Dr. Tasnim Adatya
988 W. 22nd Avenue V5Z 2A1 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Have you ever had a "gut-wrenching" experience? Do certain situations make you "feel nauseous"? Have you ever felt "butterflies" in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation - all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut. In fact, the brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's ju...ices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. This is especially true in cases where a person experiences gastrointestinal upset with no obvious physical cause. For such functional GI disorders, it is difficult to try to heal a distressed gut without considering the role of stress and emotion. Based on these observations, digestive discomforts can improve with strategies that help that address the stressors in life or treat anxiety and depression. Here are some tips from my blog on how to de-stress: https://dradatya.com/how-to-de-stress/

Light Therapy for Seasonal Blues Lack of light can throw off your circadian rhythm. This can cause your brain to produce too much of the sleep hormone melatonin and to release less serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical that affects mood. For those of us residing in Vancouver and the northern hemisphere, winter can be a challenging time as days become shorter and sunlight becomes more scarce. ... The idea behind light therapy is to replace the missing sunshine with artificial light. Light therapy uses light boxes that produce a bright white light. As far as your brain is concerned, artificial light works just like natural sunlight. There are many light boxes available online. Here are some tips for finding the right one and using it correctly. Get enough exposure. Your light box should have 10,000 lux exposure. ("Lux" is a measure of light intensity.) A bright sunny day is 50,000 lux or more. Don't stare. Keep your eyes open, but don't look directly at the light. Keep the box in front of you or just off to the side and about a foot away. Get enough time. You should absorb light for about 30 minutes a day. You don't have to do it all at once, either. Begin in the morning. Try to get in some light time before 10 am. Light therapy is relatively safe, although there can be some minor, temporary side effects like headaches and irritability. Also, some medications, especially antibiotics like tetracycline, can make your skin more sensitive to light, and if you have a family history of macular degeneration, exposure to light therapy over the years may increase your risk. If any of these situations applies, check with your naturopathic physician before trying light therapy. Last, if you feel you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder or depression it's important to speak to your naturopath before starting light therapy. SAD affects more than just mood and a naturopathic physician will be able to help direct you to the right care. https://dradatya.com/seasonal-affective-disorder/

Learning Self-Compassion Not everyone comes by self-compassion naturally. If, like most people, you tend to beat yourself up when things go wrong, there are tools to help cultivate our own self-compassion. The benefits of strong self-compassion (fostering forgiveness and self-kindness) helps set the stage for better overall well-being, including lowered levels of anxiety and depression.... Here are some simple ways to boost your self-compassion skills: Nourish. Take time to rest, massage your body or indulge in getting one, take a walk, eat healthy... Journal. Reflect on a time when you were hurt, write about write about it in a letter to yourself without shaming or blaming anyone - including yourself. Practice mindfulness. Even just meditating for a few minutes each day, can be a great way to deeply rest our nervous system. Encouragement. Be kind to yourself as you would to a hurting good friend. Practice directing those compassionate responses toward yourself. Another way to become more engaged and feel happier in day-to-day living is to create opportunities for more flow experiences. I've written more about feeling engaged and absorbed in my blog on flow: https://dradatya.com/learning-flow-getting-engaged-absorbed/

Belly Breathing for Stress & Anxiety While belly breathing alone can’t fix deep-seated anxieties, it works well as a tool to help ease anxiety and general stress. Regularly engaging in belly breathing can help you turn a fight-or-flight response into a relaxation response that’s beneficial to your health. If you ever watch children sleep, they all breathe from the belly and not the chest. This relaxed state is the more normal way to breathe.... Yet most people are chest breathers, which is how we react to stress. When we sense a threat, our fight-or-flight response automatically kicks in. We breathe at a rapid pace to suck in extra oxygen, to fuel our heart and muscles so we can flee the danger. If you are not familiar with belly breathing, try this: sit in a chair, lean forward, and place your elbows on your knees. Then breathe naturally. This position forces you to breathe from the belly, so you know what the sensation feels like. Here’s what you do: every time you feel stressed, simply take three slow and controlled deep belly breaths: place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest - you want the chest hand to be still and the belly hand to move out like you are blowing up a balloon. If you can practice belly breathing throughout the day, it will become more of a habit allowing you to automatically belly breath whenever you face a stressor. You can read more about this relaxation technique by clicking on my blog link here: https://dradatya.com/how-breathe-matters/

