Naturopathic Medicine: The Healing Power of Nature
The art and practice of natural medicine is founded on the ancient teachings of Hippocrates, a Greek physician, who was also known as “the father of medicine”. His approach to the human body is founded on the basic principle of “vis medicatrix naturae” – “the healing power of nature”. According to this doctrine, the human body contains the power to re-balance and heal itself. Naturopathic doctors are primary-care physicians trained in the art and science of natural medicine. Naturopathic doctors provide primary and adjunctive health care to people of all ages, focusing on the integrated use of natural therapies to support and stimulate body’s inherent healing processes. Naturopathic doctors focus on promoting health, preventing illness, diagnosing and treating disease. The following Six Principles are the founding-tenets of naturopathic medicine, and guide our approach to health and healing in clinical practice. First do no harm Healing power of nature Treat the whole person Identify and treat the root cause Doctor as teacher Prevention is best...
Read MoreLow Cholesterol and Hormones
Next time someone tells you to watch your cholesterol, consider this: low-cholesterol diets have actually been shown to cause hormone-imbalances, obesity and diabetes. The emphasis on a low-fat diet reduces the intake of fat and causes an increased consumption of carbohydrates and trans fats. For women, lack of adequate levels of cholesterol in the body can be a real issue of hormone imbalances, which may affect fertility. Why cholesterol is the most important molecule in the body: It is the main component of cell membranes and plays a major role in the endocrine system. It serves as precursor (a chemical compound that makes another compound) in the synthesis of steroid hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids. It is vital for hormone-making (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, aldosterone, cortisol, and DHEA) It is necessary for rescue-work (cholesterol plaques are formed when there is injury to the blood vessel wall) Is there such a notion as low-cholesterol? Absolutely. But if you do not have enough cholesterol, you will not be able to make the hormones you need! In these cases, it is critical to explore the hormone imbalances all of which play an important role in the body’s hormonic orchestra. If you have low cholesterol: Increase your consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, primarily omega-3‘s (fish oil, salmon, sardines, coconut oil, avocados Avoid low-fat, low-cholesterol diets and foods Consider having your hormones checked...
Read MoreAcupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest medical practices, and some evidence suggests that it dates as far back as 5,000 years. The ancient Chinese developed this unique medical system through careful and diligent study of the body, mind, emotions, spirit, and the natural world around them. This system is based on the idea that pathways of energy, or “qi”, run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These channels are called meridians and they flow like rivers through the body to irrigate and nourish the tissues. An obstruction in the movement of these energy rivers is like a dam that backs up, creating imbalance and pain. Energy can also become depleted as a result of stress, overwork, chronic illness, etc., and this may cause the water in the stream to dry up and eventually stop flowing. Acupuncture needles are used as conductors, and when placed in specific areas that have increased conductivity, they can tap into the various energy pathways to correct imbalances and clear blockages. Acupuncture works with the body’s innate ability to heal itself; once pathways have been unblocked, the body’s natural healing response can take place. Every individual is made up of a unique combination of constitution, health history, family, environment, diet, emotions, beliefs, thought patterns and so on, therefore every treatment is specifically tailored to you as a whole...
Read MoreHormone-Trio: Ovaries, Thyroid, and Adrenals
Your hormones make deep, meaningful music on a daily basis, each one playing over the other. Together, every 24 hours they cover a number of topics including your metabolism, temperature regulation, growth, cellular repair and regeneration, reproductive organ control, sleep, mood, energy and appetite, to name a few. Your brain and nervous system are the main conductors of this well-orchestrated “hormonic” orchestra, also known as the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of eight individual glands, including the pineal body, hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, the reproductive organs (ovaries and testes), and the pancreas. All of the glands produce and secrete hormones, which act as chemical messengers on all of the organs in the body. Hormone levels are directly affected by stress, immune system changes, fluid changes and nutrient-content in the blood. When it comes to women, there are three key players: the adrenals, the thyroid and the ovaries. Here’s how they work: the adrenal glands are responsible for our ‘flight or fight responses’ in situations of stress. They produce cortisol (also known as the stress-hormone) and epinephrine. After menopause, they also produce estrogen and progesterone. Interestingly, cortisol has the capacity to directly affect progesterone levels, so in cases of prolonged stress or increased activity of adrenal glands an estrogen-dominant state occurs. At the same time, progesterone is used to make cortisol so as the need for cortisol arises more often, progesterone levels decrease. Excess amounts of cortisol can suppress your cell’s ability to respond to thyroid, which can compromise the function of the thyroid gland. Both estrogen and progesterone can directly affect the thyroid gland. Estrogen tends to block thyroid hormone production, while progesterone facilitates it. As high levels of estrogen suppress the thyroid gland, it often results in increased rates of hypothyroidism amongst post-partum and peri-menopausal women. That’s why working on rebalancing the estrogen and the progesterone levels will often restore the normal function of the thyroid. If the female hormones are ignored entirely, the thyroid function will not restore. Similarly, if the thyroid is completely left out in an attempt to balance out the female hormones, both estrogen and progesterone levels will continue to vary in the blood. Either way, the orchestra continues to play! It is a finely-tuned system, and when one of its members plays out of tune, everything is thrown off...
Read More
