Written By Our Nurse Practitioner, Jen Owen

Earlier this week, I had a bad day. I woke up in a funk and it was downhill from there. It reminded me of one of my favorite children’s books, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Do you know that one?

The main character, a young boy named, Alexander, wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. From that point on, he decides it is going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He finds evidence of this everywhere he goes and in every interaction. He decides that the only way out is to go to Australia.

It truly wasn’t a good day. He even voiced his concerns to his family and they ignored him. After many negative things happened, it was finally time for bed. As Alexander reflects on his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, he states, “Mom says some days are like that….even in Australia”.

Can you relate? It seems like a lot of people are having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days these days. 

Your day starts out lowsy. Then, you’re only paying attention to the negative things that are happening. Your instinct is to flee (read more about fleeing here). You can’t go to Australia, so you go to your phone, social media. tv, food, alcohol, etc.

You go to bed grumpy.

As you wake up the next day, you have choices…you could have another bad day, you could book a flight to Australia, or you can remember that some days are like that and choose to try to have a better day. 

I know it’s not always that simple and yet oftentimes, it’s simply a choice. 

It’s like this with health goals as well. You start out strong with listening to your body, eating food that helps you feel nourished, moving your body in ways that feel invigorating, cutting out things that cause you to feel depleted. You do great for a few days and then something happens and you lose your momentum. You don’t do all the things that support your well-being and then you flee.

You give up on all of it. You quit. You go back to the old way of doing things.

Then, later, you have to do it all again.

Sound familiar?

What if, when you have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, you wake up the next morning, forgive yourself, and just go right back to the supportive stuff?

You don’t have to give it all up because you went off track for one day. You can pick up right where you left off.

There will always be days like this…..even in Australia.

Shared by Jen Owen, N.P., the Flourish Nurse Practitioner

This past week, I was treating a teen for some possible nutrient deficiencies. I was looking in Rosemary Gladstar’s book, “Herbal Healing for Women”, and I was reminded of her wonderful nutrient suggestions for teenagers. Rosemary is my first and favorite herbal teacher, so I deeply trust her suggestions.

Rosemary was feeling frustrated because her teenage daughters were skipping breakfast every day. The smoothie below was the compromise she made with them, and she felt good sending them off every day with a shake full of protein and calcium.

The others are ideas for teens who might need some extra boosts.

I wanted to share them with you today, because I thought many of you might be wanting to boost up your teens. And, of course, these things are great for other aged humans as well.

High Calcium Protein Shake

1 cup milk of choice

1 cup nonsweetened juice (experiment with different flavors)

1-2 bananas ( freeze ripe bananas for a thicker, creamier shake)

1/4 cup frozen strawberries (or any fresh fruit when it’s in season)

1/4 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon bee pollen

1 scoop protein powder (dose per product instructions)

2 teaspoons spirulina

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Rosemary says, “There are infinite varieties to this basic shake. Sometimes I add frozen orange juice for an Orange Julius—like shake. Sometimes I use juice in place of milk. I’ve found a dash of pure vanilla extract always enhances the flavor of the shake.”

Spirulina

A simple blue-green algae, spirulina has been used for thousands of years as a high-power food source. Some 60-70 percent protein by weight, it is considered the highest source of digestive plant protein and is second only to dried whole eggs when compared with animal forms of protein. It is also a remarkable source of vitamin A, calcium, the B vitamins, and chlorophyll. Convincing people to try this green algae in powder form is often an ordeal, though it’s easily camouflaged (except for the unmistakable dark green color) when blended into fruit and vegetable juice. Spirulina is also sold in easy-to-take tablet form. The general dose is two tablespoons of powdered spirulina, or six tablets daily. Your teenager may find the capsules much more appealing than the powdered form.

Bee Pollen

Another of the bee’s little gifts, bee pollen is a concentrated source of nearly all known nutrients. It is a complete protein, containing all twenty-two amino acids, and it has high levels of the twenty-seven different minerals, enzymes, and coenzymes, including vitamin B1, B2, and B6, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin C, and the fat soluble vitamins A and E. Rosemary finds the pollen delicious, but not every teenager does. It is easy to camouflage it by mixing it in blender drinks or stirring into cereal. The suggested dosage is about one-fourth teaspoon daily. Because there is a small percentage of people who are allergic to bee pollen, it is best to test your teenager’s sensitivity to it by having them take just a small dose to begin with and then increase it with time. If they suffer from allergies, you may wish to consult an allergist before they take the bee pollen.

