Current Events
December, 2020
Long Months, Dark Winter: The Emotional Toll of COVID-19 As mentioned in our summer update, this fact is clearer than ever: COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon. We are definitely in this thing for the long haul. At that time, our US infection count had just passed 4 million. Today that number is well above 16 million. Just four days earlier, it was 15 million. By the time you read this, our death toll will be over 300,000 lives. After a while, the numbers become, well, almost numbing. It can be hard, but still extremely important, to remember that each number represents a unique person, a precious human life. Behind the numbers lies suffering. Tragedy. Dreams shattered. Families devastated. And, just as expected, just as predicted, the fall and winter months are witnessing more and more suffering, more and more deaths. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed, intensive care units inundated, front-line health care workers exhausted. Clearly, this is not the time to relax. This is not the time to throw in the towel. Yes, we're all growing tired of the isolation, the inability to enjoy those many activities we used to take for granted. Shopping. Dining out. Gathering with friends. Attending church. Going to school. We're not accustomed to this. This is hard! Back in the spring, when all this was still fairly new, I found myself thinking, for some unknown reason, of someone I'd not thought about in a very long time. I found myself thinking of Anne Frank, a young teenage girl hiding away with her family and a few others, seven in all, in an attic. For how long? Over 2 years, 761 days in fact (I looked it up). Speaking in hushed voices. Depending entirely on the kindness and courage of others for daily survival. Worried every minute, every hour, of being discovered, and captured, and killed. And then, from that story, I found my mind shifting to other stories, to other scenarios. Stories of holocaust(s). Of genocide. Of war. Of famine. Of migrations and refugee camps. But those stores are different. They happen out there, over there, to someone else. To them. Not to me. Not to us. And when I think of all this, thoughts such as these, I find myself humbled, even embarrassed. Humbled because I realize that for thousands of years countless millions have had to endure events and tragedies immeasurably and horrendously more painful and difficult than anything I've had to go through. Embarrassed because I, having not (yet) lost anyone close to me to the pandemic, allow myself to get upset by minor inconveniences. What's my point? My point is this: that there is a very real and growing emotional toll to all of this, to COVID-19. As the months unfold, I hear more and more of my patients expressing feelings of increased irritability and agitation, of life being out of control. I hear anxiety. Add to all this our dangerously toxic and divisive socio-political climate of anger and hatred, and we find ourselves facing a veritable tsunami of emotion that, if we're not careful, can easily engulf us. Is there hope? Of course! There's always hope. There are things we can do to help ourselves emotionally. First, avoid isolation. Distancing doesn't mean isolating. Call family members. Reconnect with old friends. Write a letter (remember letters) to someone who might just enjoy a blast from the past. Next, start a gratitude journal. Start making a list of the things for which you're grateful. In a day when it's so easy to focus on the bad and the hard and the negative, intentionally take time to focus on, and list, the good, the happy, the funny, the positive. Third, be physically active (but not at the gym, not yet). Set aside time every day for intentional physical activity. Put it in your daily to-do list. Schedule it in your calendar. It can be anything, but it has to be something. Walk around the house, inside or outside. Go up and down the stairs several times. If you have exercise equipment, use it. Stretch. Do yoga. Practice pilates. Move! Fourth, sleep. Make it a priority to get adequate sleep. It's impossible to feel well emotionally when you're sleep deprived. Fifth, if you need help, ask for it. If you need to speak with a professional counselor, don't put it off. Working with an appropriately trained, licensed, well-qualified, experienced therapist can be extremely beneficial. Lastly, if you need to, speak with your physician, too. There's a physiological, physical aspect to emotional health and well-being, too. Emotions are regulated, at least in large part, by tiny chemical messengers called neurotransmitters like Serotonin, GABA, Dopamine, and so on. Too little Serotonin can trigger feelings of depression. Too much Dopamine? Agitation and anxiety. Too little GABA? Anxiety and restlessness. And so on. When things are out of balance, bad things happen. Encouragingly, these neurotransmitters can be measured, and, once measured, adjusted and regulated using any of a number of natural nutrients. So, that's where we are. In for the long haul. At the eve of a dark winter. But not without hope. And, as always, hanging onto the admonition to simply, "Stay calm, and carry on." Happy Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, very belated Eid Al-Fitr, and other blessings to all. Dr. Elliott June 24, 2020: COVID-19: What we know. What we don't (yet) know. What we can do to protect each other. It first appeared half a world away, in east central China, in a city called Wuhan, a city most of us had never heard of before. The first reported case appeared in late December, barely 6 months ago. From there it spread. Rapidly. Like wildfire. The first true pandemic in a century. The cause? A tiny little virus, mysterious and deadly, that had never before been seen on this planet. Based on the initial reported symptoms, the virus was quickly given an appropriate name: SARS-CoV-2, for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. And, as we all now well know, the disease it causes was also given a name: COVID-19 (CO for corona, VI for virus, D for disease, 19 for 2019). COVID-19 has, very literally, changed our lives. And it has done so almost overnight, and in ways we never could have imagined a few short months ago. So this piece is about COVID-19 But before I go any further let me say this: I am not an expert in infectious disease, virology, or the history of pandemics. There are a lot of very smart people - physicians, researchers, and academics - directly involved in the day to day battle against COVID-19 and/or deeply involved in COVID-19 research, who have a much keener and deeper understanding of the rapidly growing tomes of information we're learning about this novel virus. What I'm offering here are some highlights that I hope you'll find helpful. So, first: What do we know now that we didn't know, or didn't know as well, a few months ago?
