Reduce Your Stress

Many years ago I went to a seminar where a complementary medicine doctor was speaking on the basic fundamentals needed to live a healthy and happy life into “old age”. He said that life-style studies had shown that the most important elements were:

• A firm spiritual basis or faith
• A positive attitude
• A circle of friends (both human and animal)
• An hour a day of being outdoors
• And a healthy lifestyle ( eating right, getting exercise, drinking plenty of fresh water, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night).

If we look at these tips, the most important factor underlying several of these is stress reduction. In my clinic I see stress as either the basis or a contributing factor in almost all of my patients’ problems. Stress magnifies pain and can be the cause of many internal conditions (IBS, Ulcers, Gastritis, etc.)

The stress hormones cortisol and catecholamine break-down into free radicals, setting up the body for inflammation. That is why it is so important that we supplement with powerful anti-oxidants like Pycnogenol® or astaxanthin to help prevent free radical damage.

However, reducing stress is a far better broad spectrum solution. My first recommendation for stress reduction is always yoga. With the right yoga class and instructor, the benefits for mind, body and spirit are unsurpassed. Meditation is also a powerful way of reducing stress. The last one that I frequently recommend, and the one I personally use, is Active Meditation. This is simply the art of being involved in a physical activity such as walking or working-out while focusing your mind on all aspects of what is around you and not allowing yourself to “think”. I’ve mentioned before that I love to hike with my dogs, Willie & Maxx. Hitting the trail and focusing on the flowers, listening to the birds singing, feeling the wind kissing my cheek, catching the smell of sage, a glimpse of a rabbit or coyote, seeing the joy of the dogs being “out”, and getting out of my head for those 20 minutes or more is the best form of stress reduction for me that I have found.

Stress is truly a silent killer. I encourage you to find the best and most enjoyable stress reduction technique that will work for you and really embrace it as a daily habit. The benefits are priceless.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Linda Miles, L.Ac., D. O. M.

The Spirit of the Holidays

… is awesome! The pervading sense of kindness, hopefulness and cheerfulness makes this one of my favorite times of the year. But it also can be a time of intense stress trying to get everything done and meeting everyone’s expectations.

To keep yourself physically and mentally healthy during this time of year try to take time out for yourself. Take that ½ hour or hour and practice yoga or meditation. Or how about a bubble bath with candles and soft music? Or perhaps an active meditation like walking or running in nature without thinking (harder than you might imagine).

I am blessed to have a chocolate Labrador named Willie who “needs” a walk every day. I have hundreds of acres of undeveloped land across the street from me and my daily mile or two with her is one of my special times. It’s hard to stay stressed while watching the cavorting of a group of crows or the soaring of a red tail hawk or just listening to the conversations of mockingbirds, blue jays or mountain quail. My coyotes frequently watch me to ease their boredom and once in a while I’m treated to a glimpse of a mule deer that has strayed from the top of the mountain. If I can keep my mind from thinking, I always come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next thing on my list.

Remember, stress does add extra free radicals to your body’s load, so make sure you take your anti-oxidant supplements and of course, to keep your skin looking it’s healthy best use an anti-oxidant crème: derma e®’s Age-Defying Night Crème with Pycnogenol® and Astaxanthin is my favorite and the essential lavender oil it contains is also relaxing.

I hope that the holidays are a very special time for you and your family and that the New Year is a kind and generous one.

Warm wishes and yours in health,
Dr. Linda Miles, L. Ac., D.O.M.

What's my favorite?

I am frequently asked, out of all the derma e® products to choose from, which is my favorite? Without a doubt it is the

Age Defying Night Crème. This rich orange moisturizer contains two super antioxidants, Pycnogenol® and Astaxanthin, which are both currently known as the strongest antioxidants yet discovered for topical application to the skin. It also incorporates my very favorite essential oil, Lavender, known for its healing and calming qualities.

