Ask the Doctor: Pumpkin Seed Oil and Preventing Prostate Cancer

Ask the Doctor:

Q: Is Pumpkin Seed Oil or Extract good for men trying to prevent prostate cancer?

A: Okay so the real question here is, given the confusing, contradictory claims about supplements, and the money we need to spend on essential supplements, “Is pumpkin seed the best “bang for our buck”?

It’s worth starting with how we evaluate data in what we call an “evidence-based approach” at Associates of Integrative Medicine.

We do not use anecdotal or preclinical data when we are treating you.

Anecdotal data is:

● “First Nations people used pumpkin seeds to treat urinary problems and intestinal issues which led the United States Pharmacopoeia to list pumpkin seeds as an official medicine for parasite elimination from 1863 to 1936.”

● “In traditional Chinese medicine, pumpkin seeds are used as an anti-parasitic and to treat high blood pressure.”

● “Mexican herbalists have used pumpkin for metabolic control.”

These things are historically true. Anecdotal data is powerful, moving, and suggestive. Meaning, it gives us a ton of clues as to how a plant can be used.

Preclinical data is:

“Researchers at the University of Nottingham, England, applied pumpkin seed oil to prostate and breast cancer cells in a controlled setting and found a 20-70% decrease in the rate of cell growth.

Authors conclude that the cell growth inhibition for fast growing cells together with the cell growth inhibition of prostate-, breast- and colon cancer cells corroborates the ethnomedical use of pumpkin seeds as a treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia and potential adjunct for treatment of prostate cancer.”

Preclinical data is exciting and gives well-funded groups an incentive to try the plant on people.

But neither anecdotal or preclinical data are strong enough for us to use it in treating you or making supplement recommendations.

When WE look at data at AIM, we look at clinical trials in humans. And we look to see what factors contributed to the conclusions, were nutrition, stress, lifestyle, sleep and other issues taken into account. And further, we look to see if that data is reproduced consistently over time.

On the other hand, it’s also not true when your oncologist tells you that there are no natural therapies with human data! What IS true is you have to know HOW to look….but enough on data.

Let’s get to some nitty gritty on prostate cancer.

The prostate is a gland that sits like a cushion between the bladder and the penis. The urethra, which carries urine from the bladder out, travels through the prostate and is also the tube by which we transport semen out of the penis.

The prostate’s job is to produce prostatic fluid, which is a nourishing and protecting liquid that suspends sperm (which are produced in the testicles) and supports them in movement. During ejaculation, the prostate contracts and the prostatic fluid joins the sperm to make what we call semen (sperm + prostatic fluid).

As we age, the prostate can become enlarged because of several conditions. The three most common prostate problems are

1. benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH);

2. prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate sometimes caused by an infection;

3. cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide with 1.2 million new cases. It’s analogous to breast cancer in women, as the prostate, like the breast, is a glandular tissue that relies on hormonal regulation, is partnered to reproductive development and is vulnerable to environmental and dietary stress.

As such, both breast and prostate cancer are typically diseases of aging. If we autopsy 100 men over age 90, we will find prostate cancer in almost all of these men.

Heads up, guys! There is a ton of money devoted to preventing and treating breast cancer because women are well organized and vocal behind their collective health. Men need to model themselves here and really work towards opening themselves up to talking about their intimate health. Get vocal! Like early stage breast, if caught early, prostate cancer is a curable disease.

Your life and that of your brothers is worth fighting for.

I know, I know, what about pumpkin?! I promise I will get there.

Sigh. It’s expensive to see us, and there is so much that goes into how we formulate an individualized approach to treatment, that we need to use every minute to design the highest performance strategy unique to YOUR circumstances, so we rarely get a chance to teach to all these pearls that we think are necessary to live your best life.

Back to the Great Pumpkin Debate. For those of you impatient for the answer, pumpkin seed has NO clinical data that it is effective in the treatment of prostate cancer.

But there is MORE to the story which means there are more sophisticated ways to look at the data.

To know where to look, a good doctor needs to understand what pumpkin seed is. Pumpkin seed is a phytosterol. Phytosterols are plant-based compounds found in:

Pumpkin seeds > soy beans > green peas > sesame > kidney beans > pistachio nuts > lentils > cashews > oranges > almonds > olive oil > banana > brussels sprouts.

