– by Doreen Marion Gee –
This is the third in a six-part series of profiles on some great local businesses that are working to keep us all in good health.
Self-denial seems inherent in our culture where putting ourselves first is labelled ‘selfish.’ Women especially are programmed from birth that their primary role is to care for others, not themselves. However, medical experts are discovering that it is essential to put our own well-being high on our ‘To Do’ lists. As well as enriching our own health, it enables us to help others. Dr. Dana Tishenko encourages her clients to respect their own health and empower themselves to be well. In a nut-shell, she teaches them vital self-care that may just extend their lives.
Dr. Dana Tishenko of Sidney’s Peninsula Naturopathic Clinic has a silvery bedside manner: calm, kind, and nurturing. A trained Naturopathic Doctor (ND), she is part of a team that excel in clinical nutrition; botanical, homeopathic, and oriental medicine; acupuncture; lifestyle counselling; massage therapy and more. Like many NDs, Dana is certified to do a ‘Women’s Wellness Exam’ and is trained by the BC Cancer Agency to do a routine ‘Pap Smear’ cancer-screening test. In this important way, Dana and her colleagues are providing potentially life-saving tests, the ultimate exercise in clients’ self-care.
With Dana’s guidance, people take a proactive role in their own health. Clients benefit from quality time with Dana as she delves into the “nitty-gritty” of their lives and the roots of their medical conditions, both physical and psychological. Using herbs, supplements, acupuncture, massage and other methods, she invokes the body’s natural tendency to be well. Dana puts a high priority on good food; she helps her clients make positive diet changes so they are ingesting healthy nutritious fuel. “If people want to be healthy, they need to be bringing good natural food, high in nutrients, into their bodies. Proper diet is the foundation of health.” To Dana, eating fresh food high in nutrients and avoiding “inflammatory” processed foods and refined sugars will boost the immune system. It is part of her clients’ healthy self-care ‘To-Do’ list.
Digestive health is a core element of naturopathic medicine. What foods are causing problems? she asks her clients. Also, when we are under stress our bodies forfeit a proper thorough digestive process. Dinner is not the place to be talking about our lousy boss; we need to reinvent mealtime as a priority where we relax and absorb the goodness in our food. Dana speaks frankly: “Stress is one of the biggest contributing factors underlying most illness in our modern western world.” Chronic stress compromises the functioning of our immune systems, making us vulnerable to disease. To Dana, taking good care of ourselves involves developing better life style habits to manage stress in our lives and controlling how we perceive and deal with challenging situations.
“The best preventative measures against the major illnesses are to eat well and exercise well!” reflects Dana. We are designed to be active and move constantly. Proper exercise doesn’t have to be a boot camp sweat-fest; it can be a simple 10 minute walk. Dana believes that social interaction and a good support network of friends is crucial to ongoing mental health. Taking care of ourselves means keeping our bodies well-oiled and relishing the comfort of others.
Recommended reading for Dr. Tishenko’s clients is “When The Body Says No” by Dr. Gabor Mate. In his book, the renowned physician postulates a primal connection between taking care of ourselves and prolonged health and longevity. Dana concurs: “This is what we do in naturopathic medicine: we are helping people to take good care of themselves, their health and well-being. If you are healthy, if you are grounded, then you are in a much better position to be there for others. Care-givers can become very sick if they do not sometimes learn how to put themselves first.”
Healthy self-care will ultimately extend our stay on this planet. The people we hold near and dear will thank us for it.
Contact: www.peninsulanaturopathic.com
