If you’re feeling tired of feeling tired from being woken up at night, you’re certainly not alone. We see a large number of parents whose young children wake them in the middle of the night, a habit that sometimes goes on for years at a time. Often children will wake up their parents at night after a band dream, or from night fears and want to either get in bed with them, or have the parent get up and put them back to bed. Either way, this is extremely disruptive to the parents’ sound sleep, and over time can prove difficult to get back into a restful sleep rhythm. 

This is a tricky sleep situation because – at least for parents – taking something to sleep through the night is not solving the problem when you’re actively being woken up in the middle of the night. However for children, getting to the bottom of why they’re waking up is often where our naturopathics doctors will start. They can provide support for both parents and children with the end goal of helping everyone get the best night’s sleep possible. 

Read More: Nutrition Tips for Optimal Sleep

Sleep Support for Children & Parents 

No two children are alike, and what may work for one child may not be quite right for another. Here are some considerations to explore for yourself and your children, and can be further discussed with one of our NDs to better tailor these approaches for your sleep needs:

1. Nutrition before bedtime – When we consume our largest meal at night, this can not only be energizing, but strenuous for our body to digest while we’re trying to sleep. Also, consuming sugar or alcohol can easily disrupt our blood sugar balance – a strong influencer on how well our body can fall asleep and stay asleep. Children especially can be susceptible to sugar highs at night. Thus, try to consume smaller portions at dinner time, or consume dinner at least 3 hours before bedtime. Avoid sugary desserts and beverages to avoid blood sugar spikes in the middle of the night. 

1. Screen time – The trouble here can be two fold: 1) Blue light and screen strobing can affect our internal clock (also known as circadian rhythm), and disrupt our ability to fall asleep. 2) Children are highly sensitive beings. What they’re watching in the evenings before bedtime may be affecting their stress levels or impacting their dreams causing night terrors or nightmares. Instead, listening to a story or drawing / coloring / dream journaling in the evenings is a more calming and creative way to ease into restful sleep. 

Read More: Harvard Health: The Effects of Blue Light 

1. Herbs for sleep support – Herbal support can be a useful addition to evening routines to support our stress response before bed time and to help us nod off naturally. There are several good herbs for sleep support, and your ND can provide the most appropriate one for you or your child. Herbs traditionally used for calming sleep include lemon balm, chamomile, linden and passionflower. 

1. Homeopathics – your naturopathic doctor may have guidance on incorporating homeopathics for yourself and your child to support sleep cycles and behaviors around sleep. Talk with your ND about these options and if they think this could be a useful addition to your care plan. 

If you and/or your child is struggling with sleeping throughout the night, consider making an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors to create a tailored plan just for you. 

December is a very unique month when it comes to health and wellness challenges. We have a change of season from autumn to winter, sometimes a higher than normal level of stress, extra travel, holiday foods and extra savory meals, and often very social meal gatherings where our diet fluctuates significantly from our normal day-to-day. Below are 5 tips for holiday digestion support with some simple daily habits to keep in mind. 

Read More: Healthy Holiday Recipe Round Up 

5 Tips for Holiday Digestion Support 

• Avoid drinking ice-cold beverages around mealtimes. Icey drinks dampen our digestive fire and make it harder to digest our food, especially in the colder winter months. Instead, opt for room temperature or slightly warm beverages before or after meals. 

• Add fennel seed to your food! Fennel is a natural carminative (meaning it helps with gas and bloating) and is a perfect addition to heavier dishes such as hearty soups, stews, pasta, or roast. It also adds a delicious and aromatic flavor to any dish. 

• Do your best to avoid holiday grazing. Allowing at least 4 hours between meals encourages healthy digestion and allows your stomach time to properly digest the food you’ve recently consumed. 

• Enjoy after-meal herbal teas. Peppermint, fennel, and chamomile teas are excellent to support your digestion post-meals and to serve for your guests after a large gathering. A pot of evening herbal tea is always a welcome addition to a dinner party when you have a house full of guests. 

