How Humans Heal

#190 Healing Emotional Eating: A Guide to Finding Peace with Food with Tricia Nelson 0

Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW

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Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Dec 14, 2023

In today’s episode I interview my friend Tricia Nelson. She is an emotional eating expert, bestselling author and speaker, including a Tedx Talk, based on how she healed herself. She also has her own Heal Your Hunger Show where she helps people break the patterns of emotional eating.

Her website: https://xj108.isrefer.com/go/quit/DW/

Tricia's Emotional Eating Origins

Tricia explains that her emotional eating likely started extremely early, as she has memories of always feeling excited around food. She loved eating, cooking for others, and bonding over meals from very young. When her sister lost weight and called herself an "emotional eater," Tricia initially dismissed it as silly since in her mind, she just genuinely enjoyed all aspects of food.

However, in adolescence, Tricia began gaining weight rapidly, topping out around 50 extra pounds which was really tough. She hated feeling overweight and embarrassed. She tried to deny it at first, but began observing major differences between herself and friends around eating habits. For instance, they would leave half of decadent desserts while she felt intense drive to finish all desserts entirely, even after crossing the point of comfort.

She started frequently overeating significant amounts, like full bags of chips with pints of ice cream, without planning to eat more than a normal portion. This led to feeling painfully over-full and anger afterwards. Still, the cycle continued as the urges overpowered her self-control strengths at the time.

Tricia made consistent efforts from young adulthood into her 30s to try healing her conflicted relationship with food, that she finally accepted was complicated for her. She turned to restrictive diets, intensive exercise plans, various pills and potions, therapy appointments, 12 step programs and more. But the patterns continued and her weight fluctuated up and down wildly - losing large amounts when sticking to plans initially through deprivation tactics, but inevitably regaining the weight each time.

With the help of a mentor, Tricia learned skills to deal with the deep emotions that drove her overeating. This helped much more than short-lived willpower alone. From her own transformation, she developed the Heal Your Hunger Program.

It is a step-by-step program to guide people to change emotional eating patterns from inside themselves instead of strict dieting. The focus helps build sustainable abilities like self-soothing, self-worth, and listening to body signals.

By learning new skills for self-care and tuning into needs, Tricia gained long-term balance around food. Her weight stabilized at a healthy point by addressing root causes. She inspires

hope for overcoming food struggles through overall wellbeing versus extreme restriction that never lasts.

Signs of Emotional Eating

Tricia notes that occasionally overindulging isn't necessarily concerning on its own. However consistent loss of control around food intake coupled with negative consequences sets up an “emotional eating” dynamic.

Major red flags include:

· Feeling extremely frustrated and conflicted about your habitual relationship with food.

· Frequently overeating far past fullness, stomach discomfort or what your mind knows is enough.

· Weight erratically fluctuating up and down over spans as short as weeks or months.

· Requiring different sized clothes on standby to accommodate rapid weight gains and losses.

· Struggling to stick to any healthy eating plan or program for more than days or weeks time.

Overeating exists on a spectrum from mild to severe. For example, overdoing it once on vacation is relatively harmless. But full addiction with severe health and life impacts is the extreme. Figuring out where your struggles land on this range can inform next steps.

Tricia offers a quiz to reveal your specific habits, history and challenges. This helps identify suitable support approaches. However, she stresses self-compassion is essential. Why? Because emotional eating unconsciously starts as a coping mechanism, even when not healthy long-term.

Emotional Eating Roots and Personality

Tricia stresses that emotional eating arises from lifestyle patterns and personality traits at the core - not from a lack of education on nutrition fundamentals as most assume.

Some of these patterns include:

· People pleasing – a strong need to make others happy. It often leads to overgiving - doing too much for others while neglecting our own needs. Over time, overgiving drains our energy and builds resentment. When stressed, it's common to crave sugary "treats"

as a fast way to boost our mood. The thinking becomes "I deserve this because I do so much for everyone else." This people-pleasing trap fuels unhealthy emotional eating.

· Poor boundaries with overdoing – we often go past healthy limits while trying to get everything done. We make long to-do lists and feel we must finish them, even if it becomes too much. Pushing too hard prevents us from recharging properly. Going full speed for too long raises stress. Then we crave quick food energy to help us keep coping with an overloaded schedule. This unhealthy pattern happens when we don't set reasonable limits and listen to signals that we need rest.

· Perfectionism and self-criticism – setting extremely high expectations for yourself. Self-criticism means always judging yourself harshly. These traits lead to anxiety as the inner critic berates your efforts. To temporarily quiet the critical inner voices, it’s common to reach for sugary treats or other substances. This provides short-term soothing and distraction from the high pressure of perfectionism.

For many people, patterns of using food to self-soothe start indirectly from difficult childhood experiences. Trauma or adversity in childhood shapes automatic responses that last through life. Food gives needed comfort when young.

However, this coping habit backfires long-term. Over the years, it can lead to health issues, shame, and low awareness of what inner emotions trigger stress eating. We lose touch with what fuels the behavior when we overly rely on eating to help push through challenges.

Making progress on unhealthy patterns requires self-compassion, not self-criticism. We need understanding for how early life shaped automatic responses, not judgment of current struggles resulting from past wounds. Healing starts with recognizing how innocently coping habits began before taking hold through life.

Cultivating Balance through Self-Care Rituals

Self-care rituals can help create balance around food relationships holistically.

These include:

· Daily meditation to reduce anxiety and connect spiritually.

· Reading personal growth or spiritual literature to positively feed the soul.

· Journaling for self-awareness and emotional healing.

· Light exercise like walking outside daily for activity without adrenal burnout.

· Getting support from others.

Starting healthy rituals builds mental resilience over time. It creates new response paths in the brain for handling stress. This counters the automatic habit to grab quick comfort foods when

under pressure. Those foods may have soothed in the moment before but now mainly cause health problems.

These new rituals are better alternatives to high-calorie, salty/sweet snacks. Things like taking time to meditate, set boundaries, or do emotional healing work. They provide true nourishment long-term versus just a momentary sugar-rush bandaid.

The key is slowly reducing reliance on unhealthy food options while starting to incorporate meaningful self-care habits. Balancing both sides - limiting old patterns and cultivating new wellbeing practices - helps make change stick.

Navigating Social Pressures Skillfully

There are effective ways to avoid peer pressure, especially during the holidays. For example:

· Practice politely saying “no thank you, I’m good” without feeling pressured to provide lengthly personal explanations or excuses.

· Remind yourself persistently that others’ visible surprise or questioning of your choices stems from their own inner mental and emotional processes - it’s not your responsibility to sooth their discomfort or change deep habits in the moment.

· For tense situations, gently complimenting the speaker on their cooking efforts often allows to exit the situation smoothly.

The key is setting healthy boundaries for yourself while respecting others may make different choices.

You always deserve to listen to your body and say no to foods that don’t align with your health, even if others have different habits or opinions. You get to choose what fuels your body in line with your needs and goals.

In short, stand confidently in your own truth and respectfully allow others theirs, even when they question your path. Decline offering foods if your body says no, regardless of another’s perspective or traditions. Select nourishing options serving your personal health journey.

Understanding and Overcoming Sugar Addiction

Tricia explains how regular sugar and artificial sweeteners can be extremely addictive and harmful. She reveals how powerfully they hook the brain and damage health, often quietly without people noticing. Even fake sugars can fuel sugar cravings rather than reduce them.

Tricia created a 5-day “quit sugar challenge” to help break this addiction. It offers step-by-step education, coaching to build resilience, and healthy sweet alternatives that won’t hook the brain.

This enables people with strong sugar cravings to still enjoy delightful flavors. Participants make tasty foods like chocolate pancakes and paleo fudge bars without causing energy and mood swings from blood sugar spikes and crashes.

This program helps change your tastes so you want less sugar. It strengths your inner voice to make better choices for yourself, without doubting your worth. The program quiets the inner critic inside all of us that sabotages our goals. Making this small but powerful shift steadily cuts sugar cravings over time. This allows you to better hear your body’s own wisdom about what healthy foods it needs most.

Going through this short sugar detox program has been shown to help people who eat emotionally to break their sugar addiction. It helps stop cravings and energy crashes related to sugar highs and lows. By clearing sugar from your system for a short period, it becomes easier to tune into what your body specifically needs, rather than just craving sugar. This opens the door to understanding and responding to your unique body’s signals, instead of overriding them with sugary foods.

As mentioned above, emotional eating normally develops early as a coping mechanism to provide comfort or quick distraction from any form of suffering or trauma during our childhood. It is critical for surviving traumatic and challenging experiences we went through while growing up.

