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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Summer Skin Care Tips

Summer is predominantly a hot, dry, and humid season, and depending on your personal makeup and location, it can be a challenging month to acclimate to especially if you have sensitive skin. It is a season where we need to take extra precautions to protect our skin from long hours in the sun or excessive heat. Here are some RNM summer skin care tips to get you through the season:

  • Wear sunscreen or SPF clothing. This is your first line of defense against long exposure to UV rays. Always opt for a mineral based sunscreen. Keep in mind that sunscreens are used in large quantities, all over the body and reapplied regularly. Thus, the (usually chemical) ingredients in sunscreens are absorbed into the skin and can be measured in the blood. When using a mineral sunscreen such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, these particles are larger and do not absorb into the skin (hence the white coating on the skin look). This ensures that mineral-based sunscreens are acting as a literal barrier between your skin and the sun, and not directly absorbed into your skin, or your blood. Here are some of the best sunscreens available recommended by the Environmental Working Group, and you can check your sunscreen ingredients within their database for safety.
  • Apply skin soothing herbs to sun-irritated skin. Aloe vera gel, chamomile or calendula compresses are great options to calm inflamed skin.
  • Avoid intense sun exposure during peak hours. Depending on where you’re located, this is usually between 11am-4pm. If you plan to be out in the sun, plan to do so earlier in the morning, or in later afternoon.
  • Hydrate! Maintaining internal hydration is so important to keeping your summer skin healthy and balanced. As a general rule, consume about half of your body weight in ounces of water, not to exceed 100 ounces for women and 120 ounces for men. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, that’s 80 ounces of water per day!
  • Nutrition: Focus on consuming colorful, seasonal berries (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and grapes); nutrient-rich greens (rainbow chard, kale, collards, beet greens); healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, olive oils, organic dairy products, high quality fatty fish and seafood, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds); plant-based/organic proteins (lentils, kidney beans, nutritional yeast, black beans, mushrooms, and even collagen powders).

A Natural Approach to Dermatological Health

Depending on your skin color, your age, your location, and your skin sensitivity, all of these recommendations can be customized for you so that your skin health is optimally supported long term. If you have concerns about summer skin health, or how to protect yourself this season, consider making an appointment with a naturopathic doctor at Richmond Natural Medicine to go over some strategies specific to your needs. Check out our naturopathic doctors specializing in dermatological concerns:

 

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general wellness
By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Explore Our New General Wellness Visits with Dr. Ferreira

“Why should I go to a doctor when I’m not sick?”

Now more than ever, people are being proactive about their health needs, choosing to invest in their wellness, and learning how to support their needs with a little help from naturopathic medicine. You don’t always need to be sick to go to the doctor. Your naturopathic doctor can provide great insight to achieving a more enhanced state of wellness & vitality.

Ideally, our bodies keep themselves in a balanced state, but we live in a world full of stress, toxins, negativity, and unknowns. Sometimes we just need some guidance to stay on track when our paths are forced to take detours. Whether it is cleansing energies, detoxifying the body, or simply being prepared to handle those unknowns, there are always steps we can take toward sustaining a sense of wellness.

Sometimes ‘just a pinch’ is all you need.

Often, people think that taking more supplements or applying more products to our skin makes us better patients and better beings. But we can’t forget that our bodies are meant to fight back illness and manage unforeseen changes in our bodies. This innate ability to manage & fight is necessary for our lifelong wellness.

Sometimes all you need is a minor tweak; like one supplement to help replenish levels or detox systems, or a slight change in dietary habits to decrease inflammation or adding in scheduled self-care to bring you back into balance. The more external help your body needs, the further away you are from true health. The goal is to manage stressors with as little external help as possible. Now, that doesn’t mean when the world comes crashing down around you that you need to figure it out all on your own, but even learning ways to adapt and help yourself manage imbalance can get you 85% of the way there, and that other 15% will come from supporting what your needs are in that moment – that is where naturopathic medicine shines.

What’s for me, might not be for you.

The internet allows us to have constant information at the tips of our fingers, but with that ease comes the availability of an excessive amount of information; some helpful, but also sometimes confusing. You don’t need to learn to navigate the world of health and wellness on your own. What is discussed and explored on the internet or even by your family and friends, might not be what is right for you and your needs.

