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Racism is a Public Health Threat

by | Jun 4, 2020 | Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

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Not enough health care professionals are talking about this. When you realize that a nutritious diet, clean air, exercise, good sleep, and low stress are the key foundations to health and happiness, the next realization is on the horizon. It is this: Not everyone has easy access to health. Many people are just trying to survive. Let’s be more specific: Black people and Brown people have worse physical and mental health than their White counterparts – because they have less access to medical care, nutritious food, and clean water; less time for self-care, and more exposure to daily stress. They have less access to the income and inherited wealth that makes life relatively stable, and wellness within reach. They are more likely to be killed – by COVID19, chronic disease, and law enforcement. Let’s get close to the root cause: This country was built on the massacre of Native people, and the enslavement of African people. And it continues to run on the cheap labor of Black and Brown people. To make this massacre, enslavement, and exploitation possible, this culture systematically dehumanizes those who are not white. It’s not always obvious – if you are White or seen as White. But for Black people and Brown people – especially Black people – this is apparent every day. It is generational. It’s experienced in big and small interactions. It’s part of life. It’s not because someone is Black. It is not because of genetics. It’s because the system is racist. If like me, you are White or White-passing, and you are shaken, bothered, and disturbed by the killing of Ahmaud...
A Calling for the Ages

A Calling for the Ages

by | Nov 10, 2016 | Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

Latest posts by Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND (see all)

Whatever you’re feeling right now, feel it fully. Stay present with it, and allow it to be in its fullness. As you are experiencing these emotions, I invite you to feel into what your role is in all that is happening right now. What part you have played so far, and what you are being called to be. What will it be? What has it been all along? Power structures are changing. It’s happening in medicine, media, and governments. Even if you have been cheering on the change – pay attention. Do not make the mistake of thinking that a big victory is all it takes. The world is truly on the brink. World powers are re-organizing. Our environment is in peril. We are divided deeply. It’s chaotic, and this means there is an opening for a new way to emerge. The question is, will you take part in what the building of a new world, or will you simply trust in your idols and hope they do a good enough job? Or criticize from the sidelines, without action? Now is the time to become what you really believe in. To take your life (but not yourself) seriously. Because you have something to contribute. If you are in favor of the upheaval, be part of the wave of the change for good. If you think we are losing our way, shine a light for others to follow. It’s good to grieve. It’s good to celebrate. And, after the intense wave of emotions pass, there is wood to chop, water to carry, and the work of showing up that needs...
When NOT to Analyze Past Mistakes

When NOT to Analyze Past Mistakes

by | Oct 21, 2016 | Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

Latest posts by Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND (see all)

Understanding your past is important. Recalling childhood events can help explain why you have certain ingrained behaviors. Maybe you’re way too defensive because your mother was overly critical of you. Or you don’t trust your spouse, because your father abandoned you. Look, answering the “why” is a moment that can be incredibly healing to your confused and long-suffering spirit. But reliving the past can also work against you in these two instances: 1. When trying to change a habit. Habits are generated by creating neural pathways in the brain. Think of a habit as a well-worn and clearly marked trail in the woods – it’s easy to find, and easy to follow. Unfortunately, when the path leads to destruction, the brain’s efficiency is not your friend. The problem with a bad habit, is that even just thinking about it makes the pathway even stronger. And when you rehash – yet again – why your childhood stress made you a chronic worrier, it reinforces your tendency to be anxious. 2. Before going to bed. Sleep is crucial time that the brain uses to edit out the millions of stimuli you receive every day. Microglial cells are particularly active while you’re catching your zzzs. These so called “gardeners of the brain”  prune out non-essential neural branches and connections, allowing more oxygen to nourish what is left behind. How do these gardeners know what to prune? Researchers have discovered that unused connections are biochemically marked for deletion. Conversely, well-worn thoughts (and their corresponding neural branches) are considered useful, and thus left intact. After a good night’s sleep, your mind is less cluttered...
What To Do With All That Advice

What To Do With All That Advice

by | Jun 10, 2016 | Anxiety, Books, insecurity, Research, Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

