Author: drjosesandoval Page 7 of 10

If you’re like most business owners, you sometimes forget yourself in the midst of all of your professional obligations. Unfortunately, when you’re stressed or overworked, you cannot focus the same amount of energy on your company. To keep yourself from being burned out, you need to think about different skills that allow you to take care of yourself to be more present at work. Dr. Jose Sandoval’s integrative services can be great tools.
Learn How to Improvise
Improvisation is an important skill to have as a businessperson. You cannot prepare for every crisis or disaster. Mature businesspeople understand the necessity of thinking on their feet and acting without a solid plan in place. There are three types of improvisation: imitative, reactive, and generative.
Imitative relies on imitating more experienced people, whereas reactive involves input from others and the environment to help determine your reaction. Generative improvisation is the most advanced and it forces you to look toward the future and try to anticipate what may happen.
Work on Your Plan
If you want to succeed, you need a balance of improvisation skills and planning skills. You should have a business plan that spells out your goals and the steps that you need to take to make them. Treat your business like a game of chess where strategy is still a top priority. A business plan helps you allocate resources properly to prepare for the uncertain and to manage your time.
Your business formation should be a part of your business plan. For example, you may choose a limited liability company, or LLC, for your company. This structure is easy to establish and simple to maintain, so you do not have to worry about excess stress eating away at your health. When establishing Florida LLCs, you may reap tax benefits, flexibility benefits, and the benefit of less paperwork. To avoid lawyer fees, contact a formation service.
Avoid Forgetting About Yourself
According to the APA, chronic stress can negatively impact your well-being. It can lead to chronic headaches, cardiovascular disease, overeating, and more. Often, people experience chronic stress because of work. If they do not delegate work to subordinates or hire consultants to help carry the load, they are more likely to suffer from stress. Delegating saves you time on work that you can spend on yourself.
Forming a workout routine at the gym or home can also reduce your stress. It releases endorphins and releases built-up tension. If you choose a gym, exercise can also help you be more social outside of the business. Some of the best exercises for tension include:
- Yoga
- Martial arts
- Walking
- Swimming
How you eat can also affect your productivity. One wrong decision during mealtime can throw your day off. Since everything you eat converts to glucose and your body needs glucose to stay alert, your attention and focus shift if you are low on it. Food should nourish your body. When you take care of your diet, you take care of your body and your company.
As an entrepreneur, you breathe life into your company. When you do not care about yourself, you cannot care about your business either. You may find it more difficult to focus and prioritize your time. If you want to care for yourself and your business, you need to know how to balance planning with improvisation and maintain your health as a priority. For more resources and guidance, book a session with Dr. Sandoval and subscribe to his newsletter.
Guest blog written by Brad Krause, selfcaring.info

Gratitude is holding the attitude and expression or acknowledgement of the positive aspects in your life. Acknowledging your basic needs, material goods, friends, family and loved ones. A simple and easy practice that is customary in many world traditions.
Several psychological studies have found that when you cultivate gratitude you are more likely to be happy, cope more adaptively and increase your relationships with the people who you love.1,2,3,4 You are also less likely to get stressed or depressed and will engage in fewer negative coping behaviors, such as substance abuse.4
Acknowledging the positive aspects in your life can be challenging; particularly, when you focus or hold on to negative emotions like frustration, anger and resentment. Holding negative emotions towards situations and people in your life can exacerbate the painful conditions you are trying to avoid or change.
Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to cultivate a grateful heart and reap its many psychological benefits. In order to have an attitude of appreciation, you must first release and let go of any negative emotions that you are holding on to in your life. Like any skill, you must also practice appreciation in order to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
To help you release negative emotions, try the traditional Hawaiian practice of Hoʻoponopono. This traditional practice of forgiveness or reconciliation will help you to open your heart and mind to the many blessings in your life. It is defined in the Hawaiian Dictionary as a “mental cleansing: family conferences in which relationships were set right through prayer, discussion, confession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness.”
To practice, simply bring to your awareness the difficult situation or person with whom you are holding on to a negative emotion. As you visualize the situation or person, repeat in your mind and affirm “I’m sorry,” “Please forgive me,” “Thank you” and “I love you.” Let go of the need to find blame, be gentle and refrain from judging yourself. Continue this practice for 5 – 10 minutes. Do this every day for a few weeks and you will experience a shift in your heart and be more open and receptive to the good graces in your life.
