Banana Chia Quinoa Chocolate Chip Muffins

Looking for something to do with your bananas? I made this recipe into muffins and I changed it overall a little bit. I added 1/2 cup chia seeds instead of that last 1/2 cup flour, I used oat flour instead of whole wheat and I added quinoa instead of millet purely because I had no millet at the house. Oh and I added some chocolate chips:) Enjoy!

Here is my version of the recipe but check out the original Smitten Kitchen recipe link below:

3 large ripe-to-over-ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) virgin coconut oil, warmed until it liquefies, or olive oil
1/3 cup (65 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (180 grams) oat flour 
1/2 cup ground chia seeds plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil ( to soak up extra fiber )
1/4 cup (50 grams) uncooked quinoa

https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/09/crackly-banana-bread/

Naturopathic Treatments for Anxiety and Depression

The Treatment of Anxiety and Depression via Dr. Kelly Raylinsky

 

HEALING starts with FEELING

 

 

When it comes to evaluating anxiety and depression, I find all people live on a spectrum. Sometimes anxiety and depression present in response to stressful situations like traumas, injuries, divorces, arguments, breakups or job changes. Other times anxiety and depression can stick around because there is constant stress or because for some reason someone feels ‘wired’ to run that way. The first step toward healing is ALLOWING YOURSELF TO FEEL. The world we live in today suggests that feelings like anxiety and depression are always abnormal but that is not always true! When people allow themselves to genuinely FEEL more of the time- people will have an easier time healing. With this mindset, people then dispel excess frustration related to their displacement at the moment and instead find acceptance, support and ability to live more balance.

TREATMENT TO START HEALING

Nutritional Analysis: Food allergies, nutrient deficiencies, and blood sugar imbalances can all be REASONs for anxiety and depression and once identified and treated can completely eliminate mental health imbalances. Proteins are the building blocks of neurotransmitters, nutrients are co-factors in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, and glucose is the only food source for the brain. A thorough look into nutrition can help your body make what it should and possibly unlock the reason of why it hasn’t been doing it all along.  

Digestion/Toxic Overload: Assimilation of nutrients is imperative if we ever hope to use what we take in. If we have low stomach acid we cannot break down proteins well, if we are having diarrhea or constipation, it may be that we have absorption issues that need to be addressed to help use the nutrients we take in. Toxins from pollution, chemicals, metal toxicity, and poor diet can all contribute to a toxic burden in our livers (the organ that processes toxins). If we are not detoxing properly we FEEL toxic. Symptoms of depression, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, anger, irritability can all be signs we need to detox .

Endocrine System: There are many systems to consider when we approach mental health. Thyroid problems as a result of genetics, autoimmunity, toxic overload, or age can cause depression, weight gain, and fatigue. Adrenal dysfunction can occur as a result of constant, unrelenting stress which can cause us to live in a state of ‘fight or flight’ causing anxiety, PTSD, digestive disturbances, allergies, increased inflammation, weight gain, fatigue, or insomnia. 

Genetics: The Naturopathic approach is all about treating the cause of the problem. Now we can take a look at different genetic problems like MTHFR (a defect in folate metabolism), deficiencies and other related defects  in our biochemistry that if treated, can help spin those cycles back into balance. This can account for things like myalgias, neuropathic pain, depression, fatigue, psychosis, insomnia, panic disorders and mood imbalances to name a few!

Medication: Medications are always a consideration. They can be the key to mental health balance for those who have not had success with other methods, other times it can provide a bridge until things get easier and until a support network is established. But no matter what, a medication does not have to mean life-long. The best plan when we use a medication is to work on treatment while medications are being used, develop tools and new resources, replenish the system with what it really needs. I find a lot of people are scared to let go of their security blanket but when we build a strong foundation, we no longer need it.

