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“Over-Hungry” – A Lesson I’ve Learned From My 2-Year Old

by Ellen Vora, MD on Oct 11, 2018 / Share

Having a baby taught me the concept of “overtired,” which has transformed the way I treat insomnia. Now I’ve begun to recognize the existence of “over-hungry.”

13 Steps to Managing Postpartum Sadness, Anxiety & Overwhelm

by Ellen Vora, MD on Oct 8, 2018 / Share

Original article in mindbodygreen

Image: Holly Clark

October 7, 2018 — 9:24 AM

The postpartum period is an incredibly vulnerable time. Countless new moms are sitting in their gliders right now, isolated at home, surrounded by spit-up and burp cloths, delirious with sleep deprivation, nerves frayed from the confusing cries of their infants, and feeling overwhelmed, sad, anxious, and alone.

Every time this happens to a new mom, I feel we have failed as a culture. It’s normal to experience the transition of becoming a mom as a complicated mix of joy and an unexpected gut punch, but when a mom is isolated and feeling like her sadness and anxiety are about to swallow her whole, there is more we can be doing to support this mom. Here are the steps I find most helpful in my holistic psychiatry practice…

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Have Anxiety? You Need To Do This 1-Week Zero Caffeine Test

by Ellen Vora, MD on Sep 9, 2018 / Share

Original article in mindbodygreen

Photo: Guille Faingold

September 9, 2018 — 9:36 AM

As a holistic psychiatrist practicing in busy New York City, there are two traits nearly all of my patients have in common: anxiety and caffeine consumption.

And for the record, in general, I think that caffeine is safe, common, normal, enjoyable, and even potentially beneficial. I have nothing inherently against it! However, if you happen to suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, insomnia, or depression, and you consume caffeine, it’s time to recognize that caffeine very likely plays a role in your symptoms.

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Considering Getting Off Antidepressants? Here’s How To Do It Safely

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 7, 2018 / Share

Full article posted on mindbodygreen on May 7, 2018

By Ellen Vora, M.D.Holistic Psychiatrist

Photo: Joshua Rawson Harris

Excerpt:

I’m a holistic psychiatrist practicing in New York City, and I often find myself with a line out the door of patients who are struggling to get off of psychiatric medications. While you should absolutely do what’s right for you in your health journey, it’s worth noting that doctors rarely disclose how difficult it can be to taper off medications like Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor, Klonopin, Xanax, Lithium, Abilify, Adderall, and Vyvanse.

While some people experience few if any side effects when tapering off these medications, for others it can lead to a persistent state of anxiety, low mood, dread, hopelessness, and despair for months. With millions of people on psychiatric medications, and almost nonexistent support from psychiatrists or primary care doctors, patients are left to negotiate this harrowing process by themselves. So I’m left wondering: Why aren’t we talking about this?

Continue reading…

Want more advice from Ellen Vora? Check out her class here.

#ANXIETY#DEPRESSION

Fix Your False Moods

by Ellen Vora, MD on Apr 27, 2018 / Share

Fixing your false moods is one of the easiest and best ways to improve your life.

The Real Reason Not to Start a Medication

by Ellen Vora, MD on Apr 19, 2018 / Share

After discouraging a friend to avoid medication, I realized belatedly that my reasoning is different from what he thought.

Getting Off Psych Meds Is Hard As Hell

by Ellen Vora, MD on Mar 2, 2018 / Share

Why aren’t we talking about this? Getting off psych meds can be incredibly difficult, and most people struggling with this think it’s just them.

Is Your Anxiety Really Hanxiety?

by Ellen Vora, MD on Feb 21, 2018 / Share

We’ve all heard of hanger. What I’ve learned in my practice is that so many people suffer from “hanxiety.”

Is Birth Control Affecting Your Mood

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jan 25, 2018 / Share

Evidence now corroborates what millions of women have felt for decades: birth control affects your mood.

3 Holistic Techniques You Can Do Now To Feel Less Anxious

by Ellen Vora, MD on Dec 3, 2017 / Share

Originally appeared on mindbodygreen.com
Ellen Vora, M.D.

Photo: Stocksy

Excerpt:

1. Stabilize your blood sugar.

Problem: Anxiety occurs when the body is tripped into the “fight-or-flight mode” or “stress response.” Sometimes the stress response is out of your control, like during a big presentation at work or traffic on your commute, but other times it’s completely preventable. One very common and preventable cause of stress response is low blood sugar. Many of you are already familiar with the experience of feeling “hangry” (hungry/angry). For some people, blood sugar dips cause anxiety. And most of the time these folks aren’t even aware of this connection. If this is you, you can make yourself significantly less anxious by maintaining stable blood sugar.

Solution: The definitive solution is to cut out (or down) sugar and refined carbohydrates, eat plenty of healthy fats and protein, and stick to safe starches like sweet potatoes and plantains. Short of that total diet overhaul, you can also rely on something like coconut oil or sprouted almond butter to give yourself a blood sugar safety net. If you feel your blood sugar crashing, take a spoonful of coconut oil or almond butter. If you’re running out of the house and you know you’ll be on the go without much time to pause and eat, take a spoonful. If you’re about to go to bed and you often wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with racing thoughts and anxiety, take a spoonful before bed. If you’re headed to a happy hour or a wedding, and you know there will be booze aplenty but not necessarily healthy food, take a spoonful. You can even carry portable almond butter packets in your bag so you can always have a spoonful on hand. Taking these precautions to keep your blood sugar stable can prevent your body from going into a stress response, and this will curb your anxiety fast.

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#ANXIETY#SLEEP#WELLNESS
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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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