At first, emotionally eating sugary foods feels like it gives relief. But for most people, over time it backfires. It becomes an unconscious habit to reach for sugar to feel better, without thinking. Quickly, this can grow into a full-blown dependence on sugar and unhealthy substitutes.

True healing starts with self-compassion. We need to acknowledge that this coping mechanism started innocently before taking over. Looking carefully at contributing factors, like people-pleasing tendencies, allows us to respond differently moving forward. We can consciously choose self-care rather than falling into numbing or depriving habits.

Establishing new rituals like setting boundaries, meditating, emotional healing, and reading uplifting material can slowly override automatic unhealthy drives. With commitment to daily practice, limited backsliding, and community support, whole life transformation happens from the inside out.

Thousands now live free from food obsession through Tricia’s practical, spiritual guidance. Her method helps replace unconscious emotional eating with conscious self-care.

If you would like to learn more about Tricia and how she can help you, you can sign up for her Quit Sugar Challenge. You can also find her on Instagram @tricianelson_ and Facebook Heal Your Hunger.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

#189 The 5 Foods to Avoid to Help Your Body Clear HPV 0

Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW

-

Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Dec 7, 2023

Hi, I'm Dr. Doni Wilson, and today I want to talk about HPV—or human papillomavirus—and specifically the five foods to stop eating if you're working on fending off HPV.

The Issue with HPV

Here's the thing: We are most all exposed to HPV virus at some point in our lives. That includes men and women. And certain strains of HPV are associated with cancer risk. So, to find out that HPV is positive, which often happens when women go to get a pap smear, and more often are being tested for HPV and being told that it's positive, it can be quite scary.

My Experience Helping Women

So that might be why you're listening to this video freaking out thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm HPV positive," or "HPV keeps showing up positive," or even that the HPV is causing abnormal cells on your pap smear or worse. And you feel like you just want to get out of this situation and get rid of this virus as fast as possible. And I understand—I help thousands of women every year to do exactly that in my practice.

What I find is even women who've been following my protocol for months—because oftentimes women who follow my protocol even within three months will find that HPV goes to negative—but sometimes if it hasn't gone away within six months and I go back, and we start digging, and we say, "What is still making this person susceptible to HPV?"

How Dietary Changes Can Help

I'm a naturopathic doctor and midwife, and I've been helping women to address HPV virus for over 23 years. And one of the best ways to do that—to actually help your body, your immune system protect you from this virus—is by making dietary changes.

Now, of course the conventional medical system and most medical practitioners are not trained in nutrition. And so they are not aware of the potential of dietary changes to help your body fend off HPV. But I'm here to tell you and report back to you from all the patients who've worked with me that making dietary changes absolutely can make a difference.

And women every week are coming back to me telling me how their pap is now negative and the HPV is negative. And not only that, but it's staying negative over years, over a period of time. So this is why I feel so motivated to be able to share this information.

An Effective Dietary Protocol

I have a whole protocol that I use in my practice. But today I want to focus on the top five foods that I see make the biggest difference when women are able to take them out of their diet—for at least a period of time until the HPV goes to negative.

#1 - Refined Sugar

So, the first food on that list is really something that's usually an ingredient in foods, and that's sugar. And when I say sugar, I'm referring to refined sugar like a spoonful of white sugar or brown sugar. That's the kind of sugar that we're talking about. I'm not talking about sugar necessarily from natural sugars, say from fruits and vegetables. We want to have some fruits and vegetables in our diet.

But refined sugar can reduce immune system function for hours after you consume it. So if you're having sugar even once a day—a spoonful of sugar or equivalent to that—then it's going to be reducing your immune system's ability to protect you from all different infections, including HPV.

Now just imagine if you're having sugar in your diet multiple different times of day—it's continually reducing your immune function. And a lot of times sugar is in our diet and our beverages without us realizing it.

So I encourage you to take a closer look at the food you're eating—even your protein shakes, even beverages that you think might be healthy. It's worth it to take a look at the ingredients. And if you see sugar, or sugar cane, or sometimes sugar comes in as other names like dextrose and sucrose, these all mean sugar.

If there's sugar in your food—in your sometimes it's in processed food, sometimes it might be food that you're grabbing on the go, or your morning coffee or latte maybe containing sugars—these sugars are reducing your immune function and making you susceptible to HPV, as well as other health issues. So number one is to start really paying attention to sugar and start reducing it in your daily intake.

#2 – Gluten

OK, number two, to me, is gluten. Remember, I've been at this for a couple of decades. And I do very specific testing with my patients to identify issues with gluten—specifically gluten sensitivity. And in some cases, we're also testing for celiac disease if we see severe symptoms and severe signs of gluten issues.

And what I consistently find over and over again, case after case with HPV and abnormal pap smears, is gluten sensitivity. Actually, at least one out of four of us has gluten sensitivity. I think it's actually more common than that.

Humans in general just don't digest gluten very well. Gluten is in rye, barley, spelt, wheat, and anything that has wheat in it—not just whole wheat, but it could be anything made from wheat or rye, barley, spelt has gluten in it.

And so you might be getting gluten again numerous times a day if you're having something made from wheat or containing gluten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You're getting gluten multiple times a day. And gluten for everyone is inflammatory.

Gluten is known in research to cause something called leaky gut, which is damage to the intestinal cells. And this is really important when it comes to HPV. And you might be wondering why. Because you're like, "Well, the HPV is in the vagina.” It also, by the way, can exist in the anal rectal area and oral area."

But most times we're identifying it in the vaginal area. And yes, there is a connection between your digestion and your vaginal area. So if you're consuming gluten and it's causing inflammation and causing damage to your intestinal cells—that's causing inflammation to circulate around your whole body, including to the vaginal area.

Gluten also disrupts the bacteria in the digestive tract. This is well established in research. And I can share the references. When we have disrupted bacteria in our digestion, it is known to disrupt the microbiome vaginally. And this is another way that gluten makes us susceptible to HPV.

So you'll notice in my language I'm talking about susceptibility to HPV. It's not just about exposure. Remember, most all of us are exposed to this virus, but it only has the opportunity to cause abnormal cells in a certain percentage of the population. What's different about that percentage of the population? Well, one thing could be that those people are more susceptible to inflammatory changes and microbiome changes due to gluten exposure.

And so what I recommend with women who work with me in my practice is we test for food sensitivities and find out if gluten is an issue. And then we start eliminating gluten from their diet, and we start to see major changes in their health—not just HPV—but so many things improve about their health, including their digestion and their skin and their hair and their hormones and their energy and their focus and their sleep.

So much more improves. So, yes, you could just start to eliminate gluten from your diet. I think that is a good place to start. And then if you really want to know more about whether you have leaky gut and are there other foods to avoid, I would recommend doing a food sensitivity panel. And I will put a link to the test that I recommend.

#3 – Dairy

OK, so number three—and this also comes back to the food sensitivity panel and what I see as major food problems for women who are experiencing HPV—and that's dairy products,

including anything made from cow's milk except butter. Butter is usually is OK, but anything else made from cow's milk—from yogurt, cheeses, even whey protein powders—is an issue because of the proteins in dairy, not the sugar.

The sugar in dairy is called lactose, and some people are not able to digest lactose and may experience digestive issues from it. That's not so much the issue for HPV. With HPV, the issue is the dairy proteins—casein and whey. And so if you're consuming dairy products—even if you just have milk in your coffee or even if you just have cheese every so often—it could be an issue when it comes to HPV, because it's inflammatory.

The inflammation dairy causes in the digestion then spreads throughout your whole body. And it makes you susceptible to infections. A lot of times people who have dairy sensitivity also are prone to sinus infections and skin issues, but absolutely can make you more prone to HPV.

And this is a thing, then, with the HPV—which normally our bodies can clear and get rid of—it sticks around longer and it has more chance to cause abnormal cells.

#4 – Eggs

OK, so number four, which I think might surprise you, is eggs. Now, a lot of people don't realize that they're reacting to eggs. And I'm not just talking about egg yolks. I'm talking about egg whites. And the issue is that once leaky gut exists—once the intestinal cells are not as healthy as they should be, which happens when we're exposed to stress and toxins and gluten—we end up with leaky gut.

And then eggs, which we all think are healthy and we eat eggs—a lot of women I talk to are eating eggs almost every single day—the eggs are leaking through the intestinal lining undigested. And that egg protein is then triggering an immune response because the immune system thinks it needs to protect you from this foreign protein. That's what our immune system does. It protects us from a foreign proteins.

So when egg protein comes through, the immune system is busy trying to protect you from it and it's not doing as good of a job protecting you from the HPV virus. So one way to know for sure if you're reacting to egg or egg whites in particular is to do the food sensitivity test I recommend, which is from a lab that I've been working with for many years.

