A Christian counselor's take on healing mind, body and spirit.
When my second son was born, God put a song in my heart: “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.” I thought it was just to set my mind aright for those newborn weeks when sleep is at a minimum and “morning” often starts at 3am. As the year wore on, however, it…
2020 has been a truly unique year for most of us. Those in older generations may not feel the same shock that those in the 40 and under age groups do, because truly, there is nothing new under the sun. But for many of us, the global shut-downs because of a pandemic combined with the…
Bone broth is a staple I love to have on hand in my freezer, particularly during the cold and flu season. I can grab a jar and turn it into a healing soup full of protein and vitamins to help my family quickly and comfortably get over whatever bug we've caught. We've all believed for…
For a few years now, I've been buying elderberry syrup for my boys during the winter months. Elderberry (specifically Sambucus nigra) has strong immunity-boosting qualities and antioxidants, and I want all of the natural superpower possible working for my boys during cold and flu season. I could go in to all of the reasons elderberry…
Sleep is important. Adults need an average of 7-9 hours of sleep (uninterrupted) per night. Why is sleep so important? Regulating your circadian rhythm (your sleep-wake clock) underlies all mental health improvement. Our circadian rhythm is the master clock in our brain that tells our body's systems when to do what. It's connected to the…
Most of us are vaguely familiar with the relationship between low neurotransmitters and symptoms of mental health disorders. For too many years, I've heard people say that the reason they are depressed is because of a "chemical imbalance" in their brains. What they usually mean is that their brains don't produce enough of a neurotransmitter,…
I've been thinking a lot about healing this year. My journey into nutrition and integrative medicine started with a desire to heal my body from disease (diabetes). Naturally, as I explored the applications of nutrition and integrative medicine to mental health, I've thought a lot about what healing from mental health disorders really means. In…
After my first son was born, I expected to feel the thrill and joy of being a new mother, totally in love with this new little person. And while I was so thankful for my boy, I found myself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and distressed a lot of the time. There was so much I didn’t…
Do you ever stand in the vitamin aisle at your grocery store and feel completely overwhelmed? Or spend hours on the internet reading blog after blog and article after article about all of the vitamins and supplements you "should" be taking? Feeling confused? Living in this age of information is both a blessing and a…
Okay, let’s talk about gut health! If you’ve been at all connected to social media or the news in the last ten years or so, you’ve likely heard many in the field of nutrition talking about a “leaky gut” and “gut health.” I know I first started hearing about it in 2014 after I’d given…
Faith, Hope and Food 