There is nothing like a good night’s sleep. Many of my patients come in complaining of sleep issues, and Stats Canada says that six in ten Canadians report some insomnia.  Lack of sleep can rob you of your life force, affect your mood, and depress your immune system. Poor sleep increases appetite and makes it harder to control your food intake. Prescription drugs for sleep can have significant side effects which may including increased rates of cancer and death according to a large study. Long term use of these medications is not recommended under ordinary circumstances. As a naturopathic ..read more

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS as it’s commonly called, may not be the most exciting topic to read about. But for the 5 million Canadians who suffer from it, learning about breakthroughs in treatment is definitely news worth reading. Medical research has made the connection now between IBS and the microbiome, the immune system and the nervous system. While stress and food intake may confound an IBS problem, breakthroughs in our understanding of the microbes in our intestines are helping to solve the deeper issues that can drive this health condition. IBS symptoms can include bloating, excess ..read more

Eat mindfully I’m always working on my relationship with food to make it more about physical nourishment than fulfilling my cravings or stuffing emotions. The more I eat whole, unprocessed foods, the less I am drawn to processed foods. Menu planning gets me excited about what I can eat, and less focused on what I can’t eat. Taking a moment to breathe before I eat and feeling gratitude for the beautiful, colourful, natural food I’m eating elevates the process (and helps digestion.) Keep things in perspective We can deal with a lot more than we think, but only “in the moment”. Some planning for ..read more

Men may experience a number of changes throughout their lives.  Some of these changes may be in the realm of sexual health (such as erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and prostatitis) but many men also experience other health challenges, such as low back pain, depression, and insomnia.  Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for all of these conditions.  Through the use of fine needles at specific points along areas of the body, acupuncture works to stimulate the body’s own healing responses by addressing the root causes of disease, as does naturopathic medicine ..read more

In my naturopathic medical practice, I commonly have patients come in who want to have their hormones tested. They feel something isn’t right. They don’t feel their best, and they suspect that hormones are to blame, so they want to be tested. But hormone testing isn’t as simple as it seems. We have to find the right type of test for the individual. The good news is that there are more options than ever for investigating hormone imbalances in men and women. With the right information, we can target our therapies to directly address the core of the issue and get better results faster. When preme ..read more

Testosterone is a sex hormone, often thought of as the “male” hormone (though males simply have more of it, as females have more estrogen).  Testosterone often provides the spark that can be fundamental to the experience of many men, like robust energy, libido, and strength.  Decreased levels of testosterone can result in low energy, reduced libido, a loss of muscle mass and increase in abdominal fat, as well as changes in mood and cognition. Naturopathic doctors, through lab testing, physical exam, and thorough history taking, can work to diagnose the cause of decreased testosteron ..read more

Many people have digestive systems that give them grief. Whether it’s indigestion, ulcers, acid reflux, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, liver problems, IBS, colitis, Crohn’s, diverticulitis or colon cancer, digestive upset is one of the most common reasons that patients come to see me in my naturopathic medical clinic. Naturopathic physicians have many tools for helping people address digestive issues, such as nutritional advice, natural medicines and occasionally prescription medications. Prescription medications are limited in this arena, often just managing symptoms without dealing ..read more

Hormone Tests:  What they Really Reveal In my naturopathic medical practice, I commonly have patients come in who want to have their hormones tested. They feel something isn’t right. They don’t feel their best, and they suspect that hormones are to blame, so they want to be tested. But hormone testing isn’t as simple as it seems. We have to find the right type of test for the individual. The good news is that there are more options than ever for investigating hormone imbalances in men and women. With the right information, we can target our therapies to directly address the core of the is ..read more

What if there was one simple lifestyle change that could increase your lifespan? Researchers who study the science of longevity and disease prevention have found that there is indeed one simple lifestyle pattern that can decrease the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and more: don’t eat at night. It turns out that our bodies are designed to process food better during the day, and when we eat at night, we rob our cells and organs of much-needed rest and repair. Studies show that while of course it matters what we eat, it also matters when we eat. The human body evolved to eat du ..read more

We have all been thrust into a situation that is the perfect storm for creating stress: there is a threat to the physical survival of ourselves and our loved ones. Most of us will incur financial losses. We are all facing isolation and changing interpersonal dynamics. And there are many unknown elements and uncertain timelines. We know the world will never be the same, but we don’t know what the future will bring. These are the facts of the COVID-19 situation; the things we cannot change. What we can change is how we deal with it. We can face our fears and work through them as best we can. We ..read more