The autoimmune thyroid, post-partum & hormone connection

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As a Naturopathic Doctor and functional medical practitioner with a passion for thyroid health I diagnose and treat a lot of thyroid imbalances in my practice. The thyroid plays an important role in fertility and pregnancy, and is often overlooked. Ninty percent of thyroid conditions are caused by autoimmunity 1 and the immune system is influenced by hormones. Immune cells have hormone receptors on them, and hormones can up regulate or down regulate the immune system. Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and the stress hormone cortisol all interact with the immune system. Overall testosterone and estrogen are anti-inflammatory which means they are going to calm the immune system down. Cortisol has immune calming and suppressing action. For example, we often get sick after a stressful time, our immune systems have been suppressed and vulnerable to exposure but unable to mount a response. Once you finally get that holiday at the end of exam time, your immune system comes back to life and mounts a response resulting in you feeling sick.

Why are women more likely to get autoimmune conditions? 

Women are more likely to get autoimmune conditions then men, in fact women make up 75% of those with autoimmunity 2. Women have more estrogen then men, and estrogen is suppose to be anti-inflammatory so what the heck? Well, we often see autoimmunity rear it’s ugly head when estrogen and cortisol are low. For example estrogen soars during pregnancy and autoimmune symptoms generally improve, and many women are diagnosed with autoimmune conditions after pregnancy.  That post-partum time when our adrenals are burnt out, our estrogen is low, the immune system flares up, attacks the thyroid and causes hypothyroidism or other autoimmune conditions. Similarly autoimmune symptoms can be worse on mensuration when estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest. 

Another very common time to see the onset of an autoimmune condition is after a period of stress. The stress system, regulated by the hormone cortisol, plays an integral role in hormone production in the body. When men and women go through prolonged periods of stress the adrenals burns out.  During burn out we don’t have enough cortisol to help calm the immune system when it acts in an abnormal way, like attacking its own tissues as seen in autoimmunity. Low cortisol also drains our sex hormones, when cortisol is low the body shunts all the its hormone making resources towards restoring cortisol, leaving very little resources for making the anti-inflammatory hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Ever wonder why your libido drops when your stressed out? Cortisol is draining your sex hormone testosterone. 

What does this mean for Post-Partum women? 

It means post-partum can be a very difficult time!  If an autoimmune thyroid condition like Hashimotos kicks in after pregnancy, you are more likely to gain weight, feel depressed and have low energy. Layer this on top of sleep deprivation and huge fluctuation in hormones, and life is going to be a challenge. It can take months even years to recover with out the proper support. 

What type of screening test can be done to find out if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition? 

Most doctors only run TSH, this is not sufficient!! This is why many autoimmune and thyroid conditions go undiagnosed until you are feeling really sick. If you want to get an idea of what your thyroid is doing or if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition you need to see more then TSH. You want to evaluate how your thyroid is producing thyroid hormones, how your body is activating inactive T4 into active T3 and you want to see if the immune system is producing anti-bodies against your thyroid. To evaluate this you need the following tests:

Hypothyroid symptoms, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, natural treatments, alternative therapies, hypothyroid

  • TSH
  • Free T3
  • Free T4
  • Reverse T3
  • Thyroperoxidase antibodies (Anti-TPOs)
  • Thyroglobulin antibodies (Anti-TG’s)
  • Oral temperature
  • Testosterone
  • Estradiol
  • Day 21 Progesterone
  • Salivary Cortisol

 

Take 12 temperature readings with a digital or shake down thermometer at 11am, 3pm, and 6pm. If your average oral tempurature is below 98.6F, your not getting enough T3 into your cells. And this can have you feeling terrible.

As we have seen the immune system is dynamic, interacting with other hormones, and your body is a complex and interconnected web of beauty. Evaluating other hormones is, in my opinion, a must to get the bigger picture of what’s going on. Evaluating your adrenal stress system with a four point salivary test, and looking at your sex hormones can be done in urine or blood. 

What are the treatment options?

As a Naturopathic doctor, we take all these pieces and put it together for you, stress, diet, hormones, and even your spirituality. As I mentioned we are beautiful dynamic beings, our bodies are the most amazing and complicated things. You can’t just throw a drug like Synthroid at everyone with hypothyroidism or corticosteroid at all autoimmune conditions and expect them to feel great, not alone heal themselves. You can heal yourself, you can heal your thyroid and your immune system. The sooner you catch it the better. Don’t wait until the immune system has damaged your thyroid beyond repair.  Remember Hashimoto’s and Grave thyroid conditions are not primarily a thyroid problem. They are an immune problem! 

