Digestive Enzymes

In honor of November being pancreatic cancer awareness month, we are featuring two products:

Digestive Enzymes Ultra with HCl from Pure Encapsulations

And

Bromelain 2400 from Pure Encapsulations.

One of the jobs of the pancreas is to make enzymes to help us to digest our food and absorb the nutrients from it. So as the food comes from the stomach to the small intestine, the pancreas dumps trypsin and chymotrypsin - digest proteins; amylase - digest carbohydrates; and lipase - break down fat. The bile duct dumps bile into the same space to assist in the breakdown of fat.

Only when food has been broken down into its macronutrients: fat, protein, carbohydrates, can the wall of the small intestine absorb it and send it to nourish the body.

When we lose parts of the pancreas or the organ is compromised, it’s very hard to digest food and absorb it properly. We may have issues with “dumping” where food just runs right through; weight loss and muscle wasting, and stomach cramping.

Digestive Enzymes Ultra, as a supplement, is a nice addition to pharmaceutical enzymes like Creon. It’s something that can be paired with snacks, taken in between meals, or used to modify dosages of Creon so we rely on less of the drug, less frequently.

For those of us without cancer who struggle with finicky stomachs: bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea or poorly formed stool, skin issues, irritability, weight issues, sluggishness after meals; or for when we indulge in a meal that may be heavier in meat or more difficult to digest, Bromelain is a better choice.

Bromelain is formulated from the hard pithy core of pineapple fruit. It’s a single agent enzyme that acts as a digestive aid. We use it away from food to digest scar tissue and as an anti-inflammatory; but with food, Bromelain tenderizes proteins and making them more vulnerable to powerful pancreatic enzymes and thereby easier to digest.

Talk to Drs. March or Roy to see if either of these are right for you.

You can access either of these supplements at BewellwithAIM.com and for the month of November, we have requested a 10% discount on both.

Meet Our Partners & Friends in the Fight Against Cancer ft. Biju Poulose, MD

Featuring:
Biju Poulose, MD
Michigan Behavioral Medicine
2525 Crooks Road, Suite 100
Troy, MI 48084
https://www.michigantms.com
248-731-7305

Dr. Biju Poulose began his medical training in India and completed his residency in psychiatry at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Michigan. He is boarded with the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and practices with Michigan Behavioral Medicine. He fell in love with psychiatry in medical school. Drawn to its holistic approach and the opportunity to practice empathy, he sees a diverse group of patients including cancer patients and their caregivers.

“Cancer can hold so much meaning for patients depending on their unique circumstances. Not only can challenges like anxiety, depression, or panic arise, but cancer can also have physiological impacts on brain chemistry, mood, and sleep. Both patients and their families can benefit from mental health support,” states Dr. Poulose.

Here at Associates of Integrative Medicine, we have masters level counselors who are specialists in anxiety, grief, and depression associated with cancer. But patients may wonder, when should I seek out psychiatric help.

Usually, it’s when we need pharmacological support, but Dr. Poulose cautions that there is a difference between a normal reaction to an abnormal situation, and something more complex and unmanageable. He adds, “Panic, anxiety, and fearfulness are all normal emotions. Providers should be comfortable accepting those normal emotions rather than labeling them as depression. However, chronic changes in sleep, appetite, or sense of pleasure may be indicative of something deeper.”

Sometimes when we are in the middle of the fight, or even after, recovering and concerned about the risk of recurrence, we forget about the role stress can play in creating an environment in which disease flourishes. Dr. Poulose agrees, “Any and every means of de-stressing is a good one—whether it’s friends, exercise, good food, indulging in hobbies, sleep, music, or arts. Even stealing 15 minutes of quiet time, where your brain and body are not in constant chatter, can be very beneficial. Oftentimes, our minds can be compared to a car that is braked, but whose engine is constantly engaged. Mindfulness techniques are a great way to put the “car” of our mind in neutral. One of my favorite mindfulness experts is Dr. Ajahn Brahm, an Australian Buddhist monk, whose guided meditation you can check out here at the Buddhist Society of Western Australia:
https://bswa.org/”

Dr. Poulose shares our concerns about how problematic unmanaged stress can be. “Chronic stress is the real villain - whether it’s psychological, physical, or financial problems. These changes in the brain can lead to changes within the nervous system.” This underlies our emphasis on a holistic approach to survivorship. Staying open to the many ways we approach stress management can be a powerful tool in not just surviving, but thriving.

Interview taken by Raveena Mata, Medical Intern.

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

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.

Ask the Doctor: Curcumin Vs. Turmeric

In our inaugural newsletter, we are including a section called: Ask the Doctor. Send us emails with your questions at dr.roy@aimnatural.com. We will try to answer one or two in each bulletin. We will post the section on FB and on our website, so look for your answer there as well! 

Question:  “What is the difference between turmeric vs. curcumin?”. 

Answer: “Turmeric” refers to the root of the Curcuma longa plant. That whole root can be powdered, or crushed and used as a food.

“Curcumin” is one of many natural compounds found IN the turmeric root. 

Both turmeric as a whole root, and curcumin as an extract from that root, and have historical uses including well aging and anti inflammation, but CURCUMIN, extracted and in high doses is what we see used in a clinic setting as a therapeutic.

Here at AIM, we recommend, Curcumin from one of two companies: Thorne or Pure Encapsulations. The reason why is when turmeric is sourced into this country, it’s processed with solvents that can cause cancer! Only these two companies third party test for those solvents and others. We trust their process and we trust the cleanliness of the product. We cannot, and do not, recommend Curcumin over the counter. For our patients, it can be purchased safely, only at BeWELLwithAIM.com

Studies show that the doses for Curcumin to work well are rather high. This is a problem because they are large pills, you need to take a lot, you must take it with a fat and it’s most easily absorbed if attached to an extract of black pepper.

While CURCUMIN, not turmeric, in high doses in the right patient, can be a powerful cancer adjunct, it uses the same pathway in the liver as many immunotherapies, hormone blockers and chemotherapeutics, so it can make other drugs more or less effective. AND if you don’t have a well functioning digestive system, it can be hard to absorb. 

In our practice, each patient is approached HOLISTICALLY and INDIVIDUALLY. For a nourished woman trying to stay well in survivorship from ovarian, who is working on metabolic health and may have a well functioning gut, we may start with 2 grams of Curcumin from Thorne or Pure Encapsulations and slowly increase until we get her to 6 gms daily. For someone who has significant levels of inflammation and has just completed a course of chemotherapy for colorectal, we might try 500 mg of Curcumin daily and combine it with gut support. For someone who is trying to prevent heart disease with no history of cancer, we may try a moderate dose along with both pharmaceutical and natural options to optimize vascular flow and stress management. 

With natural medicine there is NO one sized fit all approach. It is a mistake to think of natural therapies as benign or safe across the board for all. This is a mistake that many patients, and doctors alike make. A one sized fit all approach, rather than PERSONALIZED care is still a feature of the culture of medicine.

Call us at 248 798 2942 to make an appointment with  Dr. Roy or March to learn whether you can add this powerful and ancient herb. Until then, enjoy the root, turmeric, as a food and check out our post on how to make it into a comforting nighttime drink.

PMID: 26537958

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