Category: blog

What if I told you there was something you could do that would reduce your stress level, improve your mood, and make you look better? You’d ask how much it costs and where you could buy it.

But you already have access and it doesn’t cost anything. Sleep.

And September is the best time to think about it, as you’re planning new fall routines.

Finding ways to get more of this essential—yes, I’ll call it a vitamin, into your life can keep your immune system running well and is recommended for many illnesses as well.

How can you get more? One tip is to try adding a bit at a time, backing your bedtime up by 30 or even 15 minutes nightly.

Making your bedroom ready for sleep by setting the temperature to suit you (most people like a cool room) and establishing a calming routine beforehand can give you the best chance to relax.

Limiting screen time before bed can help too.

Besides sleep, you might also want to consider rest. What’s the difference? Rest is when you decompress the time when you’re awake: relax with a book, taking time off, de-stress with a favourite activity, such as walking in nature or meditating if that’s your thing. Rest can add calm to your day and prepare you for a better sleep at night.

If you have more serious problems with sleep, like insomnia, you can also get a professional involved. Don’t give up on sleep so easily—call me and let’s chat about it.

Through my years in practice, I’ve developed a reputation for helping women improve their health. So some people are surprised that I treat men too.

For example, I help with testosterone. What?

Men who struggle with testosterone know that low rates increase depression, and puts them at risk for cardiovascular issues.

Just like I help women with their hormones, I also offer natural ways to work on their hormones. Sleep, diet, stress management and exercise are all tools that we try. I even prescribe supplements that can help.

If you (or the man in your life) struggles with hormones, maybe I can help. Let’s chat.

Stress comes out in different ways for different people. Sometimes it feels like fatigue, sometimes it’s a headache. Sometimes it shows up as insomnia. Sometimes it shows up as gut distress, since adrenalin highs interfere with our ability to break down food, leading to indigestion, bloating and gas.

Often, we ignore stress because we figure there’s not much we can do about it—but is that really true? Maybe we can’t cut off the source of stress, like our kid going through a “phase” or our supervisor dumping an unreasonable workload on us just before vacation. But we can take action to prepare ourselves to handle it.

Making time for sleep. Or giving up 15 minutes of sleep in favour of calming morning meditation. Calling a friend. All of these activities help to damper stress and if you make them part of your routine then they can have a good long-term effect.

Summertime and the living is—unhealthy.

Sure, vacation ice cream is fun, but summertime should be when it’s easier to make good habits, not slip into bad ones. After all, it’s the time of produce in season and fruits on the trees.

If you’re ready to get eating healthier, here are four ways to get going. Pick one!

• Find ways to add an extra serving of fruit or veggies to your next meal – maybe strawberries in your salad? Chopped peppers into your pasta sauce?
• Pack fruit rather than granola bars as a snack—if you’re tired of apples, you can also try pears or oranges? Or try out the different varieties of apple—Gala, Cortland, Ambrosia.
• Add new veggies to your barbecue grill—zucchini brushed with a bit of butter, even kale makes an impressive chip when crisped up. Experiment!
• Try an ice cream challenge—let’s face it, your kids are going to ask for ice cream anyway, so why not trade it for trying a new vegetable? Rewards can’t happen every night, but weekly works.
• BONUS TIP: Yet another element we forget about in summertime is hydration—be sure to drink enough water daily!

Hey parents! This post is for you.

Do you ever forget about yourself, in the midst of the whirlwind of piano lessons, sports meets and endless appointment scheduling?

Me too.

But I’m vowing to start again, because I see so many patients whose health starts to suffer from not focusing enough on their own lifestyle. Stress. Poor eating habits that are a symptom of grabbing something quick. Lack of sleep because you’re running yourself ragged keeping up.

It’s that whole airplane warning to put your own mask on before assisting others. We have to start doing it.

So join me—think of one bad habit that you’ve slipped into because you’re too busy. If it’s sleep, try getting to bed a half hour earlier, or sleeping in a half hour later. If it’s snacking, try making it easy by preparing healthy options that you can just grab and go (so you don’t grab another bag of chips from the vending machine). Stock your fridge with apples and carrots. Try to drink more water to keep hydrated.