We take an integrative approach, balance your thyroid so you can start feeling energized and healthy. We balance your immune system so your thyroid can start to repair itself. We correct the diet and improve the gut so the immune system isn’t being fueled in the wrong way. We balance your hormones so your immune system responds and regulates in a healthy way, and help your stress system come back to life.  If you are considering getting pregnant, then you will want to get your adrenal and immune health in order first so you can feel vital and healthy through and beyond pregnancy. 

Sounds like a lot? Yes, healing yourself is a journey. With the right support you get through, you feel better, and you can be vibrant for your family. 

Diet recommendations for a healthy immune system:

Avoid the major allergens until you know which ones are problems for you- corn, gluten, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, and shellfish are the biggest ones. 

Increase anti-oxidant rich foods, berries, dark leafy greens, Try including a green juice daily, or adding super-greens powder to your smoothie. 

Get enough iodine and selenium, Brazil’s nuts are rich in selenium, seaweed is rich in iodine. 

Cut out gluten! If you do nothing else with an autoimmune condition this one is crucial. 

Fasting. Fasting has been shown to turn around autoimmune flare ups. Water fasting, the Fasting Mimicking Diet, and juice fasting (low sugar juice only) for 3-5 days. Best done under supervision of a qualified Naturopathic Doctor and not during pregnancy. 

Cut back on the sugar! Sugar is fuel for all things bad in the body. Seriously do it! 

References:

1. Amino N., (1988). Autoimmunity and Hypothyroidism.   Aug;2(3):591-617.

2. Franco JS, Amaya-Amaya J, Anaya JM., (2013). Thyroid Disease and Autoimmune DiseaseFrom Bench to Bedside [Internet]. Bogota (Colombia): El Rosario University Press;  Jul 18. Chapter 30.

3. Fairweather, D., Frisancho-Kiss, S., & Rose, N. R. (2008). Sex Differences in Autoimmune Disease from a Pathological Perspective. The American Journal of Pathology, 173(3), 600–609.

 

You Are What You Eat: Mindful Eating

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Mindful eating is a key to good health

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As 2018 progresses, New Year’s Resolutions have either flourished or fallen flat. For those who made personal goals on bettering your health and creating a new and improved lifestyle, it can be challenging to create a fitness routine that works with your crazy schedule. But, that’s only half the challenge- the food that you consume plays a huge part in weight loss, overall well-being, and skincare. While you may be thinking, “there’s so much to know… where do I start?” Lucky for you, mindful eating could be the first step to changing your life!

 

What Is Mindful Eating?

Basically, mindful eating is a perspective change on how, and why, you eat the way you do. With training, individuals become more aware of their hunger and satiety cues from their bodies, which in turn helps them to gauge how much to eat during a meal. Mindful eating focuses on bringing attention to the present moment of eating, using all of your senses, and observing your mental and emotional responses to different foods. It’s all about savoring your food, slowing down and enjoying your meal, which in turn can help you assess your level of fullness easier.

 

Why Is This Important?

For some, their eating habits are tied to emotional responses in their lives. Mindful eating teaches discipline, but is different than calorie-counting. Some individuals suffer from binge-eating habits, or eating when stressed or bored. Mindful eating aids in creating positive, healthy, and strategic ways to enjoy food without overindulging. When you are aware of poor eating behaviors, it is easier to correct them and replace them with nourishing ones.

 

Does It Actually Work?

Yes. There are several benefits to mindful eating. Besides a greater awareness of hunger and fullness, there is typically less weight regain that follows after dieting. There is also a higher level of self-esteem, and can act as a healthy coping mechanism for obesity and binge eating disorder. There can also be spiritual benefits to mindful eating, which is typically a Buddhist spiritual practice.

If you want to make a change in your life, mindful eating is a great place to start. When you change your perspective about your eating habits, there will be real-life changes that are tangible and will show results. We, at Wild Women Wellness, believe in you. For more information on our services, you can visit our website or give us a call at (650)-271-9453.

Feel the Benefits of Infrared Saunas

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At the start of the New Year, many people put their health as a priority. It’s a new beginning for many, and we at Wild Women Wellness always support decisions to better a person’s health. A very underrated form of wellness is the infrared sauna, which has proven benefits to help you relax, relieve pain, and lose weight- among many other perks! Listed below are the beneficial ways that infrared saunas can better your life:

First off, what is an infrared sauna?

Glad you asked. To start off, we must understand that sunlight is a combination of visible and invisible light. Infrared light is an invisible light, and is one of the healthiest forms of light that can infiltrate the deep layers of our skin. Infrared saunas use infrared wavelengths, at all different levels, to help dissolve toxins in your skin, vitalize your metabolism, and have your body feeling balanced.

Relaxation

One of the most beneficial aspects of the infrared sauna is the way it allows your body to relax. The infrared wavelengths affect your body’s primary stress hormone, cortisol, which helps to make you feel more balanced. The heat generated in the sauna works to relax your muscles and relieve tension where you hold stress in your body.

Pain Relief

One of the more popular uses for infrared saunas is the ability to help with pain relief. As the heat from the infrared sauna increases, so does your core body temperature, which will then increase your body’s circulation. When your body’s blood flow is stimulated, it allows for inflammation to be relieved and for muscle aches or joint pain to decrease.

Detoxification

Another benefit that infrared saunas provide can be seen physically. Because you are sweating in the sauna, you’re eliminating toxins deep within your body, which can lead to many perks. One of them is purified skin; as you sweat out the toxins, you increase your circulation, which results in your skin becomes clearer and softer.

Weight Loss

Finally, infrared saunas are known for their ability to aid in weight loss. Because your core temperature increases, so does your heart rate to try to keep your core temperature at a manageable degree. When your body has to work hard at maintaining your body temperature, your body will burn more calories, which results in weight loss. Burning calories while relaxing- sign us up!

We at Wild Women Wellness believe in the natural powers of health and wellness. To learn more about our services, you can visit our website or give us a call at (650)-271-9453 today!

Floating for Fun: Sensory Deprivation Tanks

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“Floating on air” always seemed impossible, but as we all know, nothing is impossible when it comes to science and new-age technology. Sensory deprivation tanks offer many positive health benefits to individuals, and can make for great holiday gift ideas. Interested in learning more? Let’s continue.

What are Sensory Deprivation Tanks?

The sensory deprivation tanks, or float tanks, specialize in isolating the individual inside from all the senses. That’s right- sight, sound, smell, and touch all melt away in these tanks. The water in the tanks is made to match the individual’s body temperature as close as possible, mixed with 700-800lbs of Epsom salts. This mixture allows for the individual to stay afloat easily on the water’s surface.

How Do They Work?

So, what’s the science behind these float tanks? Our body’s “fight or flight” stress response is lowered by inducing a deep state of relaxation. For those who struggle with stress, anxiety, and depression, this is a natural way of evoking a natural relaxation response because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. So while you float (no swimming required!), your cortisol levels are lowered and your nervous system is calmed, helping to bring your hormones and immune system back into balance.

The epsom salts are high in magnesium which helps with muscle relaxation! Not only does the peaceful environment of the tank help you to relax, the water itself is very relaxing and healing. It’s also a great place to integrate, meditate, and float into an altered state.

What are the Health Benefits?

Now that we understand what the sensory deprivation tanks are, we can dive into the actual therapy and the health benefits. There are physical and mental benefits to float tanks, while some claim a sort of spiritual awakeness. Deprivation tanks can help reduce your stress levels and is considered to be a non-invasive treatment method for certain pains and illnesses. Here’s a list that contains (but is not limited to) ailments that float tanks have been shown to aid:

  • Depression and Anxiety
  • Headaches
  • Low energy
  • Addiction or Withdrawal symptoms
  • Low immune function
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Sleep Trouble
  • Athletic performance
  • Peace
  • Relaxation

If you’re looking for a gift idea this holiday season, we highly suggest a trip to Balance Float in Redwood City. Deprivation therapy is a great resource to gift to someone, and we believe in its healing powers at Wild Women Wellness. For more float tank locations, click the link here. For more information on our services offered at Wild Women Wellness, you can visit our website or give us a call at (650)-271-9453.

Don’t Suffer From SAD … Be Glad! Ways to Cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder

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The winter months are approaching fast, with little we can do to control the weather. The days are getting shorter, bleaker, and darker with each passing second. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs in a seasonal pattern, usually stirs up in individuals around late fall and winter months. While we can’t control the forecast, we can control natural remedies to help us fight SAD and have us feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier.

Let There Be Light!
SAD’s cause is unknown, but the most common belief is that is occurs because of the lack of sunlight people are exposed to during the shortest days of the year. We suggest trying to surround yourself with as much natural light as you possibly can. Keep your windows and blinds open, and take walks outside when possible. Light therapy has also been proven to help those who suffer from SAD and can help with our chemical imbalances during these dark winter months.

Pump Those Arms!
Exercise has been proven to help in the treatment of depression, and this is no different. Exercising boosts your serotonin and endorphin levels, and can help you sleep better at night, which is a common symptom of SAD. If you can exercise outside with natural light, you’re killing two birds with one stone. Typically, aim for 30-60 minutes of fitness, and set up a workout routine to help keep you on track!

Replenish Your Body!
One of the most beneficial things you can do for your well-being is to replenish your body with the important nutrients it needs. “L-Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and has been found to be an effective treatment for depression,” (Gaby 1079). Taking Vitamin D supplements has been linked to improvements in individual’s depression, and can be necessary if an individual is not receiving a healthy dose of natural light. Melatonin has also been proven to help with the treatment of depression, and also helps individuals regulate their sleeping schedules.

Seasonal Affective Disorder should not be ignored. If you or someone you know is dealing with SAD, reach out to someone and ask for help. We at Wild Women Wellness believe in the power of natural healing, and have seen it work firsthand. For more information on our services, you can visit our website or give us a call at (650)-271-9453 today!

Sources:
Gaby, Alan. Nutritional Medicine. 1st ed. Fritz Perlberg Publishing, 2011. Print.

5 Natural Treatments to Avoid the Flu this Season

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It’s that time of year again….flue season!! You don’t have to be the one at home in bed sick, throat sore and swollen, nose running, tired and achy. Here are 5 things you can do, naturally, safely, and effectively, to keep you feeling good.

You will need to be Proactive! This is the most important part of stopping that cold and flue in it’s tracks before it takes you down! As soon as you feel that tickle or scratch in your throat, follow these 5 tips and you will be amazed at the result.

  1. Go to bed early, get a full 8hrs of sleep, your body repairs and heals in your sleep.
  2. Cut out sugar and dairy. Sugar and dairy run your immune system into the ground, by avoiding them you can really give your immune system the edge it needs to get ahead of that impending viral or bacterial infection.
  3. Take immune boosting/anti-microbial nutrients and herbs:
    • Zinc, Echinacea, Goldenseal, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, mushrooms – shiitake, maitaki, and garlic.
    • My three favorite supplements for kicking the cold in the butt are Wellness Formula by Source Naturals (found in most health foods stores including Wholefoods), EHB by Integrative Therapeutics (6 capsules daily of either for 3-7 days), and Immune Support by Host Defense.  Host Defense is an amazing company that uses the power of organic medicinal mushrooms. Be sure to read the ingredients and make sure you don’t have any allergies or sensitivities to them. If you tend to react to supplements do the EHB or Immune Support over the Wellness Formula.
  4. Soup! Lots of soup, bone broth, chicken chicken soup, lentil soup, spicy thai coconut soup, it nourishes and warms the body, very important when your trying to avoid at cold.  Add fresh copped garlic and shiitake mushrooms for extra immune boosting.
  5. Try my Homemade NyQuil – 1 oz of brandy, whisky, or dark rum, 1/2 a lemon, and 1 tbsp of honey in 10 oz of hot water. For the under age crowd skip the alcohol and just do lemon honey.

Don’t feel bad if you get taken down, sometimes we just need to stay home, watch Netflix and wallow in our own illness! It’s good exercise for your immune system. If you get there, you will benifit from all the above recomendations, in addition keep warm, embrace the fever if it comes, this is your bodies natural defense to killing the invader! But be sure to check your temperature, fevers over 103F can be harmful.

* I am not affiliated or sponsored by the products listed in this blog.

Good Health & Happy Holidays!

Dr. Tanya Escobedo

Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Reversed?

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Healthy fats can be found in avocado, lean proteins from eggs.

With Type 2 Diabetes, your body becomes inefficient at burning sugar for energy. The hormone insulin, that shuttles sugar from your blood into your cells to be used as energy, stops working. Either your body resists the effects of insulin, or the pancreas doesn’t produce enough. It all starts at the pancreas, in the beta cells that produce insulin, something causes damage here, and insulin dysregulation begins. While many see this as a roadblock in life, we at Wild Women Wellness know you can reverse your insulin resistance.

The First Step is to Uncover the Underlying Cause:

What caused the damage to the pancreas and insulin producing cells to start with? What else contributed to blood sugar dysregulation? There are a number of causes that can trigger the onset of insulin dysregulation such as:

  • Food allergies/sensitivities
  • Dysbiosis, leaky gut and gut microbiota
  • Food additives – like aspartame or high fructose corn syrup
  • Oxidative stress – from inflammation
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction – dysfunction in the energy centres of the cells
  • Toxins- like pesticides on your veggies or plastics in from your water bottle, heavy metal in your teeth and seafood.
  • Obesity
  • Stress or adrenal fatigue
  • Lack of sleep
  • Hormone imbalances
  • Infections – such as residual viral infections
  • Nutrient deficiencies
  • Rx Drugs (Statins and DM)
  • Genetic predispositions/SNP defects
  • High sugar/carbohydrate diet

Insulin resistance and diabetes are also linked to a host of other health conditions such as PCOS, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hypothyroidism, elevated liver enzymes (ALT/AST), and obesity. The insulin resistance often starts before the weight gain and lab results indicate HbA1C above 6.0. If your fasting blood sugar is above 90 or HbA1C is above 5.5, you will want to dig deeper to investigate if you are having early blood sugar dysregulation. Other clues are weight gain, arthritis, metabolic syndrome, weight around the midsection. You should know however, 60% of people at risk of diabetes are not overweight! If you feel sleepy after meals or irritable between meals this can be an indicator of blood sugar dysregulation. If you believe that you may be suffering from insulin resistance, you need to consult a functional medical or naturopathic doctor and work towards a diagnosis.

Diagnose Appropriately

In order to be diagnosed appropriately, I suggest an initial laboratory evaluation, which can include:

  • Adiponectin
  • Pro-insulin, C-Peptide
  • Glucose tolerance test
  • HbA1C
  • NMR lipoprotein profile
  • Fasting Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
  • GGTP
  • Uric acid
  • Methane breath test
  • Comprehensive stool test looking at the microbiome/flora

Choose Individualized Treatment Plan

Where we see the most success in treatment plans are changing dietary habits. The Westernized Standard American Diet is high in saturated and trans fats, salt, refined grains, and sugars, which can cause imbalances in our bodies and more specifically our gut microbiota. Implementing whole food, which is fresh, unprocessed, organic, colorful, and high in fiber will help work towards decreasing insulin release, modifying the gut microbiota, and increasing your cellular responsiveness to insulin. If it doesn’t look like a plant or piece of meat, then don’t eat it!

Foods to Avoid:

  • Fruit juice and dried fruit
  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Gluten
  • Refined foods – pasta, bread, cereal, baked goods, pastries, packaged food
  • White foods – white rice, white bread, white potatoes, white sugar

Foods to Enjoy:

  • All vegetables (except white potatoes)
  • Free range chicken, fish- salmon, grass fed lean meats 1-3x week, eggs.
  • Fresh or frozen Berries, bananas, apples.
  • Good fats: olives, olive oil, avocados, coconut, nuts and seeds, nut butters like almond butter.
  • Fermented foods- like Kimchi

Meal Structure:

  • Make breakfast and lunch your largest meal
  • Keep dinner light
  • Intermittent fasting: 12-16hrs of fasting in 5 days per week, this can be done by not eating after dinner, and keeping dinner 12hrs before breakfast.
  • Avoid snacking
  • Eat protein and good fat with every meal

A structured sleep schedule is very beneficial in your treatment plan. Get your sleep, with a regular bedtime and wake time. Ideally to bed before midnight and getting 8hrs/night. Your body repairs itself in your sleep, so it’s important to make sleep a priority to help maintain your health.

Come work with us at Wild Women Wellness and we will help you establish a healthy foundation through your diet, address the underlying cause, set you up with a targeted supplement program and rebalance your microbiota so you can rely less on medications, feel better, and prevent serious complications down the road.

Take charge of your health, book your free 15 minute phone consultation here or give us a call at (650)-271-9453

How To Eat Healthy On a Road Trip

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The end of the summer is a perfect time to take a road trip. Whether it’s a few cities or states away, road trips can create lasting memories and show you a different side of life you’ve never seen. Proper planning is essential, and your diet is no exception. It can be difficult to eat healthy when you’re traveling, but with these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to stay on track and still enjoy your time sightseeing!

Places To Stop

If you’re making a pit stop at a gas station to fill up the tank, you can easily fill up your tummy as well! While the healthy options are few and far between, there are still a few healthy foods that you can eat. Beef jerky is a great source of protein, and trail mix or nut mixtures can be a great snack to tide you over until you find something more filling. Plain potato chips can also be an option.

If you’re looking to stop at a restaurant or pick up some groceries, the best way to pick places to go is by trusting your handy-dandy smartphone. Whole Foods is a great store that can give you healthy and tasty options, or you can search for the closest “Health Food Store” which can bring up some great options. If you’re lucky, you can catch some farmer markets and get some fresh, organic cooking ingredients! When looking for restaurants, I’ve had the best luck searching “Vegan Restaurants,” which bring up organic restaurants that have great options for food- even if you’re not a vegan.

Pack Healthy Snacks

Another way to eat healthy on road trips is to pack lots of healthy options before you hit the road. Food prep will be your best friend, whether that means getting recipes ready or prepping some fun snacks. Nut mixtures are my favorite to bring along, since there’s a variety to choose from and I usually feel pretty full after. Packing bars like Quest bars, Kind bars, and GoMacro bars is also a good idea. Bringing lots of water is a necessity, along with herbal teas to mix it up and add some oomph to your drink.

Snack Ideas

Looking for some new, healthy, and delicious snacks to bring along? We’ve got you covered! I have a plethora of healthy recipes on my website, with a section dedicated to healthy snack options (my favorites are the kale chips and the apple/almond butter combo!) There are also several recipes that can be found on ThatCleanLife.com, which specifically focuses on healthy recipes and helps you create a plan just for you and your dietary needs. One of my favorite recipes, that works especially on the road, is the Campfire Baked Apples.

Here at Wild Women Wellness, we’re all about giving you the tools to live a happier, healthier life. Eating on the road doesn’t have to be hard when you follow these tips. If you’re interested in learning more about health and wellness, you can visit my website or give us a call at (650)-271-9453.

Causes & Treatments For Tension Headaches

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Tension Headaches

Everyone can agree that headaches are awful. There are a number of different types of headaches, and tension-type headaches are some of the most common. They feel like a gradual onset of steady pressure or a dull ache in your head, where the pain is usually bilateral, and can be debilitating. It can feel as though your head’s in a vice. Western medicine has taught us that our first line of therapy should be over the counter pain medication, like ibuprofen, and they do work! However, we should be asking ourselves, why am I experiencing these tension headaches, and what can I do to fix the underlying issue? Know there are safe, effective, natural treatments for tension headaches.

Causes

Before you can effectively treat your headache, you must uncover the triggers. Contributing factors include stress, depression, poor posture (slumped at your desk? Riding your motorcycle to work everyday at 60+mph?). Your face, neck and erector muscle that run all the way up your back and attach to your head start to tighten, in which they lock down and create a tension headache. While these are the most common causes of tension headaches, reactions to drugs or foods, magnesium deficiency, and low neurotransmitters are also common causes for tension headaches. Luckily, tension headaches can be improved with a number of natural therapies.

Physical Medicine

One of the most common and beneficial treatments is to invest in physical medicine to help relieve tension or postural problems that are causing the headaches. We suggest massages, physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and yoga as ways to improve body tension and posture. Finding a good physiotherapist that can retrain your body movements and postures to reduce postural triggers is a great place to start. The right registered massage therapist (RMT) can help loosen up and relieve tension in muscles. Foam rolling at home can also significantly loosen up fascia and muscles, relieving pain and tension. Everything is connected in your body: it’s important to consider a holistic approach.

Relaxation Techniques

Stress is one of the leading causes for tension headaches, and a great practice to help alleviate the pain is learning how to relax tight muscles. The first step is breathing into tension when you feel it coming up, and then focusing on relaxing those muscles. Getting up and moving around to get some fresh air or exercise can also help. Learning some relaxation techniques are effective, and can save you from the side effects of drugs.  It validates the mantra behind natural therapies: that rather seeking relief from a drug, there are ways to control the headache naturally. This is not to say that using over-the-counter medications are not effective – we simply urge those who suffer from headaches and other ailments to not become dependent on a drug to relieve their symptoms.