Nature plays an enormous role in our well-being and this time of the year in Vancouver is a fantastic time to be outdoors! But for many, the high pollen exposure during spring and summer, can result in our immune system going haywire and flood the body with inflammatory mediators such as histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins. The result is often hallmark allergy symptoms, such as: runny and itchy nose nasal congestion... sneezing watery and itchy eyes itchy throat coughing wheezing. Symptoms can vary in severity and length, depending on your specific sensitivity to certain pollen and the amount of exposure. It's also dictated by how much IgE your body produces and how many tissues are affected. This is why some people experience allergies only during the spring or summer, and why people may fight symptoms for several days or weeks or the entire season. You can take steps to protect yourself during allergy season by reducing your exposure to pollen. The first step is to closely monitor your environment. Try and be mindful of the daily pollen count where you live so you know when it's best to stay inside and limit your outdoor time. Close your windows to keep out pollen and turn on the cold air return (remember to change your filters regularly) to help eliminate it from the indoor air. Also, exercise in the late afternoon or early evening when pollen count is often lower. And when you are stuck outside when the pollen count is high, consider wearing a silk mask - it can often block 70% to 80% of pollen from being inhaled. When symptoms strike, there are many botanical herbs and nutrient remedies that can help manage them. If you are a regular allergy sufferer, or your symptoms have become more severe over the years, speak with your naturopathic doctor about sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), which may help you to develop a tolerance of certain allergens. Interested in learning more? Here's a great primer on allergies and helpful management options from my blog: https://dradatya.com/seasonal-allergies-101/ ***It's Naturopathic Medicine Week May 13-19, 2019 and you could win $175 for visit(s) with a Naturopathic Doctor during 7 days of giveaways! Sign up here #NatMedWeek*** British Columbia Naturopathic Association (BCNA)

Food Journaling 101 Many people begin Spring with a resolve to improve their health. This improvement often starts with changing what they eat. A food journal can be a useful tool in this process. It can help you understand your eating habits and patterns, and help you identify the foods healthy and not-so-healthy you eat on a regular basis. Research shows that keeping a journal can be a very effective tool to help change behavior. ... What should you include in a food journal? A basic food journal usually will have you include information on what foods and beverages you've consumed, how it's prepared, how often you're eating and the size of your portions. But other factors may provide you with additional insight. Noting the time that you’re eating can be very helpful in identifying potentially problematic times, such as late-night snacking. As well, jotting down where you’re eating, what else you’re doing while you’re eating, and how you’re feeling while eating can help you understand some of your habits and offer additional insight. Here are more tips for keeping a successful food journaling: Write down the food or beverage as soon as you consume it. Don’t wait until the end of the day because your recollection is likely to be less accurate.Be as specific as you can with the food or beverage. For example, if you are drinking a latte, note the type and size. Be sure to include any alcoholic beverages you consume. You’ve kept a food journal. Now what? After completing a week’s worth of food journaling, step back and look at what you’ve recorded. Search for any trends, patterns, or habits. For example, you might consider: How healthy is my diet? Am I eating vegetables every day? If so, how many servings? Am I eating foods or beverages with added sugar? If so, how frequently? Do my moods affect my eating habits? Do I reach for unhealthy snacks when I’m tired or stressed? How often do I eat on the run? Keeping a food journal can be very informative and move you toward improving your health. Using the data from your journal to make healthy changes and continuing to track your progress is a great place to start your journey for a healthier 2019. https://dradatya.com/naturopathic-tips-eating-better-food-/