The most efficient and targeted way to address health is to explore your questions and concerns with your doctor. It is a part of our job, as doctors, to utilize our scientific and medical experiences to weed through the misinformation and get you the most updated and researched information. As Naturopathic doctors, we are able to listen to your story and help provide guidance that is pertinent to you specifically, and what is right for someone else just might not be what you need at that moment. We can provide you with support and options for what is right to keep you feeling, looking, and living your best.

Let us help you maintain your good health by booking a 1-hour New Patient General Wellness visit with Dr. Vanessa Ferreira at Richmond Natural Medicine. Request your appointment online or by calling our office at (804) 977-2634.

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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Naturopathic Approach to High Blood Pressure

Hypertension—or high blood pressure—is one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in the U.S. today, affecting more than 75 million Americans. Unfortunately, less than 50% of those with hypertension manage to keep it under control. Because high blood pressure is one of the few diseases with virtually no outwardly noticeable symptoms, it is often referred to as “the silent killer”. Complications from high blood pressure can seem to come on quickly. If and when symptoms do present, they commonly include occasional dizziness, headaches, sporadic high heart rate, nervousness, and skin flushing. However, these symptoms are not specific to hypertension.

For someone to be diagnosed with hypertension, they must have a blood pressure reading consistently over 140/90 mm Hg. While it is normal for blood pressure to rise and fall during normal daily activities, such as exercising and sleeping, when blood pressure is consistently elevated over a period of time hypertension is more likely the cause.

Fortunately, your blood pressure is easy to check every single day. You can do this at almost any local drug store. And, if you have been diagnosed with hypertension, then your naturopathic doctor can absolutely help you get to the bottom of how and why this is presenting.

Root Causes of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure can be potentiated by several factors, including high stress, and (to some extent) genetic predisposition. Lifestyle and diet, however, plays the most significant role in both the presence of hypertension, and as an effective solution. Stress is the key player in how and when high blood pressure is present. And here’s why:

High stress is one of the leading causes of hypertension, and when addressed first, it can have an almost immediate positive impact on blood pressure. Stress causes a cascade of hormonal responses, physically constricting the arteries and leading to a more rapid blood flow and higher pressure against the endothelial layer of the arterial walls. When under stress, we release aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland. Aldosterone sends a message to the kidneys to retain salts. This signals nephrons to increase reabsorption of sodium and water, and releases potassium in the kidneys. Water will always follow sodium, leading to an increase in blood volume, which ultimately leads to an increase in blood pressure. Your kidneys play an enormous role in maintaining healthy blood pressure, and the kidneys are directly responsive to stress.

Aldosterone receptors (many of which are in the heart) can bind glucocorticoids, another class of steroid hormones. So, if you’re really stressed, your glucocorticoid levels go up, and you will start filling up aldosterone receptors and your blood volume will increase, thus increasing blood pressure. By controlling our response to stress (or better yet – reducing the causes of stress), we can effectively reduce the amount of aldosterone that is released on a daily basis, and therefore protect the kidneys.

Naturopathic Approach

Your Naturopathic doctor will first review any blood pressure medications that you may be taking in order to safely work alongside them. Then, they will thoroughly assess your lifestyle to determine what may be contributing to high blood pressure on a daily basis. Likely, they will suggest stress and lifestyle modifications to support your goal of lowering blood pressure sustainably, and often recommend appropriate herbal medicines or supplements – as well as dietary suggestions – to support your cardiovascular system, central nervous system, and your kidneys. All of their recommendations will be tailored for you and your lifestyle, and whether or not you are currently taking any medications to address high blood pressure.

Long term, the goal of a naturopathic approach to managing hypertension is to eliminate the cause, and thus prevent blood pressure from elevating again. This occurs by educating patients on the cause of their high blood pressure (which may differ from person to person), and offering tools and techniques to manage this effectively and sustainably over time. They can also easily work collaboratively with your other health care providers to deliver the most holistic and comprehensive care possible.

Are you interested in learning more about incorporating a naturopathic approach when managing high blood pressure? Request an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Doctors or give us a call at 804-977-2634 today.

