that is right for all individuals, none of us need sugar, trans fats or processed foods. Look for foods that come without labels- foods your great-grandmother would recognize as food. Eat real food, mostly vegetables and not too much.
- Exercise regularly. Interval training is the most time-effective form of exercise, where intense bursts of exercise for a few minutes are interspersed with moderate aerobic activity. Strength training is important to build muscle mass. Stretching helps the body recover. Intentional exercise like qi gong or yoga uses the mind and spirit to grow the body.
- Take bitters before meals. Bitter tastes cue the body to produce bile, to digest fats properly, to move food through the gut (where most serotonin is made) and prevents waste metabolites from being reabsorbed.
- Take fish oil, sufficient to get 1000 mg DHA which is several capsules. This makes your cell membranes more permeable to serotonin, insulin and even helps fertility. It also reduces inflammation.
- We are nearly all deficient in Vitamin D. Without a blood test you can take up to 10,000 iu per day of Vitamin D3, which is a natural hormone, unless you have scleroderma, lymphoma or abnormal calcium metabolism. Vitamin D comes from the sun, and sunscreen prevents it’s being made. Toxicity has been found above 200,000 iu. See www.vitamindcouncil.org
- Magnesium has dropped by at least a third since the 70s in the food supply. It is more important to supplement than calcium which is readily found in food sources. Take 800 mg in the more absorbable forms of Magnesium citrate, magnesium orotate, CALM drink or ionic magnesium.
- Trace minerals are important. Use ionic minerals, sea salt, stinging nettles, and sea vegetables. Leafy greens and edible weeds are also good sources.
- Have a genuine spiritual practice that allows you to get deep into your source. Meditation, prayer, yoga ,qi gong and acupuncture work.
- Have a community you are active in, where friends support you and help you when you are down. If you help others, your own problems will seem less draining.
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Welcome to Acupuncture and Herbs by Karen Vaughan, L.Ac., Registered Herbalist (AHG)
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Simple Health Practices that Most Everyone Can Use |
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