What can I do about my Acid Reflux?   Acid Reflux, also known commonly as Heartburn, or GERD: Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease, is a condition I see often in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice. This is a condition that can come and go, or stay for periods of time, or stay permanently, but if it is something that is recurrent then it must be addressed to minimize the risk of cancer of the esophagus and many other digestive symptoms. What causes heartburn? Heartburn is experienced when stomach acid washes back up from the stomach into the esophagus and into the th ..read more

One of the most common issues I see in my NW Calgary practice with my patients is fatigue, or less than optimal energy levels (meaning patients have enough energy to get through the day and that’s all, they want to crash on the couch at the end of the day at the expense of physical activity, or socializing with friends, or cooking). One of the major pillars of health I work on my patients with is their energy levels. When I speak about Naturopathic Vitality, I mean having the health and the energy to live your best life and accomplish all of your goals. So, read below to discover my favorite t ..read more

My blog today is going to be on the importance of adequate sleep, and this is something I address in the majority of the patients I see in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice. I consider optimal sleep to be an important pillar of health, meaning that it is important to overall health and vitality. While sleeping, your body is repairing and regenerating. Without optimal sleep, energy, mood, focus and concentration, and overall quality of life will be impacted over time. I would say approximately 85% of new patients that I see in my clinic tell me they have difficulty sleeping: eit ..read more

I see a lot of patients in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice that love sugar…..and I myself am guilty of having a sweet tooth So I wanted to write a blog about the impacts that sugar has on your body, and how to minimize these impacts if you want to indulge in some sugar every once in a while. After all, life is about balance.   However, when sweet treats are eaten on a regular basis, and begin impacting health and quality of life (such as energy levels and moods), or become addictive, then it should be addressed. Humans are wired to like foods that are sweet and high fat, bec ..read more

My blog today is going to be about exercise…one of the most important lifestyle modifications that you can make for your mental, emotional and physical well being. There are 3 types of fitness: cardiovascular (running, walking, biking, etc), resistance (lifting weights, squatting, body weight exercises) and flexibility (yoga). All three types are important to include in your exercise routine. Different types of exercise aren’t good for everybody, and an exercise program should be cleared by your medical doctor before starting or modifying. For example, a patient with disc issues of their low b ..read more

My blog today is going to focus on a way of choosing foods that I talk about with a lot of my patients in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice when I talk about diet and healthy eating. These food choices and meal planning are based on the Glycemic Index rating of a food. So what is the Glycemic Index?   Explained simply, it relates to how quickly your body breaks down the carbohydrates in a food or drink into glucose (sugar) and releases it into the bloodstream for use by your organs and tissues. Foods are broken down into 3 categories: low, medium, or high glycemic index (GI). E ..read more

My blog today is going to be about the impact that stress, and specifically the stress hormone, cortisol, has on our physical, mental and emotional health. We all go through periods of stress. These periods are meant to be short term, so that our bodies temporarily alter function to get us through the stress, to survive. Stress for us used to be running from a wild animal. Our heart rates would elevate, our pupils dilate, blood is sent to the limbs so we can run, and away from our digestive system. All energy in the body is used for survival. Then after the period of stress, we would rest and ..read more

Adding spices and herbs to your cooking have a lot of health benefits, and are a great way to add flavor to your food without adding calories, salt and/or sugar. Keep reading below to learn about my favorite spices to add to your cooking to experience an array of health benefits, to help you body heal with the foods you’re eating rather than have them contribute to inflammation and poor digestion. Cinnamon Cinnamon is a very popular spice that is used in both cooking food as well as desserts and drinks. Due to its content of polyphenols, it has antioxidant properties, and also helps to lower i ..read more

Today’s blog is going to be about a tasteless, colourless liquid that plays a major role in our health and well-being….water! I see so many patients in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice that often are not drinking enough water.  Water is involved in every single metabolic process in our body, and our body is approximately 60% water. So it makes sense then that if you are dehydrated, or even not drinking an optimal amount of water, that your metabolism, and other processes, would run less efficiently and contribute to many symptoms, including fatigue. Water is involved in many p ..read more

Caffeine is a substance that is commonly used by so many people, for so many reasons: To boost energy, to increase focus and concentration, to reduce the intensity of a migraine headache, and even socially with people frequenting coffee shops to catch up with friends and dates. It is often the first thing people drink in the morning, in the afternoon for a boost, over business meetings, breaks, before the gym to boost performance, and more. It is contained in coffee, tea (black and green), soft drinks, cocoa, chocolate, and energy drinks. We all have busy schedules, and try to cram so much ..read more