Read More: Naturopathic Approach to Cardiovascular Health

Read More: 5 Supportive Remedies for High Blood Pressure

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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Personalized Nutrition: Fad Diets Vs. Individualized Diets

Within the world of nutrition, it can seem like there is a lot of overwhelm regarding what the “best” diet to follow is on any given month. With near constant blog posts, social media influencers, and health headlines coming across our feeds about keto, vegan, paleo, IFM, whole 30, alkaline, and intermittent fasting diets (the list goes on and on), which one is best for you? How do you choose? It’s very common for all of the diet fads and trends to present with conflicting information, leading to further confusion about what you should and should not consume. This is where educating yourself about your own nutrition needs really pays off. Creating an individualized diet – often with the help of a trained nutritionist – is almost always a more sustainable, affordable, and health aligned choice.

Keep in mind when hearing about a new diet fad:

  • Who is promoting this? Are they benefitting from the “sale” of anything within this diet such as supplements, meal packages or subscriptions? And are they a trained professional within the nutrition profession? (Social media influencers and some “wellness” bloggers usually are not).
  • What is the research? Where is this diet information coming from, and how was this information gathered? Make sure that any nutrition protocol has legitimate research to back it up, ideally with 10+ years of human use and documentation.
  • Is it sustainable for you? Is this a diet that you can reasonably keep doing in order to maintain your health goals?
  • Does it absolutely meet your required nutrition needs? The #1 issue with fad diets is that there is no one right diet for everyone. Every single person requires different things to balance our health, and following a popular diet that works for one person may not work for you.
  • Are they only focused on calories? Calorie counting diets alone are not a sustainable diet solution. Calorie counting does not take into account food nutrient quality, and that’s a huge problem.

The Benefits of a Personalized Nutrition Plan:

  • All of your specific micro and macro nutrient needs will be met. This can often be done through a thorough nutrition assessment from your nutritionist, or through appropriate testing so you know exactly what you need, and how much.
  • Any issues with food allergies or food intolerances will be taken into account, and avoided. If you’re continually consuming foods you may be allergic or intolerant to, this can lead to other issues stemming from inflammation and/or digestive imbalance. Getting the appropriate testing for these will greatly enhance your long-term, individualized nutrition plan.
  • Other aspects of your health are addressed nutritionally, including hormone balance, metabolism, activity level, blood sugar support, applicable family history, weight support, cholesterol support, and digestive health. Your individualized diet plan can serve as a truly therapeutic key to your overall health when created just for you.
  • A nutrition plan will be created for you that is sustainable. It will meet your current health goals while being possible to maintain long term, so there’s no “falling off the wagon” once you’ve reached your goals.
  • When working with a nutritionist for an individualized diet, you can expect this diet to change as your health changes. This is an excellent benefit, because your health is never stagnant, and nor should your diet be either.

Remember, “food is medicine”, and each person’s medicine should be as unique as they are individually. Fad diets are often always based on a single principle or goal, which is usually reductionist specific (i.e, lose weight by burning ketones, or increase energy by fasting longer, for example). A holistic, person- centered diet should always be enhancing to whole body health, not depleting by focusing on a single goal and ignoring the other areas of health support or ignoring the synergy of the body. Food can be amazingly well suited and tailored for each person, and with the help of a nutritionist, an individualized diet can be created just for you that not only addresses your specific health goals, but can be supportive of your individual needs.

 

Ready to enhance your health through nutrition and build your life-long individualized diet?

Book your Initial Nutrition Consultation with Dr. Viktoriya Beliy here.

Dr. Viktoriya Beliy is a licensed naturopathic physician who completed her education and a year-long residency at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. During her time at NUNM she also earned her Master’s in Nutrition concurrently with her doctorate in naturopathic medicine. She has additional training in classical homeopathy through the New England School of Homeopathy with Dr. Paul Herscu and Dr. Amy Rothenberg. She enjoys treating all conditions, especially focusing on dermatology, women’s and men’s health, endocrinology, and autoimmune conditions.

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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Top 5 Richmond Natural Medicine Tips to Improve Your Sleep

Sleep is foundational to optimal health. If you are not getting adequate, good quality rest you are not allowing for proper tissue repair and healing.

Sleep can make a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. It improves memory and mood, reduces inflammation and improves immune function, in addition to decreasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

Here are 5 simple tips to improve your nightly dream time.

