Natural, Alternative Medicine
There are so many natural, alternative, and holistic options for improving your mental and physical health. Take back control of your wellbeing and choose the better options for your life. It is up to you to choose, you.
Modern medicine closes us off to powerful natural approaches to bettering life.
After getting to know your Self and the choices you make, you can then begin to examine where deficiencies reside in your life. I’m not talking about being vitamin deficient. I am talking deficient in the areas of life you need to function better to therefore feel better. We can be sleep deficient via the choices we make, we can be health and nutrient deficient, we can be deficient in time and energy, and we can also be deficient with communication and how we project our Self to others.
Life is about choices, right?
After you have made a conscious overhaul with your choices, you then should consider if you need a bit more assistance in making those better daily life choices.
This is where supplements, adaptogens, and natural remedies come into your life.
You need to take in information one at a time.
Changing what you do everyday is a huge alteration to your life, affecting your mind and body.
With each choice you make, you need to give that choice time to settle into your life, offering you insight if that choice is a better fit or needs further refinement (or elimination).
Life’s order of operations for better living:
Assess and alter daily choices (upgrade habits).
Assess, add, and alter what you intake. This is food, beverage, and all substances.
Assess if you need to talk to a professional. Find a therapist that fits your needs. Shop around.
Along with your professional assessment and after some time, consider medication.
There is so much we can do everyday to feel better about our Self and life in total.
What we choose to put into our bodies, and what we choose to not use to our advantage, determines the daily outcome of our wellbeing in our mind and body.
Before we deep dive into our better life, we have three things to clear up.
What are adaptogens, what happens when we discontinue taking SSRIs, and very brief talk on some very important neurotransmitters.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a widely used type of antidepressant. Tapering off an SSRI or even missing a few doses can cause withdrawal symptoms, including agitation, anxiety, mental confusion, nausea, insomnia, dizziness, and brain zaps. The addictiveness of antidepressants has largely been downplayed from what data is showing. A team of researchers found that SSRIs are as hard to quit as highly addictive benzodiazepines. If you are currently taking a SSRI, you need to be aware that even your doctor is not going to fully know or understand what is happening with your body while on the medication as well as once you decide to go off of it. Medications for mental health are not meant to be forever; mental health medication does not repair, they just assist.
What are adaptogens? The oxford dictionary defines adaptogens as a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. Some well-known examples are Ginseng, Ashwagandha, and Holy Basil/Tulsi. Adaptogens increase the state of nonspecific resistance in stress and decrease sensitivity to stressors, which results in stress protection, and prolong the phase of resistance (stimulatory effect). Adaptogens are excellent.
Neurotransmitters relay messages between the billions of neurons or nerve cells in our brain. Neurotransmitters affect many aspects of our life, ranging from moods, productivity, stress management, memory and learning ability, sleep, food cravings, addictions, etc.
While all neurotransmitters are essential, the “big four” are:
Dopamine – impacts energy, drive, focus and motivation. The pain / pleasure balance.
Serotonin – affects mood, sleep, and immune function. We look around and say I like this.
Acetylcholine – influences memory and attention span. Helps your brain work right.
GABA – promotes calmness and contentment, offers optimal sleep and digestion.
