Category: blog

I’ve been sharing recently about different digestive symptoms and their causes, and here’s yet another that bothers so many of my patients: food sensitivity.

Symptoms can be varied, including stomach pain, gas, or even skin issues or mood disorders.

So, how do we treat the issue? I do a detailed intake to find out about common foods you eat, and then can try various tests. I prescribe a food sensitivity test that tests for dozens of common foods to see what comes up as your most reactive. I can also test for other conditions to rule them out, for example sometimes small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can bring symptoms similar to a food allergy.

Note that a food sensitivity test is different because it tests for IgG antibody reactions to foods, which are delayed hypersensitivity reactions that occur for up to 72 hours after eating a food. Symptoms are systemic and can be digestive like bloating and gas but can also include skin reactions like eczema, acne or rosacea, anxiety, depression, migraines, mood disorders. This is different from a food allergy test which test for IgE antibody reaction to foods, which are immediate hypersensitivity reactions which cause anaphylaxis or hives.

As an alternative to food sensitivities testing we can do an elimination diet. We cut foods that are the most suspect and gradually test your symptoms on adding them back in until we have a better sense of what triggers you.

You walk into a room and forget what you came for. You forget short errand or grocery lists that used to be a breeze. If you have always been forgetful, no worries. But if this is new for you, it could be brain fog.

What’s that? Brain fog?

You might have heard this term before. It’s not a medical condition, but it can be a symptom of many issues. Candida overgrowth, menopause, SIBO, and low Vitamin D are just some of the conditions that you may be fighting when you’re feeling fuzzy.

Fortunately, I’m a symptoms detective. I try to find the root cause for all the conditions I treat, and recommend and prescribe supplements to help. I do a detailed intake where I ask about your lifestyle, eating habits, sleep patterns, and stress levels. Then I work with you to try and make adjustments so we can find out what might be going on.

Don’t suffer with brain fog. It’s a symptom and could be pointing to something else, maybe something easily resolved or even something complex. Either way, working on it together can be the best way to feeling better.

Any woman knows that sometimes what our bodies make naturally can sometimes be a nuisance when the body overproduces them.

Ahem, yeast infection.

Candida is a type of yeast, a normal part of a body’s ecosystem. But when our balance is disrupted, the yeast can overgrow. The yeast and pain of a vaginal yeast infections can be a minor annoyance or a major one, given the pain and itchiness.

You can also get a yeast infection in your mouth, called oral thrush (symptoms=white patches), or in skin folds such as the armpits or groin. Often in addition to candida, people experience brain fog or bloating. Not fun.

If you are having regular yeast infections in any place, don’t just pop a pill. Connect with me and we can figure out what might bring long-lasting relief.

I spend time getting to know about your eating habits, your lifestyle, all with a goal to find the root cause of your issue. I can help test food sensitivities, and do urine tests. I can prescribe antifungals, but can also set you up with natural medicines such as herbs that may have a longer-term effect.

Why not connect with me today?

If you’ve ever felt the discomfort of bloating, you probably don’t need a definition. Here’s one anyway.

Bloating can be a feeling of fullness or pressure in your stomach, often associated with excess gas or constipation. Sometimes your stomach can even be visibly swollen, and often the feeling of being bloated is accompanied by pain or cramps too.

Not fun.

The good news is that if you’re suffering with unusual or regular bloating, you can do something about it. I help to investigate this issue in patients and get to the root cause.

Sometimes bloating can be caused by food sensitivity, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or for women, issues with your period. Some common food triggers can be MSG and sucralose.

When you meet with me, I get a detailed description from you of when the bloating started, how often it occurs, and what it feels like.

I ask questions about your eating habits, and suggest foods to try eliminating as a test. We may do tests to see if other factors are at play. With follow-up appointments, we are often able to discover your triggers.

Don’t keep living with bloating – connect with me instead! Let’s work together to get you feeling better.

Did you know? Most of the time I’m a naturopathic doctor, but sometimes I also side hustle as a detective.

At least, that’s what it can feel like when I’m helping a patient find the solution to a condition that’s been bothering them for a long while.

They may even have gone to their doctor, tried a few tests. But they haven’t found the true cause.

I am dedicated to finding the root cause.

Take IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. It’s one of the conditions that I treat regularly. The problem is that it shows up differently in different patients. Symptoms can include everything from cramping to stomach pain to gas, diarrhea and constipation. Patients can get used to putting up with it and managing the symptoms.

But sometimes, finding the root cause can make a BIG difference.

That’s why, in my practice, I take a full 75 minutes to do an intake. I find out all about you: your lifestyle, your diet, your stresses. Traditional doctors don’t usually go to this much depth.

Then I take a stepwise approach to figuring out the problem. I create a meal plan, sometimes where we eliminate foods to see if they might be having an effect. I consider food sensitivities, and whether it’s worth testing you for that. I test for conditions like Celiac disease (an intolerance to gluten) and SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) as top candidates. We can even test for parasites and bacteria.

Because I see so much of conditions like IBS, I know which factors can be prime suspects in my investigation.

But I also treat each patient individually, coming up with a personalized plan.

