The Misunderstood Hormones
Thyroid and adrenal health are key. Hypothyroidism can result in depression, weight gain, dry skin, hair loss & exhaustion. Adrenal fatigue can become sleep issues, energy crashes, frequent illness, poor exercise recovery & feeling overwhelmed or anxious. We often hear these symptoms are ‘all in our head’. Find out what is going on and how you can recover naturally.
Hashimoto’s in Perimenopause
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in Perimenopause Hashimoto thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition characterized by chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Interestingly, its onset often coincides with perimenopause, a transitional phase preceding…
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Hydration For Hormone Health
Adequate hydration can be a simple fix for fatigue, insomnia, headaches, dry mouth and dizziness. Fluid balance in the body is ruled by a hormone called aldosterone. This steroid hormone is made by the adrenal…
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Stress Lowers Immunity
Cortisol has a natural curve throughout the day. Often when this stress hormone becomes too high we see a disruption in the curve and then a flattened curve. This is where we see how stress…
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How Stress Kills: Social Determinants of Health
Knowing that black people are dying during this pandemic at a rate 2.5 times higher than white people has forced many look more closely at why this is happening. Attempts to explain this through comorbidities…
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Resiliency in a Pandemic: Light Therapy
Reversing and lowering risk factors can happen quickly with simple lifestyle interventions. I’ve seen remarkable changes in just a few weeks even in those who may be higher risk. Remember there is a lot you…
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How To Increase Thyroid Function
We are all exposed to chemical pollutants some of which are associated with decreased thyroid function. Most of the testing for these exposures has not been validated. Just today a patient sent me a hair…
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Solutions for Stressful Symptoms Of All Sorts
Chronic stress is real and is hurting our hormone balance. Low thyroid & estrogen can decrease brain function resulting in stressful symptoms like brain fog and memory loss. These hormones impact mood, energy & brain…
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the Physiology of Fear & Anxiety
Resiliency in the Face of a Pandemic Fear & anxiety can rise up when we know there is much we don’t know. Staying informed, slowing down and befriending ourselves makes us more resilient. Simple actions…
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Low T3 Syndrome: Is it a Thyroid Problem?
Low T3 Syndrome is where low levels of T3 are present but other thyroid markers are normal. T3 is the most active form of thyroid so there will be physiological consequences. People experience many symptoms…
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Hormones, Temperature & Sleep
Hormones are big player when it comes to sleep. Whether you are a night owl, a parent with small children or someone who does shift work hormones are what help you regulate. Women’s hormones add…
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Morning Vibes & Melatonin
Do you have trouble getting going in the morning or do you jump out of bed ready to go? If you need caffeine before it is safe to talk to anyone, then you may want…
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Dopamine for Thyroid & Cortisol Response
Dopamine is Like Caffeine Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is released from the pituitary gland. It acts like a hormone giving you a feeling of confidence, excitement, motivation and energy. When it is released you…
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Is Cortisol the same as Adrenaline?
Both cortisol and adrenaline help us respond to the everyday stress but there are some important differences. Find out why some people handle stress more easily. Learn to recover better from good stress. If you…
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Why Keto Can be tricky for Adrenal & Thyroid Health
Why You May Want to Think Twice About Keto People with metabolic insulin resistance or neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can benefit enormously from a ketogenic diet. Others just want to have better focus,…
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Medical Marijuana Update
As we enter a new era in Canada, it’s important to look at what’s happening in other places. Medical marijuana is legal in the majority of states in the USA. It is also legal in…
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Next Level Sleep
Sleep is the cornerstone of health. Everything from immune function to mood & behaviour issues are all linked with poor sleep habits. Researchers are learning so much from experimenting with how sleep deprivation inhibits our…
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“Why do they say my thyroid is fine when I feel so bad?”