I have cross tested it with other labs. I constantly review other food sensitivity panels. And what I find is that this particular lab gives us the clearest results—the clearest information to know for sure if you need to eliminate eggs from your diet.

Now, I want to make sure while we're talking about dietary changes for you to understand that it's not going to be necessary for you to avoid these foods forever. A lot of people worry, "Oh my gosh, how am I going to avoid these foods the rest of my life in order to protect myself from HPV?" But that's not necessary.

Because once we help your body to heal—once we help your body to heal leaky gut, restore healthy digestive function and microbiome and healthy immune function—then in most cases you're able to add these foods back into your diet.

So I'm not suggesting, that you need to avoid these foods forever. I'm suggesting that these are foods that are common in our diet that are actually making us more susceptible to HPV virus. And if we can identify that specifically for you and eliminate those foods from your diet while we heal your digestion, heal your body, rebalance your immune system—you're going to be better able to protect yourself from HPV going forward, even if you reintroduce those foods to your diet.

#5 – Alcohol

So the fifth food I want to talk about is really a beverage, and that is alcohol. What we discover is that women who drink alcohol on a regular basis are more susceptible to HPV. And I’m talking about any type of alcoholic beverage—liquor, beer, wine, or any other beverage containing alcohol. All forms of alcohol reduce immune function.

if you have one drink a week, it is probably not enough to be an issue, but if you're finding yourself having, let's say, two glasses of wine or having one or two glasses of wine more than once a week, then it could be making you more susceptible to HPV.

And it's when women finally do make the commitment to taking alcohol out of their diet, out of their life for a period of time—sometimes for three to six months—along with doing everything else in my protocol including supplements and suppositories, they finally are able to get HPV to go away.

Again, my goal is to help your immune system learn how to protect you from HPV. It doesn't mean you're going to have to forever avoid alcohol. At the same time, women often report to me that they feel so good without these foods and alcohol and sugar in their diet. They end up realizing, "Wow, I feel so much better. My energy is better, my mood is better, my sleep is better, my skin is better—everything is better! Why would I want to go back to eating and drinking all the things I was eating and drinking before that were making me not feel so good?”

When I guide women to follow a maintenance plan, we figure out what you're going to continue now that you've transformed not only your health related to HPV, but you’ve transformed your life. You become empowered about protecting yourself from HPV-related cancer as well as many other health issues.

At that point you can reevaluate what you want to bring back into your diet and your life—even potentially on an occasional basis—but knowing that you're the one who gets to decide what you're eating. You're the one who gets to decide what you're drinking. And you're the one who gets to be in control of your health and your ability to protect yourself from HPV as well as other health issues.

Thank you so much for joining me. If this video was helpful, I'd be happy to hear about it. Please like and subscribe. And definitely join me for the next video where I'll soon be sharing more tips about protecting yourself from HPV.

If you would like to learn more about how I can help you fend off this virus for good I encourage you to watch my HPV Masterclass here. I will also be hosting a live HPV Workshop soon. You can learn more about it here.

If you are ready to get rid of this virus right away, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12 Week Program here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

#188 How Psilocybin Microdosing can Reset our Nervous System with Aya Allison 0

Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW

-

Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Nov 30, 2023

In today’s episode, I’m speaking with coach and educator Aya Allison, who specializes in psilocybin microdosing. We’ll be talking in depth about microdosing—what it is, the science behind it, the latest research in this emerging area of psychedelic medicines, and practical guidance for those considering exploring it as an option.

I’m so excited to be digging into this conversation with Aya, who is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in guiding clients through psilocybin protocols safely and effectively. As a mindset coach and microdosing specialist, she is perfectly positioned to provide the public with much-needed education and support around integrating plant medicines into mental healthcare regimens.

Given the overwhelming crisis of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions we currently face—not to mention a general disconnection from our true selves and nature at large—I believe we need every tool at our disposal. Psilocybin and other entheogens clearly have tremendous potential for healing individuals and our society as a whole if used consciously. I’m thrilled we get to have this discussion today.

The Growing Interest in Psilocybin Microdosing

First I ask Aya to explain more about the growing interest and use of microdosing she's seen lately. She traces when folks started asking her about tiny doses of mushrooms back around 2014-2015, as underground chatter increased among plant medicine circles.

Lately more and more people struggling with mood problems have been learning about microdosing magic mushrooms to find relief because meds and therapy haven't helped them.

Instead of just getting diagnosed and taking meds with bad side effects, they want to try a natural route of using tiny doses of mushrooms to transform their inner world for the better. Many come to Aya first to learn about this approach and see if it's a fit before moving forward. They have worries about safety, laws, amount to take, and what results could realistically be.

Most of all, Aya stresses the importance of fighting ignorance by equipping these psychologically vulnerable yet curious folks with the best knowledge available, empathic support, and community belonging. Random experimenting without proper plans or watching could risk bad outcomes and waste this healing opportunity.

The Mental Health Emergency

Looking more at why people are considering this, we talk about the total failure of Big Pharma medicine to fix the worsening mental health epidemic with mood disorders, suicide risk, disability, and general disconnect from one's self. This is a crisis everywhere. In America alone,

1 in 5 adults now live with a diagnosable condition; youth depression/anxiety has climbed over 50% since 2020, signaling an alarming future trend if we don't respond effectively.

Yet standard treatments fail most people. Psych meds temporarily reduce symptoms at best before 80% relapse within a year, finding their illness even harder to treat after stopping/re-starting them multiple times. Talk therapy changes thinking patterns but doesn't fundamentally transform someone's core being.

Clearly a giant gap exists between where we stand today and people living fully whole, happy, peaceful lives no longer dependent on substances or counseling to feel sane, self-love, meaning, and fulfillment.

This is exactly the promise of plant medicine like magic mushrooms used wisely under care - to reconnect us with our natural power to heal and feel alive inside. Aya says it helps dissolve the make-believe walls that make us feel separate and sick - so we can remember we are naturally well and whole already.

Aya's Personal Journey with Psychedelics

When asked what called her to explore this view 7 years ago, she shares bravely about her past battles with heavy depression - planted by childhood trauma and running in her family - which regular medicine failed to fix.

Feeling skeptical yet desperate, as a last hope she courageously turned to Ayahuasca, a plant medicine from South America. She describes the shocking rebirth process it caused, making her confront and integrate decades of stored pain and false identities to uncover an indestructible inner light within all people. In an instant, her years-long darkness ended; she felt restored to hope, purpose, freedom and unconditional self-love she’d never known before.

She emphasizes preparation was key - had she not focused seriously on self-care, mindfulness, and processing her emotions enough ahead of time, the journey could’ve overwhelmed rather than freed her. With proper readiness, miraculous healing happens quite naturally. She testifies these plant medicines hold power if someone is called to them. But wise guidance remains crucial for safety.

Her quest for truth and multifaceted healing then expanded more formally into shamanism, nature-based spirituality. As she coaches others through change with plant substances now, she increasingly sees intricate links between mental illness, immunity, digestion, nerves, sustainability, psychology and spiritual awakening.

Micro vs. Macro Doses of Psilocybin

To explain key words she mentioned about dosage levels and experiences, I distinguish between micro and macro doses of mushroom containing psilocybin; share that ceremonial use

often means higher, consciousness-altering macro doses while microdosing means taking sub-perceptual amounts for more subtle mental/emotional benefits over time. She agrees a microdose doesn’t cause a psychedelic effect.

Aya clarifies an actual psychedelic experience kicks in around 2-3 grams of psilocybin. Microdosing is in the range of 50 mg of psilocybin and still results in significant healing of the nervous system.

Everyone’s sensitivity varies widely though based on brain chemistry, setting, mushroom strength, etc, so effects stay quite individualized and deeply personal. One might not notice changes occurring within initially. But the huge combined feedback on how microdosing psilocybin mushrooms improves thinking, emotional regulation, social skills, creativity and brain communication confirms something special happens for most at proper amounts.

It basically fine tunes pathways instead of hijacking them like prescription antidepressants; gently strengthens connections over weeks like bodybuilding rather than suddenly overloading capacity.

Just as higher mushroom doses cause temporary altered states of consciousness by impacting brain chemicals, tiny doses still positively influence critical networks, literally rewiring thought patterns, emotional triggers and habitual behaviors slowly over time for the better. And unlike pharmaceuticals, mushroom ingredients develop no physiological addiction or withdrawal.

Legality Remains Complex

We discuss current policies and regulations concerning growing, accessing and responsible usage of psychedelic containing plants like mushrooms which remain federally prohibited, similarly to how cannabis once was.

It is important to understand one’s regional legal landscape and penalties. But encouragingly, certain locations decriminalized or introduced bills permitting medical access and research.

