November is the start up month for a Dynamic Paths' newsletter specifically written for mental health professionals. The first issue features the Free Consult Group meeting December 9th on the topic "Evening Binge Eating", research results on Food and Mood, and the announcement of a new focus treatment for individuals with anxiety at Dynamic Paths. The newsletter--a work in progress--will be published monthly as one of the outcomes from Dynamic Paths' fifth-year anniversary event, involving 35 colleagues and friends participating in lively networking and interchange.
If you are not receiving a newletter and would enjoy receiving future copies, please let me know at allott@dynamicpaths.com.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
CALMING ANXIETY APPOINTMENTS
A set of three appointments at Dynamic Paths focus on reducing anxiety through acupuncture, food and Chinese herbs. Sessions include the following:
- Three 75-minute appointments
- Focused problem appointments on anxiety
- Acupuncture in each appointment
- Handouts on food strategies to reduce anxiety
- Individualized, non-addictive Chinese herbal formula that reduces anxiety symptoms
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
NUTRITION AND MENTAL HEALTH CONSULT GROUP
"Evening Binge Eating"
I am hoping to develop a free consultation group. It will start
as an open but reserve-a-seat gathering. Each meeting will
feature a topic. I will share some medical physiology as well
consistent emotional patterns of annonymous individuals. Then,
we will have a general discussion about how to address both the
emotional patterns and the behavorial patterns.
"Evening Binge Eating" is the first topic. The dates and times will
be Wednesday, December 9th and/or Thursday, December 10th
from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, at 943 N, 89th Street, Seattle.
At your earliest convenience, please reserve-a-seat via email or
telephone for the first session of your choice (Wednesday or
Thursday). I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
FOOD, FREE LECTURE AND NETWORKING
You are cordially invited to celebrate Dynamic Paths’
5th Year Anniversary
Please invite friends, family, colleagues, and clients
to come participate.
October 21st — Open House
5:30pm-6:30pm socializing, networking and eating yummy foods
6:30pm to 8pm short talk by Dr. Allott on:
to come participate.
October 21st — Open House
5:30pm-6:30pm socializing, networking and eating yummy foods
6:30pm to 8pm short talk by Dr. Allott on:
More Energy and Less Anxiety with Q and A,
Simple nutritional interventions and handouts.
Anyone and Everyone is Welcome to Join us.
Simple nutritional interventions and handouts.
Anyone and Everyone is Welcome to Join us.
Location: 943 N. 89 Street See map
For more information call Dr. Kristen Allott 206-579-2757
Thursday, August 06, 2009
SUGAR ADDICTION TO NATURAL EATING: SANE
This Program for Women who:
-Are concerned about how pre-diabetes,diabetes and obesity is effecting their lives.
- Feel trapped by their ever present focus on food.
-Are ready to focus on being physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy.
-Want to learn the difference between physical food cravings vs. emotional food cravings.
-Are tired of quick weight loss programs that lead to quick weight gain and more.
Dr. Kristen Allott and Amy Condon will co-lead a weekly group. Each month, the group will include two sessions specifically focused on the emotional causes of sugar cravings and two sessions examining the physical causes of sugar cravings. The groups are intended provide tools and support for self-care on both the physical and emotional level.
Time: Four Tuesday nights each month from 6-8pm beginning September 22nd. Six month commitment is required.
Cost: $500 per month or 10% discount if paid in full by the first group.
Seating is limited to 8 women, applications are currently being accepted.
For more information, please call Dr. Kristen Allott at 206-579-2757
or see www.dynamicpaths.com
The goal of this group is to assist members in improving their relationship with food, their body, and themselves, and make compassionate changes that support health and well-being.
-Are concerned about how pre-diabetes,diabetes and obesity is effecting their lives.
- Feel trapped by their ever present focus on food.
-Are ready to focus on being physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy.
-Want to learn the difference between physical food cravings vs. emotional food cravings.
-Are tired of quick weight loss programs that lead to quick weight gain and more.
Dr. Kristen Allott and Amy Condon will co-lead a weekly group. Each month, the group will include two sessions specifically focused on the emotional causes of sugar cravings and two sessions examining the physical causes of sugar cravings. The groups are intended provide tools and support for self-care on both the physical and emotional level.