Seaweed

Seaweed is an excellent food source and supplement to the diet, especially for teenagers suffering hormonal imbalance. Seaweeds provide concentrated trace minerals and are a marvellous source of the natural biochelated iodine so necessary to the function of the thyroid gland. Most seaweed provides the building blocks needed by the endocrine glands to manufacture necessary hormones. Seaweed is also generally high in calcium (one tablespoon of hizike provides more digestible calcium than an eight-ounce glass of cow milk). Seaweed can be incorporated into many foods or the capsules can be worked into a daily health program. The dosage varies, depending on the type of seaweed. Kelp is the most common seaweed available and easily found in capsulated form. However, kelp is also the “fishiest” and strongest-tasting of the seaweeds. Many of the other, lesser-known seaweed are very mild and pleasant tasting. All are easily found in natural food stores, gourmet shops, and grocery stores specializing in Asian foods. When taking seaweed in capsules, a dosage of ten to twelve capsules a day is generally suggested. Though this may seem like a lot of capsules, remember that eating seaweed the way is like eating salad in capsules. You would have to ingest a lot of those capsules to get all your greens!

Liquid Floradix Iron or NatureWorks Herbal Iron

Floradix is a liquid vitamin mineral formula made from organic herbs and vegetable gathered in the high mountains of Europe. It is available in natural food stores throughout the country. Rosemary has recommended it for years because it is such a highly concentrated and effective formula and is readily available. It is also pleasant-tasting, so people find it enjoyable to take. Liquid Floradix with Iron is an excellent source of digestible vitamins and minerals and biochelated iron. It helps stabilize energy and mood swings, and regulates the menstrual cycle. NatureWorks Herbal Iron is another liquid vitamin/mineral formula frequently found in natural food and herb stores. It is quite tasty and comparable to Floradix in quality.

If you’d like to learn more from Rosemary, check out her many books. 

If your teen requires more support, I would be happy to see them in my clinic. ~Jen Owen, N.P. 

In integrative medicine, we consider the gut to be the root of all health. When there’s imbalance in the gut, a myriad of symptoms can occur.

Most people think of the gut for obvious gut-related symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, heartburn, etc.

Most don’t think of the gut for more systemic issues such as rashes and other skin disorders, joint pain, headaches, trouble concentrating, depression, fatigue, and more. 

Often, the gut IS the root cause of all of the above symptoms and even more chronic diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver disease, and autoimmune disorders. 

If you have any symptoms that typical western treatments haven’t been able to erradicate, then you might just have a leaky gut. 

What is leaky gut?

A more technical term for leaky gut is intestinal permeability.

In a normal functioning small intestine, there are tight junctions between all of the cells along the lining. These junctions hold the cells together and keep everything in the gut that is supposed to stay in the gut.

When this lining gets damaged, it thins causing microscopic substances to cross the intestinal lining into the blood stream. This causes a response from the immune system and a cascade of events that cause many different symptoms.

What causes leaky gut?

Leaky gut is caused by anything that can cause an insult to the gut lining. The most common things that do this include: 

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen (NSAIDs)
• Poor diet
• Poor digestion
• Alcohol intake
• Infections
• Imbalance of good/bad bacteria
• Antibiotics and other drugs
• Toxins

How is leaky gut diagnosed?

If you have gut issues or any other chronic symptoms, it’s safe to assume you have a leaky gut. 

In my clinic, I like to use the GI Effects Comprehensive Stool Analysis to diagnosis leaky gut and other underlying gastrointestinal concerns.

This testing uses biomarkers to determine the overall health of the gut, including digestion/absorption, inflammation/immunology, and the health of the gut microbiome (aka do you have the right balance of good/bad bacteria). 

When there is a leaky gut, we can use these biomarkers to understand whether or not you have a leaky gut. 

How is leaky gut treated?

The main goal of treating leaky gut is to tighten the cell junctions along the gut. 

In order to do that, we follow these steps: 

1. Remove the invading causes.
2. Treat any infections, such as bacteria, yeast, and parasites (will be revealed on the stool testing).
3. Use herbs and other supplements to heal the gut lining.
4. Replenish the good bacteria. 

Healing leaky gut isn’t complicated and often doesn’t take more than 6-12 months to diminish many symptoms. 

It does take dedicated effort and often expert support. 

To learn more, come on in to The Flourish Center this coming Tuesday, June 7 from 6:15-7pm for a free community presentation. 

And, if you know you want testing and support, schedule an appointment with me, Jen Owen, N.P. now. 

Please share this post widely because likely your friends and family are dealing with this, too.