As you let go of the negative emotions that are holding you back and begin to cultivate gratitude, you will also want to keep a gratitude journal. Start each morning reflecting on the people, situations or aspects of your life for which you are grateful. You can use The 5 Minute Gratitude Journal that has prompts for you to write down 2 aspects each morning. Gratitude journals have been found to help people experience more positive emotions and reduce painful feelings like depression in many psychological studies.5
To your health and success,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
- Algoe, Sara B.; Fredrickson, Barbara L.; Gable, Shelly L. “The social functions of the emotion of gratitude via expression.” Emotion, (2013) 13(4), 605-609.
- Emmons, R.A., McCullough, M.E. “Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (2003) 84(2), 377-389.
- Gordon, A.M.; Impett, E.A.; Kogan, A.; Oveis, C.; Keltner, D. “To have and to hold: Gratitude promotes relationship maintenance in intimate bonds. “ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2012) 03(2) 257-274.
- Grant, A. M.; Gino, F. “A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (2010) 98(6), 946-955.
- Lyubomirsky, Sonja; Dickerhoof, Rene; Boehm, Julia K.; Sheldon, Kennon M. “Becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way: An experimental longitudinal intervention to boost well-being.” Emotion (2011)11(2), 391-402.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.fullofradiance.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

If you’re like most people, you spent part of your Memorial Day weekend relaxing and spending time with your family and friends. You may also have spent a good part of this time outdoors either at a beach, park, or backyard cooking and celebrating your day off from work (assuming your city or county has not prohibited this because of the Covid-19 pandemic). Spending time with your family and friends connecting is undoubtedly good for your mind, body and spirit. More than these social aspects, however; the time you spend outdoors in the sunlight with nature has the added benefits of reconnecting your body with our Mother Earth.
Sunlight has numerous health benefits. Unlike sun screen and tanning lotions that are full of toxic chemicals and prevent your body from making vitamin D and other steroid hormones, sunlight, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, increases the oxygen content in your blood, and builds your immune system.
Moreover, laying on the beach, walking barefoot on the grass, dirt or sand allows your body to make contact with the electrons and negative ions that are produced by our planet. Researchers have found that making contact with the Earth (sand, grass, dirt, concrete) has several health promoting qualities.
“Earthing” (the term used to describe walking barefoot or making contact with the Earth) allows the electrons and negative ions that are naturally emitted by our planet to transfer into your body. The transference of these electrons and negative ions into your body has numerous healing effects.
Studies have found that the electrons and negative ions that are transferred to your body neutralize and scavenge free radicals (i.e., they act as antioxidants like eating blueberries or dark chocolate) and enhance your immune system.1 Studies have also found that “Earthing” can improve and normalize your sleep, circadian rhythms, blood oxygenation and heart rate variability as well as reduce levels of stress, cortisol, pain, blood viscosity and inflammation.2,3,4,5 So not only will you feel calmer but you will also recover more quickly from exercise and lower your risk for cardiovascular disease.6,7
The simplest way to make sure you are receiving the electrons and negative ions from the Earth is to walk barefoot outside.
Strive to do so whenever you have the opportunity. Doing so every day for 30 to 45 minutes will help you take advantage of the most abundant and free source of healing energy available. And if you cannot make it a part of your daily practice, you can also use modern technologies and footwear that can confer many of the same health benefits.
To your health and success,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist, holistic health coach, and personal trainer can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
- Chevalier, G, Sinatra, ST, Oschman, JL, Sokal, K and and Sokal, P. “Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons” Journal of Environmental and Public Health. (2012) 2012: 291541. doi: 10.1155/2012/291541.
- Clinton, O., Sinatra, S. T., & Zucker, M. (2010). Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?
- Ghal, M and Teplitz, D. “The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress” ” Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. (2004) 10, (5) 767–776.
- Chevalier, G and Sinatra, ST. “Emotional Stress, Heart Rate Variability, Grounding, and Improved Autonomic Tone: Clinical Applications” Integrative Medicine. (2011) 10 (3) 16-21.
