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HEALTHY HAPPENINGS - December 2022
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Have You Lost Your Mojo?
by Ray Andrew, MD
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Mark loved his job. As CEO of a fast-growing company, he knew how to turn dreams into reality. By the time we first met, however, he was trying to decide whether it was time to cash in. It took all the caffeine he could stand to get him through the workday. His employees and family had become increasingly irritating to him. His impeccable memory and sharp mind were replaced with brain fog. After work, all he wanted to do was sit on the couch and fall asleep in front of the television. On those rare occasions when he could muster the desire, his performance in the bedroom was dismal. Racing thoughts kept him awake at night. He quit working out because exercise only made him more tired instead of stronger. He’d lost his mojo.
During a follow-up visit to his family doctor, Mark was informed that his labs were normal. He was prescribed an antidepressant and informed that it would perk him up. After three months, however, there was still no pep in his step.
When Mark came to Prestige Wellness Institute for his first consultation, his problem was immediately apparent. His labs were normal alright. For example, his testosterone was within the huge range that is considered “normal” for his age. Unfortunately, nowadays “normal” and “healthy” have become two very different things. “Normal” means suffering from a heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s. It means having a testosterone level hundreds of points lower than that of the average man 100 years ago. At age 48, Mark was tired of being normal. He couldn’t keep going like this. People depended on him. He wanted to be a loving husband and father again. He wanted to love his work again. He wanted to get back to riding his bike and lifting weights.
Learning what was wrong, Mark wanted to start testosterone therapy. But he was afraid of pellet implants. What if something bad happened and they couldn’t be taken out? What if he got too much? He wanted to start with something he could stop quickly if he didn’t like it. But he didn’t want to try shots because too many friends had complained of cycles of feeling great for a few days before crashing for a few days until their next shot. He didn’t want to be on a roller coaster. He also didn’t want the man-made chemicals pharmaceutical companies add to testosterone in the injections.
Mark decided to start with a topical gel. As the weeks went by, and he didn’t get any better, he decided he might as well try the hormone pellet implants I had originally recommended. Even if they did nothing, he reasoned, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about transferring any testosterone from the skin on his arm to his wife or children.
Within a short period of time, Mark’s testosterone is back in the optimal range. He feels like a real man, just like the good ‘ole days. He is back on his “A” game at home, work, and play. Having testosterone again gives him some breathing room. Now he can function at a high level while working on the underlying cause of his testosterone deficiency. The toxins he has accumulated over a lifetime finally caught up with him. They are preventing his brain from sending out the signal to make enough testosterone for his needs.
It is true that we could simply give Mark testosterone every 3 to 6 months, increasing both his lifespan and healthspan. However, wherever possible, we at Prestige Wellness Institute prefer to identify and treat the underlying causes of the problem so the body can go back to making testosterone on its own, as it was designed to do.
In the meantime, Mark can enjoy a constant supply of vital hormone that adjusts to his body’s needs. When he is physically active or under stress, he can count on the pellets making additional testosterone available to him, just like when his body used to do it. He can also enjoy some peace of mind knowing that men with optimal testosterone levels have less heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, prostate cancer, and so forth. Since learning that all living cells in the body have testosterone receptors, he has a new appreciation for the importance of this hormone to human health.
If you have lost your mojo and are tired of being “normal”, consider scheduling an appointment at Prestige Wellness Institute, where you can undergo a thorough evaluation. Here you will discover what is causing your health struggles, whether it’s testosterone deficiency, hidden infections, toxicities, or any number of other underlying problems. Whatever the cause of your symptoms, take heart: You can get better. You can find solutions at Prestige Wellness Institute. There’s no point wasting another day feeling and functioning less than your best.
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Grief and the Holidays
by Antje Rath, CMHC
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Why is this time of year so difficult for me?
Grief is a difficult thing to experience at any time of year. The holidays, however, can compound that grief in profound ways. While there is no cure for grief, there are some things that can be done to help ease your pain, perhaps helping to make this holiday season just a little bit brighter.
During the holidays we are inundated with messages that this time of year is supposed to be filled with joy, spent with friends and family, free of conflict, and filled with laughter. Those expectations are hard to fulfill, even under the best circumstances, harder still, when we are struggling with grief. We just might not look forward to the season, to family gatherings, to office parties, and to everything else that comes with it. Grief can keep us from joy.
For those who have lost a loved one, the holidays, with its focus on togetherness and joy, can cause us to miss our loved one even more than usual. Traditions from past years can suddenly feel meaningless or bring up painful memories and sadness. We don’t want to feel like a burden or spoil the season for others, so we might tend to keep our feelings inside. However, if we try to pretend or go through the motions for the sake of others, we often feel worse.
What are some ways we can take care of ourselves and find some peace in this difficult time?
