Dr. Zoe Arugay

Hey friends! Coach DJ and I are going Live on IG starting tonight! She and I guide women in their health journeys and so in this 6-episode series we'll talk about building healthy practices, adjusting your holidays plans with your healthy lifestyle, and women's health.

We're on every Saturday and Tuesday from December 10 to 27, 2022 at 8:00 PM Philippine Standard Time.

Tonight, we begin with Habits, Routines and Rituals for Better Health. What's the difference between them and how can they help? Join us, jump in the conversation, and let insights emerge, too.

See you!

Here's to the (anonymous) patients I want to thank.

One of my mentors said, "When the student is ready, the teacher will come."

Grateful to have known you and witnessed your journey.

Thank you.

I'm reading this review on the influence of the menstrual cycle on cognitive function and emotion processing. Although there is much to study, I'm noticing a pattern - a lot of the studies focus on the luteal phase. One explanation is that it's the longest phase which may offer a much significant insight compared to the shorter phases, like the follicular phase.

It would seem like "emotion-related changes are more consistently found, and are better associated with progesterone than with estradiol..."

That's a medical mouthful, but that's not new to women who have lived through the emotions since our teens. We notice that we tend to be more in touch with our emotions in the luteal phase than where I currently am - follicular, where my progesterone is lower than my estradiol.

So I guess I can confidently proclaim that "Fear has no place here today!"

Say it with me now, no matter where you are in your cycle! Then say it with me everyday this week!

Wishing you a courage-filled week!

***
What I was reading...rather browsing through different sections: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2014.00380

See, destruction is necessary sometimes. You have to destroy and let go of things that do not serve you to make way for better things.

The same thing happens to women in a cyclical manner. When we have our period, we shed a part of ourselves. In doing so, we're shedding off some nutrients with it. Replacing what's lost with meals that are nourishing is something we deserve, along with a time to rest or recover from our busy lives.

Think of it as winter to make way for a new cycle, a new spring.

So, what have you let go to make way for better things?

Know that you deserve a break.

Growing up, I had this preconceived notion that it's calories in = calories out to achieve weight loss.

But then I learned about epigenetics and hormones and other stuff.

We're all unique with our genes as our blueprint, and our lifestyle and environment influence how genes are expressed, right? So we can't expect that we'll lose weight in the same manner as other people.

Plus, there may be something going on beneath the surface that's affecting weight loss, like maybe a blood sugar dysregulation. And the reason you have whatever it is that you have is another rabbit hole of investigation.

And then you have hormones, and your energy, and the amount of toxicity, and...yeah, you get the picture. There's so many possible variables!

With a myriad of factors, where do you even start?

How about with a simple mindset: Aim to be healthy and the weight loss will be a pleasant side effect.

Besides, isn't it about improving our health span, not just our life span? 😊

What was your diet journey like growing up?

Last night, I went to a party. Now just to be clear - I'm not a snob. I'm not anti-social. But I wasn't in the right phase to do this.

Menstrual cycle phase, that is.

I am in my luteal phase. That phase just before you get your period. It's when you want to nest - to clean your environment, to clean yourself internally, to nurture you, to sleep early, journal, and feed yourself high calories. Yes, high calories, especially chocolates! Because our bodies were made for creation, and if a baby were in me during this phase, then my body needs to nourish that budding life. So in my luteal phase, I enjoy being with myself.

So it's not them, it's me.

Yesterday was one of those days where you can't not go, know what I mean? So I was venting to two of my friends. I realized I had no filter and I was turning into this maldita alter ego, the kind of persona where you'd LOL at snippets of my luteal brain. Tere (sort of) christened this side of me Georgina.

And Georgina is pleased to make your acquaintance. 🥂

***
This morning, I was going through the events last night. All-in-all, I wasn't 100% bitchy. I was still joking around and interacting in a friendly manner even though I was in my Georgina brain.

It's possible then that the evolution of Georgina when she's full on bitch mode in the late luteal phase is Georgiana or Christianna, I haven't decided yet.

That's jor-jee-UH-nuh and chris-tee-UH-nuh.

Which one do you think is it? And what's your luteal phase name?

***
Shout out to my bi***es, and

Or more appropriately, Regina and Angelina. 😎

It isn't obvious here but I really look like a strawberry because of an allergic reaction. Ugh!

This was yesterday, the second day of my prickly, itchy situation. I felt better than the first day making me curious if doing HIIT would help...

It did. At least during the workout. 😅
Ah well, added motivation to workout again today. My ovulatory phase supports it.