Time: Four Tuesday nights each month from 6-8pm beginning September 22nd. Six month commitment is required.
Cost: $500 per month or 10% discount if paid in full by the first group.
Seating is limited to 8 women, applications are currently being accepted.
For more information, please call Dr. Kristen Allott at 206-579-2757
or see www.dynamicpaths.com
The goal of this group is to assist members in improving their relationship with food, their body, and themselves, and make compassionate changes that support health and well-being.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Recipe: Berry Compote
½-1 cup of frozen organic or low pesticide raspberries or blueberries
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TBS of real maple syrup or honey
½ cup of almond flour* or slivered almonds*, passed through a blender/coffee grinder (*I recommend purchasing from Trader Joe’s)
Microwave the berries for about one minute until warm. Mix the rest of the ingredient in to taste.
Variations:
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 TBS of real maple syrup or honey
½ cup of almond flour* or slivered almonds*, passed through a blender/coffee grinder (*I recommend purchasing from Trader Joe’s)
Microwave the berries for about one minute until warm. Mix the rest of the ingredient in to taste.
Variations:
- Eat as is
- Eat with high protein Greek yogurt
- Use on pancakes and French toast, instead of syrup
- Mix with protein powder
Diet Soda Hurts More Than It Helps
During my “How Food Affects Mood” lectures, people often ask for my opinion of artificial sweeteners. My reply has been, “I am a naturopath, I am skeptical of anything that did not exist 500 years ago.” Now, with the results of a long term study sponsored by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, my doubts are confirmed. The study shows that artificial sweeteners cause the very things—obesity and diabetes—that people are trying to prevent by using sugar substitutes.
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) looked at the affects of daily consumption of diet soda, among other factors, on the health of over 6,000 study participants. The study found that the relative risk of type 2 diabetes increased 67% and the risk of metabolic syndrome increased 36% in people who drink diet soda on a daily basis. Type 2 diabetes is caused by an excessive level of glucose in the blood stream due to insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of health concerns that many Americans struggle with, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure).
So why would something with no sugar, like diet soda, cause weight gain and glucose regulation problems? To find the answer, let’s first look at what happens when you drink a glass of freshly made lemonade (½ lemon, 2 tsp white sugar and 12 oz. water). The sucrose (white sugar) is converted into glucose and enters the blood stream. Insulin is released by the pancreas when the taste buds sense sweetness on the tongue. Iinsulin’s job is to open the glucose gates on cell membranes so the glucose can enter cells and then be burned as fuel. This is how the body naturally processes sugar.
Now, let’s look at what happens when you drink a diet soda. The taste buds register that you are consuming something really sweet and the pancreas releases insulin expecting glucose to arrive shortly in the blood stream. The insulin starts unlocking the gates to let fuel into cells but there is no renewed fuel supply because there is no sugar in the soda. The cells absorb the limited supply of glucose in your blood stream left over from you last meal, causing a critical deficit. Typically when the level of glucose in the blood stream gets dangerously low, the body has over ten hormones that mobilize glucose to fuel the brain. However, the diet soda has triggered the release of all that insulin, which turns off the mobilizing hormones and causes the body’s glucose regulation system to fail. Long term exposure to these insulin spikes from artificial sweeteners in diet soda causes the body’s muscle cells to ignore insulin prompting and put up a big “Closed for Business” sign or causing insulin resistance. Once the body’s natural process has broken down like this, the glucose rejected by the muscles is absorbed by adipose tissue (fat cells) and the rest accumulates in the blood stream, causing obesity and insulin resistant type 2 diabetes.
Another problem caused by artificial sweeteners is that when insulin is released to clear calories from the blood stream and there are no calories, the body begins burning muscle mass as fuel to keep glucose feeding the brain. Losing muscle mass through this process increases health risks since muscle mass is what consumes calories and helps prevent diabetes and obesity. Additionally, our brain and body with the low fuel supplies will say “Feed me, feed me”. Often setting up the likelihood to binge on sweets later in the day or the next day. The calories in the binge will be a lot higher than in the lemonade.