When we find the root cause, it can mean the end of coping. Of pushing symptoms aside as something you live with. It’s worth trying for anyone with IBS, or any other chronic conditions that are bringing you down. Contact me today for a discovery call.

Do you have stomach issues you’ve been working on for a while but still haven’t figured out?

I can help.

We may call them tummy troubles or digestive issues in polite company, but they can be a real drag on our happiness. Especially for women, who can end up pushing their own health aside with busy lives and others to take care of.

If you’re limping along or just learning to live with bloating, cramps, diarrhea, constipation and a ream of other issues, you owe it to yourself to take another shot at investigating what might be going on.

My aim is to find the root cause of your symptoms. Here’s what I do:

Meet with you for an initial 75-minute consultation to learn all about your life, your health, your symptoms, your routines, your concerns and your goals. This goes way beyond a typical doctor’s visit to try and understand your whole body.

Analyze your eating in depth to investigate and recommend a meal plan that might work better for you. We might try an elimination diet where we strategically remove foods that are common triggers and really assess your health and symptoms.

Based on our exploration, prescribe some tests for common conditions like SIBO, celiac and other stomach conditions that can help discover or rule out possible issues.

Keep working with you until we’ve found ways to help you feel better!

I’m open for new patients with stomach issues. This is one of the issues I treat regularly in my practice, so I’m very experienced at sleuthing out the problem and have helped many patients, especially women, find their way to better health. Connect with me for a discovery call today!

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the sight of brand-new backpacks: it’s that time of year, back to school!

Our kids are getting excited to be back in the classroom reconnecting with friends. We’re cheering them on as they enter a new grade. And we are also making new plans, at work, at home, maybe even for our health!

Of course, fall comes with challenges. Everyone back in the same space means that illnesses can abound. Again this is the time of year I like to remind my community about ways to protect yourself and your families, by:

• Washing your hands frequently with soap and water
• Sneezing into your elbow or a tissue
• Taking a day off from school or work if you’re sick, both to recover and avoid spreading germs

I also remind my patients to consider boosting immunity with diet and supplements. I especially recommend testing vitamin D levels before flu season kicks in! Many patients are low in Vitamin D: even people who supplement with 1000IU day. This is especially important for Canadians as we don’t get enough strong sunlight in the winter months.

PS: Did you know I also see children? If your child would benefit from changes to their diet or supplements, don’t hesitate to reach out and we can chat about how I can help.

Now that we’re deep into back-to-school season, busy parents have one demand they are newly faced with again: portable, healthy snacks.

No worries, I’ve got you covered. Here are some ideas:

Fruit: nature’s portable food – try apples, bananas, grapes or get creative with a small Tupperware of chopped melon or blueberries – add a couple of cheese slices for extra protein. Or think of fruits high in Vitamin C like oranges for that extra immune boost.

Veggies: chopping up celery, carrots, or red and orange peppers offers a portable option with crunch. Prepare a bunch at the start of the week so they are ready to go.

Seeds: another option that offers an opportunity for healthy fats – try sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Watch serving sizes.

Homemade trail mix: get your kids involved in picking their favourite healthy seeds and fruits to include in the mix, and bag some ahead of time so they’re ready to go.

Are hard-boiled eggs kid-approved? If your kid likes them, remember they have 6 grams of protein to keep them fuller longer.

Whatever snacks you choose, remember to look for choices that are low in sugar, that are easy to transport and that don’t need to be refrigerated.

You’ve read here before that I advise patients to try to get lots of fruits and vegetables into their diet. If that news overwhelms you, I thought I’d share a few ways to get more fruit in, especially in the harvest season when local fruits are more available:

Add fruit to breakfast: a handful of blueberries on your cereal or on your yoghurt can add a nice twist to summer mornings.

Add fruit to salads: try a topping of dried cranberries or raisins with your favourite greens. Or slice up an apple! Salad toppings can also be a way to get more healthy nuts into your diet, like walnuts or pumpkin seeds.

Pack a fruit snack: apples, peaches and plums are a great portable food to take with you on the run  – keep some on hand in a bowl in the kitchen to encourage everyone in your household to remember them.

Choose fruit for dessert: this can be in the form of a baked desert like cobblers, but also as a whole fruit like an apple or a fun fruit you may not eat as often, like cherries in the summer.

What’s your go-to local fruit?

As we get into fall and back to routine, there’s one habit you might want to work on: your healthy eating. I can help.

My health plans focus not only on making healthy choices, but on finding food options that are easy for patients to follow long-term to move toward optimal weight and blood sugar management.

Here are some of the ways I support you to achieve your best healthy lifestyle:

• provide detailed dietary plans tailored to you
• help you measure and track your weight from body fat percentage to BMI
• guide you to figure out how many servings/calories to eat

My diet philosophy guides every consultation! Here’s what I recommend:

• I embrace a healthy, whole food, plant-based diet with simplified meal ideas that are easy to follow.
• I promote healthy eating plans that help patients get on track to feel higher energy, and better health
• I provide individualized charts with tips on serving sizes of different categories of foods (vegetables, fruit, grains, fats, proteins, nuts and seeds, and legumes).

If you’re ready to make a long-term lifestyle change, let’s work together! We can identify the right meal plan that will also help to banish extra weight and make you feel your best.