A Teaspoon of Healing

Do you suffer from insomnia? While occasional insomnia affects nearly 50% of adults, an estimated 10% of adults suffer from chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia lasts 3 days a week or more and for at least 3 months. In this episode, I chat with Katelin Gates, a registered nurse and insomnia coach. Katelin shares her 30-year struggle with chronic insomnia, and how she finally found how to get a good night’s sleep consistently. She tried pretty much everything under the sun, nothing seemed to work until she learned a technique that she shares in this episode. Katelin talks about the influence of fear on our brains, and how reactions to sleeplessness can create a vicious cycle of being unable to sleep. She shares how to “trick” your brain into thinking everything is ok, and why this helps us get the sleep we need. Get in touch with Katelin about her coaching program at katelingates.com

Learn how food can affect your mood and mental health, not just physical health! My guest, David Wiss, Ph.D., is a registered dietitian, mental health researcher, and the founder of the Wise Mind Nutrition app. Dr. Wiss has studied the intersection of nutrition and mental health. In his private practice, Nutrition in Recovery, he provides nutrition education to people recovering from substance use disorder. We chat about the gut-brain connection, and how what we eat can help us stabilize our moods and give us more energy. Dr. Wiss also details how food choices can affect depression. We also discussed the concept of rigidity and the need for more nuance within the nutrition field. You can read his blog post about this topic here: "How I Overcame the Rigidity of My Mind and the Toxicity of the Nutrition Profession." David’s Wise Mind Nutrition app is designed for people with mental health issues like anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD, OCD, and substance use disorder. Using a non-diet approach, the app is designed to help one's symptoms improve over time.

Learn how to create a healing sanctuary within your home! My guest, Mahwish Syed, is a fashion and interior designer, author, and cancer survivor. In this episode, she talks about how the elements in your home - including fabrics, windows, lighting, and more - help you heal. Mahwish, a breast cancer survivor, wrote about her journey in her book "Purgatory to Paradise." While she was in the chemotherapy ward of the hospital, Mahwish realized that the design elements of the hospital room were not conducive to healing. She began bringing in her own fabrics and lighting to help her during her long treatment days. When she returned home, she surveyed her home, and changed several things to create a sanctuary that would support the healing she needed. We talk about the impact of lighting on our circadian rhythms, why indoor air can be harmful, and how to choose non-toxic fabrics for carpeting, Mahwish shares how reclaiming beauty in our lives, especially while healing from illness, is vital. With her extensive background in design, Mahwish helps clients design spaces that are optimized for optimal health. Learn more.

Learn how food can affect mood and mental health, and in this case, anxiety. In the USA, 6.8 million people have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Research shows that consuming certain nutrients and changing other food-related habits may reduce anxiety symptoms. This includes adding more fiber, probiotics and specific nutrients, avoiding blood sugar spikes and lows, and more. If you want more of a deep dive into this topic, you can read the blog post I wrote about it on teaspoonofhealing.com. This is the first of the "food and mood" series, so more will come in the future.

How do we keep a positive mindset in the face of challenges or adversity, or when viewing the news and reading about distressing events? I chat with Vicky Roncero, reiki master healer, in this episode. We talk about how to cultivate and remain in a positive mindset through a nightly gratitude practice, self-love, mindful breathing, and using technology mindfully. Vicky also shares an example from her own life, when she cultivated a positive mindset in the face of an injury. She also talks about how her reiki practice helped her and her clients remain hopeful and grateful for small things during the challenges of the pandemic. Lastly, Vicky walks listeners through a breathing exercise to help regulate the nervous system, as well as a short chakra-balancing technique.

Learn how to discover your purpose in life, recognize your worth, take your power back, and live the life that works for you! My guest, Petia Kolibova, is a business coach for women. She empowers women to build businesses that help support their lives. She provides tips on how to take inventory of your life, discover what works and what doesn't, and we discuss a common fear: the fear of success. Visit Petia's website at petiakolibova.com to learn more about her services and programs.

In this episode, veteran Teaspoon of Healing guest Joe aka "Reiki Joe" returns to the podcast. He discusses his healing journey from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a form of cancer that begins in the body's lymphatic system. He describes his journey through chemotherapy, radiation, hospital stays, and recovery, and how it gave him strength and a new outlook on life.