• Remember to eat fiber! We need about 25 grams of fiber daily for optimal digestion and healthy elimination. Most people barely consume half of this on a daily basis. Fiber-rich foods include all vegetables, fruits (with the skin) beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens! Eating enough fiber also has the added benefit of supporting cholesterol and blood sugar levels over time. 

If you need individualized support with maintaining your nutrition practices this season, consider scheduling an appointment with Dr. Beliy to review your needs and your lifestyle practices. Together you can create a personalized nutrition plan that supports your needs and optimizes digestion.

Contact us at (804) 885-3082 to learn more about our practice and to schedule an appointment. 

Richmond Natural Medicine’s New Infrared Sauna is Available For Current Patients

Taking a pause from the day to relax in the soothing warmth of an infrared sauna seems like incentive enough to try this gentle therapy for yourself.  However, if you need a few more reasons to check out infrared then consider these benefits.

Detoxify: Sweating to release toxins is perhaps the benefit most associated with the sauna experience. The process of warming the body increases circulation and triggers the sweat glands. Many studies suggest that sweat helps to detoxify the body by releasing heavy metals, urea, bisphenol-A, and phthalates. Additionally, it improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure.

What’s good for the inside is good for the outside too, and sweating helps to unclog pores and improve the health of your skin.

Pain Relief: As the infrared light warms the body from the inside out, it increases the circulation of the blood and the flow of oxygen. This brings a feeling of relief to patients with muscle soreness, arthritis and related conditions, and helps to speed the healing process.

Better sleep: Relaxing in the quiet warmth of the infrared sauna environment is a perfect way to calm the body and the mind. Often a reset of body temperature—from neutral to warm and then to cool—combined with the soothing heat of the sauna can aid in improving sleep.

Also, relaxing helps to balance cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone, says Amy Myers, MD, author of The Autoimmune Solutions who encourages including infrared sauna visits as part of an overall wellness plan.

Weight loss—the process of warming the body and sweating is likely to produce some weight loss, just as with exercise. This may be an added benefit or, for individuals with certain medical conditions, it may be a low-stress way to elevate the heart rate and improve circulation.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 30 minutes of Infrared sauna may burn as many as 600 calories.

Immune System support: As the body’s core temperature rises, it works to strengthen the immune system and promotes healing.  Studies have even suggested that infrared sauna use provides a reduction in fatigue associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Whether you have a health concern or simply wish to enjoy some quiet relaxation, consider trying out this new wellness resource at RNM.  The gift of self-care gives back for a lifetime. Check out RNM’s new Infrared Sauna which is available for RNM Patients. Schedule your Sauna Session Today.

Going back to school after a long and adventurous summer can be a frightening and exciting time for both parents and kids. Whether it is beginning at a brand new school after a move across the country or meeting new friends, the process can be quite the undertaking.  

5 Healthy Back to School Tips:

1. Catch up on Sleep

Studies have shown that getting adequate sleep not only helps with little ones growing (growth hormones surge during sleep) but it’s also vital for optimal neurotransmitter production. Neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and epinephrine help little ones to have a balanced mood as well as help with focus and concentration during the school day. Getting at least 9-11 hours of sleep per night for school age kids is a must. Having a small cup of chamomile tea after dinner can help with relaxing the child and therefore promote more restful sleep.

2. Get Outside and Move

Movement can help with maintaining and achieving a healthy weight in children. It also helps with increasing their ability to socialize with their peers and community. By reducing the amount of screen time our kids partake in, we can help to encourage them to be outside and moving for at least 60 minutes per day. If that means participating in organized sports, playing a fun game of kick ball with family members or riding a bike, all of these activities will help to keep our kids in shape and much healthier during the school year.

3. Boost the Immune System

Do you notice that your child is more susceptible to the common cold during the school year? Or have you noticed that it takes your child a longer time to recover from common childhood illness? Our kid’s immune systems are very fragile and are easily influenced by their surroundings. Because children are exposed to hundreds of different bacteria and viruses on a daily basis, supporting their immune system during the school year (and beyond) is very important. Starting with a refrigerated probiotic is a great choice, mainly because a large majority of our immune cells are housed in the GI tract (GALT). Other great ways of helping to support your child’s immune system is encouraging hand washing with soap and water and an increase in the consumption of vitamin C rich foods. You could also try working in elderberry syrup as a part of their daily regimen.

