Optimizing Treatment Outcomes
Maximize your well-being by mastering your hydration, fueling your body with a healthy diet, reducing EMF exposure, improving your sleep, and staying active. Use these actionable tips to take control of your health and enhance every aspect of your life.
HYDRATION
Sufficient water consumption is essential to the efficient flow of information, recovery, healing, and a healthy body. About 75% of the brain is made up of water and dehydration, even as small as 2% can have a negative effect on brain functions.
Here are some tips to help with staying hydrated:
- Drink regularly, not just when you are thirsty, or a doing a physical activity.
- Use an app to help track your hydration goals and progress or get a water bottle that has goals printed on the outside.
- Infuse your water with the fruit of your choice.
- Eat foods that increase your hydration including watermelon, cucumbers, and lettuce.
- Make sure your electrolytes stay balanced, especially when receiving biofeedback treatment, exercising, during hot weather or when you are not feeling well.
- Start and end your day with water to help get your metabolism going for the day and to rehydrate after sleep.
- Avoid excessive consumption of caffeinated or sugary drinks that can contribute to dehydration.
HEALTHY DIET
A healthy diet is crucial for overall good health. Good nutrition can give us more energy, cut cravings, improve our mood, prevent disease and decrease inflammation in our body which helps with pain. What does it mean to have a healthy diet? Well, here are the basics. Protein, carbohydrates and fat are the main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel. Protein helps to balance blood sugar, fuel our muscles and maintain a healthy weight. Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel. Our brains use the most carbohydrates out of any other organ, so they are an important part of our diet. Healthy fats are needed for hormone regulation, energy and nerve conduction.
Here are some tips for a healthy diet:
- Choose whole foods that are not processed or fried. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store where all the fresh food is kept.
- Include lean meats, chicken, turkey and fish
- Beans and legumes- peas, lentils, black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, soybeans
- Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables- kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts
- Fruits and berries- apples, pears, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries
- Healthy fats- avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil
- Healthy carbs- brown rice, quinoa, millet, sweet potato, whole grain bread
- Limit alcohol and caffeine
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE (EMF)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that prolonged exposure to high level EMF can cause a multitude of health issues. Symptoms can include increase in anxiety, fatigue, depression, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty sleeping. Being mindful of EMF exposure can aid in the reduction of experienced symptoms and your body’s ability to manage them.
Consider:
- Not charging cell phones, headphones, and smart watches next to your bed while you sleep.
- Creating distance between yourself and sources of EMF. The farther away you are from the device, the less exposure you will have.
- Turn off devices when not in use.
- Use wired devices, when possible, instead of Bluetooth devices.
- Put router on timer so that it turns off and on on a schedule.
- Do not place your cell phone against your ear. Use speaker phone or headphones when possible.
SLEEP
Good quality sleep is essential to our physical, mental, and emotional health. Our brain processes information and makes new neural connections during sleep. Our body also recovers and our immune system repairs. There are 3 main sleep cycles that we go through each night: Light sleep, deep sleep and REM. Most deep sleep occurs the first half of the night. During this time, we are in restorative sleep where our body is recovering. REM sleep is when we have vivid dreams. Sufficient REM sleep is important for memory and learning. If we don't get enough sleep, we are more prone to infection, brain fog, weight gain, irritability, and we just don't perform well during the day. The optimal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours per night.
Here are some sleep tips:
- Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. This keeps your circadian rhythm in check.
- It's best to be in bed before midnight (around 10:00pm). Many hormones such as melatonin and growth hormone are secreted during sleep before midnight.
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon as it can interfere with sleep. Alcohol should also be avoided because it decreases REM sleep.
- Sleep in cool room around 68 degrees F.
- Stay off electronics about an hour before bed and block out all light when it's time to sleep. The blue light from devices will inhibit melatonin production which is our sleep hormone.
- Try winding down with a book, meditation, stretching, or calming music.
EXERCISE/MOVEMENT
Movement and exercise are essential for maintaining physical vitality, emotional balance, and mental clarity. The overall benefits of movement and exercise extend beyond just physical health, impacting almost every aspect of well-being. The amount of exercise an individual should get per week depends on their age, health condition, and fitness goals.
Here are some ways to increase your movement:
- Set realistic goals
- Walk or bike to nearby places when possible
- Park farther away from buildings and entrances
- Take breaks to stand and stretch during long periods of sitting
- Incorporate exercise into hobbies. For example, if you like photography, go for walks to scenic places.
- Walk while making phone calls
- Schedule work outs like you do appointments
- Incorporate into family activities