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Holiday Survival Guide 2014

Pre-traumatic Stress Disorder

Lately conversations with patients, friends, co-workers, store clerks, family, (aka everyone) all make mention of increased stress this time of year. The holidays have a knack for upping the anti on what stress already exists in our day to day lives because there are many things to do this time of year! There are lots of questions running through people's minds like: When are the holiday decorations going to go up? What type of stamp to choose for holiday cards ('versatile' winter or 'in your face holiday' Rudolph stamps?) When will there be time to put the holiday lights on outside the house? When is the tree going up? (Did I water the tree!?) Are there low hanging ornaments on the tree that children could choke on? How am I going to afford all of this? Only 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year? Shopping! Shopping!? Family! In Laws! Shopping! And the list goes on....

It may be useful to consider taking the month of December off from work or asking Obama to shorten the calender to only 11 months so that December is left purely for getting everything get done for once. But since these things are not happening, it may be more reasonable to consider strategies to help manage the holidays this year. Lets think through the concept of stress for a second. Stress is defined as a situation in which we are under mental or emotional strain or tension as a result of an adverse or demanding circumstance. I think we can qualify the holidays to be a 'demanding circumstance'. Today, I called my mother to wish her a happy birthday and when I got off the phone with her I was remembering her concerns about her long list of tasks to get through in the next couple of weeks and one thing she said resonated with me: "The reason I get so stressed is because I think of everything at once and it becomes overwhelming ." How brilliant. She summed up stress right there in one statement. This is not only holiday stress but anytime stress that shares this same sentiment. There is never just one thing on its own with no other interfering factors causing us stress, and never a time in our lives where there is only one thing happening at a time. As you read the next paragraphs, I want you to loosen the grip on your computer, stop searching for the perfect solutions,  start to feel your shoulders relax, and remember that it will all work out as it should. (oh and chuckle a little)


Holiday Survival Guide 2014-(in spirit of a famous holiday song):

1. Make a List.
Recommendation after recommendation I read about holiday stress management involves this first important step. Start with a list. Write out all the holiday details combined with the day to day things you have to do over the next few weeks. Include things like: 'make dinner for the family' and 'pack lunches' if you have to.) Get it all out on paper, nothing is too small or big to go on the list.

2. Take a deep breath. Have a glass of wine or a cup of tea, watch a holiday movie, etc.

3. Check Your List Twice.
Run through your list again (no planning yet, just brainstorming here!). Make sure you have it all down, I am sure you will forget something but that is okay! You can keep adding to the list if necessary.

4. Decide who is naughty and nice.
Delegate some of these tasks out to family members, friends, etc. Let go of the feeling you have to control and be in charge of everything. Choose things that mean the most to you and delegate things that mean the most to others. Simplify what needs to be done, cut some tasks if necessary, chances are there is way more on your list than humanly possible.

5. Schedule Santa's visit to town.
Here is where you find a calender and start to plan it out. Take one thing at a time and figure out when it can realistically happen. If there is too much, cut some more off the plate.

6. Take a deep breath and go with it.
We can never have enough reminders to stop and smell the roses (in this case pine trees and cinnamon sticks). The holidays are about different things to all of us. It is often when you create the memories and traditions for your families and friends for years to come. But as may be apparent and difficult at the same time: no two holidays are the same. Therefore, enjoy the process while it happens, embrace the glitches and laugh when things get too serious. Have perspective that gifts are not what make the holiday season, 'perfect' is not what makes the holiday season, 'expectations being met' is not what makes the holiday season but it is spending time with those you love that makes it. Appreciate everyday you have with those people who drive you nuts at times. Take it all with a grain of salt and try not to think about it all at once or you will get overwhelmed and this will lead to stress- as so eloquently put by Mom Raylinsky.

Love Actually

 The Chemistry of Love

The main focus in my practice is mental health, my viewpoint on healing comes from trying to link the physical body with what the mind is doing. The reality is- there is no chicken before the egg but an existing relationship when understood, can open the doorway for many things.