Happy Strawberry Full Moon!

- Strawberry Zoe

I dunno guys. I'm afraid to step on it.

But I'm ovulating and it's time for me to step up my workout game.

In ferr, I felt better after 30 minutes of barre3 yesterday. I guess my body really was asking for it and can take it. Imma ready to go out even!

But I'm still afwaid to step on this.

Are you like this, too?

My bro and I were in a coffee shop and a group of girls nearby were chatting. You know how it is when you're minding your own business but you hear something at the right moment?

"Di ba three days before and after?"

They were giggling, discussing, and bro was amused. He was really *this close* to turning around to correct them. (To his credit, he knows stuff as a married man, too, when it comes to fertile windows).

It's a good thing these girls called on the staff to ask, "Isn't your birthday promo covering the three days before and after their birthday?"

😅 Buti na lang nag-intervene si universe.

***
But to address that, there's no safe day for s*x without contraception and not risk becoming pregnant. There are days that you are most fertile and they differ because our cycles differ.

So the takeaway here is to learn your beautiful, unique cycle. Track it along with your symptoms, and you can even go beyond it by using technology. There are apps and gadgets to guide you in your getting-to-know you. This way, whether you're playing it safe or trying to conceive you have a grasp of what's going on in your body.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

- Mahatma Gandhi

***
If you're like me, you might find starting a mindfulness practice a struggle. It was a slow transition for me. But now, I'm able to consistently do it. Sometimes, I meditate more than once a day and I also facilitate them with friends. It's one of the most rewarding and most kind things to do to myself.

When I'm busy, that's when I need it even more. I deserve it.

Happy Sunday, mah friends.

P.S.
Art-ing is a meditative practice, too.

How have you been doing? It's been confusing for me and a lot of people in my circles. So, I have been meditating a lot. I even facilitated a cacao ceremony with friends last Saturday because we needed some release. I think I'm doing well a little at a time.

Or I thought I was.

When I used this little black device that measures HRV or heart rate variability. It was saying that my mind and heart were not aligned. This means there's more energy wasted instead of being accumulated - energy I could use for manifesting intentions

In other words, my meditation needs more practice.

After a few more tries, it seemed I was able to do it right. And it felt right. I was more relaxed, lighter, calm. I have to keep doing this...

How's your mindfulness practice going?

I'm going through all those stages of grief. It's chaotic. One minute, I feel shattered, infuriated, scared. The next, I become a biologist again, explaining what's happening to my body and the effects it can have on me.

I do know these things:
- We need to acknowledge the hurt, then the healing will start. (Just like when your muscles get tears when you exercise, it makes way for building new and stronger ones).

- This is when we most need support from others and self love.

So light a candle, pray, drink your cacao, do random acts of kindness, write down some affirmations. There's hope.

I was doing some grounding meditation when in the middle of drawing energy from Mama Gaia I realized that today is Earth Day. It made my grounding more meaningful.

Gaia is such a powerful force. Earth Day reminds us to take care of her - our home, our mother. Similarly, it reminds us to return to what's natural, and in doing so makes us better people, healthier in minds, bodies and spirit. That's how she continues to take care of us, too.

Happy Earth Day!

Snack suggestion?

Throw in nuts and seeds together, add a binder then mold into balls or use a polvoron molder.

This will provide you with the good fats and protein!

On this day, I grabbed whatever was in the pantry that would seem to work well together:
- chia seeds
- flax seeds, freshly ground
- mixed nuts, which includes walnuts, pecan, pumpkin seeds, and cashews
- maca root powder
- binder: 3 dates and a couple of teaspoons of cashew nut butter

I only needed 2 balls to satisfy my hunger.

What are you having?

Easter Monday and we're back to hustling.
I know myself and if I don't start this week getting into the zone, then I'll linger on that holy week holiday.

And knowing that I'm ovulating (yes, world, I'm fertile), Imma going to werk before I work.

Did some endurance training with running. The way I was taught to do it is to find the speed on the treadmill that's pushing me on that high endurance zone. The goal now is to stay on that speed while staying on that zone. Theoretically easy but it's not. Notice I touched on HIIT zone a couple of times. Not really bad, but that's not today's goal.

(Gosh, what would that look like as an endurance climb?)

Since ovulation can allow me to push a little more, I did some weights.

How's your Monday going?

This morning, I reflected on the message of Easter. With countless insights available online, what resonated with me was the theme of hope and rebirth after a period of lent. That the struggle and sacrifice was necessary, and what follows is resurrection.