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There’s no shortage of advice in the world. Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you the absolute best way to do live your life. Someone says, “Antidepressants are dangerous!” Another piece tells you, “Stop shaming people for taking meds for depression.” Then you read, “People take drugs for diabetes, why shouldn’t you take it for depression? They are both diseases.” “Vegetarians are less depressed.” “Paleo cured my depression.” And something inside you freaks out. I fall into this trap when it comes to baby-raising advice. When one popular baby sleep book stated that “by twelve weeks, your baby should be able sleep up to 10 hours straight”, I could almost feel my blood pressure rising. I’m lucky if baby K does five!!!  I thought frantically. Ever get that feeling? You’re gripped with the fear that you’re doing it wrong. This literally raises cortisol (your stress hormone), because of the sense of urgency created. Interestingly, elevated cortisol is commonly found in depressed and anxious people. Here’s what I do to stay sane and happy amidst the deluge: I hold it all very lightly. Holding it lightly means to take it in…and then pull back and remember that you are figuring out things as best you can. Naturally, even as I write this, the mean voice in my head snarks, “Well, if you didn’t hold it all so lightly, you’d probably be farther along by now!” What does your inner mean voice say? Pull back and hold that lightly as well. In practical terms, it means snapping that baby sleep book shut, setting it aside, and observing where my baby is...
Where to start if you want to get off antidepressants

Where to start if you want to get off antidepressants

by | May 27, 2016 | Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

Latest posts by Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND (see all)

Where do you begin? One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, how to get started on the road to finally getting off antidepressants? Think about it: You’ve been taking antidepressants, and while they seem to be doing something for you, it’s simply not enough. Or the side effects are terrible, and you just don’t feel that great on them. But it’s not as simple as just stopping the meds. In fact, it can be dangerous to do so. Maybe you’ve already tried, and ended up right where you started – depressed, tired, anxious all over again. Here’s what I suggest: First, you should know that it’s highly unlikely that you have a serotonin deficiency. No study has ever succeeded in finding a link between low serotonin and depression. What is more likely is that you are out of balance in one or more of the following: 1. Physical wellness – not just in your brain, but your entire body as a whole. 2. Purpose and meaning – life just seems empty without it. 3. Healthy relationships – these can make or break your happiness. To find out which of these really need the most work, I have all of my clients take the Happiness Archetype Assessment. It’s a simple yet powerful self-quiz that lets you know your greatest strengths, as well as what needs the most work now. The Happiness Archetype Assessment is incredibly clarifying. It helps you decode all the information out there about happiness, and focus on the elements that are most important for you. You can access that test via the box on...
What I Learned From a Story About Empty Prisons

What I Learned From a Story About Empty Prisons

by | May 20, 2016 | Uncategorized |

Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND

Dr. Teray offers natural and integrative programs for healing anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, and digestive conditions. She is a licensed naturopathic doctor, wellness coach, author, and creator of the Deeply Happy Expert Series. She serves clients globally via phone and video consultation.
Get in touch at http://www.deeplyhappy.com/contact/

Latest posts by Teray Garchitorena Kunishi, ND (see all)

National Geographic just published a beautiful photo essay about the empty prisons in the Netherlands. They have been re-purposed into shelters for refugees seeking asylum from armed conflict. In these shelters, they learn to speak Dutch and ride bicycles – “both skills are essential to life in the Netherlands.” They are free to come and go, and have made friends among their Dutch neighbors. While the reasons behind the Netherlands’ declining prison population are complex, I’m sharing this story with you because it’s a beautiful analogy for how to relate with difficult emotions. In a state of fear and scarcity, the impulse is to reject the less appealing parts of yourself. The aspects of you that are needy, messy, and not quite ready for public consumption; you make them wrong, or bottle them up so they don’t bother you…much. But what if, as Sufi poet Rumi suggests, you welcome and entertain them all? From his poem, Guest House: Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. Let’s face it, life is scary. Being human, with all our weaknesses and insecurities, it’s tough. You try to put on a happy face and pretend the hard stuff isn’t there. Or you criticize others, when really, they are a reflection of your own failings. What might it be like if, instead of being afraid of the difficult & dark aspects of this life, you cultivate what Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron calls “unconditional friendliness” towards yourself and everything you...