Spring is supposed to be a time of rejoicing in the warmer weather and beautiful blossoming flora. For many people, especially in the greater Portland area, springtime is a miserable nightmare on repeat. Itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing and often asthma attacks are keynotes for environmental allergies. Given the Pacific Northwest’s climate it not only supports a lush green environment but also allows environmental allergies to continue all year alternating between pollen and mold.

There are endless advertisements for anti-histamines, decongestants and other ways to pharmaceutically survive the allergy season. As a naturopath, there are many ways to effectively address allergies, often eliminating them completely with a few dietary modifications and natural remedies.

It helps to understand what an allergic reaction to better understand how to treat them. Allergies are a reaction to a harmless substance in the environment that the body views as harmful. It dumps excessive amounts of histamine, a compound that triggers an inflammatory response and increases vascular permeability to fight off the invading substance. The end result is excessive amounts of fluid draining from your eyes and nose.

Treating allergies from a naturopathic perspective is controlling inflammation and reducing or inhibiting histamine release. There are many ways to do this but here are a few of my favorites:

- Eliminate dairy products. Dairy products create mucus and inflammation both will aggravate allergies.

- Honey. Local, raw honey has proven to be a great preventative and treatment for seasonal allergies. Check out your local farmer’s Market, produce stand or People’s Co-op for this delicacy.

- Nettles. You can collect your own or purchase them fresh or dried. Research has shown them to be 87% effective in reducing and/or eliminating allergies.

- Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that helps to lower inflammation and settles the immune system. You need to do this daily and increase during allergy attacks.

- Bromelain is an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties and comes from pineapples (the tougher middle section). Adding pineapple to your diet will be helpful but you may not achieve therapeutic doses.

- Quercitin is a flavonoid found in sweet potatoes, green beans, onion skins, berries, broccoli and a handful of other foods. Again, capsule form may allow for a therapeutic dose but adding these foods to your diet regime would be beneficial and preventative.

These are just a few common treatments. To discuss naturopathic allergy treatments further, stop in Flow Natural Health Care located in Milwaukie, minutes from Portland.

Marsha Hamilton, ND

In the age of overwork we are all looking for that edge. You know the one I am talking about. The extra something that allows us to go to our job, or jobs, during the day, pick up kids from day care, come home and cook dinner, clean dishes, help with homework, and maybe find a little time for ourselves or partner before crashing out to a not so great sleep. This cycle may have even deeper roots outside our direct control but we are not here to talk about that right now. What we are hear to discuss is the edge that more Americans are reaching for; the energy drink.

They go by many names and invoke numerous images such as a flying red male cow, or ferocious green creature or even the electronic device a rocker may plug her electric guitar into just to annoy the neighbors. Regardless of name they are essentially doing the same thing, trading a temporary rush of energy for a much larger and costlier subsequent crash.

In 2011 domestic sales of energy drink reached an excess of $6.9Bln and globally exceeded $50Bln. This is a huge industry and for all the claims that are made one important piece of information is omitted. Energy drinks result in an overall reduction of health and wellness. Let us explore why this is.

The body is a complicated and very sensitive machine that relies on a vast network of chemicals to communicate within itself. For example, if I am stressed, a small gland in my brain, the pituitary, will release a chemical message to my adrenal gland to release a different chemical, cortisol. That cortisol gives me a little boost of energy to run/fight, or focus to find a solution. The energy, at least in part, comes from a simultaneous release of stored sugar from the liver and muscles. Energy drinks force the body, mainly the adrenal glands, to secrete cortisol in very high and often sustained amounts. Cortisol, in addition to releasing stored sugar (giving a rush and subsequent crash) also suppresses the immune system. The high and frequent release of sugar increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes, but, a long term increase in cortisol suppresses or reduces the immune system. This suppression may have far more profound consequences to health including chronic disease and cancer. This repetitive stimulation of the adrenals causes the glands to fatigue. This adrenal fatigue results in an increased dependence on more energy drinks and sugary foods.

A classic profile of someone who is suffering from adrenal fatigue looks something like the following. Difficulty waking up in the morning and very tired. Energy does not really kick in until about 2-3 hrs after rising. Energy goes pretty good until around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and then quite tired (reach for energy drink/coffee) then feeling okay until close to bed. A “second wind” may be felt right around the time to go to sleep 9-11 at night. While not everyone experiences it the same, if this sounds something like what you are feeling there is a good chance you are experiencing some level of adrenal fatigue. The good news is there’s help. It is possible to completely remove energy drinks from your diet and feel better than before energy in a sustained fashion. Depending on how depleted you are will affect the timeline to recovery. Start by drinking plenty of water. A reasonable amount for healthy individuals is 1/3 your body weight in ounces a day. If I weigh 200lbs then 66oz. is my goal. Eat plenty of leafy greens (kale, chard, collards, spinach, mustard greens, etc) Eat breakfast and avoid sugary/starchy items. Try a hard boiled egg. No sweets/alcohol before bed. Sugar dramatically affects the quality of sleep and we want the best sleep we can get to repair. For specifics that are tailored to you personally come by for a consult. Take charge of your life and have more energy, naturally, to enjoy the things you like.