I realized this aligned with the message of the full moon - that this is a time of destruction and letting go of things that no longer serve us to give way to better things.

Happy Easter and Pink Full Moon!

***
Last Saturday, I attended Alicia's Full Moon Cacao Ceremony where Jovi and I made some art. Alicia encouraged us to let go of any rules or judgement, and allow us to express ourselves. I thought it would be fun to be spontaneous with my doodle.
Initially intending to do this with oil pastel, I settled for crayons since I probably misplaced it during my recent decluttering. I normally melt crayons so to use it on paper was something new again to me. In addition - as Alicia pointed out later - I used a lot of color in my doodles, something I don't normally do.

During our conversations, Alicia spoke of water and breathing, dragons, and creativity (which sparked thoughts of my uterus) - all of which found a place in my mini project.

Sometimes, we just need to learn to let go and the results may just surprise us.

I have a number of favorite apps and devices for fitness, Fem Tech, sleep, and for meditation. But I wanted to see if there's something I would learn about myself if I put the info from those apps along with when I get two lines on the ovulation strips.

I'm on my second month of doing this and still learning. I do seem to get tired easily or tired more in my late luteal and menstrual phases (as expected).

What are your favorite health, lifestyle and wellness apps? I'm going to check them out, too. 🤗

Have you tried ovulation strips?

I love how these strips let me get to know myself more!! They detect the luteinizing hormone, or LH. When it surges, it stimulates the ovaries to release the egg, signaling that ovulation will happen in the next 24-48 hours.

That means you are in the midst of your fertile window. 🤗

So whether you're trying to conceive, planning your pregnancies, or just getting to know yourself, doesn't this knowledge of your ovulation become more valuable?

A big data study revealed that women may have perceived their menstrual cycle lengths to be different from their actual cycle, and even if they do know, the day of ovulation varies. I mean, I don't know about you, but even if I use my tracking apps that predict when my ovulation will take place, there's a different satisfaction knowing when it actually takes place. And this study just used at home ovulation strips, which is convenient and easy.

I asked a couple of OB friends + my OB, and they don't seem to be opposed to it... wait, one of them did, but only because she thought a lot of her patients can't afford. Valid reason. When I asked her if the woman can actually afford, what do you say? She said 👍🏻. They said it can be used as a guide and it isn't popularly used in the country (yet). To confirm if ovulation took place, an ultrasound can be done.

I bought a box of this which contains 40 LH strips + 10 HCG strips (pregnancy strips) for about Php 1k. I only need 5-6 strips a month. Compare that with a large milk tea or ice blended coffee - a box is equivalent to about 10 servings of milk tea or less. And it would be wise to let go of those drinks anyway, right?

References: https://tinyurl.com/246jc3k8 and https://tinyurl.com/bdda67j9

Would you believe we spent one season in Laguna/Manila? We evacuated last December post-Typhoon Odette in Cebu. It was supposed to be just two weeks as we spend the holidays with my family. But things happened - COVID, some things about a car, then just waiting for electricity to come back. Why go back to darkness when we're all working from home? But the effects of Odette were more serious than we thought that it meant no electricity at home for 75 days!

When all of us had made it home, someone said "finally, things are back to normal!". I could almost feel his cortisol go back to normal, too... somewhat.

New chapter, new quarter. Feels so good and so normal to be back.

How have you all been?

Working with women inspires me. Each one with their own struggles, but also with their own triumphs. What women lack in physicality (I mean, compared to men), they make up for their brains and character.

And if we’re going to be scientific about it, everything about women is fascinating. Our gifts occur in cyclical fashion, going through all the seasons in a moon cycle. This allows us to be the best of who we are - we are leaders, decision makers, visionaries, warriors, a vessel for creation, a rock, a light. And despite all these, there are ungrateful forces who dim our lights, discriminate, stereotype us, belittle and berate us.

But we stand our ground. We fix our own crown and each other’s and carry on.

I’m proud to stand with women and it is an honor to be a part of their lives. If we continue to make an impact on each other, then transforming women will transform the world.

A salute to all women everywhere!



(With my friends from on the morning of our stopover in the Banaue Rice Terraces)

This showed up in my Facebook memories and I wonder about her once in a while since that day last year.

She’s in her early 20’s, really great at her work, but it also means she would put unnecessary pressure on herself to be the best. When she first saw us, she had headaches, fatigue, constipation, and hair loss. She experienced a couple of fainting spells, and neck stiffness that surfaced after an all nighter. She had regular menstrual cycles but it was heavy and painful.