Phytosterols are like kryptonite to cholesterol. When we consume them, they interfere with the intestinal absorption of cholesterol in our diet and they also cause the body to increase the amount of cholesterol we dump in our poop.

Clinical data DOES conclusively show us that daily consumption of phytosterols from food can significantly lower our serum LDL (low density lipoprotein). An average phytosterol intake of 2 g/day lowers LDL by up to 10%.

Why does this matter? Right now, older drugs are being repurposed and used in an experimental way to prevent prostate cancer. One of these is a class of drugs called statins. Epidemiologic findings suggest that statins use may have a beneficial effect on the risk of prostate cancer progression and death. This gives us some indication that the root cause of prostate disease may have something to do with inflammation in the microenvironment due to how we use fat and sugar.

So can we conclude a supplement high in at least phytosterols in our clinic is at least protective by virtue of lowering LDL and perhaps getting at the root cause of prostate disease? Perhaps. But we would want that same supplement to be high as well in phytoestrogens.

What are these?

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that are hormone modulators. Genistein and daidzein, the predominant phytoestrogens in human nutrition, are derived mainly from soybeans, lentils and other legumes.

Phytoestrogens may reduce prostate cancer risk by favorably altering the hormonal milieu or by inhibition of 5-alpha reductase (5-AR), which decreases concentrations of the more prostate-active androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It’s this potent DHT that causes accelerated growth of prostate cells and may result in more cell errors (cancer).

The higher intake of soy products among Asian men has been hypothesized to be one reason for the lower incidence of prostate cancer among these men. In humans, most of the case-control studies have shown a modest protective benefit of soy on prostate cancer risk.

Okay so we are making some progress here!

We have narrowed our recommendation to supplements high in phytosterols and phytoestrogens AND at the same time we have expanded our investigation to look at nutritional strategies that may modify cholesterol and hormonal health.

How does THIS data look? Are nutritional strategies protective? Conclusively YES!

A diet high in animal fat may be an important factor in the development of prostate cancer. In particular, intake of large amounts of alpha-linolenic acid and low amounts of linoleic acid appear to be associated with increased risk; this combination is common in red meat and some dairy products. High intake of cruciferous vegetables (particularly broccoli and cauliflower) was associated with a significantly lower risk of extra-prostatic tumors. More recently, an analysis of a prospective cohort of 51,529 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study has suggested that dietary intake of lycopene (found in cooked tomatoes) is associated with a lower incidence of prostate cancer and a decreased risk of lethal prostate cancer.

Okay, so now we know we need to look at a combination supplement that contains plant sterols and phytoestrogens and partner it with strategies that help our guys shift towards a plant based diet high in beans and legumes.

But can we pin pumpkin seed specifically here?

Knowing that breast and prostate are analogous and there is poorly funded and not readily available data on prostate and phytosterols, at AIM, we would expand our search to include breast.

A series case control studies in Uruguay found that dietary phytosterol intakes were lower in people diagnosed with stomach, lung, or breast cancer than in cancer-free control groups. Case-control studies in the US found that women diagnosed with breast or uterine cancer had lower dietary phytosterol intakes than women who did not have cancer.

Although higher intakes of plant foods containing phytosterols may be associated with lower cancer risk, it is not clear whether potential anticancer health benefits can be attributed to phytosterols or to other factors in eating plant foods (for example, we cannot account for vitamins, minerals, fiber, spiritual associations with avoiding animal fat).

So let’s back it up a bit, if the conclusions are so difficult to draw, what led researchers to look at phytosterols in the first place?

Well, we found that the investigation was based on robust animal data that looked at a type of phytosterol that inhibits prostate cancer. That phytosterol is sitosterol. So now we have only one more question: Does pumpkin seed contain high amounts of sitosterol?

Moderate amounts. Avocados contain much more. All nuts and seeds, oranges, beets and brussels sprouts are excellent choices. But avocados exceed every other choice in this category. If you eat one-half of an avocado, or about 2/3 cup of cubed avocado, you’ll consume 76 milligrams of beta-sitosterol, compared to 13 mg in a similar portion of pumpkin seeds.

A lot of men’s health blogs like Dr. Michael Murray, Livestrong, Life Extension, and urology blogs, discuss the content of zinc in pumpkin seed as being protective but in fact, the clinical data on zinc (supplementation) is mixed. Some studies show zinc as protective. Some show supplemental zinc as contributing to higher grade more aggressive lesions at diagnosis.