- Chevalier, G. “Changes in Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, Blood Oxygenation, Perfusion Index, Skin Conductance, and Their Variability Induced During and After Grounding Human Subjects for 40 Minutes” Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. (2010) 16, (1) 81-87.
- Chevalier, G, Sinatra, ST, Oschman, JL, and Delany, RM. 4 “Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease” Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. (2013) 19, (2) 102-110.
- Brown, D, Chevalier, G and Hill, M. “Pilot Study on the Effect of Grounding on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness” Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. (2010) 16, (3) 265-273.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

If you’re like the average American, you are probably sleep deprived. Inadequate sleep reduces your concentration, alertness, creativity and performance at work.1,2 It also makes you more prone to make mistakes, feel tired, grouchy, and increases your cravings for sweet and fatty foods.3,4
As a nation, we value doing more and place little emphasis on taking breaks, having fun and resting. In other countries, however, working less, playing more, taking breaks and sleep are cultural norms. Fortunately, there is a cultural shift taking place that emphasizes working smarter, taking more breaks and even napping on the job! So whether or not you believe that you get adequate sleep, you probably can benefit from adding a little afternoon siesta.
An afternoon nap, or siesta, can help you to improve your mood, alertness, vigor and be your mini vacation to relax and feel rejuvenated.5,6 It will help you be less prone to mistakes and increase your creativity as well as your job performance.7,8
In order to reap all of these health promoting benefits, just keep these simple guidelines in mind. Take brief naps (i.e. 10 – 30 mins) early in the afternoon (i.e., no later than 3:00 pm) to feel recharged and avoid sleep inertia (i.e., feeling groggy and possibly experiencing insomnia). And please remember to take your nap in a dark room, laying down and free of any distractions or potential interruptions.
To your success and health,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and wellbeing, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
- Thomas, M, Sing, H, Belenky, G, Holcomb, H, Mayberg, H, Dannals, R, et al. “Neural basis of alertness and cognitive performance impairments during sleepiness. I. Effects of 24 h of sleep deprivation on waking human regional brain activity.” Journal of Sleep Research. (2000). 9 (4) 335-352.
- Van Dongen, HPA, Maislin, G, Mullington, JM, and Dinges, DF. “The Cumulative Cost of Additional Wakefulness: Dose-Response Effects on Neurobehavioral Functions and Sleep Physiology from Chronic Sleep Restriction and Total Sleep Deprivation.” Sleep. (2003). 26 (2) 117-126.
- Rosen, I, Gimotty, PA, Shea, JA, Bellini, LM “Evolution of Sleep Quantity, Sleep Deprivation, Mood Disturbances, Empathy, and Burnout among Interns.” Academic Medicine. (2006). 81 (1) 82-85.
- Wiley, TS & Formby, B (2001). Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
- Milner, CE and Cote, KA. “Benefits of napping in healthy adults: impact of nap length, time of day, age, and experience with napping.” Journal of Sleep Research. (2009). 18 (2) 272-281.
- Rosekind, MR, Smith, RM, Miller, DA, CO, EL, Gregory, KB, Webbon, LL, et al. “Alertness Management: strategic naps in operational settings.” Journal of Sleep Research. (1995). 4 (2) 62-66.
- Mednick, SC, Drummond, SPA Boynton, GM. “Perceptual deterioration is reflected in the neural response: fMRI study between nappers and non-nappers.” Perception. (2008). 37 (7) 1086-1097.
- Tietzel, AJ and Lack, LC. “The recuperative value of brief and ultra-brief naps on alertness and cognitive performance.” Journal of Sleep Research. (2002). 11 (3) 213-218.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

What to Do When Depression Strikes in Seniors
Mental health conditions don’t discriminate, and they can affect any demographic. However, depression is common for older adults. Contributing factors for depression in seniors include a diminished sense of purpose, physical health issues, fear of death, loss of loved ones, and isolation. Because it’s a treatable condition, those who may be depressed should seek help before it leads to more serious issues.
The following information explains the symptoms of depression and offers ways of treating it. For therapy services that can address and treat the root cause of your depression, book an online appointment with Dr. Jose Sandoval.
Recognizing Depression
Depression can manifest as physical symptoms, such as headaches and tiredness, and non-physical symptoms, such as loneliness and low energy. If you find yourself withdrawing from social interactions or losing interest in activities that you once loved, then you might be depressed. If you’re feeling hopeless and sad without any explanation, then it could be depression. If you suffer from low energy or lack of motivation, then depression is a possibility. For a more detailed description of depression symptoms, check out U.S. News’s helpful guide.