Or maybe the step is booking an appointment with me? If you’re stressed or sleep deprived or want to work on your diet, I’m happy to get you started and keep you accountable.

Chronic fatigue sucks.

Whether it’s one symptom of many in a diagnosis, or if you’ve received a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, consulting with a naturopathic doctor can help.

As you know, we focus on the whole person. Beyond your diagnosis, it helps to understand what else might be going on in your life, from underlying issues that might be contributing to your fatigue, or even mental health issues.

People with a history of trauma, PTSD or depression can also have fatigue that feels inescapable.

Together, we can look at your diet, exercise and stressors. I can make recommendations for supplements or exercises based on your current routines, and based on what I’ve seen work for other patients.

Even if you’ve had a diagnosis elsewhere, I am happy to work with your medical team. I am also happy to supplement their advice with further suggestions on natural medicines that can complement their efforts.

Are you suffering with burnout?

Symptoms sometimes vary, but if you’ve been through a very busy time at work or even in your personal life you may be feeling these unpleasant sensations:

Constant fatigue. Irritability. Reduced productivity. Reduced motivation. Headaches. Mood swings. Digestive problems. Sleeplessness.

You feel the mental, emotional and physical exhaustion that comes from constant stress, in whichever ways it comes out.

Also, burnout stress can come from being overworked but also from being under-challenged, maybe in a role that doesn’t fit or when work feels meaningless.

If you’re feeling burned out, don’t just dismiss it. Let’s talk about it and see about ways that I can help. With supplements and suggestions, but also with a chat. That can be the first step on the road to making a change, and that’s healthy for everyone.

Quick, how much sleep do you need a night? The answer is that it depends on the person. Length of sleep, quality–all of these elements add up to what you really want to gain–the feeling of being rested to tackle the everyday stresses of life.

When patients come to me with sleep conditions, we work on developing their sleep hygiene – we review elements from diet to your bedtime routine.

Some common tips?

• Go to bed at the same time each night
• No screens an hour before bed
• No coffee or caffeine after noon (sorry!)

For some patients, sleep aids help. These can be as simple as lavender oil to relax you before bed. Other supplements can help to work with your brain to signal sleepiness. Did you know that insomnia can also be a symptom of perimenopause and menopause? So hormone therapy can also help.

While sleep can come and go at various points in our life (as anyone who has dealt with a newborn knows), if you’re going through an extended period of sleeplessness, it can be worth investigating. Let’s work on it together.

Sometimes new patients come to me with an idea of what they might have, and other times when we look into it the condition turns out to be something they have never heard of.

That’s sometimes the case with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

With symptoms that include full body hives, itchy skin, and sometimes even swollen lips or eyes, it’s a strange condition. Created by too many histamines in the body, or also by perimenopause or stress, the condition is really bothersome and patients deserve to feel better.

If you’re suffering with these symptoms, make an appointment with me and we can investigate. I do a full history with new patients, and then we look at diet and other elements. I often prescribe antihistamines, and then supplements to bring the reaction down, then we work on your diet.

When they come to me, the patient is in distress. After working together, they find relief. I love that.

Remember, sometimes the condition is familiar, but it can also be something you’ve never heard of. Only someone who has seen it before can really help to figure it out.

Whether it’s your hands or your hips, the particular agony of joint pain is something that you want to stop living with and start investigating.

I can help.

Joint pain can come from many conditions. Osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune condition). Even perimenopause.

With the experience of having seen these different conditions over my years in practice, I can help figure out the root cause. I can also work side-by-side with your doctor to find dietary and hormone approaches to help.

I start with a full patient history to find out more about your whole health as well as the issue we’re working on.

Often changes to your diet can reduce inflammation in the body. Supplements can help too, as some pain can be caused by vitamin deficiencies.

Whether you’re just starting to explore, or you already have a diagnosis, feel free to reach out and I can help to find ways to help. Call me!