The ingredients of diet soda, particularly caffeine and amino acids, for a few hours will help improve the symptoms of fatigue and depression. However, long term the same metabolic processes which cause obesity and diabetes will also cause depression and fatigue.
Take home message: Artificial sweeteners don’t delivery! To help keep your body functioning properly, avoid unnatural alternatives. Eat real food and if you are going to have sugary treat have it in small amounts and stop and really enjoy it.
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) looked at the affects of daily consumption of diet soda, among other factors, on the health of over 6,000 study participants. The study found that the relative risk of type 2 diabetes increased 67% and the risk of metabolic syndrome increased 36% in people who drink diet soda on a daily basis. Type 2 diabetes is caused by an excessive level of glucose in the blood stream due to insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of health concerns that many Americans struggle with, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure).
So why would something with no sugar, like diet soda, cause weight gain and glucose regulation problems? To find the answer, let’s first look at what happens when you drink a glass of freshly made lemonade (½ lemon, 2 tsp white sugar and 12 oz. water). The sucrose (white sugar) is converted into glucose and enters the blood stream. Insulin is released by the pancreas when the taste buds sense sweetness on the tongue. Iinsulin’s job is to open the glucose gates on cell membranes so the glucose can enter cells and then be burned as fuel. This is how the body naturally processes sugar.
Now, let’s look at what happens when you drink a diet soda. The taste buds register that you are consuming something really sweet and the pancreas releases insulin expecting glucose to arrive shortly in the blood stream. The insulin starts unlocking the gates to let fuel into cells but there is no renewed fuel supply because there is no sugar in the soda. The cells absorb the limited supply of glucose in your blood stream left over from you last meal, causing a critical deficit. Typically when the level of glucose in the blood stream gets dangerously low, the body has over ten hormones that mobilize glucose to fuel the brain. However, the diet soda has triggered the release of all that insulin, which turns off the mobilizing hormones and causes the body’s glucose regulation system to fail. Long term exposure to these insulin spikes from artificial sweeteners in diet soda causes the body’s muscle cells to ignore insulin prompting and put up a big “Closed for Business” sign or causing insulin resistance. Once the body’s natural process has broken down like this, the glucose rejected by the muscles is absorbed by adipose tissue (fat cells) and the rest accumulates in the blood stream, causing obesity and insulin resistant type 2 diabetes.
Another problem caused by artificial sweeteners is that when insulin is released to clear calories from the blood stream and there are no calories, the body begins burning muscle mass as fuel to keep glucose feeding the brain. Losing muscle mass through this process increases health risks since muscle mass is what consumes calories and helps prevent diabetes and obesity. Additionally, our brain and body with the low fuel supplies will say “Feed me, feed me”. Often setting up the likelihood to binge on sweets later in the day or the next day. The calories in the binge will be a lot higher than in the lemonade.
The ingredients of diet soda, particularly caffeine and amino acids, for a few hours will help improve the symptoms of fatigue and depression. However, long term the same metabolic processes which cause obesity and diabetes will also cause depression and fatigue.
Take home message: Artificial sweeteners don’t delivery! To help keep your body functioning properly, avoid unnatural alternatives. Eat real food and if you are going to have sugary treat have it in small amounts and stop and really enjoy it.
Seminar on Food and Mood in September
Seminar Day Long Seminar for Everyone on Food and Mood!
Nutritional & Complementary Treatment for Mental Health Disorders:
Non-Pharmaceutical Strategies that Work
Friday September 11, 2009 Lynnwood, WA
Wednesday September 16, 2009 in Tacoma, WA
Thursday September 17, 2009 in Seattle, WA
To learn more about these seminars and register at http://www.pesi.com/ or
Dynamic Paths (206)579-2757
Nutritional & Complementary Treatment for Mental Health Disorders:
Non-Pharmaceutical Strategies that Work
Friday September 11, 2009 Lynnwood, WA
Wednesday September 16, 2009 in Tacoma, WA
Thursday September 17, 2009 in Seattle, WA
To learn more about these seminars and register at http://www.pesi.com/ or
Dynamic Paths (206)579-2757
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