Are you a recovering people pleaser? If so, you aren't alone! While it's okay (and great!) to be a little bit of a people pleaser - most of us want to keep harmonious relationships with friends and family - research shows that being too much of a people pleaser can contribute to added stress. If you find yourself having difficulties saying no, standing up for yourself, and articulating your own beliefs and wishes, you will find some tips on how to break these habits! This is something I have personally had to get better at, so these are some steps that have helped me in my life. I hope they will help you, too!

Learn how cultivating inner peace and practicing forgiveness can help you manage chronic stress, lower your blood pressure, and live a life with less anxiety. Inner peace can be created with mindfulness, deep breathing, a gratitude practice, or spending just 20 minutes in nature. Read more about this topic on my blog.

Learn how to manage chronic pain without medications! My guest, orthopedic physical therapist and author Rick Olderman, talks about his "Fixing You" method. We talk about the three patterns of dysfunction that cause back pain, daily habits that contribute to pain, and how changing these habits can make you feel better. Rick also provides physical therapy exercises that you can do at home! One exercise will help with chronic lower back pain and the other one will help people manage chronic neck and shoulder tension. Find out more about Rick's downloadable home physical therapy programs, and his books, including free chapters of his new book at his website: rickolderman.com.

Food insecurity, which is the lack of access to sufficient food of adequate quality to meet one's basic needs, affects millions of Americans, as well as people worldwide. This has only worsened during the pandemic. College students in particular have high rates of food insecurity. Studies show that 1 in 3 students lack the financial means to support themselves, leading to food insecurity. Los Angeles-based non-profit organization Student Lunch Box (SLB) is working to change that. Led by Karlen Nurijanyan, SLB is a 501(c)3 approved, tax-exempt non-profit organization that is fighting food insecurity among college students. I chatted with Karlen about the issue of food insecurity and how it affects students, and how his organization is helping to address this in the Los Angeles area. Currently, SLB operates pop-up food distribution centers and other food access sites at colleges and universities in Los Angeles. Visit Student Lunch Box's website or their Instagram to learn more about their mission.

Becoming a caregiver for a loved one is a difficult, life-changing task. My guest on this episode, author, speaker, and community builder Lynn Abaté-Johnson, was a caregiver for her mother, who suffered from ovarian cancer, for over six years. Like most caregivers, Lynn also juggled a full-time career with her caregiving duties. She truly understands the storm of emotions and the huge responsibility that comes with being a caregiver. Using her strong organizational and leadership skills, Lynn designed a system that helped her navigate the world of caregiving and helped transform her, even after her mom’s death. In this episode, we chat about: * The challenges of being a caregiver for a loved one * How to juggle caregiving with a full-time career or business * Designing systems to help you navigate this new world * How to handle the role reversal when becoming a caregiver for a parent * The "sandwich" generation: caring for growing children and aging parents We also talk about Lynn’s book, “Out Of Love, A Daughter’s Journey With Her Mom To The End.” She also has a community on her website, lynnabatejohnsonbook.com, to help other caregivers feel less alone in the journeys and gives them tools to navigate this process.

This is the audio version of the blog post about the same topic. A big part of healing your relationship with your body is learning to accept it. Accepting your body includes appreciating all that it does for you and being grateful for it. We often direct a lot of judgment toward our bodies. While it's great to have health and fitness goals, unnecessary self-criticism can be harmful to our relationship with our bodies and to meeting these goals. Body acceptance is a component of body neutrality, which is a position that lies between body positivity and being judgmental or critical of your body. Forcing ourselves to say that we love our bodies can be intimidating, and frankly, not always genuine. Body neutrality means that there’s no pressure to love your body when you don’t (although it’s wonderful if you do!). Instead, it's about accepting, respecting, and appreciating what it can do for you. It’s also about detaching your inherent worth from your body or how it appears.

This is the audio version of the blog post of the same title. In this podcast, I talk about showing grace to ourselves and others, and being gentle with ourselves during our health journeys. I also talk a little about how a fear of judgment leads to less utilization of health care services, the social determinants of health, moralization of food, and choosing exercise that brings joy, rather than viewing it as a chore. Accepting our bodies and appreciating what they can do for us goes a long way! More to come in this series!

This is the audio version of the blog post, "Fermented Foods: Benefits and Basics." Have you ever tried fermented foods? Do you make your own fermented food or drink, like sauerkraut or kombucha? In this post, I will introduce the benefits of fermentation. What is fermentation? Fermentation is an ancient technique used to preserve food. Fermented food and drink are full of bacteria and yeast that are beneficial for our bodies, rather than harmful. These are called probiotics. While you can take probiotics in capsule form as a supplement, adding fermented food and drink to your diet can have the same benefit, while also tasting great!