Mental Health Treatment
Seniors who recognize signs of depression in themselves should see a mental health professional for an evaluation. They will be able to diagnose you properly and get you the necessary help for your condition. A mental health provider’s licenses and credentials allow them to provide therapeutic services, and some are able to prescribe medications in the event that you need antidepressants in your treatment plan. A treatment program may include therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Not all medical insurance plans offer mental health coverage, but Medicare can provide those benefits. Make sure to read through your benefits to check for coverage on behavioral health and mental health services.
Receiving Care at a Senior Facility
Another important part of your mental health treatment plan involves reassessing your living situation. If you are suffering from isolation and/or are unable to perform everyday tasks that are critical to your health, such as personal hygiene and maintaining a proper diet, then it’s a good idea to think about your options for receiving specialized care. There are different types of senior living facilities, such as independent living, assisted living and nursing homes, that offer different levels of care. Staying in a senior living facility can benefit your mental and physical health, due to opportunities for socializing and receiving quality health care from skilled professionals. When searching for facilities in Miami, take a look at the services they offer and how much it costs to live there, to help you decide which facility is right for you.
Lifestyle Changes
Don’t isolate yourself. Make an effort to be social, and seek out companionship when you need it. There’s a good chance that there are other seniors who suffer from loneliness and could use your company as well. Join a senior group or a retirement community to meet like-minded individuals looking for friends.
Since healthy eating and exercise affect your brain chemistry, ensure that you prioritize your nutrition. Omega-3 fatty acids can benefit healthy brain function, so eat more fish or take fish oil supplements. Exercise every day by walking, doing yoga, or participating in other forms of low-impact fitness.
Also, get on a regular sleep schedule. If you’re suffering from depression, your sleep patterns could be disrupted. Getting adequate sleep and regulating your internal rhythm can help pull you out of depression.
Before beginning a treatment plan, it’s important to seek a professional diagnosis. What might seem like depression could be another mental health condition such as bipolar disorder. The outlook doesn’t have to be grim for those who suffer from depression, anxiety, or an emotional disorder. By recognizing the situation and getting help, you can conquer this disease and live a fulfilling life.
Guest blog written by Sheila Johnson
Photo Credit: Pexels

If you’re like many people who experience feelings of sadness, depression or anxiety, you likely get caught up and entangled by your mind’s nasty and critical stories about you and your life. While it is reasonable and may even be natural to acknowledge the circumstances, situations or private experiences that evoke your discomfort or pain, your mind’s unending chatter and focus on what is wrong with you and your life has many negative effects on your health as your life narrows to only focusing on what your mind tells you.
Research in the area of Positive Psychology suggests that by shifting your attention and focusing on your character strengths, you can create upward spirals that will lead to a life time of authentic happiness.1,2, Fortunately, shifting your attention and noticing what is going well in your life and celebrating your successes is simply a matter of being G.L.A.D. every day.
To help you flourish and experience more authentic happiness, keep a journal and write about what it is that you . . .
GRATITUDE: Each day you have experiences and situations that you can appreciate for which you can experience gratitude. When you begin journaling about what you feel grateful for it may be challenging for you because your mind incessantly focuses on what ails you or is wrong with your life. The fact is that everyone who is alive has a reason to feel grateful. You may simply begin by writing about how you are grateful that you can be grateful. Appreciate the simplicity of life. Your lungs breathe for you every day without you telling them to do so. The fact that you have a roof over your head, food to eat and clean water to bath with each day. Your friends and family. In counting your blessings, start by focusing on what you are capable of doing.
Several psychological studies have found that when you cultivate gratitude you are more likely to also be happier, cope more adaptively and increase your relationships with the people who are dear to you.3,4,5,6 You are also less likely to get stressed or depressed and will engage in fewer negative coping behaviors, such as substance abuse. Acknowledging the positive aspects in your life can be challenging; particularly, when your mind focuses or holds on to uncomfortable and painful emotions like sadness, guilt, depression and fear.