Overall authorities make psychedelic related cases lowest enforcement priority compared to drugs causing harm. Still banned in the U.S. however, transporting mushrooms across state lines or dosing in public remains completely illegal until policy changes as science compellingly proves therapeutic efficacy.

Which means underground access may quietly thrive in some areas as symbolized by native use rituals for communing sacramentally with nature since ancient times. But political winds now shift as pioneering cities pass laws stopping unjust jailing for personal growing/use. Oregon legalized therapy centers; other states put medical access on legislative agendas. We stand at the genesis of a historic paradigm shift around psychedelic therapies.

Standard Microdosing Protocols

When asked about dosing strategies, Aya shares sage advice she gives people for getting the most from microdosing - like journaling, intention setting, community support or coaching check-ins. Protocol details get debated though across practitioners. James Fadiman who did original microdosing research suggests taking .1g mushroom powder every 3rd day for a month before some days completely off. Compare to Dr. Stametes who likes “stacking” microdoses with bonus lion’s mane mushroom chunks for enhanced benefits.

Aya personally recommends starting with half doses every other day - or full days off if very sensitive - while journaling changes in bodily sensations, moods, thinking, behaviors or dreams. Continue minimum 10-12 weeks before reevaluating extending the cycle. Natural symptoms may signal slightly higher doses needed.

Customizing one’s frequency and amount means attentively noticing subtle feedback in concert with professional consultation. Each person sensitively self-calibrates unique embodiment needs meaningfully this way once properly informed.

Are Psychedelic Changes Sustainable Long Term?

We also discuss doubts whether microdosing induced insights, newfound neural links or behavior shifts last once stopping or dependency develops needing continual mushroom activation. Valid worry; especially when medications often accompany withdrawal symptoms after temporarily subduing symptoms without resolving root causes.

But unlike addictive, toxic medications, Aya assures zero evidence suggests any dependency tendency from mushroom-based psilocybin. In fact the opposite - they powerfully curb addictive patterns! The mushrooms basically reset the nervous system, enabling lasting positive changes, not unlike installing new software.

The authentic self realized or old traumas released remain available within afterwards too, just maybe needing occasional “tune-ups”.

Ultimately they strengthen personal freedom, not replace it. First microdosing trains the brain’s pathways until we pedal freely ourselves feeling more able to navigate life and it’s challenges.

Training Practitioners in Psychedelic Medicine

When asking about her educational initiative for healthcare professionals, Aya describes founding Heroic Wellness exactly for this purpose: to develop legal training systems delivering mushroom assisted psychotherapy properly once policy allows clinical practice.

This work gets desperately needed today; underground options fail ethics standards as demand balloons for healing support with plant journeys. Without proper set, setting and integration

care afterwards however, bad outcomes manifest for the emotionally and energetically sensitive.

The outdated disease label and medication fix model totally misses the multidimensional nature of consciousness. More holistic approaches using plant medicine have the potential to help more people.

Healing unfolds through RELATIONSHIP nurtured by skillfully attuning to complexity of inner landscapes opened during entheogenic experience. Thus proper presence, gentle guidance and compassion creates optimal conditions for awakening - as the best doctors understand too.

Entheogens Explained

After introducing “entheogen,” an unfamiliar word, I ask Aya to define its meaning and why it fits better than “psychedelic” or “hallucinogen” for plant medicines like magic mushrooms or Ayahuasca. She says it comes from “generating the divine within” - implying substances eliciting short yet deeply mystical states of oneness, euphoria, infinity, clarity into Truth behind normal senses. Whereas “psychedelic” suggests escapism without personal integration.

Ancient wisdom cultures prized plant entheogens as sacred portal opening mediums for ritual, divination, adolescent rites of passage, and healing. Careful protocols and reverence prevailed universally, which Aya advocates restoring today.

Hence “entheogen” differentiates compounds occasioning awakening and embodiment rather than just distractive trips as “psychedelic” misleadingly implies for some. It resumes honoring time-tested shamanic respect she argues legalization absolutely necessitates incorporating rather than dismissing.

Mixing Psilocybin Microdosing with Other Medications

Lastly I ask about potential complications or interference augmenting microdoses with existing pharmaceutical prescriptions, over the counter supplements or common health conditions in case safety concerns arise for those interested but using other things concurrently.

Aya reassures hardly any recorded interactions manifest since dosing stays so sub-perceptual, unlike recreational ranges. It won’t impair bodily/metabolic functioning noticeably at tiny amounts either. And given the brain chemical specific effects, psilocybin seem unlikely to worsen side effects, diminish intended benefits of treated symptoms or cause dangerous synergistic reactions with medications.

In fact integration may benefit tapering off unneeded medications under medical guidance. They awaken our inner doctor healing capacities restoring natural balance rather than overriding them as dependencies can. Of course conservative dosing and transparency with one’s doctors stays vital.

Closing Thoughts

In closing, I sincerely thank Aya for openly illuminating the immense potential of mushroom family plant medicines like psilocybin to catalyze radical healing transformations - of both individuals and society collectively. When supported conscientiously by professionals, they provide unprecedented opportunities for healing, connection and meaning for all.

If you would like to learn more about Aya and how she can help you, you can visit her website here. You can also check out Aya’s app here or connect with her on social media at @aya.allison (Instagram). You can schedule an appointment with her here.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

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Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

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Nov 22, 2023

In this episode, I discuss the profound healing power of gratitude while providing practical, evidence-based guidance on how you can cultivate it daily, even in the these modern stressful times. I am a burnout expert and I can guide you to recover from stress while in that mix of stress, and that's one of the key differences about what I teach and what I help my patients to do when I help them to recover from whatever health issue they're experiencing.

Understanding Stress and Its Impact on Health

The various sources of stress we're exposed to—emotional, physical toxins as stresses, infections and injuries—cause the symptoms and health issues we experience. So the best way to reverse those health issues is to reverse the impact of stress.

To do that, we first need to understand how stress is affecting you uniquely. For this, we need to first fond out your stress type.

I developed a quiz called the Stress Type Quiz. I'll put the link so you can take that in case you haven't already discovered your stress type. By knowing your stress type, we can understand how stress is impacting your cortisol and adrenaline levels, which are the stress hormones made by the adrenal glands.

Understanding how stress has disrupted your cortisol and adrenaline, we have one key piece of the puzzle of solving the impact of stress on your system and how we can then optimize cortisol and adrenaline to get you recovered from stress even if you are still of course—most all of us are still in the midst of stress day in and day out because we're humans, and humans are exposed to stress constantly.

Stress is inevitable, but recovering from it is possible. It's not about avoiding all the stress; it's about helping us to recover from stress. But we have to individualize your approach to recovery from stress based on exactly how stress has caused imbalances in your body, mind, nervous system and so on. Understanding each person's unique stress response is key.

Stress causes imbalances in our cortisol levels. And when you have imbalanced cortisol, that's what ends up causing the health issues, and we know that when people have optimal cortisol levels they live longer because they have less health issues. So we all should be aiming for optimal cortisol levels.

The Healing Power of Gratitude

Where does gratitude come into play with this? The way I think about gratitude is it's one of the tools we can use to help us recover from stress and actually one of the cool things about gratitude is that it works for all the stress types. Gratitude is really a healing medicine. It literally is a medicine that you can access within yourself without having to swallow a pill, without

having to pay for anything. You can access it at any moment in time 24 hours a day and anywhere you're located. Gratitude is accessible, free, and available anytime.

There are so many studies showing over and over again that it can help us not just mentally and emotionally, and I'm gonna be talking about that in detail. It can help us on a physical level. Amazingly, there's quite a lot of research on it.

Gratitude helps in both emotional and physical ways. The research supporting gratitude is substantial.

The Science Behind Gratitude

Gratitude helps to stimulate dopamine levels, which gives us the ability to think and make decisions and enjoy. It's also connected with reward and pleasure so we want to have adequate dopamine. Dopamine is key for brain power, reward, pleasure and enjoyment.

· Gratitude also increases serotonin, one of our calming neurotransmitters.

· It increases oxytocin, which is what we usually think of as a bonding hormone or the love hormone.

· I think about oxytocin as one of our anti-stress hormones.

So gratitude boosts our bonding hormone oxytocin, an anti-stress hormone, as well as serotonin. So how wonderful that we can with practicing gratitude boost our anti-stress hormone oxytocin as well as endorphins in general, which are also anti-stress, anti-pain messengers in our bodies. This can be so simple and yet effective.

Gratitude stimulates helpful anti-stress and anti-pain messengers in the body. It's simple yet powerful. You set aside your perfectionism and you get in touch with your intuition—what just comes to you when you think of what do you feel grateful for—because you wanted to be simple, quick and easy, whatever comes to your mind first. What do I feel gratitude for in this moment?

