11 Ways to Stay Healthy During the Pandemic (Advice From a Naturopath)
Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash
If you’re having the thought that you could be approaching your health more proactively during this pandemic, you’re not alone. I spoke with two Naturopaths this month, Dr. Kara Menzer and Dr. Tiffany Bloomingdale, to gain a better understanding of how we’re accessing healthcare differently, what ailments are more frequent during this time, how can we address stress and what tools we may arm ourselves with to improve our health.
One single approach won’t be a panacea, and it won’t be a cure, but there are steps we can take to understand our health on a more holistic level and shore ourselves up for the long road ahead. While I’ll be diving into some juicy subject matter and exploring better health outcomes, it’s important to note that both Doctors stressed the importance of balance and being gentle with yourself during this time. Perfection isn’t the goal, but awareness, knowledge and support can go a long way to improving both your physical and mental health.
And as always, consult your healthcare provider before taking anything suggested in this post.
Dr. Kara Menzer, ND is a Naturopathic Physician. Her specialties include: women’s health, eating disorders, family medicine including pediatrics and integrative oncology.
Dr. Menzer is a two-time cancer survivor and personally knows the value of holistic, integrative care. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Psychology from UC Davis and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. Dr. Menzer believes that her role as a Naturopathic Physician is fundamentally to listen first, ask questions second, and provide patients with a variety of treatment strategies. She rarely uses cookie-cutter “protocols” because no two patients are the same. Every treatment plan must be tailored to an individual’s personal story, beliefs, resources, and values.
Dr. Menzer works out of the Natural Medicine of Seattle office, and you can reach the office for an appointment or find out more about the practice and Dr. Menzer HERE
Dr. Tiffany Bloomingdale, ND is a Naturopathic Physician. Her specialties include: homeopathy, integrative care for those currently living with cancer or a history of it, gastrointestinal and endocrine system concerns, and autoimmune disease care.
Dr. Bloomingdale is a licensed naturopathic physician based in Seattle, Washington. Originally from the east coast, she completed her naturopathic medical training at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon in 2013. Following graduation, she moved to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for one year where she completed a preceptorship, prepared for board examinations and fully experienced the raw beauty and power that is The Big Island. She then moved back to upstate New York and began practicing as a solo practitioner, prior to relocating to Richmond, Virginia and joining Richmond Natural Medicine (RNM) until 2019.
Dr. Bloomingdale now practices from her office on Mercer Island, WA under the name Avant Garde Healing Arts. You can find out more HERE and follow her on instagram @avantgardehealingarts
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
How is telehealth changing the healthcare landscape?
The most substantial modification to healthcare during the pandemic has been telehealth. Dr. Menzer set up telehealth as an option years ago during Seattle’s Snowpocalypse, but had been battling to have insurance cover the appointments. When the pandemic hit, all those regulations seemed to fly right out the window.
One silver lining in healthcare now, is that we’ve been able to test in real time the efficacy of telehealth and the data speaks for itself as “I think it reduces one of the main barriers to access to care.” says Menzer. “I’m seeing a lot of patients who haven’t seen a doctor in a long time, but felt that telehealth was an easier, less intimidating way to see a doctor. A lot of times, women are asking their partners to see a doctor, and they’re resistant to it, and so suddenly in 2020 with telehealth, a lot more [men] are getting their preventative health checked in on.”
Dr. Menzer is also seeing an uptick in post-partum women who would previously not have the ability to juggle a newborn/job/other children and make it to an in-person appointment.
What are patients coming in for these days?
Along with general care, Drs. Menzer and Bloomingdale have seen interest (or anxiety) spike around preventative care and checking in on baseline risk factors or comorbidities that are a potentially modifiable risk. New and current patients are coming in with a proactive approach to care in anticipation of contracting this virus, but that approach often comes from a place of anxiety and fear so mental health is a new load that Naturopaths and other care providers are taking on.
According to Dr. Menzer, mental health concerns come in waves. There have been “weeks where everyone was really dark and falling apart, and then there were weeks where everyone was coming out of it. Part of my job is a lot of normalizing. Most mental health providers are slammed, so I’ve been doing a lot of finding places that have openings.” Which leads us to how this is affecting our general mental health, which is currently battling stress at unprecedented levels.
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What is behind our stress scientifically and how can we address stress during the pandemic?
Beyond more acute instances of mental health needs, there has been a strong undercurrent of stress in our day to day lives. Dr. Bloomingdale explains it like this in reference to our stress hormone cortisol-“Cortisol being funky is impacting our immune system. It’s impacting our ability to have some resilience to stress.” The simplified explanation of cortisol is that you should see a spike in the morning to get you moving and it should steadily decrease throughout the day, so when it’s time for bed you are able to sleep. So, the question is- if we know we’re under stress, how do we address it?