Dr E COVID-19 Update: March, 2020: Our office is open: Our office continues to be open during regular business hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, and Wednesdays from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. We have always taken pride in the cleanliness of our office facility, but in light of the current situation, we have intensified our cleaning and sanitation regimen. A foundational piece of functional medicine is the prevention of illness, and in this time of increased risk, we are working continuously to keep all public surfaces as germ-free as possible. In addition, we are utilizing social distancing of 6 feet between individuals within our office You will note, specifically, our request that you remain 6 feet away from our front desk (this area is marked for your convenience), as well as in seating arrangements when interacting with our staff. We also ask that you wear a mask while you are in our office. And during these extraordinary circumstances, if you prefer to not leave your home, we will provide phone appointments. Just let our staff know if you prefer a phone appointment, and they will assist you in making those arrangements. We are also able to ship supplements directly to you if you prefer to not come in to the office. Simply call us at 317-863-5888 and our staff will be happy to assist you. What you can do to help build your immune system: These specific supplements and recommended doses are for your protection; in case of infection, doses can be higher for some of these:
Stay calm and carry on! Follow our blog! Living With Intention's blog covers health related topics related to Functional Medicine, Mental Health, Nutrition, and more to help you live optimally and intentionally. This Month's Hot Topics Suicide Prevention Awareness Month On food: What is "The Dirty Dozen"? Migraines The "Sandwich Generation" |
Follow Us on Twitter |
*For more information on these issues or any others, contact us to see how we can help.
In the News
Functional Medicine makes headlines again:
|
|
LWI Featured in “The Week” magazine’s Health & Science page
10/7/16
"Young adults who spend too much time online may have higher rates of mental health issues. Scientists in Canada evaluated the internet use of 254 college freshmen, using a tool called the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Developed in 1998, the IAT predates the advent of smartphones and social media, so the researchers also used their own scale based on updated criteria. They found that more than 40 percent of the freshmen had "problematic" internet use - and that these students also had higher rates of depression, anxiety, impulsiveness, and inattention. It's unclear whether these issues are the cause of excessive internet use or the result of it. But the study's authors say their findings could have practical medical implications. "If you are trying to treat someone for anxiety or depression, when in fact they have an addiction, then you may be going down the wrong route," chief researcher Michael Van Ameringen tells MedicalDaily.com. "We need to understand this more, so we need a bigger sample, drawn from a wider, more varied population."
"Young adults who spend too much time online may have higher rates of mental health issues. Scientists in Canada evaluated the internet use of 254 college freshmen, using a tool called the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Developed in 1998, the IAT predates the advent of smartphones and social media, so the researchers also used their own scale based on updated criteria. They found that more than 40 percent of the freshmen had "problematic" internet use - and that these students also had higher rates of depression, anxiety, impulsiveness, and inattention. It's unclear whether these issues are the cause of excessive internet use or the result of it. But the study's authors say their findings could have practical medical implications. "If you are trying to treat someone for anxiety or depression, when in fact they have an addiction, then you may be going down the wrong route," chief researcher Michael Van Ameringen tells MedicalDaily.com. "We need to understand this more, so we need a bigger sample, drawn from a wider, more varied population."
LWI Featured in Current Magazine
|
Living With Intention is featured on the cover of Current Magazine Fishers, February 18, 2013 edition.
We are excited to be a part of a community that is progressive in their approach to managing their health and well-being. 
|
| ||
Recipient of the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
At its annual award luncheon on January 15, the Fishers Chamber of Commerce announced Living With Intention as the recipient of the 2013 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. We are truly and deeply honored by this recognition and would like to take the opportunity to thank Chamber members, patients, clients, and referring practitioners who believe in what we’re doing.
Win the Race Against Seasonal Allergies … Naturally.
Ask us about Natural D-Hist needle-free allergy treatments and prick-free personalized allergy testing.
More on Food/Environmental Allergies
More on Food/Environmental Allergies