While the holiday season is often full of family and tradition, it can also be stressful with expectations around trying to make people happy, or even that life is “perfect” when so many people find themselves alone. This month, we heard how nutrtional therapist Jennifer Doctorovich uses personality types, foods that support the adrenals, and stress management techniques like journaling, grounding, yoga, affirmations, and mindfulness to keep emotionally and physically healthy so that the holidays can be enjoyable again.

In this talk, using a blend of science and spirituality, we explored how the root element is what keeps your mind, body, and spirit in alignment so you can create healthy boundaries and stay connected to your body. Plus we learned why stress contributes to a depressed immune system and can lead to a host of autoimmune diseases and even cancer.

Jennifer Doctorovich, NTP, CFSP, began her career in New York as a classically trained actress, where she worked professionally for nearly 30 years. Now as a Certified Nutritional Therapist and functional medicine practitioner in Houston, Texas, her focus is digestive health, hormone balance, blood sugar, gut restoration, and chronic fatigue. Jennifer’s concentration comes from her fitness background which includes nutrition for athletes and performers as well as type A personalities. As a Certified Food & Spirit Practitioner, she has blended her skills as a group fitness instructor, nutrition expert, and emotional healer to focus on past history of trauma and nourishing the creative spirit in each of us.

The nose knows . . . and remembers longer than most other senses. Especially around the Holiday Season, “good and bad” are recalled by something as simple as strolling past a bakery and experiencing the aroma of fresh cinnamon buns, the smell of cabbage cooking that reminds you of old socks, or fresh cranberry sauce simmering on the stove.

Food affects brain and body chemistry as well as emotions. Your attitude may be affected, and your body will react correspondingly. Things forbidden and things relished can be triggered simply by the smell (or sight) of certain foods, and your brain recalls how you felt or responded to them even when you were only 3 years old! This month, Ricki McKenna shared how to “outgrow” some of those old habits and associations as a new zest for life and healthy food emerges.

Ricki Lee McKenna, BS, CN, owned and operated a consulting and professional development training business in Houston for 10 years before moving to Colorado and becoming a licensed nutritionist through the National Institute of Nutrition Education at American Health Science University. Since returning to Houston in 2014 to be closer to family, she has focused on researching alternative healthcare, preventive health, and the importance of functional nutrition over medications and prescription drugs. Through her private nutrition practice Choose Health Solutions, she is proud to work with caregivers, senior residences, recreational facilities, schools, clubs, churches, and community businesses in Houston.

Emotions run high during the holidays. There are feelings of love, happiness, and joy, but for some there can be sadness, stress, anxiety, disappointment, and depression. Stress takes on a different character than other times of the year, and while women are particularly vulnerable to increased stress, both men and women alike feel a duty to make the holidays the best they can for their families.

Let's face it, the pressures of work do not go away during this time of year. Traffic and long lines are at the height of frustration. And there are all those 'tasks' to complete: preparing meals, decorating the home, parties, and shopping for gifts. Do you worry about how you'll find time to get it all done? Or about how you'll finance the better-than-last-year holiday? With our schedules maxed, we might find it harder to relax and are more likely fall into bad habits to manager our stress, like comfort eating.

In this month's meeting, Dr. Nancy White, Clinical Counselor at Unique Mindcare, helped us learn how to keep our attention and focus on the joy of the season, creating balance and minimizing the stress of the holidays!

Dr. Nancy White holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is licensed in Texas as a Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and an Advanced Addictions Counselor (AAC). Dr. White is recognized as a pioneer in the field of Applied Neuroscience, serving as a Consulting Editor of the Journal of Neurotherapy and contributing author to two college level textbooks. She is a frequent speaker at professional conferences internationally, and has conducted workshops and trainings for healthcare professionals both in the U.S. and abroad.

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