Kitchen Medicine

Water has an amazing ability to calm us down. I remember being a young mother and I received some advice that stuck with me. This mother mentioned that whenever her child is upset, having a bad day or agitated she gave her baby a bath or did something in water. I did this over and over and you know what?? It works!!

Historically water therapy or "hydrotherapy" was used to "cure" all sorts of ailments. In fact this therapy continues into modern world with constitutional hydrotherapy- which is a therapy that alternates hot and cold water applications to the chest and back. This helps regulate the parasympathetic "rest and digest" and sympathetic "flight or fight" response to the nervous system regulate between each other.

Here is a quick way you can do this from home:

1. At the end of your morning shower spend the last 2 mins alternating hot…

The "microbiome" is the term for the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that naturally live in our bodies. Having a "healthy" and balanced microbiome is key to overall health and specifically mental health.

People with various psychiatric disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder have been shown to have significant differences in the composition of their gut microbiome when compared to "healthy" individuals.

Enhancing beneficial bacteria in the gut, through the use of probiotics, prebiotics, or dietary change, has the potential to improve mood and reduce anxiety in both healthy people and patient groups.

Foods that Support Microbial Diversity:

•Foods sources of probiotics: dairy

•Acidophilus milk