The Free Radical Theory of Aging teaches us that the aging process is due to an accumulation of free radical damage. In the skin this shows up as fine lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness, uneven skin pigmentation or brown spots. The powerful antioxidants in derma e®’s Age Defying Night Crème help prevent and correct this damage.

Pycnogenol®, pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, has been shown to be 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E and has incredible anti-inflammatory properties. It helps to support and stabilize the capillary system in the skin, encouraging it to pick up fluid and not leak any additional fluid. This benefit is extremely important for those who suffer from under eye puffiness or have capillary issues such as rosacea.

Astaxanthin, extracted from marine algae off the coast of Hawaii, has been shown to be 500 times more powerful than Vitamin E and is also anti-inflammatory. It stimulates the killer cells in the skin to seek out and destroy pathogens before they have a chance to invade and cause damage.

Antioxidants are truly the answer to optimizing the health of the skin. I have a tremendous amount of sun damage on my arms from living in the sun (gardening, horseback riding, cleaning corrals, water skiing, hiking, etc. – anything outdoors) and when I use this amazing crème, I can see the damage diminish within just a few days of regular use. Antioxidants are the answer to anti-aging and age prevention. Find your favorite antioxidant and you too will have healthy, younger and better looking skin.

Yours in health,
Dr. Linda Miles, L.Ac., D. O. M. SHARE

Happy 4th of July!!!

So how did you spend the holiday? Perhaps a day at the lake, lounging around a pool, a couple rounds of golf, or a BBQ with family and friends? Chances are you may have spent a good part of it outside in the summer sun.

Photo oxidation is one of the primary reasons for skin damage and aging. The free radicals created by the sun’s rays go to work on damaging just about all the structures of the skin. Add this free radical exposure to the already overwhelming list of stress-induced, exercise-induced and of course environmental exposure (pollution, etc.) and your skin and body are under a very impressive assault.

However, as a holistic practitioner, do I want you to give up the sun exposure or the exercise? Absolutely not! Sunshine is needed for vitamin D synthesis (we are seeing more and more deficiency of this very important vitamin) and for production of several “feel good” brain chemicals.

So how do you protect your skin and body? With antioxidants of course! Make sure the vitamins you are taking include a good measure of antioxidants to protect your body in general and use a moisturizer loaded with antioxidants to keep your skin healthy and younger looking. Pycnogenol®, Green Tea, Astaxanthin, Cranberry, Pomegranate, and Tamanu Oil all have research to show that they are very effective antioxidants when topically applied. The “topically applied” is an important piece of information, as not all antioxidants work topically or when applied externally to the skin.

Let’s look at a couple of the super antioxidants for optimal skin health:

Pycnogenol®
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This amazing antioxidant is 50 times more effective than vitamin E as a free-radical scavenger, helping to protect your skin from the damaging effects of oxidation. Pycnogenol® is an extremely important nutrient that builds strong capillaries, reduces puffiness around the eyes, and most importantly gives the skin smoothness and elasticity. It even enhances skin's resistance to inflammation. Pycnogenol® works synergistically with vitamin C to rebuild collagen and helps prevent UVB radiation damage. Nature has given us this amazing ingredient in the bark of France's maritime pine tree.

Astaxanthin
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From sea algae off the coast of Hawaii, this amazing antioxidant has been reported to be 500 times more powerful than vitamin E. Astaxanthin has the amazing ability to shut down free radicals and protect the skin from UV damage (it is 1000 times more effective than both beta-carotene and lutein in protecting skin from exposure to UV light) and environmental stress. This remarkable nutrient reduces skin inflammation, helps normalize skin and enhances the activity of defensive cells. As a natural anti-inflammatory, it stimulates the killer cells in the skin to find and destroy potential pathogens before they can damage the skin.

So for great looking summer skin nourish your skin daily with moisturizers rich in anti-oxidants and after sun exposure reapply to diminish the damage caused by UV radiation.

Yours in Health,
Dr. Linda Miles, L.Ac., D. O. M.