We carry on with our busy schedules 💃🏻that often leave us undernourished, tired, achy, stressed and drained emotionally & mentally.. and then look in the mirror and see the toll it has taken.❤️
So begins the search for the best anti-wrinkle cream, the best hair restoring shampoo, the magic pill that helps you lose all that extra weight; but the inside, the reason for searching for whatever new panacea of youth and beauty, gets ignored. And quite often, it gets ignored because, on paper, everything appears *normal.*
That’s why we're excited to share the tidbits from Dr. Nadia, our go-to expert in naturopathic medicine, who shares how our internal hormone balance and holistic health affects our sleep and skin. ✨
Q: So, what do our hormones have to do with sleep and skin?
Dr. Nadia: 🙌🏼EVERYTHING. Hormones can affect sleep, sleep can affect hormones and imbalanced hormones/poor sleep will affect skin.. either by accelerated signs of aging, hormonal acne, dark spots, redness and uneven tone.
Q: What's your take on Accutane and/or acne prescriptions? Also can you explain to us exactly what they do? Are there any side effect that disrupt sleep?
Dr. Nadia: I don’t understand why it’s the standard treatment given for acne especially with all the possible side effects and due to the fact that not all acne is created equally. 👯
On the same note, I do understand that severe acne can affect someone’s quality of life, and taking a vitamin A derivative such as Accutane, isotretinoin, provides relief and damage control. But I do not think that such prescriptions should be “the standard” for acne.
It's basically a form of Vitamin A that reduces the amount of oil released by oil-producing glands and reduces the size of these glands as well, which ends up clearing up acne quite successfully.
There are many common and adverse side effects, one of the common side effects is insomnia but other side effects such as back pain, headache, nervousness, and arthritis. All of which can likely negatively affect the quality of sleep. 😴
Q: What's a simple tweak we can do at nighttime to get quality sleep?
Dr. Nadia: Disconnect from anything work-related for at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Write down anything you feel circulating through your mind so that your mental checklist is now on paper and doesn’t keep “recirculating.”
And one more small tip if you’re prone to waking up in the middle of the night, have a small good fat / protein snack about 30 min before bed. 🍶
Q: OK mythbusters time! Is there really any correlation between the moon and our cycles? Is it even possible to sync it with the moon?
Dr. Nadia: Yes 🌛💫 — before technology took over our lives, we had to rely on nature; the light of the moon is said to stimulate ovulation (and from an evolutionary or biological standpoint this was to see your mate and consummate).
Yes it is possible to sync your period cycle with the moon, I’ve done this—you sleep in total darkness (Whether blackout curtains or use a sleep mask) every night except the nights there is a full moon. On those nights, you let moonlight in. With deeper imbalances, this can take time and other interventions, but it’s pretty cool to try! ⭐️
Q: Are there benefits to tracking our cycles (á la Flo, Clue, Eve)?
Dr. Nadia: Yes — often we don’t realize the regularity (or irregularity) of our cycle and the length of days which can tell a lot about hormone balance.
It’s also really cool to see over time how certain life events or stress can impact our cycle and its one more way to allow you to see the connection of how lifestyle can affect you. 💕
Q: What are the questions we should be asking when we go in for a naturopathic wellness consultation? What can a patient expect from you and as a client, what should they be prepared for?
Dr. Nadia: You should be asking me anything! 😌❤️That is your time with me – ask me about your symptoms, ask me about all your options, the benefits, the disadvantages.
One of the things that bothers me the most about the current healthcare model is the limited time and attention patients get from their doctors. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have had patients tell me they just want to be heard!
They should be prepared for a lot of intake questions. We will go deep, and it’s good to know that it will be a slow journey.
I don’t provide magic overnight solutions, I provide you with the tools necessary to heal and rebalance, but it is often a slow process and will take effort, work and patience.
Q: Any out-of-the-box skincare tips?
Dr. Nadia: Silk pillowcases and always drink collagen and antioxidants! 💁🏻♀️
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Dr. Nadia Musavvir is a licensed naturopathic doctor based in Southern California. She offers concierge house/office calls, virtual consults or in-person visits at her Beverly Hills office. You can find her at @_drnadia_