13. Healing Unresolved Trauma | Keesha Ewers, PhD, MSN, ARNP, FNPc

Get Well with Dr. Shel

Autoimmune disease is now the #1 chronic health problem. Functional medicine offers sound treatment, but is so often missing a critical piece of the puzzle. Dr. Keesha Ewers and I talk about trauma and grief - and how these can become the seeds of actual physical illness.

Trauma can often be a family illness - with one person becoming ill, like in my own family, and everyone needing to integrate the stress, the fear and emotions - and the impact on their lives. I was stuck with what is called “Caregiver Syndrome” , where people neglect their own health and prioritize the health of their loved ones.

Dr. Keesha and I discuss what we can do - tangible and immediately achievable actions we can do to begin to reverse SOME of this. I think you will be pleased to hear what you can do to help your health, starting today.

About the Guest

Dr. Keesha Ewers has been in the medical field for over 30 year - she is board certified in functional medicine, a Doctor of Sexology, psychotherapist, family practice advanced registered nurse practitioner with a specialty in integrative medicine, a certified advanced Ayurvedic practitioner, and the founder and medical director of the Academy for Integrative Medicine Health Coach Certification Program.

After conducting the HURT Study in 2013 (Healing Unresolved Trauma), she developed the HURT Model for understanding how past childhood trauma impacts adult health. This led to the creation of the You Unbroken online program for patients to heal their own trauma and the Mystic Medicine deep immersion healing retreats she leads at her home on San Juan Island, WA.

Dr. Keesha is a popular speaker, including at Harvard and from the TEDx stage, and the best-selling author of Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle. You can learn more about this wonderful leader and find her programs at www.DrKeesha.com.

What Can I Do?

The more resilient you are, the more you can limit the impact of stress on your health. Genetics play a small role in resilience, but practice and stress-release techniques will help greatly.

Help your body function at its optimum level: Eat regular, balanced meals; aim for the recommended daily seven to nine hours of sleep for adults; and, especially, exercise 30 minutes each day. Even gentle walking is sufficient to boost mood and lower stress, according to the NIMH. More vigorous exercise may provide additional protection.

It’s important to recognize that excessive stress can affect our health. It can cause your adrenal glands to not function at an optimal level resulting in what is called ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ or ‘Cortisol Deficiency’.

Some Signs You Might Have Adrenal Fatigue:

• Weight gain
• Exhaustion
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression

Take our adrenal fatigue assessment HERE if you feel you may be experiencing this. Once we have determined that you are showing symptoms of adrenal fatigue, you’ll need to have your cortisol levels checked, generally through a non-invasive saliva test. We can then determine how to help your adrenal glands function better through various courses of treatment.

It is my goal to help my patients, both men and women alike, find balance in every area of their lives because chronic stress can be detrimental to their health and well being. For more personalized information on Adrenal Fatigue (Cortisol Deficiency), please request a free consultation, or call us at 281.313.7435.