The brain is a natural place to start when thinking about emotion. Many of us think it a logical/intentional decision to be attracted or drawn to another human being, but really it is a fundamental signal from the body much like hunger and thirst.

One of the most important influences on love, hate, compassion and pleasure is Dopamine. Dopamine is produced in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) and is part of the motivation/reward system in our brains...it activates desire.

Dopamine, aka reward and pleasure can fire in response to something as simple as eating foods we like, it can fire in response to winning a road race, or getting that promotion at work. However pleasures and rewards are not always limited to positive things, they can come from doing illicit drugs, they can be reasons why people overeat, why people struggle with addiction, why people work too much, etc. This is a what I call our impulsive neurotransmitter. It makes you feel pleasure but does not discriminate on what the catalyst is. An impressive but scary role.

Another important player in brain chemistry is Serotonin. This makes us feel important. We have increased Serotonin when we get that 'ego boost', it fires when someone compliments us or when we feel important. This can be responsible for that need to seek out blind acceptance and play an important role in our self esteem.

Next we have Oxytocin which makes us trust, this is the bonding neurotransmitter. This is the one that completes the loop in our relationships, it is what makes our efforts requited. This is when we love someone and they love us back, it is when an unspoken decision is made to trust the other person and strengthen a bond.

In the topic of relationships these neurotransmitters pose some questions and can put things into perspective as to why we lean toward one relationship over another, why we are happy with some people and not others, why we choose the friends we choose, and even why we choose the profession we do. This also explains how we might synthesize our attachments based on what our experiences were at a young age and into who we become as we grow older.
 

Vitamin B12…How it works, helps, and what may be preventing you from getting enough

B12 and Digestion

Absorption of B12 in the body:

As you can see below-- When you take an oral dose of Vitamin B12, The first location for absorption by the body is in the stomach where something called Intrinsic Factor (IF) is secreted to carry B12 to the small intestine. Once B12 arrives in the terminal Ileum (end of small intestine), it is transported by a protein called transcobalamin and then ready and available for cell uptake.

Improper B12 absorption may result if digestion is compromised for one reason or another such as:

1) Frequent use of Anti-Acids (Tums), Proton Pump Inhibitors (Prilosec, Prevacid, Tagament, Pesid AC, Zantac, and certain medications like Metformin.

2) Malabsorption: Leaky enterocytes in small intestine.

3) Celiac Disease

4) Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s and Colitis)

5) Pernicious Anemia

6) Pancreatic Insufficiency

7) Alcoholism

B12 and the Diet

Our dietary preferences can affect our intake of certain necessary vitamins and minerals. The ONLY sources of B12 are found from animal sources.  There are no vegetables with a high B12 content. Vegetarians and Vegans-be mindful of this!!

Table 2: Selected Food Sources of Vitamin B12 [13]

Food	Micrograms (mcg) per serving	Percent DV*
Clams, cooked, 3 ounces	84.1	1,402
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 ounces	70.7	1,178
Breakfast cereals, fortified with 100% of the DV for vitamin B12, 1 serving	6.0	100
Trout, rainbow, wild, cooked, 3 ounces	5.4	90
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces	4.8	80
Trout, rainbow, farmed, cooked, 3 ounces	3.5	58
Tuna fish, light, canned in water, 3 ounces	2.5	42
Cheeseburger, double patty and bun, 1 sandwich	2.1	35
Haddock, cooked, 3 ounces	1.8	30
Breakfast cereals, fortified with 25% of the DV for vitamin B12, 1 serving	1.5	25
Beef, top sirloin, broiled, 3 ounces	1.4	23
Milk, low-fat, 1 cup	1.2	18
Yogurt, fruit, low-fat, 8 ounces	1.1	18
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce	0.9	15
Beef taco, 1 soft taco	0.9	15
Ham, cured, roasted, 3 ounces	0.6	10
Egg, whole, hard boiled, 1 large	0.6	10
Chicken, breast meat, roasted, 3 ounces	0.3	5

*DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine the level of various nutrients in a standard serving of food in relation to their approximate requirement for it. The DV for vitamin B12 is 6.0 mcg. However, the FDA does not require food labels to list vitamin B12 content unless a food has been fortified with this nutrient. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient, but foods providing lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site [13]) lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides acomprehensive list of foods containing vitamin B12.

B12 and Depression

Inadequate intake, digestion, or assimilation of B12 can affect our mental/emotional health. In an Observational study, it was found that 30% of hospitalized, depressive patients were found to have a B12 deficiency. B12 plays a role in the production of SAMe which is responsible for the bioavailability of neurotransmitters causative of depression. Those struggling with depression should be screened for B12 levels as a standard measure.

Signs and Symptoms of B12 deficiency:

·      Fatigue

·      Megaloblastic Anemia

·      Constipation

·      Loss of appetite

·      Weight Loss

·      Neurological Changes (numbness and tingling in hands and feet)

·      Difficulty maintaining balance

·      Confusion

·      Poor memory

·      Depression

·      Soreness of mouth or tongue

·      Swelling of tongue

And there is much more that B12 does, and many more conditions that it will benefit. Stay tuned for more....

The Magic Weight Loss Pill

 My father has struggled for many years to keep his weight within ‘acceptable’ limits for his primary care physician. For a short time, he exercised to keep the weight off. He ran road races, half marathons, marathons, went to the gym daily, etc. As long as he was active, he could enjoy eating plenty of food as he may have come close to balancing the amount of calories coming in with the amount of calories burning off. But like many, as time passed by he was unable to keep the vigorous running up do to injury, a busy work schedule, lack of motivation, and is since stable with inactivity, and as a result back to taking more food in than calories burned… As of now, he has been on a cholesterol medication for many years to keep his cholesterol within healthy limits, and by god- the rest of him has stayed healthy! His blood pressure is good, his carotid arteries are clear, no signs of heart disease, organ failure, diabetes, etc. As a result, he continues his lifestyle of choice because he doesn’t have anything wrong with him. The doctors stand with their mouths dropped, in awe of a man that is continuing to break medical convention. So as you can expect, the question becomes- Why should he lose weight? Why should he change if there is nothing wrong with him? His genes are tough, his mother and father lived a long enough life!???

I guess we can cross our fingers and hope that plan works out- I know I do everyday. However, I also worry he may not be so lucky one day, as I am sure we can all relate to. The problem with having learned a bit about medicine is I understand the process of disease does not happen over night. Symptoms are not the disease; they are the building blocks of it. High blood pressure is a measurement of force, an indicator the heart is working harder than it should. Lower than normal amounts of HDL (good) cholesterol allows LDL (bad) cholesterol to elevate and is unable to keep the arteries clean and free of debris. Blood sugar can elevate after eating a sugar rich meal but when it stays elevated, insulin builds a tolerance to an adjusted glucose level and creates insulin resistance- much the same as building alcohol tolerance through long term drinking. The illusion is there are no problems as long as the body adapts, and the body WILL adapt, (some longer than others) but the ‘stressor’ is evident.  Think of it this way: would it be reasonable to drive fast on a highway with a tire you know is thin and worn? It is easy to see the tire is living on borrowed time and it is a more reasonable action to change the tire to prevent an accident rather than continuing to drive with it. I suggest we weigh this decision making with our own health. Much like a weak tire, symptoms are red flags and indicators it is time to make change. 

The truth is, a lifetime sets the stage for chronic disease or even acute disease processes. The leading causes of death in America are preventable. Without a magic pill or vampire venom to ravage through our systems and rescue us from disaster, we are better off taking care of ourselves, if only at the very least: foundational principals such as good sleep, laughter, exercise, healthy diets (regular meals, vegetables, fiber, adequate protein), plenty of water and good digestion. 

