Seasonal Allergies on The One Body Wellness Podcast

Are you part of the lucky 30% of Canadians who suffer from seasonal allergies? With so many allergy sufferers, the conversation around environmental irritants is definitely an important one to have.

So, let’s talk about seasonal allergies. You may have noticed that your allergies got worse even earlier this year. Well, isn’t that fun? Emerging from winter and a global pandemic that affects our respiratory system, right into seasonal allergies with similar symptoms, it’s no wonder seasonal allergies is a hot and important topic. From March to September, we must co exist with the trees, grass and weeds that can cause a host of allergy symptoms including congestion, runny nose, loss of smell, itchy eyes, headaches, sneezing and even a rash that is similar to eczema can appear.

So, you have allergies, but how do you manage them in world where you can’t just stay indoors at all times, and that wouldn’t even be good for you anyways, based on dust and other toxins indoors? Well, whenever someone enters my office with seasonal allergy symptoms, I always tend to start with the lymphatic system and the liver. An allergic reaction is an overreaction of the immune system to a certain substance. For example, our allergen specific antibodies, called immunoglobulins, see a pollen overload and are like HARD NO! and they begin to react in ways that become uncomfortable for us to live with.

Sorry to my Ottawa peeps, you live in the Canadian city with the highest pollen count. So it’s no surprise, if you live in the Nation’s capital, you might be on the hunt for relief for your allergy symptoms.

Listen to episode #10 of The One Body Wellness podcast on any podcast listening app for the ways in which I recommend you tackle allergy symptoms and reach out if you have another other questions!

Lyme Disease on The One Body Wellness Podcast

Check out episode 9 on The One Body Wellness Podcast!

Lyme disease comes from black-legged ticks, and it is a bacterial infection. The infection itself is in the shape of a spiral, so it tends to ease itself into areas of our body with grace, no effort at all. The majority of people who get lyme disease don’t remember being bitten by a tick nor do they have a bullseye rash show up, alerting them they’ve been bitten.

As Manual Osteopath, I help address somatic dysfunctions, including cognitive function and the nervous system. As practitioners, we owe it to our patients to always sit in the learners seat. There are no experts on lyme, but lyme literate professionals that are constantly learning about this disease.

Consider false negatives, and addressing lyme based on certain symptoms even if tests are negative, can help outcomes.

My question for you is, instead of fearing lyme and ticks, how can we be symbiotic with nature, to co-exist, and to protect ourselves, and the environment in the meantime?

https://www.onebodywellness.ca/podcast

What is Energy and How is it Affected by Grief?

Energy is our life force that is unseen, unheard and untouched. It is the vitality and spark within us that allows us to function on a physical level and process on an intuitive level. Our energy is affected by what we think, feel, hear, eat and do. It is also affected by others.

There are two types of energetic disturbances. Congestion is an accumulation of energy that doesn’t serve us well. And depletion is a deficiency of energy. These disturbances can be specific to a certain area of the body or on a systemic level. When they accumulate or go unnoticed, they can negatively start to impact the body in a physical way. Negative emotions or energy do not cause a problem themselves, but it is our resistance to feeling these emotions where physical manifestation begins. It is not so much our experiences, but our thoughts about them that cause suffering.

What happens to our body when we avoid working through difficult emotions, like grief?

• Our muscles get tight and resist our nervous system response to relax.

• We start to develop musculoskeletal weakness and injury.

• We become dehydrated, lose our appetite, feel nauseous.

• We start to create new realities that take energy and stamina, creating fatigue.

• Our sleep starts to become affected.

• Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts may occur.

Grief causes inflammation in the body. This means, when we experience grief, we are more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infection. Grief causes stress, which can increase blood pressure and put us at risks for blood clots. From an osteopathic perspective, it is no surprise that we are currently experiencing a pandemic that is centered around, and weakens, our lungs and blood vessels. This is exactly where grief lies.

Grief not only comes from loss of a loved one. We have been grieving our earth and destructive practices for years. For example, in 2019, we saw the beautiful Amazon rainforest, the “lungs” of our earth, suffer through extreme wild fires. We are grieving the loss of lived experiences and our past lives during this pandemic. We are watching hatred, anger, abuse of power and control be idolized in people who hold positions of power.

Grief is all around us, and the COVID-19 pandemic that we are currently experiencing has truly demonstrated our absolute urgency in needing to gather tools to help us process and move through grief. Here is a suggested list of ways to handle grief. These things should not take place of trauma therapy and loss counseling.

• Exercise outdoors. Being in nature helps us breathe easier and vitamin D is essential.

• Instead of trying to avoid the “negative”, simply add in more “positives”. For example, fill up on veggies to nourish your body.

• Sleep is your main priority during times of grief. Do everything in your power to prioritize it.

• Read about grief to connect with parts of yourself that are hard to express with words.

• Be around others who don’t minimize your process and who support it fully.

• Be gentle with your process. There is no timeline on grief, and waves can come years later. Ride the wave, move through what you are feeling and let it empower you.

• Deep breathing helps us develop a calmness and control we may feel we have lost.

• Seek out a therapist that works specifically with grief, trauma and loss.