4. Get Creative

With free, unstructured time comes a blooming surge in creativity. Creativity helps to aid children in social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Allowing your child to put on a play for you, draw or paint their latest masterpiece or build a spaceship from a cardboard box will give them the confidence to succeed in the classroom on a daily basis. Let your child guide you on their likes and dislikes. Provide a space for them to express themselves emotionally through music or dance during their creative time. The sky should be the limit when it comes to letting your child’s creativity soar.

5. Family Meals

Have you ever noticed that when you include your child in the preparation of food that they are more likely to consume the meal or snack that they helped out with? When children are active participants in their family dynamics, they have a vested interest in the outcome. Preparing and eating meals with your family helps with reducing social anxiety as this is the time for the whole family to connect and check in after a full day of being separated from one another. The more family meals that can be consumed per week also significantly reduce symptoms in medical disorders such as asthma due to children being able to communicate any changes in the way that they feel during dinner time. When families are choosing to consume more nutrient-dense foods like fresh fruits, veggies and complex carbohydrates they tend to have a lower rate of childhood obesity and are more likely to make healthier choices as adults. So let us remember to relax, laugh and gather around the dining room table, as family meals are key to helping your child thrive during the school year.

Resources: Sleep Health Foundation, Center for Disease Control, American Pediatric Association

If you would like additional support regarding your child’s health and well-being, explore our page on Children’s Health and contact our office at (804) 977-2634 to schedule an appointment.

Are you looking for something sweet that is Vegan and is easy to make? Then you should try Dr. Hollon’s recipe for Vegan Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes. This recipe contains no dairy, no egg and no potato.

I love the warm weather and wanted to share a little sweet satisfaction to finish off the summer.  These vegan and potato free tasty little cupcakes came out wonderful so I wanted to be able to share this great recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour- you can use 1 & 1/4 of whole wheat and 3/4c of coconut flour or for gluten free use 3/4c rice flour and 1/4 buckwheat or coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking soda or Rumford’s baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 3/4 cup whole coconut milk (not all are created equal- my favorite is Native Forest) or use your own homemade almond milk
• 3/4 cup organic applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8tsp of cinnamon
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 80z of fresh pineapple (pureed in blender); some cam be left over for toppings on the cupcakes

For Icing:

• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod, scraped (or sub 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1-2 TB real maple syrup (organic)
• 1 TB melted coconut oil
• 1/4c fresh shaved coconut

Directions for Cupcakes:

Combine flour, baking soda/powder and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together oil, almond milk/coconut milk, applesauce and vanilla. Then stir in the sugar and pineapple until well-mixed.  Finally, combine flour mixture to the wet mixture.  Bake for 20-23mins at 325F.

Directions for Icing:

You can soak your cashews for a few hours or if your time is short, soak with sea salt for 20 mins.  Then rinse the cashews and then place into a blender or food processor.  Add the vanilla bean/vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, maple syrup and 1/2 cup of almond/coconut milk to start.  Blend to puree, slowly pouring in coconut oil while blending to thicken the mixture.  Continue blending until you reach your desired consistency (remember it will thicken once chilled).  I frosted the cupcakes, then added pineapple puree and then sprinkled with coconut shavings and added blueberries.

Leftovers cupcakes and icing will keep in fridge for up to a few days.

About the Author:

Richmond Native and Naturopathic Dr. Leah Hollon is the Co-Owner of Richmond Natural Medicine. She received her B.S. and MPH from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a graduate of National College of Natural Medicine where she received her Naturopathic Medical Degree. Her areas of focus include Autoimmune, Hormones, MTHFR Gene Mutation and Naturopathic Cancer Support. Please check our Book An Appointment for more information about booking an appointment.