As part of your evening ritual to retire to bed and go to sleep, write about 3 aspects in your life for which you experienced gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal will help you increase your life satisfaction and reduce painful feelings like anxiety and depression.7
LEARNED: Every day you have experiences, situations and people that teach you something about life or yourself. Whether you are learning from a school teacher, professor, friend or simply a life experience, you have boundless opportunities and moments during which you learn something new, if you meet each experience with an attitude of curiosity, openness, and non-judgmentally. Whether it’s a new book, skill or sage advice and counsel from someone who you meet during your day or simply an experience during which you learn something new about yourself, taking in and recognizing that you have learned something new will help to enhance your level of engagement with life.
According to the PERMA model developed by the father of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., a Positive psychologist, engagement with life and actively immersing yourself in your experiences leads to a state of flow and is part of the Good Life.8,9 Being in a state of flow leads to greater enjoyment, improves your performance and self-efficacy. When you keep a G.L.A.D. journal, write about something that you learned during your day.
ACHIEVED: You probably do not remember most of the experiences in your life because they occur mindlessly without your full conscious awareness. You are; however, much more likely to remember the events which resulted in a sense of accomplishment and success. Achieving small goals each day, such as reading for an hour, walking for 30 minutes, or writing 2 pages for your new book will help you to identify your strengths and move forward in your life by taking consistent action when life circumstances are challenging for you. The sense of accomplishment and success will enhance your self-esteem, engagement with life and help you to appreciate yourself. As your self-efficacy improves, you will be more resilient in the face of painful or difficult life situations.10 As part of your G.L.A.D journal, take note of any goals that you achieved during your day and celebrate each success not matter how small in may seem to you.
DELIGHTED: In your pursuit of authentic happiness, keeping note of the positive emotions that you experienced during your day is important. When you begin your G.L.A.D. journal make sure that you notice and savor every experience during your day that you were delighted by and enjoyed. This is very different from the pleasure that you experience from fulfilling basic bodily needs like hunger, sleep and sex, the companionship of your family and friends or time spent with nature. Being delighted and enjoyment arise from the pursuit of stimulating activities in which you use your unique strengths and contribute to something greater than yourself such as when you volunteer your time helping those in need at a shelter home or teach young children at your local church because these activities allow you to express your compassion and gift for teaching others.
To your health and success,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
- Fredrickson, BF and Joiner, T. “Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals toward Emotional Well-Being.” Psychological Science, (2002). 13(2), 172-175.
- Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press.
- Algoe, SB, Fredrickson, BL, and Gable, SL. “The social functions of the emotion of gratitude via expression.” Emotion, (2013) 13(4), 605-609.
- Emmons, RA and McCullough, ME. “Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, (2003) 84(2), 377-389.
- Gordon, AM, Impett, EA, Kogan, A, Oveis, C, and Keltner, D. “To have and to hold: Gratitude promotes relationship maintenance in intimate bonds. “ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2012) 03(2) 257-274.
- Grant, A. M.; Gino, F. “A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, (2010) 98(6), 946-955.
- Lyubomirsky,S, Dickerhoof, R, Boehm, JK, Sheldon, KM. “Becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way: An experimental longitudinal intervention to boost well-being.” Emotion, (2011)11(2), 391-402.
- Seligman, M.E.P. (2011). Flourish. New York:Free Press.
- Csikszentmihalyi, M (2008). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
- Salanova, M, Llorens, S, and Schaufeli, WB. “Yes, I Can, I Feel Good, and I Just Do It!” On Gain Cycles and Spirals of Efficacy Beliefs, Affect, and Engagement.” Journal of Applied Psychology, (2010) 60 (2), 255-285.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

If you experience fatigue, irritability, problems concentrating or disturbances in your sleep, you may benefit from a Spring cleaning. Spring is looked upon as a season of renewal and rebirth. Likewise, your low energy, mood swings, sleep disturbances and difficulties concentrating may be indications of a buildup of toxins and need to clean-up your diet and detox.
Instead of making a shopping list and buying several vitamins and/or supplements, focus on avoiding environmental toxins that science suggests cause cancer (e.g., GMO foods, Glyphosate, second hand smoke, smoking, chlorine in pools that research shows combines with urine to form dangerous chemicals, fumes) invest in whole, organic foods that are raised without herbicides, pesticides and other synthetic chemicals that damage your health and our planet’s soils and choose to eat animals that are raised humanely and safe to eat. Not only will you keep your exposure to toxins to a minimum, you will help to build your body’s natural defenses and experience an increase in vitality, clear focus, sound sleep and sense of renewal.