  1. NO SCREEN TIME at least an hour before bed. The blue light from screens disrupts the production of melatonin in the brain, thus negatively impacting sleep. Remove all wifi devices from the bedroom. Turn off the screens and read a book, meditate, pray or journal.
  2. Go outside for at least 20-30 minutes daily. Our bodies are attuned to nature. Our circadian rhythms are dependent upon natural sunlight on the retina of the eye. Plus fresh air, grounding and simply being in nature offer other healing benefits as well!
  3. Exercise and regulate your blood sugar. Avoid caffeine after noon, avoid alcohol (especially in the evenings), eat regular anti-inflammatory balanced meals and discontinue eating 3 hours before bed time.
  4. Tea time anyone? Herbal teas before bed can be very calming and serve as a ceremony to remind the body it is time to rest. Great options include chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower and valerian. There are plenty of combination sleepy teas out there such as Nighty Night, Bedtime and Cup of Calm.
  5. Magic of Magnesium. Deficient magnesium can lead to poor sleep and insomnia. It relaxes and calms the body and mind for improved sleep. I would suggest magnesium glycinate rather than magnesium citrate.

Can you imagine, peacefully drifting off to sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. Having deep uninterrupted sleep, waking rejuvenated and ready for your day?

Yes, it’s possible.. it may seem like there are a lot of obstacles, but there are endless ways to support healthy sleep!

As Naturopath’s we aim to treat the cause. Knowing the underlying cause of sleep disturbance guides the recommended supportive therapies, which are always individualized. If you have tried everything or have been struggling with sleep concerns for far too long, consider making an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Doctors. You can contact our office at (804) 977-2634 for more information.

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By Dr. Leah Hollon, ND, MPH
RNM Blog
Emotional Inflammation

How Our Thoughts And Feelings Create Inflammation In The Body

These days, we frequently hear about inflammation in relation to pain, weight gain, heart health, cancer, and even one’s cognitive function. Some sources have shown that inflammation can stem from exposure to chemicals, poor food choices, and inappropriate activity level. However, the inflammation that I most commonly see is born from our own emotions and internal dialogue. 

Many people are unaware that their thoughts and emotions impact inflammation. Studies have shown that emotions such as shame and embarrassment impact our immune system. When the emotional body registers information as negative, this impacts the body’s vagus nerve. The vagus nerve controls our breathing, digestion, and heart rate, as well as relays messages to the brain where then immune proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals can prompt inflammation.

Asthma symptoms, for example, can become more uncontrolled and less likely to be relieved by medication during times of emotional upset. Likewise, when people with rheumatoid arthritis internalize their emotions, their disease becomes less controlled and they can physically experience more pain. Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, also called Broken Heart Syndrome, is a condition that can occur after a negative emotional stressor is experienced by the body. The stressor alters the vagus nerve to a point where the heart begins to beat abnormally, and can ultimately be fatal. Broken Heart Syndrome shows us that our emotions play a significant role in our inflammation. And thus I ask, how are our thoughts responsible for our inflammation?

Our words and thoughts matter, even on a cellular level. Dr. Masaru Emoto, the author of Messages from Water, studied the effect of negative words on water. His findings suggested that even speaking negative words to water molecules changed the normal structure and stability of water to become disjointed and unstable, whereas positive words provided more stability. If our words can impact water, what does that mean for the human body, made up mostly of water? How does our internalized dialogue affect our health? In our society, we are surrounded by inflammatory messages. We are a nation of inflammation and we continue to suffer from our illnesses because we are unaware of how we perpetuate inflammation. But with knowledge and practice, we can decrease our suffering. Start your journey of inflammatory healing with these small first steps:

  1. Make a daily list of 20 things that you participated in that brought you positivity.
  2. Identify three things or people in your life that you recognize are contributing to your inflammation and how you’d like to modify your relationship to them.
  3. Using mantras, intentions or prayer, replace two daily negative thoughts that you have about yourself or others with positive ones.
  4. Create a Gratitude Bowl: Each day, write three individual things you are grateful for on slips of paper. At the end of the week read over them. Consider inviting close ones to join you in reading these messages of gratitude. You will be surprised by how your gratitude is elevated in their presence.

To address long term inflammation, we must first develop a language and environment of anti-inflammation. Surround yourself with people who exude positivity. When you have a negative thought about yourself or another, replace it with a positive mantra or thought. The goal is not to ignore or dismiss poor behaviors but to decrease the collective inflammation that exists within yourself, and more broadly, our society. The first step is facing your own unresolved inflammation. Each day, ask yourself- will you be a conduit of anti-inflammation or a conduit of inflammation?

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.

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