Dr. Menzer
“A lot of people are having to completely rearrange what their usual stress relief and support networks look like. I know I had to as well. A lot of my patients really like the Headspace or Calm app- some of the different apps for meditation. Anything to lower the barrier to meditation.” She goes on to recommend the benefits of exercise saying “Exercise usually beats all medications, all SSRIs, in trials for mental health, with exercise being better than Prozac.”
Dr. Bloomingdale
Dr. Bloomingdale makes several recommendations to manage stress.
B vitamins (in the AM to increase energy), magnesium (in the PM to help you sleep)
Adaptogens like Reishi mushroom or Ashwagandha to “meet your body where it’s at”
Sticking to a routine
Both Doctors list good sleep and sleep habits as their top choice for stress reduction, so if nothing else, focus your energy on making sure you’re getting some!
Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash
I know I need more and better sleep, but how do I achieve that?
The aforementioned magnesium supplement recommended by Dr. Bloomingdale and stress reduction tips by both Doctors are great starting points.
Dr. Menzer also recommends melatonin and explains its effect in this way. “When we are stressed out and our cortisol is high, cortisol inhibits melatonin, in order to keep you awake. By taking melatonin you are just adding more melatonin to your system to fall asleep. My experience [with] patients has been- if you take melatonin a couple times a week or save it for when you need it, it tends to work better than if you’re taking it every night.”
Now that I have my sleep sorted out and my stress under control, what other actions should I take to maintain my health?
While there are no FDA approved supplements for COVID treatment, as Dr. Menzer puts it “Some recommendations that we can make are grounded in science, even though we don’t have randomized control studies.” She goes further to say “There’s a lot of interest in this pathway that the coronavirus seems to stimulate called the inflammasone pathway that release a bunch of pro inflammatory cytokines. There’s a number of different herbs and supplements that are potentially thought to help that specific pathway.”
Some of those herbs and supplements are:
Vitamin C
Zinc (warning: can be nauseating on an empty stomach)
Elderberry (if you have an autoimmune disease, please check with your Doctor first)
I asked both Doctors what their personal routines are to optimize their health. Some of their answers may surprise you!
Dr. Bloomingdale
“Reminding myself that I’m human”
Sticking to a routine: same bedtime and wake up times and not waking to an alarm
Opening blinds right away to trigger cortisol
Water (with trace minerals added) and coffee first thing in the morning
Pre-natal vitamin (even outside of pregnancy)
Listening to the body for nutritional needs, but mostly sticking to a protein dense breakfast with healthy fats
Utilizing seed cycling for hormone balance
Long walks and meridian yoga therapy
Homeopathics as needed
Dr. Menzer
Cutting back greatly on unnecessary commitments, and “Really thinking about the cost of time”
Asking for help: trading off childcare with spouse, bringing in Mom
Exercise: Ring Fit
Good sleep
Multivitamin and fish oil daily
Using preventative immune supplements when seeing patients in the office or at the hint of a cold: Vitamin C, Zinc, Elderberry
Foods in strong rotation: garlic, onions, ginger, shitake mushrooms, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies and her Immune Boosting Soup (recipe below)
Dr. Menzer also adds “I should make a plug for vitamin D. People should get their vitamin levels checked in Seattle [or other grey parts of the world]. People tend to be vitamin D deficient, and there are some small studies indicating the importance of having robust vitamin D serum levels for protection from serious complications of COVID-19.”
Whew! That’s a lot of information to digest, so let’s breakdown the takeaways in a handy list you can reference for your own health needs.
Photo by Jony Ariadi on Unsplash
For optimal health during COVID (and beyond): 11 tips, tricks and supplements
Make sleep a priority. Consider magnesium or melatonin supplements if you’re having trouble falling asleep.
Reduce overall stress
Stay hydrated (half your body weight in ounces)
Eat a nutrient dense diet
Exercise for mental and physical well being
Consider seeing a Naturopath for personalized homeopathy
Stick to a routine
Try adaptogens like Reishi mushroom and Ashwagandha
Check your Vitamin D levels and add a supplement if need be (5000 IUs)
Preventatives: Vitamin C: 1000-3000mg per day (adult dosage), Zinc: 30mg-60mg with food (adult dosage), Elderberry: 500mg per day (adult dosage)
I have already incorporated several of these tips after speaking with Drs. Menzer and Bloomingdale, and it feels empowering to make these small changes in the face of overwhelming uncertainty.
I’m curious- what mental or physical health actions are you taking currently to improve your health and what would you like to know more about?
With love,
Steph
Additional resources:
Naturopathic approach to COVID-19
