From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Sleep apnea, or interrupted breathing at night, affects 39 million adults in the US. This is a potentially major health concern, as sleep apnea raises the risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and stroke. Unfortunately, the major treatment for sleep apnea, other than weight loss which is often indicated and recommended, are CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines during sleep, which many patients find intolerable or disruptive, so compliance is often poor. Not only that, but for those who are EMF sensitive, sleeping with an ele ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor I’d heard that the drugs we’re prescribing for mental health issues may very well be to blame for the veritable epidemic of mental health disorders (especially just plain depression and anxiety.) But I hadn’t heard this angle before, at least not in so many words: the problem is, we’re not getting the building blocks our bodies need in order to produce our neurotransmitters because our food is so adulterated. It’s definitely true that most of our food these days isn’t real food, but it’s fascinating to note that the explosion of processed and fast ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Guest Post by Brad Krause at selfcaring.info; Image: Freepik Self-care transcends individual practice, flourishing into a profound impact when embraced by families as a whole. In today’s fast-paced world, prioritizing collective well-being is not just beneficial—it’s essential. This guide explores how you and your loved ones can cultivate a nurturing environment that fosters health, happiness, and a deep sense of connection. Crafting a Sanctuary of Peace Your home should be a retreat from the chaos of the outside world. To achieve this, start ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by Claus van Mierlo from Pixabay Resveratrol is probably best known as a polyphenol found in red wine, though it is also found in red grapes (that’s why it’s in wine, too), apples, peanuts, and more. It’s a terrific antioxidant, as are most polyphenols. Resveratrol is unique among polyphenols, though, for some of its other impressive characteristics. Resveratrol for Anti-Aging and Longevity Resveratrol is one of the darlings of the longevity world. It protects against outward signs of aging due to sun exposure and subsequent oxidative stress ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by Pexels from Pixabay Salicylates are a compound produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insects and fungi. They’re thus found in a number of fruits and vegetables, and also in herbs used for medicinal purposes. Aspirin is probably best known for its salicylate content, originally derived from the medicinal herb called willow bark. Salicylates are in the phenol family. The body has several pathways to potentially detoxify and eliminate them—but for some people, these pathways are compromised. This is when salicylate sensitivity occ ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by Ramiro Calace Montu from Pixabay Teeth grinding, or bruxism, can be problematic for dental health, as well as a cause of TMJ dysfunction, and headaches. It’s also possible that there could be a connection between bruxism and tinnitus, as well. In general, people seem to associate bruxism with one of two things: stress and anxiety, and parasites. There’s some evidence for both of these (far more for the former than the latter), though there are other possible causes as well. So far as I can tell, many of the causes involve neurotransmi ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by Silvia from Pixabay Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic, or a beneficial, yeast strain. We think of it as a supplement, as it’s the only commercially available probiotic yeast, but it also is part of our naturally occurring flora as well. Most probiotics sold as supplements focus on repopulating the good bacteria. What does saccharomyces contribute that commensal bacterial strains do not? Saccharomyces: For Acute GI Infections and Prevention S. boulardii is perhaps most often thought of for acute gastroenteritis with diarrhea, regardles ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor This was incredibly comprehensive and thought-provoking. I had tried to read it once before, got bored, and given up. Then a podcast guest whom I admired recommended it, so I thought I should give it another go. And wow, am I glad I did. EMF is something that has been on my radar (no pun intended) on and off for quite some time as a possible underlying cause of chronic illness… the problem is, the symptoms of it are so non-specific, and it’s everywhere. How can you nail down that EMF is the cause? And if you can, what can you really do about it? W ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by J P from Pixabay Yearly labs nearly always include a CBC (Complete Blood Count), which shows various components of red blood cells and white blood cells. One marker on this list is the RDW, or red cell distribution width. It’s a measurement of how much variability there is in the size of your red blood cells. A low number means that the red blood cell sizes are relatively consistent. Even if it’s below the usual reference range, a low number is generally considered to be a good thing. There are some studies that dispute this, though, sugge ..read more

From Dr. Lauren Deville - Naturopathic Doctor Image by Rene Tittmann from Pixabay Most of us know at least something about all the great benefits of meditation: it helps to put us into parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode, rather than sympathetic “fight-or-flight” overdrive. It helps to reduce cortisol, as well as inflammatory cytokines—and as a result, it helps with stress management. The problem is, most people struggle to actually do it. It takes time, first of all—and if you’re stressed out, you probably either don’t have any, or you feel like you don’t have any. It also takes discipline ..read more