I am reading Dr. Gabe’s new book ‘The Myth Of Normal’. It is a deep dive into the research and complex exploration into the origins of chronic disease. As it is a long book and I am 120 pages in I will share what has been relevant to me. I have had MS I believe since I was 21 years old. I have been in remission since 2020 . I really understand more and more how to manage my disease. I live symptom free as long as I keep my stress levels in check and do not push myself beyond my limits. Mate writes that as in the other autoimmune conditions, in virtually every case the childhood patterning that led people to be overconscientious, hyper-responsible, and emotionally stoic about their own needs was evident- as were stresses preceding the illness, such as interpersonal conflict, family crisis, loss of a relationship, or added duties at work. I would agree with him absolutely. I am overconscientous, hyper-responsible and emotionally stoic about my own needs. What the pandemic taught me is that I have to find more joy in my life apart from my work. I am a driven individual but I want to have that drive lead me to more joy outside of my work. I recently signed on for some golf lessons because I realize that I used to golf and that did bring me much joy. I was an athlete for much of my life and I really want to get back into sports now because it brings me so much joy. I am going to start by getting back into golf, going to the driving range to hit golf balls. I used to go to the driving range with my Dad all the time. He died during the pandemic and it is something I miss dearly. I find golf relaxing and enjoyable so I am going to make that a goal of mine to make it to the golfing range regularly. How can you bring more joy and balance into your life? I will post more about MS and Gabor Mate’s book The Myth Of Normal’. In the meantime, I have a counseling and EFT special on right now. If you book four sessions, the price comes down to $80 vs $125. I love and have a passion for what I do. I would love to support you in your healing journey. Blessings! Dr. Robin   4032321283

I wanted to post a few words on how great I felt that the Food Revolution Summit was this past year.  John and Ocean Robbins hosted the event as a docuseries this year and it was fantastic. As usual they had expert speakers on every day live and then they left the recordings up for 24 hours. This past weekend I relistened to most of the lectures again. They are promoting a plant based whole foods diet and the experts speak of all the evidence for it and how it can help you feel better and get rid of chronic disease in your life. I feel much better eating more whole plant foods in my diet. I am mostly vegan; I occasionally eat seafood which is promoted by the OMS plan. They posted fantastic recipes from the summit as well. I made the lentil patties tonight for dinner. It is so exciting for me to be inspired by these events. Let me tell you! I have had MS since I was 21 and I manage it with diet and lifestyle. I am grateful to consider myself to be a good cook with a lot of recipes in my repertoire. Eating plant based diets are not just good for us but they are good for our environment as well. 

I loved the talk by Kristi Funk, MD on Kicking Cancer to the Curb. She talked about telling her patients to avoid soy for years until she did a deep dive into the research and discovered that it is good food for people that have breast cancer and is important to help prevent cancer. Be sure and eat the organic non-gmo sources of soy, edemame, tofu. Flax seeds are important sources of anticancer lignans. Aim to have 2 tbsp ground flaxseed daily in your diet. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables- start with at least one serving daily like kale or broccoli. Eating one serving of cruciferous vegetables daily can reduce cancer risk by 42%. White button mushrooms are a great anti-cancer food. Combine cooked mushrooms with green tea to up your anti-cancer quotient in your diet. Drinking 3 cups of green tea daily is what she recommends for its anti-cancer power.  Kristi wrote Breasts, The Owner’s Manual if you are interested in reading a great resource promoting optimal women’s health.

There was a great talk by Brenda Davis, RD on eating a vegan diet and what nutrients you need to be aware of. She talks about the importance of taking a B12 supplement daily if you are strictly eating plants. The importance of eating 1/4 tsp of iodized salt daily to get iodine when you are eating a plant based diet. Seaweed sources are not consistent enough to be sure you are getting enough iodine. That being said nori sheets (2 sheets daily) equals about 150mcg iodine if you do not want to take iodized salt. Brenda Davis has written many best selling books on plant based diets. One I want to read is Becoming Vegan. Be sure and check out all her resources on plant based living. 

There was a  great talk by Dean Sherzai, MD and Ayesha Sherzai, MD on brain health. They emphasized good sleep, the importance of fostering community, exercising daily, reducing your stress, eating a whole foods, plant based diet with plenty of polyphenols, herbs, spices like rosemary, ginger, turmeric. They spoke about the gut brain axis and the importance of the microbiome for optimal brain health and how important fiber is to maintain optimal physiology-at least 30 grams of fiber daily. It is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables daily to optimize your mood- very important! Staying away from a diet high in saturated fat to avoid insulin resistance and brain fog, avoiding refined carbohydrates, sugar, table salt and artificial sweeteners. These are just a few of the tips I took home from listening to the Food Revolution Summit this year. Please go to their website if you want to purchase an empowerment package or be sure and tune in next year when they hold the summit again. Until next time, be sure and book in with me if you want to talk more about eating a plant based diet.  Call Parallel Wellness at 4032321283. Dr. Robin Vinge, ND

 

So, this morning I thought, it is a beautiful day. I will walk down to the library and pick up a book that is ready for me. After I will go to Superstore and pick up some groceries, then walk home. I pride myself on being industrious despite living with MS since I was 21. I push myself regularly and typically exhaustively so! I was waiting for the library to open. It is Sunday so it opens at 12 pm. I got there at 11:30. It took me 20 minutes to walk there from my condo! Standing in front of me at the library entrance was a girl with leggings on. On the back of her leggings read. ‘Get Your Shit Done Run’ complete with a poo emoji. I was laughing at this reflection in front of me. But at the same time, there was a message to me in the mirror. I always feel that I do not work hard enough yet I work non stop and exhaustively so! I have to laugh at the stain on my soul from this industriousness. Literally I am really burned out right now and I am an empath so I absorb all the collective messages. This message on the leggings is no different. I always tell my patients that you have to set boundaries around the amount of work you do and it has to be personal to you. Calgary is a work heavy town. I do not do this enough in my life. There has to be play time as well as just chill time built into my life. There is a room for it all for me to stay in balance! God as my inner guide can help clarify those parameters for me. I just have to listen in and I will know what to do. No offense but I will not sign up for the Get Your Shit Done run this year. I am fine with just walking thank you! Until next time, be well. To book an appointment with me at Parallel Wellness, phone 4032321283. Love and Blessings, Robin