Okay, I know you may be confused. Don’t be. I am going to give you the takeaway.

Supplementation is tricky, and to us, it cannot replace good nutrition.

Supplements can only do two things:

1. Augment nutrition

OR

2. In high doses, from a high quality source, with human data, be used as a therapeutic.

Pumpkin seeds are an EXCELLENT food choice. They play a minor role in prevention, but as a targeted supplement are not necessarily your best choice for fighting prostate cancer alone.

The most effective strategies involve understanding what causes prostate cells to:

1. Grow too fast, and

2. To make mistakes when they do grow

The following would be a good evidenced based and general primer for one of our guys who is on the younger side and is looking at prevention or risk reduction in survivorship.

So is Pumpkin Seed Oil or Extract good for men trying to prevent prostate cancer?

Yes, it has some benefit but a truly effective approach needs to be comprehensive and personalized.

If you cannot get 2 handfuls of organic high quality raw and unsalted pumpkin seeds into your diet daily, please consider the following:

✔ Men’s Pure Pack from Pure Encapsulations

✔ Prostate Support from Gaia

✔ Saw Palmetto Plus from Pure Encapsulations

✔ Prostate 5LX from New Chapter

From BewellwithAIM.com

You can put pumpkin seed in the search, and they should come up, or look them up individually. We hope this settles the Great Pumpkin Debate for good and gives you a lot more confidence in how we make decisions for our guys.

Each one of you are dear to us.

Dr. Roy

PMID: 31091784
PMID: 18660852
PMID: 15767233
PMID: 19091798
PMID: 12022711
PMID: 25281467
PMID: 16566972
PMID: 26976217
PMID: 10070940
PMID: 16678047
PMID: 11142085

Whole Plants as Powerful Healers

By Sheba S. Roy, ND FABNO

WARNING: May contain triggers for those who have been a victim of personal violence

We are in the process of building an herbal dispensary. Our plan is to offer whole, organic, locally sourced, carefully curated herbs, in clinic. Dr. March and I are skilled in putting these herbs together into personalized blends tailored to each patient’s unique needs.

When I was a young adult, I experienced a traumatic incident at my first doctor’s visit without my parents. This resulted in high levels of stress which changed the way my immune system responded to the world around me. Unknown to me and to my doctors, my body stopped making a type of immune compound that was necessary to protect my gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) tract.

Like our patients who may be immunocompromised, I fell victim to all kinds of illnesses. Managed by well-meaning, excellent medical doctors with a 10-year cycle of antimicrobials, I experienced crippling side effects and that caused more damage to my fragile system for which I required more and more medication.

Private pain became my constant companion and my ability to form intimate relationships was impaired. I had always been on a conventional medical tract and worked hard to succeed despite my disability.

As God would have it, I met a naturopathic doctor who figured out what the medical doctors had missed. She listened differently to my history of trauma; her training as an ND mandated that she consider how our state of mind impacts our physical body and she tested my immunoglobulins. 

Sure enough, I wasn’t making an immunoglobulin integral to mucosal health. In addition to support for PTSD, she designed an herbal tea for me and had me drink 3 cups a day for 365 days. My body responded to these herbs. The integrity of my GI and GU tract were restored and my immune system came to life. I never experienced this illness again. The freedom from pain and the experience of true cure was transformative for me.

It is this level of liberation that I aim toward for all of our patients.

The interplay between plants and human health has been documented for at least 5000 years. Herbs delivered as a tea can be a powerful, healing force because they have an entourage effect. They gently shift a person’s health over months and years with little to no side effects.

Both pharmaceutical drugs and supplements are most commonly sourced from natural substances. 25% of all drugs in use today are derived from rainforest plants. Consider that some of the most common drugs we use in cancer care: aspirin, opioids, chemotherapeutics: Taxanes, Vincristines, Vinblastines, and the Irino-and Topo-tecans come from Willow Bark, Poppies, Pacific Yew tree, the Madagascar Periwinkle and the Chinese Happy Tree, respectively.

Many people feel that the most important difference between drugs and supplements is the way that they are regulated. That is an important difference but not a relevant issue for our patients as we are careful to direct you to supplements that are safe, well sourced and not contaminated.