When practicing gratitude, set aside perfectionism. Get in touch with intuition and keep it simple—whatever comes to mind first.

Literally writing it down can actually help, so you can think it, you can have a thought about gratitude, and that's powerful. But then when you write it down it even gets more power toward the effectiveness of gratitude.

Writing down gratitude is also very powerful, even more than just thinking grateful thoughts.

Expressing gratitude and finding more ways to do that and allowing it...I think sometimes we we just weren't taught this, so we end up not knowing how to do it right. We don't really know how to express gratitude well and so it takes practice. We just have to learn how to feel it.

We may not have been taught how to express gratitude growing up. It takes practice to learn how to feel and express it.

Practicing Gratitude

I'm hoping that helps you get a sense of what gratitude can feel like and look like and to see how it can be expressed: to say "thank you, you mean a lot to me and you've made a big difference in my life." And I'm so grateful for the people who have been able to be there to support me in my process.

Gratitude can be expressed by saying "thank you" and appreciating people who have made a difference.

Here are some additional tips for practicing gratitude:

· Write in a gratitude journal.

· Send thank you notes, texts, or emails.

· Verbally express gratitude to people in your life.

· Try a gratitude meditation.

· Consider psychedelic plant medicines which can induce profound gratitude.

· Microdosing psychedelics may also help with gratitude.

I have traveled in different areas of the world to experience different psychedelic plant medicines for—because I'm constantly loving to travel and research other cultures and types of medicine—and in the use of psychedelic medicine such as ayahuasca and psilocybin, one of the main benefits I have experienced is an immense sense of gratitude.

Psychedelic medicines work on our nervous system also as anti-stress medicines to help us reset the stress response and recover from stress and trauma, and one of the ways they do that is by increasing our sense of gratitude.

There have been times when I've been in a psychedelic retreat or ceremony and had experiences of being filled with a sense of gratitude—literally tears pouring out of my eyes feeling like my heart is so open and warm—and literally feeling more gratitude for the people in my life and the patients I've been able to help and the patients that have taught me so much about all of this. I wouldn't have all of this knowledge or experience without the people who've come and trusted me to help them with their health.

If you're ever interested in or called to using psychedelic medicines even in microdoses, I encourage you to check out prior episodes and blog articles about that here, and I'm happy to connect with someone to help you get more information.

I have immense gratitude for those I've been able to help and who have helped me gain this knowledge. And I feel such a huge amount of gratitude for all of you who are listening in, who are joining me here, who are reading my book and practicing these things I'm teaching and benefiting from it—because that's what I love to do.

I love to be able to provide this information so people can benefit, and when people do get to benefit from it I feel a huge amount of gratitude for that connection that we have. I also feel deep gratitude for my readers, listeners and patients who allow me to help them. It's meaningful to make a difference through sharing this helpful information.

I'm here to express that gratitude so that we can all really learn what that's like: to intentionally choose gratitude and benefit from it. So thank you again so much for joining me here at How Humans Heal. If you have not already, I would love for you to subscribe and join my newsletter list so that you hear when the next episode comes out.

I will be here as your stress and burnout recovery expert to help you every step of the way to understand stress—how it impacts us and how you can take steps to recover from stress—and in doing so reverse so many other possible health issues that you might be dealing with.

I intentionally express gratitude and invite you to join me on this journey of learning, healing and empowerment. Please subscribe if you'd like to receive more episodes and information to recover from stress, which can reverse many health conditions.

If you want to learn more about how stress and trauma affect us, and how to heal using Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

We also invite you to join Dr. Doni’s New Stress Mastery C.A.R.E. Program. This 4-week virtual experience provides personalized solutions to help you recover from burnout and rejuvenate your mind and body based on your Stress Type®. We start by having you take our proprietary quiz to uncover your unique stress profile. Are you a Stress Magnet? Sluggish and Stressed? Night Owl? Or another one of the 5 types?

Your Stress Type tells us how your body and mind have been impacted by stress. Think of it as your version of "stress mode" or burnout. It's important to know your Stress Type because the way to successfully recover from burnout needs to be customized based on your Stress Type.

Even your SelfC.A.R.E. needs to be fine-tuned based on your Stress Type in order get you all the way to Stress Mastery!

In just 4 weeks, you'll optimize cortisol and adrenaline levels, reduce symptoms by 50% or more, regain mental clarity and productivity, improve sleep quality and heart rate variability and establish healthy lifelong habits.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

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Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Nov 16, 2023

In this illuminating conversation, I had the pleasure of speaking with functional medicine practitioner Dr. Traci Potterf about the power of holistic healing for anxiety. She and I have both been helping people with anxiety and burnout in general for many years, so this was a perfect opportunity to see how our approaches align and overlap.

Dr. Traci Potterf holds a PhD in Medical Anthropology and is a functional medicine practitioner with extensive training in mind-body therapies. She describes herself as an "anxiety detective" helping clients get to the root causes of anxiety.

Dr. Traci teaches people to understand anxiety as the body's cry for help, not a personal failing or something you must accept lifelong. Her multifaceted, individualized programs help clients address anxiety through nutrition, lifestyle “makeovers”, stress resilience practices, and nervous system healing.

After healing her own health challenges, Dr. Traci was inspired to support others on their journey to wellness. She is passionate about illuminating the path to joy, meaning, and possibility by merging ancient wisdom, emerging science, and the magic inherent in every human.

Reframing Anxiety as a Health Messenger

Anxiety exists on a spectrum, ranging from tension and muscle tightness to full-blown panic attacks. At the physical level, symptoms may include jaw clenching, gut issues like constipation or loose stools, headaches, insomnia, hormone imbalances, heart palpitations, and more.

Mentally, anxiety manifests as excessive worry about hypothetical future scenarios, catastrophizing, ruminating on negative possibilities, and feelings of being completely overwhelmed.

Our conventional medical system has wrongly pathologized anxiety as a genetic brain defect requiring medication. But humans lived for thousands of years without widespread anxiety disorders. Anxiety is simply the body's smoke alarm signaling that something is out of balance in the inner or outer terrain. The nervous system is saying "ouch" in the only way it knows how.

Rather than immediately medicating to silence the nervous system's signals, we must approach anxiety as a teacher. It provides an opportunity to tune into the body's wisdom and discover what requires healing. Trying to ignore or override anxiety without addressing the root issues provoking it is like disabling a smoke detector while your house burns down.

How Modern Life Impacts Our Nervous System

With our epidemic of chronic stress and toxicity in the modern world, most people now live with some level of anxiety. Here are several contributing factors:

· Diet high in processed foods, sugars, chemicals and industrial seed oils provokes inflammation throughout the body and brain. This impairs cellular functioning, hormone regulation, detox processes, and neurotransmitter balance.

· Dehydration prevents optimal delivery of nutrients and removal of toxins. Lack of structured, energized water also reduces the voltage that powers energy flow.

· Toxins like heavy metals, mold, infections from pathogens like Lyme, and EMFs directly disrupt the nervous system. They derail neurotransmitters and damage tissues.

· Trapped emotions and unprocessed pain or trauma from the past remain stuck in the nervous system and bodily tissues if never addressed. This perpetual loop feeds anxiety.

· Sleep deprivation and constant overstimulation from electronics disrupt natural biorhythms needed for health like cleansing cycles. This stresses physiology.

· Negative thought patterns like excessive self-judgment keep us feeling unsafe and on high alert. The mind perceives threats everywhere.

· Social isolation and lack of community fails to meet our core human needs for belonging and intimate connection. Lack of oxytocin and bonding creates distress.

· Suppression of innate human needs for pleasure, joy, play, and meaning leads to loss of purpose. Without a felt sense of meaning, anxiety brews.

Even with genetic susceptibility based on temperament, we can mitigate these lifestyle and environmental triggers through functional medicine approaches that support the body's innate wisdom.

Principles of Holistic Healing

Healing anxiety requires a truly holistic approach that addresses body, mind and spirit simultaneously.

A foundational piece is healing and nourishing the physical body by removing sources of inflammation, promoting detoxification, and providing the building blocks for recovery.

Eliminating inflammatory foods like sugars, processed carbs, industrial oils and adopting an organic whole foods diet can cool inflammation. Also adopting an organic whole foods diet centered around vegetables, healthy fats and clean proteins and staying well hydrated with clean, filtered water.

Checking for infections, hormonal issues, autoimmunity, blood sugar imbalance and addressing these underlying issues provides support.

Promoting hydration, key nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and using targeted botanicals and nutraceuticals further aids recovery.

Gentle detox protocols help offload toxins and calm inflammation when indicated. Sauna therapy, massage, dry brushing, castor oil packs, and other techniques enhance detox.