Have you tried Seed Cycling? Knowing how a normal menstrual cycle works helps to understand the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), perimenopause and menopause. Symptoms are often the result of too much or too little hormone(s). During perimenopause hormone levels fluctuate as a result of fewer ovulations, so less progesterone is produced in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Periods can be erratic, skipped or have heavy bleeding /clots. Symptoms result from the cha...nge in ratio of estrogen to progesterone so the imbalance creates the symptoms. Seed cycling is a method of rotating particular seeds to help with hormone balance and was taught to me nearly 20 years ago by the anointed French physician, Dr Gerard Guinot MD. Hundreds of naturopathic physicians teach their patients about seed cycling as it's a powerful but gentle means of supporting healthy hormone balance both during PMS, perimenopause and beyond! Here's how it works: The first phase of your cycle is called the Follicular Phase (day 1-14) During these fourteen days, it’s best to have a daily hit of: 1 tbsp. freshly ground flax seeds: full of lignans that block any excess oestrogen. 1 tbsp. freshly ground pumpkin seeds: high in zinc which supports progesterone production. The second phase of your cycle is called the Luteal Phase (day 15-28) During these fourteen days, it’s best to have a daily hit of: 1 tbsp. freshly ground sunflower seeds: high in selenium for hormone metabolism and liver detoxification. 1 tbsp. freshly ground sesame seeds: full of lignans that block excess estrogen (you can also get this from tahini) You can easily add these to smoothies, porridge, add them to raw bars, granola, yogurt or sprinkle in dips the options are endless! Because seed cycling is a natural process, it’s not a quick fix and doesn't work like medication. It can take up to 3 months to start noticing any changes, so if you do try adding seeds to your menstrual cycle, be patient and consistent. Looking for more tips on quelling PMS? Check out my blog post: http://dradatya.com/naturopathic-support-for-premenstrual-/

Got earwax? Some earwax is good for your ears, so often the best policy is to leave it alone. And a few drops of water may be all you need to get rid of a blockage. Earwax, a bodily emanation that many of us would rather do without, is actually pretty useful stuff in small amounts. It's a natural cleanser as it moves from inside the ear canal outward, gathering dead skin cells, hair, and dirt along the way. Tests have shown that it has antibacterial and antifungal propertie...Continue reading

Skin Cancer Prevention: Top Tips (apart from sunscreen) We're well into May and here in the Northwest, front-of-the-pharmacy/grocery aisles are filled with myriad brands and types of sunscreen. While sunscreen is essential to lowering your risk for skin cancer, there are other simple, over-the-counter options you can incorporate into your summer skin protection routine. Nicotinamide may help prevent certain skin cancers...Continue reading

Healthy food choices to quell inflammation The awareness of the intersection between inflammation and chronic disease has spawned a plethora of diet plans, nutritional supplements, and lifestyle programs, many implying they offer new ways to improve your health by quelling inflammation. It's true that scientists are uncovering new complexities and expanding their knowledge of factors that may contribute to inflammation or help counter it. But much of the heavily hyped guidan...ce for an anti-inflammation lifestyle boils down to the same no-nonsense health advice your grandmother might have given you. Make healthy food choices Our diets play an important role in chronic inflammation because our digestive bacteria release chemicals that may spur or suppress inflammation. The types of bacteria that populate our gut and their chemical byproducts vary according to the foods we eat. Some foods encourage the growth of populations of bacteria that stimulate inflammation, while others promote the growth of bacteria that suppress it. Fortunately, you are probably already enjoying many of the foods and beverages that have been linked to reductions in inflammation and chronic disease. They include the following: Fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and brightly colored vegetables naturally contain high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols potentially protective compounds found in plants. Nuts and seeds. Studies have found that consuming nuts and seeds is associated with reduced markers of inflammation and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Beverages. The polyphenols in coffee and the flavonols in cocoa are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea is also rich in both polyphenols and antioxidants. For additional advice about ways to reduce inflammation, consider connecting with a naturopathic physician...you can also read my blog post on top naturopathic tips! http://dradatya.com/tired-time-role-inflammation-part-2/ #NatMedWeek

