Establish Healthy Sleeping Habits

Taking actions that help you come back down to earth while still keeping your creativity revved is a challenge, but the payoffs from establishing a healthy routine are worth it. You might be able to get away with the 3 a.m. When they see a 10 p.m. But when I succeed in convincing them to set, and stick to, a regular sleep schedule, the surplus of vitality they soon have proves the wisdom of the change quickly, and I am no longer the enemy. This is so disheartening. I have watched many women struggle with infertility, feeling as if their hopes for a family are a disappearing dream. I have to fight my own tears. I stare into the computer, pretending to take notes, so they cannot see my unprofessional response. You may be walking around with high estrogen, low progesterone, and a sluggish thyroid and not even realize it. They can be tied to nutritional deficiencies, can be the cause of infertility, and can cause fluctuations in weight and mood. I know this one personally. The conventional medical term is androgenetic alopecia.

A Wolf At The Door

Hair loss, secondary to nutritional and hormonal imbalances, is one of the most common complaints for Gypsy Girls. Hair loss can be diffuse, with hair thinning throughout the scalp or hair strands breaking easily when pulled. Often there is hair loss at the crown as well. The common imbalances in hormones and nutrition can affect the hair health of Gypsy Girls, leaving them feeling depressed and anxious about their health and their physical appearance. Now considered an inflammatory disease, osteoporosis, a condition defined by low bone mass and increased bone fragility, is common among Gypsy Girls. Many of you may have a low body weight with a classic long, lean frame, and research shows that this increases your risk for osteoporosis. If a Chinese medicine practitioner examined a Gypsy Girl, he would most likely conclude that she has a pattern that shows kidney meridian deficiency. The kidney meridian is seen as the center or seat of all energy and hormone function. The kidney meridian becomes depleted from chronic stress and anxiety, poor nutrition, excessive weight loss, and lack of sleep. When there is kidney deficiency, the hormone imbalances can result in the conditions already discussed, including infertility, missed periods, chronic fatigue, and hair loss. Remember, in medicine, there are three main energies, or personality types, called doshas. Gypsy Girls are dominated by the vata dosha.

What A Shame

As is true of each of the doshas for each of the Power Types, there are positive qualities to the vata energy type, but these positive qualities can turn negative when overused. For instance, vata types, when in balance, are naturally creative, light, and active. Balance is always the key. Out of all the glands that produce the hormones that work in synergy to keep us humming, the adrenals are the greatest risk for Gypsy Girls. Cortisol, remember, is helpful in the right amounts, but levels that are too high or too low can cause a host of medical problems. Anxiety, weight imbalance, infertility, and even poor focus and concentration can all be related to this stress hormone. I, to this day, am still amazed at the precision and accuracy of these old systems of medicine. Here are the most common lab findings I see in my Gypsy Girls. See Labs You Need to Know for more information. As you begin your personal Power Plan, you will see how the plan focuses on your nutritional deficiencies. Foods high in B vitamins, iron, healthy fats, and protein can make or break a Gypsy Girl. It’s time to take action! So far I have focused mainly on how a Gypsy Girl may feel, not necessarily on the diseases she may develop.

Let Somebody Go

It usually happens while I’m rattling off a bunch of medical information that I know will help alleviate my patient’s issues. I’ll look up and see eyes filled with tears, a flushed face, or a glazed look, and I’ll know I’m talking to a Gypsy Girl. It took me a few years, but today I understand that a Gypsy Girl needs to first be given the space and freedom to breathe, and then a gentle nudge to get her more grounded in her body and less in her mind. For these reasons, I don’t begin with an excessively detailed technical plan for Gypsy Girls. If you fit in this category, chances are that you are already feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, and disconnected, and if I start by giving you a bunch of numbers and grams to track and crunch, you might just fizzle out completely. When I formulate a plan for a Gypsy Girl in my practice, my first aim is always to reconnect her to her physical body, her mind, and her energy. Many of my Gypsy Girls are so disconnected that they don’t understand or are not even aware of the physical symptoms that are giving off warning signals until it is too late and they crash drastically, or get a disease or diagnosis that’s tough to battle. As a Gypsy Girl, your first goal begins with establishing a healthy relationship with your body and your mind so you can reconnect your fabulous spirit to the rest of you. So the first week is all about grounding, while the second week continues the steps you established and adds a focus on balancing. Week 3 brings it full circle by providing tools to keep you connected physically, mentally, and spiritually. Suggested menus and shopping lists are provided at the end of each week. One last bit of housekeeping before we get started. Be dedicated to these foundational guidelines and you’ll see the best and fastest results. 1Wake up with a morning tonic and grounding exercise. Meet your daily protein and fat goals. Aim for 50 grams of protein and 20 to 30 grams of fats each day. This means reading nutrient labels. Limit daily calories. Don’t exceed 1,800 calories per day unless you are training for extreme sports. Establish healthy sleeping habits.