The most important difference for us is that drugs are derived from a single constituent or portion of a plant. That compound is then usually synthesized or mimicked in a lab setting.

For example, the plant, Cannabis Sativa, has gotten a lot of recognition lately.

Cannabis has two main strains or daughters. One is THC (Tetra-hydro-cannabinol) and the other is CBD (cannabidiol).

The THC strain is what we refer to as the marijuana drug.

CBD, on the other hand has no psychoactive or hallucinogenic effects and has become popular as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and analgesic (pain reliever).

CBD, because it is a whole plant, has an entourage effect. There are at least 100 chemical parts (cannabinoids) that act together to balance each other out, enhance each other’s effects, and help each other’s effects to shine. The plant itself is a tiny ecosystem in and of itself. Like a fine wine, the whole plant has textures, tastes, flavors, personality. So when we ingest whole plants we experience slow, gradual impacts that are long lasting and gentle.

Marinol is a pharmaceutical drug where scientists mimic a cannabinoid found in THC in a lab, suspend it in sesame oil and deliver it by capsule. Marinol, looks like THC and acts like THC. It helps with appetite, sleep and weight gain and is commonly prescribed in cancer care. The problem is because it’s a single agent, divorced from all of it’s other parts, it has a sledgehammer-like high, people feel heavy headed on it and wake groggy. Without it’s sister parts, it’s impact, like most drugs, is immediate, effective, short acting and does have side effects.

CBD is excellent as a therapeutic for anxiety but there are many other herbs in our arsenal. One to highlight is Chamomile. In the daisy family, it’s one of oldest herbs known to mankind. Interestingly, it was revered by ancient black and white peoples alike. There are papyri demonstrating that ancient African peoples believed the herb to be sacred. Among Saxon peoples it was used for religious ceremonies as the “Mother of all Herbs”. We know that spiritual healers, regardless of origin believed it powerful in purification and protection.

Medicinally, Chamomile, as a whole plant, has the best data in:
—Initiating Sleep
—Aiding in Digestion
—Helping with Anxiety
—Treating inflammation

In general, using chamomile as a tea, at bedtime, after dinner, and for at least 3 months, we can see powerful shifts: a sense of peace; an inner stillness, and an ability to stay present that may not have existed before.

You can experiment with Chamomile by purchasing the tincture through BewellwithAIM.com from Herb Pharm or Wise Woman Herbals.

Things came full circle and I recently testified in a large trial about that assault. I was one of 18,000 women in a class action suit brought against the institution that protected that predator for 20 years. Afterwards, I went for the longest walk, talked to Dr. March, took an Epsom salt bath with Lavender flowers, covered myself from head to toe in an oil mixture of castor, almond oil and lavender essential oil, and had a cup of very strong Chamomile tea.

I slept a dreamless, restful night.

Recipe for chamomile tea:

Equal parts:
—Chamomile
¼ part:
—Fennel
—Lavender
—Licorice Root (exclude if you have hypertension)

2 tsp of manuka honey
¼ tsp of vanilla extract

Can be made in a large mason jar and refrigerated for a week.
Do not steep herbs for longer than an hour or it can cause nausea.

References:
PMID: 21132119
PMID: 27790360
http://abc.herbalgram.org

A Letter from Raveena

To Our Patients:

For those of you who I have had the privilege to meet, it has truly been a pleasure. For those of you who I have not met yet, I am Raveena, AIM’s newest medical intern. I joined the team in June, and as we all know, these are strange times. It has been incredible to see how much this team does behind the scenes to make sure we are doing the best we can for all of you—our patients. 

When life seems to be at a standstill, we find ourselves deeply woven into the fabric of humanity. We sit in our separate, socially isolated homes, yet we are increasingly aware of our potential to impact one another. 

During my time here, I have seen that impact firsthand. Many of you have known the AIM team for much longer than I have. You have shared with me the difference they have each made in your lives, being there for you in ways that others could not. You have also shared with me how integrative medicine has touched your life. 

Getting to work with both you and our clinicians is a privilege. I have found myself resonating with the lasting human connection that is fostered in this practice. Whether you are seen in-person or through telemedicine, there is a deep commitment to serving you through both enjoyable and challenging times. 