In the interview, Traci shares her personal journey of discovering she had mold toxicity, and how recovering from it has helped solve anxiety.

Since anxiety fundamentally represents nervous system dysfunction, we must specifically heal and regulate the nervous system, not just treat the physical body.

Key strategies for regulating the nervous system include:

· Establishing routines aligned with natural circadian and seasonal bio-rhythms. This supports hormonal balance and healthy nervous system activity.

· Optimizing sleep duration and quality allows neural regeneration and tissue repair. Melatonin and sleep hygiene practices boost sleep.

· Reducing stimulation from electronics, screens, excessive noise, and artificial blue light. This calms the hyperexcited nervous system.

· Engaging in play, pleasure, movement, and nature immersion practices. These discharge tension and cultivate embodiment.

· Incorporating research-backed stress resilience techniques like breathwork, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, chanting, and somatic practices. These alter the brain and repattern nervous system responses.

· Processing old traumas and stuck emotions through journaling, therapy, EMDR, tapping, and other energy psychology methods. Safely releasing old pain prevents anxiety.

Anxiety frequently feeds on distorted, negative thought loops and unhelpful cognitive patterns. We can work to reframe anxious thinking by noticing anxious thoughts and cognitive distortions without judgment and developing the observer self.

We can challenge distorted thoughts by asking questions like "Is this definitely true?" and "How do I know this to be fact rather than my fearful interpretation?" This way we can reframe anxiety narratives into more positive mental scripts aligned with self-trust.

We have to be able to release limiting beliefs about our own inability to get well or successfully manage anxiety. We have to realize that we have more strength than we realize.

We can also practice allowing all emotional experiences to flow through without exaggerating their meaning or significance and practicing present moment mindfulness to break identification with anxious thoughts.

Since human beings are bioenergetic systems, we must also address the spiritual and energetic roots of anxiety. Spending time in nature, adopting daily pleasure practices, moving stagnant emotional energy, freeing the body through dance and creative expression, fostering community and intimacy, engaging in spiritual practices, and cultivating meaning uplift your overall frequency.

Honoring the Nonlinear Journey Back to Wholeness

Traci and I also talked about how true holistic living means embracing all facets of being human. This includes sitting with painful or unpleasant emotions when they arise, not just seeking high-vibe states and positivity.

Avoiding our feelings can worsen anxiety. We need full expression of our inner experience and realize the importance of self-compassion when anxiety feels overwhelming. Judging or beating yourself up will only worsen matters. Each person's path is unique and nonlinear.

There will invariably be ups and downs, breakthroughs and backslides as part of the journey. What matters most is continually realigning with your core values and making progress from a place of radical self-love.

Expanding your self-knowledge allows you to create a lifestyle that is sustaining and enlivening for your unique mind-body needs. As you learn how to care for yourself in the ways your system requires, you will no longer need willpower or self-force to make positive choices. Pleasure, meaning, joy and health become synonymous.

Investing fully in your own healing journey, though often challenging, pays exponential dividends. Having compassionate community support and guidance from skilled practitioners accelerates progress through difficult times.

But at its core, healing anxiety means rediscovering your innate wholeness, remembering you are more than your anxiety. When you reclaim your power to shift your inner landscape on all levels, the physical manifestations change as well. You "feel your way free" and unlock possibility for profound holistic transformation.

Dr. Doni’s Approach to Anxiety

I have been helping patients recover (yes recover) from anxiety and burnout for over two decades. Even though we are led to believe that anxiety is permanent, my patients have proven that is not true. I also used to experience severe anxiety myself, and that motivated me to solve it once and for all.

Now I use my proven Stress Recovery Protocol to guide patients to address their mental health issues and burnout based on their Stress Type. I first recommend measuring your cortisol levels at four times of day, as well as adrenaline and neurotransmitter levels.

By knowing the exact imbalances in your adrenal function and nervous system, I can then guide you to address them using amino acid therapy, as well as herbs and nutrients, known to bring cortisol, adrenaline and neurotransmitters back to optimal.

I also guide you to implement my C.A.R.E. Protocol, which involves clean eating, adequate sleep, recovery activities and exercise based on your Stress Type.

To give you a sense of what is involved, here is a summary of Beneficial Modalities for Healing Anxiety Naturally:

Nutritional Approaches

· Eliminate inflammatory foods, such as sugar, gluten, dairy, based on your food sensitivities – here is the test I recommend

· Gut healing to address the gut-brain axis with herbs and digestive enzymes – find my Leaky Gut Program here

· Adrenal support using adaptogens and nutrients – Based on your Stress Type®

· Methylation support to optimize neurotransmitter metabolism – find my Methylation Program here

· Amino acids like tryptophan, glycine, GABA for calming – Based on my Stress Recovery Protocol®

Herbs and Natural Agents

· Nervine herbs like passionflower, chamomile, lemon balm to soothe nerves

· Adaptogens like ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng for resilience – Based on your Stress Type®

· Support your cannabinoid system – herbs and CBD

· Nootropics for cognitive support like lion’s mane mushroom and more – Based on your Stress Type®

· Magnesium, l-theanine, omega-3s for calming and mood regulation – Based on my Stress Recovery Protocol®

Body-Centered Healing Practices

· Breathwork, mindfulness meditation, chanting, yoga, and Qigong

· Somatic techniques, polyvagal exercises, breathwork

· Nature immersion and forest bathing to restore

· Trauma release exercises, EMDR, neurofeedback

· Bioenergetic therapies - acupuncture, sound healing, tapping

Lifestyle and Plant Medicine Approaches

· Sleep hygiene, light exposure, digital detox, balancing rest and activity

· Community support, relationships, intimacy, pleasure practices

· Nature immersion, gardening, grounding, ecotherapy

· Creativity, dance, journaling for expression and embodiment

· Psychedelic therapy with plant medicines

I hope these suggestions provide a helpful starting point for those seeking to craft a personalized holistic healing program. Please reach out if you would like guidance assembling your own integrative anxiety relief toolkit. With an open heart and willing spirit, true and lasting transformation is absolutely within reach.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Traci and how she can help you, you can visit her website here. You can also connect with Dr. Traci on social media at @drtracipotterfphd (Instagram) and @Inner Genius Health with Dr.Traci Potterf, PhD (Facebook).

If you want to learn more about Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

We also invite you to listen in to Dr. Doni’s FREE virtual masterclass - Calm in the Storm: Research-Backed Techniques for Healing Your Body and Mind.

This masterclass will equip you with a toolbox of techniques and a personalized action plan so you can find inner peace and heal the impact of stress based on your Stress Type. You'll leave this masterclass with research-backed skills to bring calm to the chaos within - and maintain resilience in the face of external stressors. And know next steps you can take to recover.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

#185 Beat Burnout and Recover Faster by Knowing Your Burnout Type 0

Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW

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Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Nov 9, 2023

In this episode, I want to thoroughly cover the signs of burnout, the different types of burnout patterns, and most importantly, how you can recover based on your unique individual burnout type.

I'm passionate about this work because I've been through burnout myself multiple times and had to figure out how to recover. Stress is a part of life - but with the right tools you can feel energized and empowered instead of depleted.

Now I've made it my mission to guide others through the step-by-step process of overcoming burnout and coming back to vibrant health. It's deeply gratifying to help people get their lives back after years of merely surviving.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a condition defined as chronic stress leading to emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. The key signs of burnout include lack of energy, anxiety, poor sleep, trouble focusing, and various physical symptoms.

The term burnout has been loosely used for many years, but it has recently been officially defined as an occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organization. However, there is still a stigma attached to experiencing burnout or other mental health issues related to chronic stress.

I want to emphasize that burnout can happen to anyone, at any age, whether you have a job/career or not. All generations go through periods of burnout, but recent studies indicate that Gen Z (born 1997-2012) reports the highest rates of burnout at 91%, compared to other generations.

Why are Younger Adults More Susceptible to Burnout?

There are several potential reasons behind this:

· Going through the pandemic during critical developmental years

· Entering the workforce post-pandemic with less experience interacting in-person

· Fears over job stability and finances

· Tendency to overwork and not establish boundaries

· Less life experience coping with high stress

However, while burnout may be more prevalent among Gen Z currently, it's important to understand it can happen to anyone when stress is unmanaged over long periods without adequate recovery. The chronic stress response takes its toll on the body and mind.

That’s why recognizing the signs of burnout within yourself is so important.

5 Key Areas When Identifying Burnout

1. Energy Level - Do you feel like you have very low energy? Difficulty getting out of bed, needing naps, relying on caffeine to get through the day can indicate compromised energy due to burnout.