We talked about the connection of the gut-brain-skin-hormones and how this was showing up as her symptoms. By restoring her gut and setting up boundaries, we would allow her body to heal itself. Shifting her from a survival mode to a rest, digest and procreate mode will allow her to achieve her health goals. We did this with her food, movement, mindfulness, sleep, two or three supplements, and a lot of self care.

A month and a half later, she came back glowing. I honestly didn’t recognise her immediately because her hair was thicker and it’s fascinating how much she loves it cause she kept running her fingers through her hair. Her skin was smoother and she gained some weight. She was also laughing a lot now. She had no headaches, had more energy, and her period was not as heavy and now pain-free.

I’m proud of the realisations she’s made about being confident enough to tell her colleagues that there are things she doesn’t know. It sets her limitations, but also opens up to growth.

She told me she has time to watch anime now and her favourite was “My Hero Academia.” She relates to the lead character who doesn’t have super powers while going to a school for those with powers, and still dreams of being a superhero himself. That’s my patient's life now and no one can stop her from reaching for the stars.

I learned from you, girl. I imagine you’re always beautiful, confident, powerful and still feeling nag-dadalaga everyday!

I used to take a lot of minimalist pictures like these. Simple 'no?

Just a reminder that with all the noise going on everyday, let's circle back to our goals for the week. It's keeps things simple and keeps us on track.

Happy World Mental Health Day!

Sometimes I want put in as much as I can in a drink in the spirit of experimentation. This morning's drink was borne out of doing something with my maca root. Theoretically, ginger, turmeric (with pepper) and cinnamon would go well with an earthy, nutty maca. I've boiled them now but haven't yet had the heart to try it out. ☺️

How's your drink? What are you having?

With so many food plans sprouting, sometimes I feel like it's now a competition. I was once asked, "What is the best diet for everyone?" The answer is - there is none. First of all, there is that uniqueness that comes from your genes and how it has been expressed. Then, consider your health goals. And finally, are there any co-morbidities we should know about?

Take PCOS as a co-morbidity. This is a condition driven by insulin resistance and inflammation. Generally speaking, you want a food plan that can lower the inflammation in your body and regulate your blood sugar. The problem is that there are multiple possible root causes. There will be food ideal for you - such as the addition of good fat, protein, protein, vegetables, fruits and fiber. And there will be food that are likely not good for you at all, like processed food, refined sugar, refined oils, and alcohol. There may be some food that we think suits you well based on something we learn about you or your lifestyle. In order to find out, your functional medicine care team will help understand your triggers so that your food plan is personalized.

So there - there is not one best diet for PCOS, because what's more important is to focus on the root causes and factor in your individuality.

If you want to work on it, send us a message through

Dr Terry Wahls is a rock star. Sure was diagnosed with MS but was able to reverse it. And if that weren't enough, she was able to duplicate this multiple times with other MS patients.

This is the power of understanding your disease and treating it from the root cause. She continues to live this way and has been free from her medications since 2008. Read on.

Looking back...what symptoms did you have years before your diagnosis?

I had 20 years of intermittent face pains prior to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. I had an episode of dim vision 13 years before. My face pains were due to trigeminal neuralgia and had been steadily getting more severe, more difficult to turn off, and more frequent for 27 years.

Then I had 7 years of steady decline due to MS despite taking the biologic drugs costing tens of thousands of dollars each month.

It was when I created a therapeutic diet and lifestyle designed for my neurological health that I stopped my face pain, resolved my fatigue, and began to recover my strength.

I had been using a low-fat vegetarian diet (very heart-friendly) for 20 years. It was the recommended diet using the American Heart Association recommendations but had continued to decline.

It was the Wahls™ diet that restored my health and function. My neurologist agreed that I was fine to taper and discontinue my disease-modifying drugs in 2008 and I have not used them since.

I am still treating myself with disease-modifying treatment – a therapeutic diet and lifestyle. Diet, meditation, daily exercise, and physical therapy. No to***co. Social connections. Love and meaning in my life.

What symptoms did you have before your diagnosis and what symptoms do you have now?

Have you embraced adopting a therapeutic diet and lifestyle as part of your wellness plan?

If you are eager to get started on the Wahls Protocol®, download the diet cheat sheet found at terrywahls.com/diet

Gluten free bread!

Finally, a gluten-free yeast-free bread that actually tastes good. This healthy quinoa bread recipe is easy to make, toasts up wonderfully and tastes great!

FULL RECIPE >> https://www.simplyquinoa.com/yeast-free-quinoa-bread/