No one is "perfect." Yet many people struggle to be, which can trigger a cascade of anxieties. Perfectionism may be a strong suit or a stumbling block, depending on how it's channeled. The core of all perfectionism is the intention to do something well and if you can keep your eye on intention and desired outcome, adjusting your strategy when needed, you're fine.... But when you can't tolerate making a mistake, when your strategy is to make no mistakes, that's when perfectio...nism starts veering off in the wrong direction. In its most severe form, perfectionism can leave you unable to complete any task for fear of making a mistake. To help you prioritize the projects and activities that mean the most to you and keep your personal strategy in line, Dr. Szymanski, an associate instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the International OCD Foundation, has shared the following exercise: What do you find valuable in life? What would you want 50 years of your life to represent? If that seems overwhelming, think about where you want to put your energies for the next five years. Think about your current goals and projects, and assign them priorities. Use the letters "ABCF" to help you decide where you want to excel (A), be above average (B), or be average (C), and what you can let go of (F). For example: A (100% effort): This is reserved for what's most important to you. For example, if your career is most valuable, your goals might be to impress the boss, make sure clients are happy, put out good products at work. B (above average, maybe 80% effort): Perhaps you like playing golf or tennis or want to learn a new language. You enjoy these activities, but have no plans to go pro. C (average effort): Perhaps having a clean home is important, too. But how often does your home need to be cleaned? People aren't coming to see it every day. Could you just clean up on the weekends? Or focus on a few rooms that get the most traffic? F (no effort): Time-consumers that don't advance your values or bring you pleasure for example, lining up all your hangers or folding all your clothes in a specific way. Do you have any tasks that, upon reflection, don't really matter you've just done them one way for so long that you're on autopilot? These deserve to be pruned. Need some tips to help you de-stress and conquer your anxiety? Check out my blog post on how to get started! ( http://dradatya.com/top-tips-conquer-stress-anxiety-depres/ )

Another case for not shoveling down your food Here's a simple way to try to control your weight: take more time to eat your meal. It's one of several strategies that appeared to help people in a study published online Feb. 12, 2018, by BMJ Open. Researchers analyzed about six years' worth of health insurance claims and doctor visit details for 60,000 Japanese men and women with type 2 diabetes. The doctor visits included questions about how quickly people ate their meals. ... People who ate slowly were 42% less likely to be obese than people who gulped down their food. The study was only observational and therefore can't prove that eating slowly caused weight loss, but other studies have reported similar findings. Also, it takes about 15 minutes after you start to eat for the "getting full" signals to reach your brain and a person can eat a lot of calories in 15 minutes. So slow down and savor every bite. For more information on mindful eating, check out my blog post on tips for eating better (http://dradatya.com/naturopathic-tips-eating-better-food-d/ )

Pelvic floor exercises Your pelvic floor is a sheet of muscles that supports your bladder and bowel. If it weakens, you may experience urine leakage when coughing, laughing, or sneezing, a need to go to the bathroom frequently, or an urgency to get to the bathroom and leaking on the way. Pelvic floor exercises, which are sometimes known as Kegel exercises, aim to strengthen your muscles to support your organs, improve bladder control, and prevent urine leakage.... The University of Otago in New Zealand led a review of studies that compared the exercises with no treatment. They found that people who practiced Kegels were 2.517 times more likely to fully recover from urinary incontinence. Another study by the Université de Montréal in Canada discovered that adding dance to a pelvic floor muscle program increased the success. After menopause, physical therapy involving pelvic floor muscle exercises has also been found to dramatically reduced urine leaks by 75 percent in women with urinary incontinence and osteoporosis. How to do pelvic floor exercises First, you need to locate your pelvic floor muscles, which you can do by trying to stop your flow of urine mid-stream. Exercises should be performed at first by sitting on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, and your elbows rested on your knees. Two types of exercises, called slow contraction and fast contraction, should be performed to give your pelvic floor a full workout. Always do the slow contraction exercises first and then the fast contraction exercises. To practice slow contraction exercises: Draw up your muscles surrounding your anus as if you are trying to stop yourself passing gas. However, do not squeeze your buttock muscles. Also, draw up the muscles around your urethra as if you are trying to stop urine flow. Hold this position for as long as you can. You may only be able to hold this contraction for a couple of seconds at first, but the goal is to hold for a count of 10 seconds. Slowly relax and let go for 10 seconds. Gradually increase the time you hold the contraction and repeat until your muscles begin to feel tired. To practice fast contraction exercises: Draw up the muscles surrounding your anus and urethra as before. Hold the contraction for 1 second and then let go and relax. Repeat the contractions up to 10 times or until your muscles tire. Try to come up with an exercise plan that includes 10 slow contractions and three sets of 10 fast contractions twice per day. Make sure that you breathe normally while exercising and are focusing on the correct muscles. You should begin to see results within 36 months. #urinaryincontinence #kegels #pelvicfloor #exercise

We often think of aging as an inevitable physical decline. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if we could change how we age? That's the question explored in this fascinating podcast which looks at intermittent fasting and nutrient intake and its impact on the rate of aging. #intermittentfasting #aging https://www.hsph.harvard.edu//mu/the-plasticity-of-aging/