Hello November

November is one of my favorite months. There are many reasons, but one of the big ones is probably because it’s my birthday month. I enjoy my birthday, it’s always a reminder to me that a year has passed and I have survived 365 days of what life had to throw at me. I can’t wait for my birthday this year because 2020 has been a doozy.

November has another holiday as well, one that many people celebrate, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the time of year when we are reminded to appreciate and be grateful for what we have. I am grateful for many things in my life, all of the opportunities I have had, a wonderful job that helps pay my bills, a dog that is always happy to see me, food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in, as well as countless other things.

I am grateful for all of these things, and while that is important, it’s also important to be grateful for the people you have. Being able to share experiences and connect emotions with another human being is a beautiful part of life. I think it’s easy for us to take the relationships in our life for granted. Thanksgiving, spending time with loved ones, is always a reminder to me to be thankful for those that are around.

There are many people in my life I am grateful for — my family, friends, and I am grateful to meet, serve, and learn from each one of you. One person who I am exceptionally grateful for this year is my dad. When the pandemic began back in March, I was living at home with my father. I remember how uncertain the world felt. My dad and I spent a lot of time talking and sharing our fears. The uncertainty of the world presented an insurmountable amount of stress to both of us. Looking back I realize the key to how we survived was confiding in one another.

In this way, 2020 has reminded me to be grateful for your loved ones. Be grateful for the people who show up, the people who listen, the people who push you to be better, those who are honest with you, and any others. In life, it’s easy to get distracted or caught up, but when you take away all of life’s little distractions, personal connection, in my opinion, is what life is all about.

I am grateful for the time I spent living with my dad, that time made our relationship stronger. I think time is imperative to building strong lasting relationships. Time is also one of the greatest gifts, and one I think we all often take for granted. We live with the idea that the people will always be there. This simply isn’t true. Each moment with a loved one is a blessing. It may seem like we don’t have much to be grateful for in 2020 but I find that this year has given me a deeper level of gratitude for the time I have with people.

Spending time with people, especially people we enjoy, is an important part of a healthy life. Overall 2020 has taught me to have gratitude for time and people. For me, this means being more present, and more open during interactions with loved ones. Being present can increase the quality of the time you spend with people. I find that taking a breath and centering myself to become present gives me a deeper respect and awareness of time. Appreciating time, taking a breath, and being present, can be important as time only seems to speed up.

With each year time seems to pass by faster and faster. We often forget to take time to breathe. Remember to take time to be grateful for the time you have and the people you spend it with. That’s why every year when November comes up, when I get another birthday, I have gratitude. Gratitude for the year that has passed, and the opportunity for another one. Gratitude for the year of time and the year of opportunities to spend it with good people. Every November, I am reminded of the wonderful year I had, and how lucky I am to have made it through the last year, and how grateful I am that I can begin another.

Breathe, be present, and have gratitude.

—Emily, Admin AIM

Ask the Doctor: Xanax Vs. Natural Alternatives

Q: I’ve been thinking about Xanax for anxiety, are there natural options?

A: Anxiety is a global issue in the cancer community. Not just for patients but for caregivers as well. And understandably so.

As natural medicine doctors, we look at problems holistically. This means we are looking at the root not the symptoms.

Anxiety is a SYMPTOM. And it works on two levels: the mind and the body.

On the mental end, anxiety is the product of thinking about the Past or the Future.

Mindfulness techniques are to keep our minds from ruminating about the past or projecting into the future. In other words, techniques to train our minds to stay present in the moment we are in, and then as that moment passes, to stay present in the next moment we are in, and so on.

It gets easier with practice.

There are spiritual disciplines that focus ONLY on mindfulness, every moment of every day for that disciple’s entire life!

It’s not worth taking drugs or supplements for anxiety without looking at mindfulness first. Respond to us with your favorite resources. Here are some of ours:

—Mindfulness Meditations; websites: SimpleHabit.com; Mindful.org; Headspace.org
—Create a place for meditation, reflection, and prayer, perhaps using an altar, a shawl, a blanket, a mat, incense, crystals, a tasbih or rosary
—Use musical tracks that help you to create this level of presence: Album: Mother Divine; Youtube: Biaural beats; Healthjourneys.com
—Exercise for 30 minutes daily and try to do it (safely), to the point of being breathless
—Yoga: Hatha, Heated, Yin

On the body level, we have 12 big cranial nerves that run from the brain through the body and manage all executive function.

