We know that vitamins play an important role in our energy and daily metabolic functions. We know that eating a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk of chronic disease and support brain functions. B vitamins are crucial to brain health and can reduce the intensity of mental illness, including symptoms relating to anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue.

Hormones are essential signaling molecules in the body, but can create extreme pain and discomfort for women if they are out of balance. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) has been the brunt of many jokes over many decades. However, the truth of this syndrome can be devastating for the sufferer, her relationships and her career.

In many countries around the world, alcoholic beverages are built into the culture and religion. We consume it as a form of celebration and a form of self-medication. But over the years, it takes a toll on our organ system that works to filter it out. Fatty liver disease is a growing concern in the Western hemisphere, especially as new diagnoses include people of normal body weights and people who don’t drink alcohol.

Climate change is possibly the most important issue of the twenty-first century. The long-term changes in the temperature of our planet will continue to impact not only our environments, but also our food and our health. These small changes are not noticeable on a daily basis, but as the years go by, the steady change over the years cannot be ignored.

The link between sleep and mental health has been seen and studied for decades by doctors and researchers. People who don’t get their regular 7–9 hours of sleep per night are at 10× greater risk of depression and 17× greater risk of anxiety. To go one step further, the more frequently one wakes in the night due to insomnia, the higher the chances of developing depression.[1] Before considering pharmaceutical sleeping aids, it is important that we consider all aspects of health that can be contributing to a sleep disorder.

As Canadians, athletes are our celebrities. They win us championships and gain us worldwide recognition. They put our cities on the map and encourage future generations to continue their success. Because the retirement age for most sports is fairly young, we rarely hear about our celebrity athletes after they leave their sport. Hockey players, football players, and boxers all sustain tremendous amounts of head trauma over their career. Repetitive brain injury creates lasting effects on their physical and mental health, which we rarely hear about on the news.

In an ever-evolving and modernizing world, we often overlook some of the simplest things. Many cultures are based around certain foods and religious values that teach a way of life. In these cultures, practising these religious values creates a sense of community that binds the group together and further emphasizes the culture. But as families move to new cities and countries, holding on to that cultural upbringing that includes religion becomes harder and harder.

In many parts of the world, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a common diagnosis. But in North America, a large portion of the pediatric population is being screened and diagnosed with ADHD every day. While there are differences in culture and diet, could there be more that we are missing in our understanding of this developmental condition?

As holistic practitioners, we pride ourselves on the assessment of the whole body and our ability to make connections between systems. We have the time to fully investigate our patients and understand that many health concerns are deeply rooted. We tend to see the cases that haven’t found success in conventional therapies and the cases where nobody has any idea why the symptoms are happening at all. For us, this means going beyond symptoms and sometimes even to the basics of cellular biology.

A cough is one of the most common reasons people visit their doctor. Coughs are annoying, they’re loud and can disrupt sleep for an entire household. With most viral infections, a cough can stick around up to 2 weeks after the infection has cleared. But when a cough lasts longer than 8 weeks, it warrants further investigation.[1]

Naturopathic doctors are holistic practitioners and see the body with all its connections. We believe the basis of all disease and illness begins in the gastrointestinal tract and the organs of detoxification. After all, if the entire tube from your mouth to your rear end is considered the outside of your body, the only way you have access to the food you eat is through the processes of digestion and absorption

Statin Side Effects It is no surprise to us that cardiovascular disease tops the list of killers in the world. Every one of us knows at least one other person in our families that has been affected by a heart condition. In 2013, Stats Canada estimated this second leading cause of death to affect more than 2.4 million Canadians (1). This number is expected to increase over the next few decades as the effects of sedentary office jobs and unhealthy eating patterns takes its toll.

Many of us are aware that exercise is an important part of creating a healthy and balanced life. And yet, many more of us are so quick to create excuses and avoid the effort it takes to get our bodies moving. The truth of the matter is, there is no pill that can replicate what exercise can do for the human body. And like everything else that we do to occupy our time, if it is important enough to us, we will make it a priority. Exercise is an important part of managing every health concern, and here are three of my favourites.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the result of a series of intricate changes within the body that ultimately lead to rapid decline physically, cognitively, and, of course, emotionally. Let’s look at the stats.

A large portion of people who see naturopathic doctors come with a chief concern of digestive issues. After months of scopes and bloodwork, they are often left without answers from their medical doctor and seek a new perspective. Other times, their diagnostic imaging tests reveal something significant, yet the medical system is still at a loss for treatment options.

In this part of the world, it is common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to health and that the effects of second-hand smoke are just as dangerous to family and friends.Government legislation has forced many people to quit smoking by making it more challenging to continue the addiction, enforcing a 20-feet (6 m) or 30 feet (9 m) boundary around most public buildings, and making it illegal to smoke within any public building.

Inflammation has become a hot topic in the medical world, and the body of research around it continues to grow. We used to think that arthritis and joint inflammation began and ended in the joints, with no other influences or connections.

In the last few years, the hype around “superfoods” has many of us adding random dried fruits and ingredients to our day without understanding what they are and how they work.

Most women spend their entire lives waiting for their menstrual cycle to end. “No more discomfort!” we cry, thinking that this glorious time will bring cessation of all our hormone imbalances, headaches, skin concerns, bloating, mood swings, and of course risk of pregnancy.

Every organ in the body has a unique and essential role in maintaining balance in the body. The harmony that is created when they all work well together can really energize us—but can equally deplete us when offset. The liver is an integral part of health and serves as a crossroads between many systems of the body.

Shingles is often touted as an infection of the elderly. We see commercials on TV for the shingles vaccine, and everyone pictured is over the age of 60. Perhaps the pain of shingles can be much more debilitating at that age, but the reality is that anyone who has had chickenpox is susceptible to shingles—no matter how old you are.

These days, it is quite rare to meet someone who does not identify with fatigue or stress on some level. Adrenal insufficiency is a common diagnosis amongst naturopathic doctors and alternative practitioners, but few will fully investigate the extent of the insufficiency and determine the right herb for the right person.

Today, most schools are nut-free facilities, and laws have been passed to ensure proper labeling of all ingredients in a product. Still, many families struggle with the idea of keeping certain foods off the dinner table.

The thyroid gland is one of the smallest glands in the body, but it has some of the most powerful influences on the way a person feels. Conventional medicine relies heavily on the use of labs to diagnose and manage thyroid problems. But more and more people are turning to naturopathic medicine to help...

They make us feel happy, they help us to sleep, they swing our moods in every direction, and they keep our metabolism revving. They have the potential to wreak havoc in our lives, but we just can’t live without them. No, this article isn’t about your spouse — it’s all about hormones!

We’ve all seen the commercials on TV telling us to drink milk to keep our bones strong. We know that we hit peak bone mass before the age of 30, and as we age, our bone mass starts to decline. Depending on our genetics and lifestyle, some of us may decline faster than others. Osteoporosis is the age-related decline in bone density that men and women may experience after 50 years old.

When it comes to energy levels mood, memory and concentration, we all seem to have good days and bad days. But when the bad days seem to constantly outnumber the good ones, it might just be a sign that your body is calling out for help.

We all have that one person in our lives who appears to have everything together.
The person who seems to be able to do it all, enjoy it all, and always looks positively refreshed at the end of it all.