When your thyroid labs are ‘normal’ Every week I see women who are told their thyroid labs are normal. Often there is a general sense of feeling unwell. Symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, hair loss…
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Understanding Cortisol & Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal Fatigue & the HPA Axis The term HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) dysfunction is the medical term for what is commonly called adrenal fatigue. There is complex interdependence between the brain, glands and cells…
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Lower Stress, Increase Productivity
Smart Ways to Work and Play We all know that sitting a lot isn’t good. You may have heard the phrase ‘sitting is the new smoking’. Its true that blood sugar and cardiovascular risks go…
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7 Factors that Affect Cortisol
“But I don’t feel stressed!” I hear this a lot from patients when their body is telling me otherwise either through lab work, radial pulse or other clinical factors. Explaining that there are many physiological causes…
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Low Dose Naltrexone
Innovative Therapy for Autoimmunity With the astonishing rise of autoimmune diseases, we need effective treatment strategies. Studies on low dose naltrexone (LDN) are encouraging. We can use this information along with what is being seen…
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The Root of Autoimmunity
Health is in the Gut I’m going to tackle some of the most common autoimmune conditions by looking at the latest research. What is significant for autoimmunity is that conventional treatments fall short. New approaches…
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Gluten, Genetics, Gut Health
Autoimmunity is Growing Why are these 3 G’s so damn important right now? One out of every six people in North America suffer from an autoimmune condition. By 2050, it’s predicted that 600,000 kids will…
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15 Sleep Solutions You Can Do
Sleep is a big deal Especially when two-thirds of adults don’t get the minimum required to meet basic physiological requirements. In fact, less than 7 hours per night can shorten lifespan significantly. Inflammation increases…
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Epigenetics & Poor Methylation
Scientists no longer see genetics as set in stone. In the last two decades we’ve learned that genetic expression and variation is much more complex. It’s strongly influenced by environmental factors. These actually can create…
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What Stress Does to Our Body
Cortisol is our number one stress hormone. It has far-reaching effects on our physiology and health. The wisdom of what it does can be harnessed if we understand how it works. The number one action…
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Social Isolation Is Worse for You than Smoking a Pack a Day
Ground breaking research highlights the role of social connection on long-term health. It’s fairly well accepted that smoking cigarettes is bad for health. However, sitting at computers for work, pleasure and social connection is widely…
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Thyroid & Mental Health
Mental Health & Thyroid In one study of depression where medication didn’t help, fifty percent of patients improved once their thyroid was treated. The link between thyroid and mental health is confirmed. The root cause of…
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Hashimoto’s: 10 Steps for Thyroid Hormone
Step one: Address Autoimmunity Gluten is associated with autoimmune disorders which most thyroid hormone imbalance is caused by. Molecules that shouldn’t to enter the bloodstream get through because of a protein called zonulin. This triggers…
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Nutrients to Optimize Thyroid Health
Key Nutrients for Thyroid Health The key nutrients for thyroid health are iodine and selenium. It is best to get both of these nutrients from food sources. Supplementing long term with these two is not…
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How to Optimize Thyroid Health
Inflammation & Stress An anti-inflammatory diet is important for anyone concerned with thyroid health. This is because 85% thyroid disease is autoimmune. Inflammation plays a role in the destruction of the thyroid gland in…
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Problems with your Thyroid Hormone?
Underdiagnosed Thyroid disease is very common and affects significantly more women than men. In conventional medicine, a diagnosis is made based on a high TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). If the body isn’t producing enough thyroid…
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Cure Your Insomnia: How to Sleep Better
The Super Drug Lack of sleep is associated with several health concerns. Depression, memory problems and metabolic issues are just a few. Recent in-depth studies show that adults require between 7-9 hours per night. Younger…
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The Dangers of High Blood Sugar
High Blood Sugar in Health People Blood sugar dysregulation is one of the most common conditions I see in clinic. Diabetes is a serious condition that is becoming an epidemic. It is not the only…
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What Increases Happiness?
Seeing the Good Lowering expectations increases happiness. “Let good by enough. Striving for perfect destroys the good,” a friend reminded me recently. This actually works for stress. So does seeing stress as a positive, motivating…
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Tired? Stressed? HPA Axis Dysregulation
HPA Axis Dysregulation Too much stress is a major contributor to nearly all disease but what is it exactly and how can you recover? Most people understand stress in the form of a time pressure,…
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