2. Mood - Is your overall mood lower? Are you unable to enjoy activities you used to find pleasurable? Do you feel unmotivated, apathetic, sad, or excessively worried? This can manifest as anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.

3. Sleep - Have you noticed your sleep is disrupted? Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking early, or insufficient sleep are common signs of burnout.

4. Focus - Are you unable to focus or concentrate like you used to? Do you experience brain fog, distracted thinking, or an inability to complete tasks? Focus and cognition are impaired.

5. Physical Symptoms - Look out for any of the following physical symptoms as potential signs of burnout: headaches, stomach upset, muscle aches, skin issues, hormonal imbalances, difficulty conceiving, susceptibility to illnesses (HPV positive, abnormal pap), or increased inflammation and pain.

How Chronic Stress Leads to Burnout

When we encounter any type of stressor (emotional, physical, or toxic), our body’s natural response is to release cortisol and adrenaline - our primary stress hormones. This stress response is very adaptive and helpful for short bursts of stress or dangerous situations.

However, when stress is constant, and/or traumatic, and we don’t get adequate recovery, our stress hormones can become depleted or imbalanced. Our adrenal glands that produce cortisol and adrenaline struggle to keep up with the high demand.

Sometimes this is referred to as “adrenal fatigue” or dysautonomia. I prefer to use the term “adrenal distress.”

Over weeks, months or years of chronic stress, this causes the symptoms of burnout to emerge. It looks different in each person based on many factors.

Through two decades of stress research, I’ve identified 5 major burnout patterns that can occur depending on a person’s stress type.

1. Stress Magnets: Characterized by elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels. This is the most classic type of burnout that many people assume is the only version.

2. Blah and Blue: The opposite pattern of low cortisol and adrenaline. These individuals feel unable to handle any more stress.

3. Night Owls: Normal cortisol during the day but high levels at night, disrupting sleep.

4. Sluggish and Stressed: High cortisol but low adrenaline. They feel fatigued and overwhelmed.

5. Tired and Wired: Low cortisol but high adrenaline. Excess nervous energy but crashing.

The reasons these different patterns evolve are quite complex, involving genetics, metabolism, early life experiences, etc. I dive much deeper into the science behind the 5 stress types in my book, Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

How Can We Recover from Burnout?

Recovering requires a targeted approach based on your individual burnout pattern.

One-size-fits all suggestions rarely work for recovery from burnout. This is because diet, sleep, exercise and stress management affect each burnout type differently.

Let’s consider some examples:

· A Blah and Blue stress type needs to exercise less than a Tired and Wired. Too much exercise makes them worse.

· Night Owls require earlier bedtimes, no screen time at night. But Stress Magnets need mindfulness before bed, not necessarily earlier sleep.

· Adaptogens like Rhodiola help blah & blue types but aggravate stress magnets.

This is why I created a free quiz to identify your burnout type based on your symptoms and cortisol/adrenaline levels. You can take it here.

Once you understand your burnout pattern, I can then guide you on the nutrition, sleep, exercise, recovery activities and stress management that will work for your unique situation.

Then you can start to feel better! With the right support, your adrenal glands can absolutely heal and recover from burnout, it just takes strategic care catered to your stress type.

There are some foundational steps that benefit anyone recovering from burnout. I call this the C.A.R.E. protocol:

C - Clean Eating: Follow an anti-inflammatory diet high in vegetables, fruits, clean proteins. Remove inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy and excess sugar. Stay hydrated. Time meals for steady energy.

A - Adequate Sleep: Make sleep a priority. Keep a consistent bedtime/wake time. Limit blue light exposure at night. Create an optimal sleep environment. Nap if needed.

R - Recovery Activities: Build in small breaks during the day. Spend time in nature, listening to music, meditating, laughing, praying, dancing, reading, being creative, cuddling pets. Find things that bring you joy and relaxation.

E - Exercise: Get regular exercise, but modify the duration and intensity based on your burnout type. Some need more energizing exercise, others require gentler movement.

The C.A.R.E. basics give your body the fundamental nourishment and rest it needs to start recovering from burnout. But you can optimize your C.A.R.E. protocol by customizing it specifically for your stress pattern.

In my book I guide you step-by-step on how to tailor your nutrition, sleep habits, recovery activities, exercise routine and stress management to your unique burnout type.

Whether you tend to be a stress magnet, blah and blue, night owl, sluggish and stressed, or tired and wired, you'll discover exactly how to recalibrate your C.A.R.E. protocol to target your imbalances and get back to health.

With the properly tailored changes, your adrenal glands and stress hormone levels can reset. This restores energy, mood, sleep, focus and physical health. You begin to feel like yourself again. Just as essentially, you establish resilience against future burnout. That way if stress ramps up, you're prepared to handle it without plummeting back into burnout.

I'm very excited to teach more on this topic at my upcoming free masterclass "Calm in the Storm: Techniques for Healing Your Body and Mind." This will empower you to master your stress - not by trying to eliminate it altogether, but by understanding your body's needs and patterns.

Stress is simply a part of life. There will always be stressors and even intense "storms" that come along. But once you know your stress type, you gain tools to stay resilient and healthy during these challenges.

You learn how to quickly self-correct when you feel stress creeping up again. That way small issues don't spiral into major burnout. You create lasting habits for thriving through life's ups and downs.

In the Calm in the Storm Masterclass, we'll cover:

· Identifying your unique stress type with warning signs

· Fine-tuning your C.A.R.E. protocol by stress pattern

· Advanced nutrition, supplements and lifestyle tips

· Cultivating daily joy and relaxation

· Rewiring your beliefs around stress

· Creating community for ongoing support

I hope the information today gives you more insight into burnout - its subtle warning signs, different patterns it can take, and how recovery can be tailored to your unique needs.

Please subscribe and continue joining me for more episodes focused on recovering from stress and burnout.

And absolutely reach out to me if you need extra support customizing your own burnout recovery plan. Now that you understand the various burnout types, we can collaborate to create an individualized protocol to restore your health, energy and joy in life!

My team and I can help identify your specific burnout pattern, the root causes, which areas to prioritize, advanced testing you may need, optimal supplements, and personalized lifestyle changes.

With proper individualization, most people fully recover from even years-long burnout. You regain mental clarity, physical vitality and emotional stability. Your body resets and you establish long-term resilience against stress overload.

My own journey fuels my commitment to support you in reclaiming your energy, sleep, mood and health. I hope you feel encouraged knowing there are solutions and you are not alone! Stay tuned for more.

If you want to learn more about how stress and trauma affect us, and how to heal using Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

If you are you constantly feeling overwhelmed, anxious, tired, or just not feeling yourself you can join Dr. Doni’s FREE virtual masterclass – “Calm in the Storm: Techniques for Healing Your Body and Mind” where you will get a personalized action plan so you can find inner peace and heal the impact of stress. You'll leave this masterclass with research-backed skills to bring calm to the chaos within - and maintain resilience in the face of external stressors.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni:

#184 Unlocking The Power of Quantum Healing with Dr. Catherine Clinton 0

Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW

-

Additional Resources:

If you want to work on your gut health and microbiome you may want to sign up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program (https://doctordoni.com/leaky-gut-program) where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to healing HPV you can find my new HPV Recovery Guide here (https://doctordoni.com/ddpp/hpv-guide/).

If you are tired of this virus and are really committed to erasing it from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here (https://drdoni.lpages.co/hpv-12-week-program/).

You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here (https://doctordoni.com/stress-program).

Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health (https://doctordoni.com/master-your-stress/). In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online (https://doctordoni.com/quiz/stress-quiz/)

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here (https://doctordoni.com/work-with-me/)

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Download this Episode

Nov 2, 2023

In today's episode, I'm excited to be speaking with Dr. Catherine Clinton, a naturopathic doctor who has been practicing for over 15 years. She is an expert in quantum healing and quantum biology.

Dr. Clinton's Extensive Background in Natural Medicine

Dr. Clinton has always taken a holistic, natural approach in her practice. She focuses on helping patients understand how reconnecting with nature can support healing from a wide array of health conditions. These include autoimmunity, mental health issues, gastrointestinal disorders, hormone imbalances, infections, autoimmunity, anxiety, depression, migraines, and more.

Even from a young age, Dr. Clinton was drawn to natural medicine and fascinated by the body's innate capacity to heal itself. She decided to become a naturopathic doctor because she wanted to get to the root causes of health issues, not just treat superficial symptoms.

Throughout her career, Dr. Clinton has continued learning about new holistic modalities while also studying ancient healing systems like Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. She believes we need to honor the wisdom of indigenous cultures that understood the intimate relationship between humans and nature.

Dr. Clinton's clinical expertise combined with her passion for bridging ancient wisdom and modern science makes her perfectly suited to explain the emerging field of quantum biology. She has a gift for synthesizing complex concepts into accessible language for patients and students alike.

