The end of the year is a time of reflection. As we close this tumultuous year, last week, I began my reflections by counting down my top ten posts of 2020.

The first five highlighted the topics of mood, anxiety, essential oils, and naturopathic medicine. They included:

  1. Is It Stress or Anxiety?
  2. Essential Oils for Hormones: Holistic Support for Healthy Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, Thyroid, and Oxytocin Balance
  3. A Summary on Supporting Mood with Essential Oils & A Little Olfactory Boost to Help Feel More Gratitude
  4. How Chronic Stress Hijacks the Rational Brain & How Naturopathic Doctors Can Offer Mind-Body Medicine Support for More Effective Coping Strategies
  5. VIDEO: How Your Brain and Body Suffer with Too Much Stress & Naturopathic Medicine Tips for Calming the Mind and Relieving Overwhelm

Now I will reveal the final five which also detail how essential oils ease stress, support mood, and balance hormones. There are also articles on the importance of naturopathic medicine for mental health and why I am a Health at Every Size provider.

Naturopathic Medicine Top 10 Articles

6. Video Recap: Essential Oils to Ease the Stress & Anxiety of Back to School

Topics discussed in this 15-minute video include:

  • How essential oils powerfully impact emotions and brain health.
  • Why quality counts when using essential oils.
  • Three of my go-to blends for back-to-school. These include: a calming and uplifting citrus blend for children, a mixture to enhance motivation, mood, and concentration, and a soothing combination that also enhances focus.
  • The differences in brain functioning in those with a psychiatric illness.
  • How essential oils relieve anxiety and balance psychological issues, while they alleviate stress.
  • The importance of considering the many brain factors, not just neurotransmitter balance, to support mental health in children and adults.
  • How copaiba oil can support the endocannabinoid system and its homeostatic regulation of important body functions.
  • Why a Purifying Environment Blend is needed to prevent toxic exposures to the brain.
  • A Head Tension Relief Blend for especially stressful days.
  • … and several honorable mentions.

To access additional references and the associated article, click here.

 

7. A Naturopathic Doctor’s Approach to Thyroid Health Using Essential Oils: Video Recap & Additional Resources

An overview of the topics of this 27-minute video include:

  • The caveats for using “an oil for that” and the synergism of essential oils.
  • Weeding out some of the top causes of thyroid hormone imbalances while alleviating symptoms. These include stress, blood sugar spikes, stealth infections, gastrointestinal and liver issues, environmental burdens, and immune dysfunction.
  • Several studies on using essential oils specifically for thyroid health including Satureja khuzestanica for hyperthyroid rodents, lemon and ginger oil to decrease salivary gland harm in thyroid cancer patients, an essential oil blend to relieve fatigue in hypothyroid patients, and clary sage oil for decreasing cortisol, enhancing mood, and impacting thyroid hormone.

Click here to access additional references and the associated article.

 

8. Re-emerging into a Simmering Society, How Medicine Can Heed the Wake-Up Call

Discrimination has been associated with many chronic health issues. (source, source, source, source) I reported this last year with my personal wake-up call to the stigmatization of larger body sizes.

This is why I have been advocating for how healthcare not only has to pay more attention to mental health, but also the socioeconomic disparities that are one of the most powerful influencers of overall health, beyond any physical metric.

In this post, I explore why medicine needs to be more aware and how we may be more accepting and more inclusive in our approach to serving others.

9. Why We Need to be Mindful of Mental Health

My concern for paying attention to mental health has always been high. With current events, it is imperative. Turbulent times are more triggering for those who struggle with finding emotional balance. Furthermore, we cannot separate the mind from the body, and for this reason we must be diligent to consistently reset our mind from fear.

Here, I review the current epidemic of mental health and why it is essential to address it.

I also provide a link to my two publications in NaturalPath that further discuss the importance of paying more attention to mental health and holistically supporting the mind-body.

 

10. The Best Single Essential Oils to Lower Cortisol, Balance Hormones, and Help Reduce Stress: Part II

In my naturopathic and functional medicine practice, essential oils are my go-to tool for modulating stress, balancing cortisol and hormones levels, and rejuvenating the brain and body. This is due to the fact that they are able to arrest any negative effects at the very beginning of the stress cascade, through the level of perception.

In part I, I highlighted some of the best essential oils from the literature to decrease cortisol and better cope with stress. I also provide feedback on how I use several of them with my clients in my practice, including clary sage, neroli, and jasmine.

In Part II, I continue to explore more essential oils that are beneficial for emotional and hormonal harmony and improving stress perception. I also give some clinical tips on using them.

 

Bonus Article: How Striving For the “Perfect Diet” Could Make You Anxious and Sick: Why You’ll Never See a “Weight Loss” or “New Year, New You” Blog on this Website Again

Food and cultural heritage are connected. Part of cultural practices involves celebration with food. Dietary customs are not something that can be replaced by a simple checklist of ingredients to be approved by a healthcare provider.

Yes, food is medicine. Whole, unprocessed foods that are phytonutrient rich nurture our body, but using food as a moral issue and pushing out relationships that don’t think in alignment with the latest dietary diatribe is not bringing us closer to community-building and health. It is, however, causing a lot of arguments, food confusion, isolation, anxiety and a very lucrative marketing plan for many.

You can’t “clean eat” your way out of loneliness, or “intermittent fast” yourself into feeling worthy. In fact, extreme focus on “healthy eating” can result in more separation or stigmatization of those who don’t share one’s “food morals.” You may share superficial things in common with your “healthy friends,” but what happens when either of you eventually hit the inevitable wall of trying to continue such an extreme life?

My hope is that healthcare will continue to advocate for “healthy” lifestyle practices that focus more on nurturing our bodies with foods, movement, and social practices that vitalize our minds and bodies, ignite passion, and increase relational connections within our communities.

I envision a world where we strive to talk to our patients, not just about their aches and pains in their bodies, but also what is hurting their souls and disrupting their lives.

We need to help each other in deeper ways than providing the best tasting recipes that follow the latest dietary fad. It is time to move into deeper discussions.

I am not pretending to have the solutions, but I do think we need to continue to ask the questions on how to get them.

Click on the post to read more.

Closing 2020 and a 2021 Musing

As we say goodbye to 2020, many happily waving, it is a time of reflection.

With current economic turmoil and retail spending that was predicted to decrease and shift, (R, R, R, R) it appears that many are finally seeing that the holidays are more than a mad rush to the latest and greatest possessions. The meaning of this season of sacredness may be ringing in our ears more profoundly, especially now that being together physically is not possible for many families.

Now, more than any time in our living history with all its turmoil and uncertainty, hope, love, and faith are needed. Perhaps by not having the freedoms and connections we once possessed, we may truly discover the meaning of what this pause in our calendars was meant for? Perhaps 2021 will be filled more with these beautiful qualities and we can transform all the darkness and lessons from 2020 into something truly wonderful.

Here’s to a healthy and happy new year, and a new start.

Mental Health Resources

*If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and/or are suicidal, please seek professional mental health support:

  • The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.) — Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor
  • Lifeline Crisis Chat — Chat online with a specialist who can provide emotional support, crisis intervention and suicide prevention services at www.crisischat.org

 

Other Helpful Resources

Below are some of the highlights of the many free resources on this website:

 

Additional Supportive Techniques & Tools

 

If you need more individualized wellness support, please click the links for more information on essential oils or naturopathic consults.

 

 

 

Access My Video Series on Regaining Emotional and Hormonal Harmony with Naturopathic Medicine & Essential Oils

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Disclaimer: This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)

According to experts and the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no approved standard of care treatment, cure, or preventative for COVID-19. Supportive measures and containment are in full force as a result. Please see the CDC website and your state’s website for more information and updates. They also state when to contact your physician related to symptoms and travel history, exposures. Please read my more detailed article on this subject here.

This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.

Thanks Pixabay and Canva.

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