How do I know if I am stressed?

Stress is not a diagnosis or condition. It is the root of many conditions physically, emotionally, physically, chemically and economically.  Many people don't even realize they are STRESSED!!! With the amount of things we have to accomplish in a day who can keep track of whether or not we are stressed? Eventually, your body will let you know that you are stressed.

I have encountered many working and non-working individuals who have neglected their bodies far too long...as a result? Each person is different and can manifest a variety of things including but not limited to: heartburn, panic attacks, inflammation of the gut, poor digestion, weight gain/loss, hair loss (alopecia), loss of sleep/broken sleep, anxiety, eczema, hormone imbalances, vitamin deficiencies and many more! Stress disturbs our normal balance in life, our homeostasis.

So how do you know if you are stressed?
1. Identify what your stressor is and put it into perspective.  Is it really as bad as you think?
2. Accept you cannot control everything
3. Take a time out and take 10 deep breaths
4. Eat well balanced meals, minimize stress eating with comfort foods
5. Get enough sleep
6. Exercise - get a fitbit and join a community of friends: yoga, run, walk, bike, hike... ANYTHING!
7. Find humor in things, smile often, give a hug, get a hug!
8. Acknowledge your triggers
9. Maintain a positive attitude
10. Hydrate your body

How do you get your ife back to Homeostasis?
1. Get your NERVOUS SYSTEM checked by Dr. Stephanie Woo, DC-MBA at ChiroConcept of Bellevue  and get back on track through gentle Chiropractic Adjustments from a Board Certified Chiropractor.
2. Have a Natrualpath Dr. Akiko Kato, ND at Femme Clinique  check your hormone levels to supplement your system during this stressful time.

*Remember* 
Seek help the natural way, our bodies are designed to withstand a lot, so we ARE able to get back to homeostasis without drug intervention.


Visit Dr. Stephanie Woo, DC-MBA at ChiroConcept of Bellevue or Dr. Akiko Kato, ND at Femme Clinique for an appointment to a better life!

Fight the Fall Blues with Vit D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation. The first occurs in the liver and converts vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], also known as calcidiol.  The second occurs primarily in the kidney and forms the physiologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], also known as calcitriol.

Rickets and osteomalacia are the classical vitamin D deficiency diseases. In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a disease characterized by a failure of bone tissue to properly mineralize, resulting in soft bones and skeletal deformities.

  Age              Male           Female 
0-12m           400 IU        400 IU (10mcg)
1-70y            600 IU        600 IU (15mcg)
>70y             800 IU        800 IU (20mcg)

Sources of Vit D: 

1. Flesh of Fatty Fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, canned sardines) 
2. Dole's Portobello Mushrooms 
3. Fortified cow's milks (some soy & rice milk contain the same amounts) 
4. Fortified orange juice (Two fortified brands, Florida Natural Orange Juice and Minute Maid Kids+ Orange Juice, contain 100 IUs per 8-ounce serving) 
5. Supplements (D2-ergocalciferol and D3-cholecalciferol)

Visit Dr. Stephanie Woo, DC-MBA at ChiroConcept of Bellevue or Baileys Wellness or to get the very best Vitamin D supplements.

Benefits of Folic Acid for everyone

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) is essential not only in pregnant women for the formation of the neural tube, but also for a heart healthy diet.  Lack of this vitamin in both men & women can lead to a host of ailments including heart disease.

Fact: A major risk indicator of heart disease, elevated homocysteine in the blood, is directly related to folic acid and Vitamin B deficiency which can cause: 
- serious artery damage
- stroke
- osteoporosis
- cervical cancer
- macular degeneration

What does Folic Acid Do?
Vitamin B9 plays an important role in many body processes.  Among them are cell maintenance and repair, synthesis of DNA, amino acid metabolism and formation of red and white blood cells.  In addition to high cholesterol levels, an equally important risk indicator of heart disease is increased homocysteine, an abnormal protein byproduct.  

Where is Folic Acid Found?
- Asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, beet roots
- Liver
- Yeast: whole wheat breads
- Dried beans
- Oranges
- Vitamin B9 Supplement is the *BEST SOURCE*

How does it affect me?
Unfortunately many medications, tobacco & alcohol can decrease the levels of folic acid in the body including: 
- methotrexate
- phenytoin
- trimethoprim
- birth control
- tobacco
- alcohol consumption

Folic Acid BENEFITS
1. Alzheimers disease - studies have shown people with this disease have lower levels of folic acid in their blood
2. Parkinsons disease - studies have shown people with this disease have lower levels of folic acid in their blood
3. Heart attacks & strokes - folic acid is responsible for the decrease in levels of homocysteine, which is elevated in people with coronary heart disease.
4. Cancers - on going research is being done to understand the benefits of folic acid in the fight against colon and breast cancer.
5. Anemia - essential in forming new red and white blood cells. 
6. Depression - Vit B6, B9, B12 helps alleviates chronic depression by lowering homocysteine levels in the blood

What's your number?
150 mcg for kids between 1-3 years
200 mcg for kids between 4-8 years      
300 mcg for kids between 9-13 years
400 mcg for teens and adults
600 mcg for pregnant/nursing women

What's the key?  PREVENTION, PREVENTION, PREVENTION

Visit Dr. Stephanie Woo, DC-MBA at ChiroConcept of Bellevue or Bailey's Wellness to get your nervous system checked for optimal health & the very best supplements.