Nutritional Supplements

Another piece to consider is your diet and nutritional status. Some headaches can be caused by food sensitivities or allergies, low magnesium levels, low vitamin D and other vitamins. A study conducted on Italian students showed that “supplementation with 180 mg magnesium twice per day produced a symptom reduction of 87.5%, with 100% of the patients experiencing at least a 50% reduction in symptoms,” (Murray and Pizzorno 641). Supplements to consider include:

  1. Vitamin D 5000IUs daily
  2. Magnesium 300-400mg/daily
  3. Fish oil, 3gms daily of combined DHA/EPA
  4. Grape seed extract or pine bark extract

For more information on how to treat tension headaches or other ailments naturally, you can visit our website or give Wild Women Wellness a call at (650)-271-9453.  

 

Sources:

Murray, Michael T, and Joseph E Pizzorno. The Encyclopedia Of Natural Medicine. 3rd ed. New York: Atria Books, 2012. Print.

Hair Loss in Women: Top Causes and Treatments

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Hair Loss

Did you know on average women lose between 50-100 hairs per day?  For women, hair loss, or alopecia, can occur and become a concern for those who don’t understand why it’s happening. There are two different types of hair loss, focal (small patches) or diffuse (all over). It’s extremely important for women, and men, to understand what their body is telling them, and what they can do to help restore their body balances.

  • Hormone Imbalances

Hormone imbalances in both women and men can cause hair loss. If you suffer from female-pattern hair loss, it’s more diffuse than characteristic male-pattern baldness. Factors that can contribute to hair loss are testosterone excess, insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and low antioxidant status. There are ways to put your body back in its natural orbit, such as improving blood sugar regulations with diet and lifestyle changes, increasing antioxidant intake, and considering a saw palmetto extract (Murray and Pizzorno 361).

  • Hypothyroidism

One of the most common signs of hypothyroidism is hair loss, this can include the outer edges of the eyebrows, and can be worsened by stress. Getting your thyroid back into balance is easy with the right help, and can restore your hair back to a healthy place.

  • Nutritional Deficiencies

A wide variety of nutritional deficiencies can be linked to hair loss. The most common ones are zinc, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, and iron. Low iron can cause anemia, fatigue, especially worse with your cycle, and hair loss. A simple blood test for ferritin and a CBC can tell you if you are anemic, and iron pills can help restore healthy levels.  “There is a very strong association between low body iron stores and diffuse hair loss in women,” (Murray and Pizzorno 632).  

  • Drugs and Medications

Certain types of drugs and medications can cause hair loss, be sure to check the list of side effects of all your medications if you suspect this may be the a factor.  Medications that have chemotherapy agents, such as fluorouracil, are a prime example of medications that are easily identifiable as the cause of hair loss. It’s extremely important to know the side effects, and how some of your medication may deplete other nutrients. If you are unsure, ask your doctor, and for a good online resource check out Mytavin.com. If you are on medications you can minimize side effects with proper supplementation, or even find safe effective alternative treatments. For more information find a Naturopathic

  • Celiac Disease

Celiac is a commonly missed and very problematic dis-ease in the body. It’s when the body can not absorb or tolerate gluten, an intolerance to gluten. The side effects can range from joint pain to fatigue, to hair loss to long standing digestive discomfort. Because individuals react differently to their gluten intolerance, they may not have apparent gastrointestinal symptoms. Hair loss is a common, less obvious symptom of Celiac disease. It is recommended that the test for human anti tissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA anti-tTG) is done and in some cases a tissue biopsy of the small intestine is done.

At Wild Women Wellness, Dr. Tanya Escobedo specializes treating hormone imbalances, including thyroid, we do testing for iron, zinc and other nutritional deficiencies, CBCs, celiac testing, and many more tests. Dr. Escobedo is knowledgeable about prescription medications and safe natural alternative to help you choose the right therapy for you. If you are interested in learning more about Wild Women Wellness, you can visit our website or give us a call today at (650)-271-9453 to set up your appointment!

 

Sources:

Murray, Michael T, and Joseph E Pizzorno. The Encyclopedia Of Natural Medicine. 3rd ed. New York: Atria Books, 2012. Print.