Fluoride in Water

The Importance of Water.

Water seems to be a topic of interest these days. I always discuss the importance of water with my patients, as having an adequate amount of it is seriously important to our health.

Water is important for many things such as:
1) Hydration
2) Every biochemical reaction in the body
3) Metabolism
4) Kidney and bladder health
5) Detoxification-the removal of toxins
6) Assimilation of nutrients from diet and supplements.
7) Digestive Function

And the list goes on...

Fluoridation of Water?
Despite water being such an important nutrient in our lives, the quality of water running from our taps is in question. It is regular practice to include chemicals into the water supply for sanitation and other purposes. Lets take fluoride for example. Apparently, every major US city has fluoridated their water supply except Portland, OR where it is currently under consideration via the public vote. This absence of fluoride in the water has long been suspected the reason for excess tooth decay and poor dental health. Interestingly enough, there is a lot of research suggesting there is no good reason to add fluoride to our water supply. Drinking fluorinated water allows fluoride to be absorbed systemically when fluoride's benefits are topical in nature.

A couple points of consideration I offer in regards to fluorinated water are: 1) The choice is not up to the individual. Those of us who do not consent with the fluoridation of water are 'pigeon holed' as it is difficult/expensive to avoid exposure to fluoride in the water once it is in there. 2) There are systemic risks of having exposure to fluoride as it is a toxic free radical.

What You Need to Know About Fluoride.
Chemically speaking, flouride is a ion. The manner in which it benefits tooth decay is by creating a stonger environment so the acids from bacteria cannot survive as readily.  Note this is a topical influence and except for the initial contact/swooshing of water in one's mouth, there is no other benefit for fluoride in water as it travels through our body. It does not serve as a treatment to the tooth or gums themselves and it does not benefit oral health when absorbed systemically. Fluoride, when taken systemically is toxic to the body, it is stored in the bones and processed through the kidneys.  Water supplies allow 0.7 mg/L which is decreased from the previous 0.7-1.2 mg/L range. There are many health claims and conditions that are suspected to be related to fluoridation such as thyroid problems, kidney disease, cancer, etc. Fluoride has an affinity for calcium and therefore makes it insoluble and unusable to the body. (We need calcium!!) Fluoride was once used to decrease the function of the thyroid gland in a HYPERthyroid state and it is interesting to consider that chronic exposure of it may little by little decrease the function of the thyroid gland by this same mechanism. There are studies that also indicate the improvement in dental health over years and years to be unclearly correlated with the addition of fluoride in water and may more likely have improved regardless because of the increase in hygeine and regular cleanings. It is my contention that fluoride may be beneficial topically but to be put into our water supply seems a LOT unnecessary.

Can you Filter Fluoride Out?

The three successful ways to get fluoride OUT of water is by either: Reverse Osmosis, Distillation, or by using an Activated Alumina Defluoridation filter. These are usually quite expensive investments and there are some uncertainties behind drinking distilled water all the time. Your typical water filter (ie Brita or Pur) are ineffective at removing fluoride and likewise no matter how you treat the water be it baking, boiling, freezing, or sautéing-- be sure it will not do a thing to the fluoride content.

Natural Alternatives?
Other suggestions for dental health that are on the more natural front is that of Xylitol. This is a natural sugar that has no glycemic index, (not appropriate for sweetening coffee and baked goods) but is a sugar that creates an uninhabitable environment for bacteria that contribute to dental caries along side reducing overall plaque build up and helps with bone remineralization! This is available in gums, mints, and toothpaste and the research is looking good in terms of overall benefit. However we need to be cognizant of how this is derived and manufactured, and yet again we can't go throwing it in our water supply as a sentiment to better dental health. Just because it is natural, does not mean it is always the safest thing for us. Use in moderation, use in small doses and by gosh if you really want good teeth-- eat a healthy diet for your mouth and body's sake! ie. clean water, low sugar, lots of vitamins and minerals.