Dr. Richard Lok, ND

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a condition that results in fatigue, depression, lack of motivation, change in appetite, oversleeping, weight gain and moodiness during the winter months. Less daylight, rainy weather and colder temperatures typically define the winter season. Add in depression or other low moods and you have a cold and drizzly sense of being.

SAD can be mild or severe and can affect anyone. It is more common in areas further from the equator and those with a history of depression. It typically begins in late fall or early winter but onset can vary similar to the intensity. The lack of daylight is a major trigger but the exact cause is unknown. With shorter daylight hours, the body’s circadian rhythms adjust resulting in the pineal gland releasing more sleep hormones then waking hormones. There is also less vitamin D produced in the body with less exposure to sunlight, both from less hours and intensity of sunlight, and typically having less skin exposed from wearing more clothes.

Naturopathic physicians have treatments for SAD in addition to the recommended light therapy and vitamin D. Light therapy is a fairly easy treatment requiring 30 minutes a day in front of a light box. Light boxes have been shown to be effective in treating many cases of SAD. Make sure you purchase a light box specific to treating SAD and think about when and where you are going to use it to help you decide which model is the best fit for you. Light boxes designed to treat SAD filter out most UV rays to minimize or eliminate damage to your skin or eyes. That said, each brand has different filtering levels so try to find one that filters as much UV as possible.

Vitamin D is another common and effective treatment for SAD. Talk to you naturopath about dosing and timing of vitamin D to maximize the benefits. There are other natural treatments that we can use to further treat, and ideally prevent SAD from developing.

If you are struggling this winter with increased fatigue, decreased motivation or any other symptom of SAD, stop in at Flow Natural Health Care located in Milwaukie, just minutes from Portland to get relief and get your life back.

Marsha Hamilton, ND.

What is an antioxidant, and why should you care? Before we can begin to explain what an anti-oxidant is, a little background is needed on what oxidation is.

Oxidation is a chemical term that means a transfer of energy, in this case electrons. Everything in our world is made of atoms, and a very important part of the atom is the electron. The electron is the part of the atom that does most of the interacting with its neighbors. An atom wants to be stable and balanced. The members of the center of the atom, the nucleus, want to be equal and balanced to the electrons swarming around them. If you transfer electrons to or away from this atom you change the balance and everything tries to reorder itself back to the way it was, even if it means stealing from its neighbors. We call an atom in this state a free radical. Free radicals can cause profound changes within our cells, including damage to our DNA. That damage might reprogram the genetic code and cause a cell to become cancerous.

Free radicals are produced all the time in our bodies. When it is part of the function of the immune system these highly reactive free radicals can destroy bacteria and viruses, this is a good thing. But when free radicals are produced in places that are not equipped to handle them, we may suffer.

An anti-oxidant is a substance that prevents oxidation and the creation of these extra and dangerous free radicals. An important item to note is that too many anti-oxidants will also affect the normal healthy free-radical formation so knowing how much, and what forms, is worth talking to someone about, especially if you plan on high doses. Anti-oxidants come in many shapes and each one has its particular area of greatest influence.

Anti-oxidants occur everywhere in nature, especially in plants. We ingest most of them as fruits and vegetables, especially the brightly colored ones.

Red = berries, wine, tomato and other fruits.

Benefit = blood vessels, heart

Yellow = papaya, turmeric, carrots, pineapple and other fruits

Benefit = reduce allergies and inflammation

Green = tea

Benefit = multi-system anti cancer

In addition to the compounds that color these various plants, many of the vitamins included in other foods provide anti-oxidant properties as well. Some of the best know are ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherols (vitamin E), and β-carotene.

The best way to get these highly beneficial anti-oxidants is to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Try and put at least one in every meal and rotate with as much variety as possible. Not only will you live longer but chances are good that you will feel better and be healthier during that time as well.

-As always, eat for life and be well in happiness.

Dr. Richard Lok

Movember is the joining together of men around the world bringing awareness to mens health, specifically prostrate and testicular cancer by growing moustaches through the month of November. These men are known as “Mo Bros” and in exchange for their hard work and dashing moustaches, are donations towards research and resources for mens health. If you have a mo bro in your household or see one on the street, thank them or offer a donation for helping keep all the men in your life healthy.

For more information check out www.movember.com