In the future, I hope to be able to cultivate the same types of relationships with my patients. Like the team of clinicians at AIM, I strive to practice medicine that integrates nutrition, wellbeing, mental, and physical health to care for the whole person. If you have seen any of their public talks, you know they are committed to not only caring for individuals, but caring for their entire community as well. It is this desire to honor the complex humanity around me that fuels my pursuit of medicine--my pursuit to serve as a catalyst for hope and healing.

Not only am I grateful to our AIM team for the opportunity to gain exposure to this wonderful field of integrative medicine, but I am deeply grateful to all of you for trusting me enough to share your experiences and reflections with me. Despite the strange circumstances we are living under, I cannot wait to see what the year ahead holds. If you or one of your loved ones would like to see us, or just catch up, please do not hesitate to reach out. It is our honor to serve you. 

Thank you for the privilege to serve you, to learn from you, and to walk with you on your journey. 

Until we speak, be well, 

Raveena, Medical Intern In Training

Stress Management

Tips on Managing Stress

by Jessica Blodgett, LLPC, Oncology Mental Health

Hello Everyone,

Whether it’s from COVID-19 updates, racial tension and police brutality on the news, fears surrounding treatment, or the many tasks of daily life, we are feeling immersed in stress and uncertainty like never before. 

Stress looks different for everyone, but regardless of how it shows up for you, it impacts us all in a mental, emotional, physical, and perhaps even spiritual way. It can keep you awake at night, cause tension and pain in your muscles, make your heart race or your thoughts swirl, and even contribute to cancer recurrence and growth. 

Knowing this, and how absolutely VITAL it is to manage stress, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you all about the importance of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to create space between what you experience and your reaction. When we are traumatized and stressed, the space between the two narrows. 

By practicing mindfulness through things like breathwork, yoga, and meditation, we can bring our focus to the PRESENT moment, expand that space, and ultimately choose how we respond to the world around us. 

Mindfulness is an essential practice in stress management. I hope this list of tips, strategies, and resources can help make mindfulness a part of your daily life.

TIP #1: Try a news fast…pick a period of time that you will NOT get on your phone, TV, or radio, to listen to or read the news. 

The “news” is often NOT new and it may not be relevant to YOU. Remember: the media is a BUSINESS that is designed to talk about ANYTHING that will keep viewers engaged and make money, even if that means perpetuating FEAR. 

TIP #2: If you are new to meditation, try guided meditations or visualizations on Simple Habit, HealthJourneys.com, or Calm Masterclass. You can find more resources by simply Googling “guided meditation” to find videos, websites, or downloadable apps for your phone that contain meditations.

“Blissful Deep Relaxation” from TheHonestGuys on YouTube is a lovely introductory video to guided meditation that can make meditation easier for those of us new to meditating.

I also recommend a meditation from HealthJourneys.com called “Fight Cancer” which can be found here. Listen to it daily. 

TIP #3: Try a body scan. Close your eyes, lie down, and inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Hold that breath for a count of 4, and exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.  Repeat FOUR times. 

Then scan your body from your toes up to your head. Look for where you are holding stress and focus on intentionally releasing that stress. 

For some this looks like visualizing a set of “healing hands” working out the tension, or a warm ball of light heating up the stress and melting it away; whatever you choose, it’s important to begin to recognize areas where stress lives in your body so you can gain control of releasing that stress. 

Try “Ten Minute Guided Body Scan” by The Meditation Coach on YouTube. Again, for those of us new to body scans or meditation, this video walks you through visualizing stress in your body and helping you to release it.

TIP #4: On Amazon or iTunes, buy or download “Soul of Healing Meditations” from Deepak Chopra and listen to the first four tracks. These powerful guided meditations help release resentment, cultivate acceptance, and teach you more about body scanning. 

TIP #5: Seek professional counseling. Counseling is an amazing way to develop self-awareness, coping skills tailored to your specific needs, gain emotional support, process trauma, or talk through your experiences in a safe, confidential environment. 

I see almost exclusively cancer patients and their families, and run a support group on Saturdays for bereaved spouses. To contact me, call (248) 798-2942 OR (269) 808-6422; or email me at jessica@aimnatural.com.

I am a Master’s level oncology mental health counselor, and one of only a few specialists in the state who sees cancer patients, their caregivers, and their families for the stress, anxiety, depression, and fear associated with a cancer diagnosis. I’m covered by insurance, and I do offer a sliding scale for those that don’t have insurance. 

