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Anxiety · Depression · Digestive Health · Miscellaneous · Nutrition · Sleep · Tools · Wellness · Women's Health

Eat Real Food

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jan 9, 2020 / Share

Eat Real Food

Rather than indulging in what’s cheap, convenient, and addictive, it serves us to reach for real food. This can become a slippery slope toward obsessive clean eating, so I want to caution you to keep it simple: eat real food, avoid fake food, listen to your body, and keep life easy and pleasurable whenever possible. Real food doesn’t mean eating only chia seeds and kale. Real food includes well-sourced, pastured meats, wild fish, carbs from starchy tubers, every vegetable ever, plentiful healthy fats (e.g., grass-fed ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil, fatty cuts of pastured meats), and eating fruit when you’re craving sweets. Even though this is not how most of us typically eat, if you want to be healthier than the average person (who suffers from chronic inflammatory conditions and mental health issues), it’s worth making counter-mainstream food choices.

If you feel like real food is too expensive (and I agree, it’s $$$), look at it this way: being sick is WAY more expensive than eating well. You pay at the farm or you pay at the pharmacy. If you’re too stretched to afford real food, consider rearranging your budget slightly so you can allocate some funds for better food. And if all else fails, real food can be as cheap as frozen veggies and a pot of rice and beans.

My 2020 Wellness Predictions

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jan 3, 2020 / Share

2020 Wellness Predictions

The Tweak I Made To The Kondo Method That Totally Works For Me

by Ellen Vora, MD on Dec 19, 2019 / Share

Originally published in mindbodygreen

KonMari

My family of three lived out of a single suitcase and two backpacks as we traveled around the world for seven months.

It turns out, some things you can completely go without, and some things you can MacGyver for yourself as needed with a garbage bag and some duct tape. We can not only make do with less, but it actually makes life more enjoyable. There’s less decision fatigue about what to wear, you don’t find yourself running around looking for something you know you put somewhere, and you feel free and nimble to roam the world.

When I returned home, I was tempted to resort to old habits (owning every gadget, ordering something I thought I “needed” on amazon at the drop of a hat), but instead I got rid of possessions and made do with less. It frees up your life. When we own less clutter, the energy flows more freely through our homes, we feel less tied down and overwhelmed, and we even get less distracted. It gives your mind and your home the space to be a canvas for insight and creativity.

We all need so much less than we think.

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Can Trauma Really Be ‘Stored’ In The Body?

by Ellen Vora, MD on Dec 11, 2019 / Share

Originally published in mindbodygreen

Trauma

There’s much more appreciation these days for micro-traumas—like chronic, more mildly traumatic things—that cumulatively over many years can amount to the same as one macro trauma.

Trauma can sort of shock the autonomic nervous system into a state of hyperarousal and hypervigilance, like you’re in that peak moment in a horror movie when the music is accelerated, and you know something bad is about to happen.

Big strong emotions will come up, and sometimes it’s something that you can’t even put your finger on. You just feel a certain way—you feel angry, sad, or afraid. It’s helpful to either support yourself through those moments with a journaling practice or to have some sort of therapeutic conversation. It’s a gift when these things come up, but you want to be able to usher them up and out gracefully.

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Gut Health = Health

by Ellen Vora, MD on Dec 5, 2019 / Share

Gut

How we feel has everything to do with the state of our digestive tract. If your gut is inflamed or if the balance of microbes is off, you may feel depressed, anxious, unfocused, or tired, or this may manifest with eczema, joint pain, acne, or other downstream symptoms. Increase gut healing foods (bone broth, ghee, glutamine powder in smoothies), slowly increase fermented foods (apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso paste), and cut the inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, sugar, industrial vegetable oils). Get more rest and give yourself a little more spaciousness and relaxation during the day. Your gut will start to heal and the rest of your body will feel better.

The Health Impact of Loneliness – The Phoenix Helix Podcast

by Ellen Vora, MD on Dec 2, 2019 / Share

Originally published in Phoenix Helix Podcast

Loneliness

The Health Impact of Loneliness

When we feel lonely or isolated, it can seem like we’re the only person experiencing it, yet loneliness has become an epidemic affecting millions. Living with chronic illness can be an especially isolating experience, and it all becomes more poignant around the holidays. In addition to being emotionally painful, loneliness also carries health risks. It’s been compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day for its negative impact on health and longevity. But loneliness isn’t a life sentence. I’m honored to be featured on the Phoenix Helix Podcast, where we discuss practical tips for overcoming feelings of loneliness and expanding our social connections again.

Listen to the Podcast

 

 

Managing Life’s Storms – The Magik Vibes Podcast with Kelsey J Patel

by Ellen Vora, MD on Nov 25, 2019 / Share

Listen to the podcast here

Magik Vibes Podcast

I’m honored to be featured on the Magik Vibes podcast with Kelsey J Patel. We talk about mental health, listening to your body, and finding fulfillment in life.

Listen here

Is Hitting The Snooze Button Really That Bad For You?

by Ellen Vora, MD on Nov 22, 2019 / Share

Originally published in mindbodygreen

Snooze

There are better ways to get rest. With the snooze button, nobody wins. You’re not getting great rest, and you’re also not having a leisurely, relaxed morning.

Set yourself up for success by getting into bed early enough, ditching your phone (no blue light in the bedroom!), and getting an old-fashioned alarm clock.

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Optimize Your Sleep

by Ellen Vora, MD on Nov 21, 2019 / Share

Originally published in MotherEarthLiving

An earlier bedtime is the secret ingredient that helps strengthen your biological clock and cue your brain when to rest.

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How to Move From Loneliness to Connection

by Ellen Vora, MD on Nov 19, 2019 / Share

Dr. Vora Loneliness

We have an enormous loneliness problem in modern life. For me personally, I was lonely until about age 26. Now I have abundant community and a strong sense of connection in my daily life. ⁠
⁠
Here are some keys to moving from loneliness to connection:⁠
⁠
* Move past the fear and get comfortable being vulnerable⁠
⁠
* Chances are, the people around you are lonely too⁠
⁠
* Ask questions: rather than talking about yourself, ask questions of others. Just let yourself be curious–what do you want to know about someone? What lights them up? What makes them unique?⁠
⁠
* Let yourself be goofy — I’m convinced that stiff social etiquette stands in the way of connection⁠
⁠
* Lower your standards for hosting — it’s wonderful if you can cook a homemade meal for someone or bust out the fine china. But if you can’t, then have people over and order takeout. It can mean the difference between social connection and netflix alone.⁠
⁠
* Don’t let your insecurity drive you to obligate people to hang out with you. Give everyone their freedom. Just be generous, kind, thoughtful, and authentic, and you will be the kind of person that people will want to be around. ⁠

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Dr. Ellen Vora

About Me.

Dr. Vora takes a functional medicine approach to mental health–considering the whole person and addressing the problem at the root, rather than reflexively prescribing medication to suppress symptoms.

She specializes in depression, anxiety, insomnia, adult ADHD, bipolar and digestive issues.

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