Particularly when we are feeling down and vulnerable, it is important to “cover the basics.” Drinking enough water, eating a balanced diet, exercising, sleeping enough, and avoiding overindulging in alcohol or drugs are a necessary foundation for well-being. Reaching out for support is difficult for many people yet so valuable. People generally want to be helpful but they don’t always know how. Friends and family members might appreciate it if we reach out to them, asking for company while trimming the tree, suggesting to share cooking duties, or just requesting a hug or a listening ear.
If we don’t feel like socializing at all, it is okay to spend some time by ourselves, maybe watching a movie, taking a bubble bath, or meditating. If we find comfort in rituals and traditions, there is nothing wrong with keeping them. However, if they are more painful than helpful, it is absolutely okay to change them. The most important part is to listen to ourselves and to communicate with others around us about wishes, emotions, and expectations. Alone or in company, we can find ways to honor our feelings and the memory of our loved one, for example by lighting a candle at the dinner table, sharing memories, creating new traditions, or donating to a non-profit in our loved one’s name.
Social media can be helpful as well as hurtful during this time. Sharing, receiving support, and being validated can be immensely comforting. And it might be a lot easier to reach out on Facebook or Instagram than in person. However, being confronted with other people’s happy online “reality” or receiving negative responses can be quite distressing. Practicing good self-care and boundaries is as important in this context as everywhere else.
Another way to find some joy in the holidays, although maybe not at first, is to reach out to others in need. After experiencing grief ourselves, it is often easier to comfort someone in a similar situation. We can be the compassionate listener for them just as somebody else was for us at first. We can validate their feelings because we have felt them – or are still feeling them - as well. In addition to reaching out to individuals, we might also consider donating our time to churches or non-profits to connect with our community during the holidays. While COVID has made that a little more challenging, there are still many opportunities to contribute in rewarding ways.
For many people, the holiday season is about spoiling their loved ones in the best sense of the word. And of course, that is much easier to do if you feel good yourself. In order to feel good, you need to take care of your health, both physically and emotionally, so you can extend love to others. Being kind to yourself, making yourself a priority, is not selfish. It is necessary to be able to continue taking care of others and finding comfort during this difficult time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support, either to friends and family, or to a professional, like a pastor, a therapist, or anybody else you trust.
Wishing you peaceful holidays.
Antje Rath is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor at Moab Regional Hospital. She leads a Grief Support Group on the first and third Wednesday of each month. To register, call 435-719-5563 or antjer@mrhmoab.org.
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From Nurse to Yoga Instructor via Kathmandu
by Jessie Walsh |
I have never felt so optimistically naive as I did the day my plane landed in Kathmandu, Nepal. Everything leading up to that moment was effortless. The decision was made, and the details arranged before I had a moment to doubt. A short time before, I had the fleeting recognition of a long-ago dream. I wanted to study Yoga, and I wanted to do it in the land of Yoga. I had forgotten. But suddenly, as I was contemplating a conference for a profession that had long outlasted its expiration date, I remembered. Should I abandon the idea of traveling to Albuquerque for another nursing conference and head to Nepal to realize my long-lost dream at the Himalayan Yoga Academy? You can see where I am going here. To Kathmandu Obviously.
I quickly realized that I wasn’t mentally prepared for Kathmandu. I had done all the research. I bought a water-proof cellphone case and a LifeStraw water bottle. I was prepared for leeches and mosquitoes; monsoon season was right around the corner. But I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of chaos that assaulted my senses as soon as I stepped off the plane. The noises, the smells, the activity. All at once, completely overwhelming. I wasn’t prepared for overpopulation, pollution, insane traffic, or extreme poverty. You can read all you like in anticipation, but nothing can truly prepare you for something so completely outside the realm of your own lived experience. Someone once told me that there are places in this world that my sensitive heart could not handle. I was beginning to think they were right, and that Kathmandu was one of them.
My optimism diminished briefly as I contemplated the next 6 weeks of my life. Over that time, my shock transformed into curiosity, then to delight and wonder, to finally a deep devotion and love for the culture, the Yoga, the landscape, and its people. In the end, if it wasn’t for a wonderful life back home, I might have stayed. Once my brain began to filter out the unnecessary distractions, I could focus on what this magical place on the other side of the Earth had to offer; a deep richness of ritual and tradition, history and food, symbiosis of family and community, simplicity of life and the ability to take nothing for granted. Far from perfect, but completely different. I came home with immense gratitude for my own life and for the diversity of experiences on this planet. And, of course, a desire to someday return.
Are you curious about yoga? Are you curious about what I learned?
Join me for weekly yoga classes in Moab:
Sundari Yoga & Wellness Studio 1105 S US-191 #3
Saturdays 10-11:30am
Sundays 11-12:30pm
For more info: www.sundariyogamoab.com
Do you have New Year’s Day plans?
Join me, January 1, 2023 @ 11am for a 90min yoga practice and set the stage for your
upcoming year!
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