TIP #6: Object Meditation is another way to ease into meditation. It’s important to cultivate a relationship with an object: a rosary, a crystal, a rock, a piece of fabric, etc. Try to choose something special or interesting and carry it with you. 

Once you have your item, utilize your SENSES to focus on that item. What does it feel like in your hand? How heavy or light is it? Does it have a smell? What kind of texture can you feel?

Using your senses to focus on the item can help GROUND you in the present moment; allowing you to mindfully focus on the here and now. 

Unsure of what item to use? Common chemotherapy drugs like Taxanes come from the bark of the Pacific Yew Tree; platinums come from the earth’s core and are the heavy metal often used in wedding bands; or the tecans, which come from the bark of the Chinese Happy Tree. All items that you can bond with and focus on through object meditation. 

TIP #7: With businesses opening and many people starting to be less cautious about staying sanitary, it’s easy to become stressed or worried about COVID-19. If you are worried about going out, take things slowly and don’t do anything YOU are NOT comfortable with. 

Try to take things in baby steps. First go to your yard, check in with how you feel and then take another step; perhaps have a family member or someone you trust come over and visit them outside for a while (with masks and a safe distance). 

The risk is real, but with caution and attention to your safety, you can begin to determine what you feel is safe for you.

TIP #8: Reading the right things can help you understand your stress and gain insight into how you can manage it effectively. I recommend titles such as “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” by Robert Sapolsky; “The Body Keep the Score” by Bessel van der Klok; or “Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chodron. 

TIP #9: 4-7-8 breathing or SQUARE breathing is a breathwork technique that can lower your heart rate, slow your breathing, and help you focus on your surroundings. 

It goes like this: inhale through your NOSE for a count of 4, hold for 7, and exhale through your MOUTH for 8. Remember, always inhale through your nose when trying to lower cortisol. 

Try keeping a rubber band on your finger, or fabric on your wrist, that reminds you to do this breathwork. 

TIP #10: Practicing good sleep hygiene has phenomenal benefits for lowering stress. To practice good sleep hygiene, sleep in a dark, cool room and use air filters or plants to clean the air. Having specific plants in your home to purify the air around you can help with sleep as well as stress. “TED Talks TV: How to Grow Fresh Air” can be found online, and this amazing resource walks you through which plants you NEED in your home to help with air quality.

Minimize distracting noises by using a sound machine, or anything that produces “white noise” like a fan. You can even avoid those middle-of-the-night awakenings by having a tiny, protein-rich snack, and by taking 200-400mg of L theanine (a non-narcotic, non-habit forming, anxiolytic) at bedtime. L theanine can be purchased from BeWellWithAIM.com 

TIP #11: 27% of cancer patients struggle with PTSD. PTSD is when you have experienced a previous life trauma, perhaps a divorce, abuse, or some sort of betrayal…and the current medical experience triggers THOSE feelings.

When we become a patient, we go from a name to a medical record number, we are surrounded by decision makers that hold our lives in their hands, we can feel voiceless, powerless, and invaded.

This triggers the old wound, and a lot of feelings from previous life experiences come up. It could look like sleep disturbances, addiction, tearfulness, panic…this is PTSD. 

PTSD is something that you CANNOT manage on your own. It’s important to have a coach, like myself or another trained professional, there to guide you as you identify your triggers and learn to manage when your fears are coming up so you can cope better with today. 

TIP #12: Lean into your faith or spirituality. With so much uncertainty in the air, it’s important to connect to one another; and to explore our relationship with the Divine, whatever that may mean to you. 

Through religious or spiritual practices, we can feel connected to our communities, our neighbors, and our families, regardless of what may keep us apart. 

We can step outside of ourselves and feel in touch with the infinite as we pray, or read scripture, or meditate.

Regardless of what we may face, we can be reminded to be grateful and to look for the joy in the world around us. And in doing so, we can transform our experience. 

…

I genuinely hope you find these tips helpful. Remember, if you are feeling stressed or anxious, you are NOT alone. To get the help you need and learn more strategies that work for YOU, call me at (248) 798-2942 OR (269) 808-6422; or by emailing directly at jessica@aimnatural.com. 

Until we speak, be well.

Jessica