The 10th is called the vagus nerve. It manages the heart, lungs, stomach, small and large intestine, and rectum. It also manages anxiety. This is why anxiety causes an upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, breathlessness, hiccups, and chest pain.

It’s also why stomach issues, heart problems, and respiratory issues cause anxiety.

It’s important to work on bowel, heart, and lung function, AND we can redirect nerve stimuli from the anxiety pathway by doing things like focusing on Breathing.

In fact, a review of all the clinical data conclusively shows that a twice-daily, 10-minute practice of mindfulness meditation, breath work, and yoga reduces anxiety.

Breathwork can be something as simple as square breathing.
1. Inhale through the nose for a count of 6
2. Hold for a count of 6
3. Exhale through the mouth for a count of 6
4. Hold for a count of 6

After trying these approaches, if we aren’t seeing anxiety completely remit, it’s a good idea to add in natural therapies. Natural medicine doctors follow a therapeutic order with prescription from least invasive/impactful towards most, so often, unless anxiety is acute, we will start here.

The great thing about natural therapies for anxiety is that they are gentle, rarely interact with any other medications and supplements, and have little to no side effects. All of the therapies listed below are available through BewellwithAIM.com. Please remember, natural therapies are not necessarily safe over the counter. They can be contaminated, have source issues, can be contraindicated with a lot of medications, or can even contain carcinogens. If they are safe to get over the counter, or from alternative brands, then I will place a little “s” next to them for “safe to purchase” over the counter.

—Lavender (as an essential oil, capsule, or tea)
—Theanine (as a gummy, capsule, or tablet) (s)
—GABA (as a capsule)
—Passionflower (as a tea) (s)
—Hops (as a tea) (s)
—CBD (as a capsule, tincture, capsule)
—Chamomile (tea) (s)
—Skullcap (capsule)
—Ashwagandha (capsule, tea)
—Magnolia (capsule)
—Magnesium Glycinate (as a powder, capsule, liquid) (s)
—Melatonin (LOW DOSE only, capsule, gummy) (s)
—Lemon Balm (tea, tincture)

It’s not always so simple as just taking one of these things over the counter. We use combinations based on a holistic, individualized approach. As examples:

—If a patient is tired and wired, we may use a formula like Calm Restore from Gaia for 6 months to correct adrenal issues
—If the anxiety is manifests as difficulty sleeping, a lack of energy, cognitive fog and weepiness, we may use a combination called R.E.M. from Priority One.
—If a patient is waking up between 2 and 4 am, crashes in the afternoon, and is feeling burnt out or exhausted, we may try Cortisol Manager from Integrative Therapeutics.
—For sleep initiation, we may combine a formula with 100-400 mg of L-theanine and Lavender essential oil or Chamomile Tea.

Xanax, starting with a 0.25 mg dose, can be quick and effective for anxiety that comes on suddenly and based on a new situation. As in, “I’m having surgery the next day and can’t stop my mind from running.” It’s also a good conversation to begin with a psychiatrist or internist.

But Xanax is not a great drug to take for chronic anxiety (feelings that persist for more than 2 weeks), because we can become dependent, what looks like anxiety may be something else, and most IMPORTANTLY, if we START with Xanax, we don’t learn what mindfulness has the opportunity to teach us:

We only really have this moment.

It may be a surprising thing to realize, but this simple statement is perhaps, the only absolute truth that exists. 

If we can get current with this moment, and experience it, fully, we can face life in a far more meaningful way than we can imagine. 

Regretting the past and obsessing about the future, means we don’t live at all.

Go to BewellwithAIM to purchase supplements for anxiety but make sure to talk to Jessica (covered by your insurance) about mindfulness training and talk to Dr. Roy or Dr. March for personalized, individual strategies to manage anxiety.

Have a question for the doctor? Email us at Dr.Roy@aimnatural.com. We will publish the answer on Facebook, and our website.