You can build up your body’s defenses, support your immune and detoxification systems by ensuring that you eat adequate amounts of the foods that will give you the building blocks to create glutathione. Glutathione is an intracellular antioxidant that supports your body’s immune and detoxification systems. It is made from three amino acids: l-cysteine, l-glutamatic acid, glycine and sulfur. The sulfur in glutathione makes it act like fly trap paper, stick to toxins and safely remove them from your body.
Sulfur containing foods
- Garlic
- Kale
- Onions
- Broccoli
- Water cress
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Brussel sprouts
Foods containing the amino acids l-cysteine, l-glutamatic acid, glycine
- Unpasteurized milk (i.e., ideally grass-fed, organic and hormone/antibiotic free)
- Raw eggs (i.e., from chickens that are pasture raised)
- Undenatured, cold processed whey protein
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Meats (e.g., beef, lamb, bison, chicken, turkey, wild caught, pasture raised, grass fed, wild caught)
Exercise also helps you build up glutathione. Aim to get moderate levels of exercise (i.e., 30 minutes several times a week). Stress depletes your body of glutathione so it is important that you learn to manage your levels of stress effectively. By taking these simple steps, you will reduce your exposure to environmental toxins, help build your body’s natural defenses and experience a renewed sense of vitality.
To your health and success,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist, holistic health coach and personal trainer can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a consultation.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

With the spring season officially having started, our days are now longer and we naturally seek to spend more time outdoors. Modern conveniences (e.g., cars, planes, buildings), work and multiple commitments that demand our attention, however, frequently limit our ability to be outside to enjoy the sun’s radiance and warmth. In the past, our ancestors evolved in an environment vastly different from today’s world. Before the advent of agriculture, clothing and buildings, we spent the majority of our time outdoors fully exposed to the sun.
An important strategy to optimize your health then is to balance the added conveniences of our modern technologies and embrace our ancestral heritage by spending more time outdoors. Our bodies function at their best when our serum vitamin D levels are in an optimal range. This is particularly important considering that more than 70% of Americans are vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin D3 is really a prohormone that regulates the expression of over 2,000 genes in your body. Having insufficient levels of vitamin D increases your risk for several autoimmune conditions, diabetes, heart disease, various forms of cancer and depression1. Some studies have also linked prenatal vitamin D3 levels to schizophrenia.
Above and beyond the production of vitamin D3, the sun’s ultraviolet rays help to reset your body’s circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm regulates your sleep/wake cycle, appetite, satiety, concentration, attention and even influences your cravings for certain foods.2 Moreover, sunlight helps you to reduce body fat, improves your evening alertness, has pain reducing properties, promotes metabolic energy and may extend your life span. The ultra-violet radiation from the sun will additionally reduce your likelihood of experiencing an autoimmune disease and life threatening cancer.3
Regular sun exposure also helps your skin to produce sulfur: cholesterol sulfate, and vitamin D3 sulfate. Sulfur is a molecule that has an important role in the structure and biological activity of many proteins and enzymes, including your body’s detoxification pathways. Sulfur deficiency is associated with obesity, heart disease, and autism.4 In addition, sunlight increases nitric oxide production, which has several health benefits for your body and brain.
Sensible sun exposure is a simple practice that can enhance your vitamin D3 levels and reduce your risk of many health conditions. Spending 30-60 minutes outdoors with your arms or legs exposed and without sunscreen can help you to raise your vitamin D3 levels, sulfate levels and optimize your health.
To your health and success,
Dr. Sandoval
To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
- Holick, M.F. (2011). The Vitamin D Solution: A3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problems
- Wiley, TS. & Formby, B. ( 2001). Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
- M. Nathaniel Mead (2008). “Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health” Environmental Health Perspectives, (2008) ;116(4): A160–A167. doi: 10.1289/ehp.116-a160.
- Seneff, S., Davidson, R. & Mascitelli, L. “Might cholesterol sulfate deficiency contribute to the development of autistic spectrum disorder?” Medical Hypotheses, (2012), 8, 213-217.
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