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Amazing Brains Podcast – 001 – Dr. Eryn Scott
In this episode, Micah sits down with Dr. Eryn Scott of Mountain River Naturopathic Clinic. In the show, they cover the foundational pillars of health, herbalism and more.
Show Notes
About Dr. Eryn Scott
- Eryn has a background from Bastyr in Seattle
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- She lived in Seattle for school specifically
- She completed her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and worked for an herbalist
- She was a nanny and preschool teacher
- Both of her passions for naturopathy and kids came together and led her to pursue her Doctorate at Bastyr
Foundations of Health
- Naturopathic doctors look at the person as a whole, they look at strengths and weaknesses
- Common things they look at are sleep patterns, diet and nutrition, the relationship to self, and relationship to community
Sleep
- With sleep, the issues are either falling asleep and/or staying asleep
- Sleep patterns start with routine
- Its best to shut off the electronics, blue light inhibits melatonin production, the chemical cue that helps make our bodies tired
- Cortisol helps us wake up, melatonin helps us sleep
- Cortisol is the hormone that follows the sun
- Melatonin is opposite, it rises with the moon and falls with the rising of the sun
- Micah mentions that people justify not sleeping enough
- Eryn says that the pattern of sleep depends on age
- Babies will typically wake up every two hours of feeding, while the postpartum mother will need much more, but the advice for that mom is to stay in bed or relaxed while feeding
Nutrition and Diet
- “I’m a big believer in that what we put into our bodies influences how our body functions, how we feel during the day, our energy levels, our digestion and more.” – Eryn
- If you can get kids to have fun in the kitchen with fruits and vegetables, they are more inclined to eat it
- Shop for a rainbow of whole foods, avoiding pre-packaged food
Good foods helps our biochemistry in our body to perform functionally
- Shop for a rainbow of whole foods, avoiding pre-packaged food
- Avoiding meat and dairy (inflammatory foods) will help your performance
- But the key is to not beat yourself up if you eat a poor meal once and awhile
- Binge eating isn’t talked about a lot, but it’s common
- We binge, and then we feel guilt, and then we eat more to self-soothe
- Food matters both physically and psychologically
- What matters just as much as the food itself is our relationship to food
- Parents are the role model, they need to have the healthy foods available
- There are some kids that won’t even tolerate a green food on their plate
- It’s about starting small, maybe putting a bowl of broccoli on the table, but away from the child and not even mentioning it
- Eryn says she is a big proponent of gardens and getting children engaged in the process
- Microorganisms are new territory and how they impact our health, so eating variety of nutrient rich vegetables help with our overall health
- Eating bitter foods stimulates our intestines to help with digestion
- Chamomile is a common help for constipation
Stress
- Being busy and stressed is really taxing on our nervous system
- Anxiety is important in helping us in danger, but in our society, we don’t have many life threatening dangers, yet we still have anxiety, and herbs can help us with that
- Oatstraw, lemon balm, peppermint are all great herbs to help ease the nervous system
- Eryn mentions the Apothecary in Frisco, CO on main street that has pre-made tinctures
- But she mentions really looking at the person as a whole and all the weaknesses to make a well rounded tincture
- For those who are really stressed, Eryn likes to use a 5 senses exercise
- Look around the room (eyes), take in smells, touch things, etc. really get the mind on a new path of thought
- We have been using plant medicine for thousands of years, and it’s still ingrained in us, we just have to take time to slow down and tap into the practice
Final thoughts
- Be kind, be gentle
Links
About Dr. Eryn Scott
Dr. Eryn Scott, ND is a naturopathic doctor committed to serving the diverse health needs of individuals, children and their families. She obtained her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, a four-year accredited integrative medical program and one of the nation’s leading naturopathic medical institutions. She then completed a two-year accredited residency at a pediatric and family medicine practice located outside of Seattle. There she collaborated with naturopathic doctors, midwives & lactation consultants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, acupuncturists and integrative mental health specialists in a primary care setting.