An Introduction to the Field of Quantum Biology

So what exactly is quantum biology? In essence, quantum biology examines biological processes through the lens of quantum physics. It looks at how quantum phenomena like entanglement, tunneling, and coherence affect living systems.

Quantum physics evolved out of remarkable discoveries in the early 20th century that revealed the strange, almost mystical world of subatomic particles. In this quantum realm, regular physics do not apply. Particles can exist in two places at once. They can also remain connected over long distances in ways that defy our normal understanding of space and time.

For a long time, quantum phenomena were only thought to occur under tightly controlled lab conditions at extremely cold temperatures. But quantum biology explores how life hijacks these bizarre quirks of the quantum world to enable its amazing feats.

Some key topics within the field of quantum biology include:

· The role of electron flow in facilitating biochemical reactions. Rather than simple games of chance, evidence suggests finely orchestrated energy exchanges.

· How water inside the body structures itself to support health. Certain molecular configurations of water provide an optimal "terrain" for cells.

· The impact of vibration, frequency, and resonance on biological functioning. Our cells and tissues tune into various frequencies that modulate their activities.

· The interconnected nature of physiological systems. The old mechanistic view of separated bodily systems is giving way to models of intertwined communication and feedback loops.

· The influence of our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs on our biology through mechanisms we are only beginning to grasp.

Researchers are discovering that living organisms exploit quantum effects to enable biological processes. Quantum biology reminds us that we are energy beings embedded in a web of energy. It reveals the constant interplay between our external terrain and internal terrain.

As pioneers in this emerging discipline, we must tread carefully to build on empirical science without veering into pseudoscience. Quantum biology holds great promise to expand the boundaries of health and healing for all of us.

The Critical Importance of Structured Water in the Body

One particular area of focus in quantum biology is structured water inside the body. Dr. Clinton has studied extensively the pioneering work of Dr. Gerald Pollock from the University of Washington. His research shows that next to cells and tissues, our bodies contain a previously unrecognized "fourth phase" of water with very unique properties.

This special structured water consists of hexagonally stacked sheets of molecules that form what looks like a honeycomb lattice. Standard H2O has a more random molecular arrangement. But structured water molecules align in a repeating hexagonal pattern due to their hydrogen bonding. This allows it to function in some rather astonishing ways.

For one, the structured water zone is negatively charged. This negative charge enables the seamless flow of energy within the body that powers our every biochemical reaction. In addition, the voltage created by structured water zones maintains optimal cell membrane potential and mitochondrial function critical for health.

Researchers are still teasing out all the roles of structured water, but its importance cannot be overstated. Structured water provides the ideal molecular terrain for our cellular constituents

to carry out their activities. However, certain factors can degrade structured water, potentially contributing to disease.

These include:

· Dehydration - Not obtaining sufficient structured water from regular hydration.

· Poor diet - Eating foods that promote cellular inflammation and oxidation.

· Toxins or infections - Which damage tissues and impair metabolic processes.

· Lack of natural light - Our primary source of the infrared frequencies that build structured water.

· Excess stress - Which causes electron loss, lowering cell voltage provided by water layers.

· Physical trauma - Which can alter water structures in the brain and nervous system.

· Overuse of electronics - These emit EMFs shown to degrade structured water.

Fortunately, there are many simple, natural ways we can enhance structured water levels to support optimal health.

These include:

· Regular hydration with clean, filtered water.

· Eating an antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory whole foods diet.

· Exposure to gentle infrared energies from sunlight, heat, or near infrared bulbs.

· Grounding to replenish electrons that maintain the water battery.

· Exercise, since movement generates structuring infrared frequencies.

· Reducing EMF exposure by limiting device time and using shielding.

· Stress relief practices like meditation, yoga, time in nature, and social connection.

By better understanding water as a living matrix that communicates information, we can learn to optimize it in our bodies. This provides the ideal terrain for resilience and regeneration.

Additional Ways We Can Benefit from the Science of Quantum Biology

In addition to water research, many other insights from quantum biology can help optimize wellness when applied properly.

Spending time in nature helps us reconnect and restore depleted energy. The natural frequencies permeating the outdoors entrain our systems. Forest bathing research proves time outside literally alters our nervous system state.

Exposing our bodies to variable temperatures promotes adaptability rather than a static climate. Heat and cold cues build mitochondria and antioxidant reserves. Practices like contrast hydrotherapy leverage these effects.

Allowing circadian rhythms to flow naturally by reducing artificial light at night. Our bodies require dark to initiate key phases of detoxification, brain cleanup, and hormone balance.

Grounding the body helps replenish electrons we lose coping with chronic stress. These electrons increase the negative charge of our water battery. Walking barefoot is free grounding.

Identifying and processing stored emotional traumas. Unresolved grief and pain creates blocks in our bioenergetic fields. Energy psychology techniques clear traumas stuck in the body and psyche.

Cultivating healthy relationships is an antidote to an epidemic of disconnection, which manifests as disease. Loving bonds help satisfy our core need for belonging.

Choosing natural, uncomplicated solutions helps us tend to our inner and outer terrain—the foundation of health. Ancient wisdom recognized that supporting the body's self-healing abilities cures most ills.

Practicing gratitude, compassion and presence may beneficially structure water in our bodies. Positive intentions imprint information fields that surround us.

The more we understand our quantum nature and reciprocal relationship with the unified field of the cosmos, the better we can support wellbeing.

Remembering Our Inherent Interconnectedness is Foundational to Health

At its core, quantum biology reminds us that we are inseparable from the world around us. Air, water, sunlight, earth—we are intimately woven into the fabric of nature. Yet so often we forget just how fundamentally our minds and bodies rely on this interconnectedness.

Many chronic diseases stem from losing touch with our terrain and environment. Yet even small steps to honor our bond with nature, animals, loved ones, and our own bodies and minds can tangible improve our health. We have become experts at manipulating our external world, but often at the expense of internal balance.

Reclaiming health in the modern world requires rediscovering and honoring our bond with nature, each other, and our own deepest selves.

This may mean:

· Making time for grounding activities like gardening, forest bathing, earthing, and contemplative time near water and other natural features.

· Adopting circadian-aligned routines supporting natural biorhythms of activity, waking, eating, and sleeping.

· Developing present moment awareness through mindfulness practices that disentangle us from constant ruminations that generate stress.

· Fostering community and heartfelt human connections that satisfy our inherent needs for belonging and intimacy.

· Slowing down and simplifying some aspects of 21st century life so we can listen to our body's signals about what it needs.

Quantum healing entails rediscovering our wholeness. When we embrace our interconnection with all of life, balance and wellbeing naturally follow. The transition from feeling separate and overwhelmed to feeling connected and empowered holds the key to quantum healing.

Catalyzing Our Own Healing Journeys

No matter one's current state of health, small steps to honor our bond with nature, animals, loved ones, and our own bodies and minds can tangibly improve our wellbeing.

With greater knowledge of our quantum biological nature, we can more consciously direct our mind, body and behaviors in alignment with wellness. We may find ourselves naturally adopting habits and practices that optimize the parameters needed for self-healing.

However, knowledge alone is not enough. We must also cultivate self-trust and self-care. When we view even small positive changes through the lens of compassion rather than criticism, it supports consistency. Our nervous systems do not like pressure and timelines. Patience allows slow but steady progress.

What matters most is refocusing each day on our inner alignment with qualities like love, joy, community, presence, and peace. Our outer terrain effortlessly follows where we lead it from the inside out.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Catherine and how she can help you, you can visit her website here. You can also connect with Dr. Catherine on social media at @dr.catherineclinton (Instagram) and @Dr. Catherine Clinton, ND (Facebook) for mental health tips and inspiration.

If you want to learn more about how stress and trauma affect us, and how to heal using Dr. Doni’s Stress Recovery Protocol® which involves optimizing cortisol and adrenaline levels using nutrients, herbs and C.A.R.E.™, her proprietary program to support clean eating, adequate sleep, stress recovery and exercise, you can read all about it in her book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.

Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed, anxious, tired, or just not feeling yourself? Chronic stress takes a tremendous toll on our mental and physical health. But there are proven techniques to counteract its impact and cultivate calm and resilience - even in chaotic times.

Join Dr. Doni’s FREE virtual masterclass - Calm in the Storm: Research-Backed Techniques for Healing Your Body and Mind.

This masterclass will equip you with a toolbox of techniques and a personalized action plan so you can find inner peace and heal the impact of stress. You'll leave this masterclass with research-backed skills to bring calm to the chaos within - and maintain resilience in the face of external stressors.

For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment here.

We're here to help you!

Connect with Dr. Doni: