Rewild Your Health

Do you get sick more often than you’d like or suffer from an autoimmune condition?  Your gut is the root of your energy, immunity and mood.  Diversifying your microbiome helps you live well & avoid illness. Skin issues, joint pain and hormone imbalance is linked to poor gut health.  Feasting, fasting & eating like our ancestors can be easy.  It engages the wisdom of our genetics and repopulates the good bugs. Begin rewilding your health here!  I can show you how.

What Irritates the Gut? Avoiding Long Covid

by Amber Wood | May 2, 2022

We have known the gut is implicated in Covid for awhile.  New research shows that a healthy gut reduces the risk of developing long COVID.  This is a set of symptoms that can show up…

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Immune or Metabolic Issues?

by Amber Wood | December 21, 2021

If you are feeling low in energy or mood, this is a good time to consider the health of your gut.  Fortify your immune system and avoid metabolic issues like winter weight gain by optimizing…

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Vitamin D in the Time of Covid

by Amber Wood | April 29, 2021

The evidence linking low nutrient status with more severe outcomes from exposure to COVID 19 is substantial.  Each week more studies are published in peer reviewed medical journals.  I’m going to breakdown why nutrient status,…

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Spring is Here! Liver Detox Naturally

by Amber Wood | April 13, 2021

This year has been a chance to check in about any worries we have about our health and whether we are at higher risk for certain conditions.  Am I immune compromised?  Is my blood pressure…

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Regenerative Agriculture: A Message of Hope

by Amber Wood | November 24, 2020

Health is on everyone’s mind right now.  Metabolic disease and poor nutrient status, particularly vitamin D, are known added risk factors this winter.  Many hospitals in North America spend billions of dollars trying to manage…

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Gut Knowing: How the Pill Fails Us

by Amber Wood | September 16, 2020

Most young women are offered the pill early in their hormonal career. Our healthcare fails at promoting health because it’s focus is on managing disease. Periods are not pathological. In fact, they tell protect us…

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Are Kid’s Super Spreaders of the Virus?

by Amber Wood | August 3, 2020

Kids Get Sick More, Right? Children are not major transmitters of this virus in most research so far. A published study from Switzerland shows that kids 16 years old and under are the source of…

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Cross-Reactive Immunity To COVID?

by Amber Wood | June 3, 2020

Two papers have been published citing research that indicates some encouraging news regarding possible adaptive immunity from previous exposure to other corona virus’. Scientists are saying: “A key issue to consider in the study of…

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Immune Support You Can Do Now: Start With Vitamin D

by Amber Wood | April 19, 2020

For When Physical Distancing is Done Our immune systems are incredibly smart. They are much more intelligent than any technology we have. So here’s what am I recommending people do at home during social, or…

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Probiotics 101

by Amber Wood | January 28, 2020

Why use Probiotics at all? Kids who grow up on a farm and are breastfed receive what they need for a healthy microbiome at least until antibiotics are used.  Anti-bacterial soap, too much screen-time and…

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Stomach Acid & Iron Deficiency

by Amber Wood | November 28, 2019

Iron deficiency anemia and acid reflux are connected.  Three patients this week reported acid reflux as well as severe iron deficiency.  Their symptoms included anxiety, poor exercise recovery, fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, depression and insomnia.  Two…

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Plant-Based is Good for Your Gut

by Amber Wood | September 2, 2019

A plant-based diet is good for the gut.  Any diet high in plants offers a wide range of fibres, phytonutrients, antioxidants and other valuable micronutrients.  However, plant-based does not mean avoiding foods and nutrients from…

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Postbiotics for Gut Health

by Amber Wood | April 27, 2019

Do you remember learning that the liver is the most complex organ in the body?  I do.  It was Grade 12 biology class.  For my term project, I chose the appendix and left the liver…

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What is Mediterranean Keto?

by Amber Wood | April 2, 2019

What are Mediterranean Fats? If you have concerns about your blood work and in particular your lipid markers you can make some adjustments.  Replace butter and coconut oil with olive oil, macadamia nuts, avocado oil. …

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Who Does Best On Keto?

by Amber Wood | February 8, 2019

You may have heard the term fat-burner. By consuming limited carbohydrates, the body begins using fat for energy. This is a normal physiological process.  Fat is more satiating so if keto is done properly people…

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Amber Wood Health

What to Make of Canada’s New Food Guide

by Amber Wood | January 25, 2019

More than a Few Steps Forward Canada’s new food guide looks familiar. Perhaps you’ve hear of Dr. Terry Wahl’s. She is the doctor who was diagnosed with MS and confined to wheelchair. She healed herself…

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Orthorexia: the Evolution of Disordered Eating

by Amber Wood | January 9, 2019

Unfortunately, the distorted body image of that has been sold to us for decades does harm.  Disordered eating takes different forms.  It disconnects us from the felt sense of being embodied, of being alive and…

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Boost Your Immunity & Prevent Colds this Season

by Amber Wood | November 28, 2018

Love Your Lifestyle  People who engage in regular movement or meditation are less likely to get sick during the winter months. Getting outside during daylight helps your circadian rhythm and vitamin D levels.  Good sleep…

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collagen

Collagen Supports Your Brain, Body & Beauty

by Amber Wood | October 13, 2018

Why I Love Collagen Collagen helps to balance the branch chain amino acids in our bodies.  This has far reaching effects.  Many of you understand the importance of balancing healthy fats to ensure you get…

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nutrients

Nutrients You Aren’t Getting & Really Need

by Amber Wood | September 6, 2018

Common Internal Causes of Nutrient Depletion There is a vicious cycle of low nutrient status leading to illness and then illness contributing to ongoing nutrient deficiency.  For example, chronic inflammation increases the need for vitamin…

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low carb

Low-carb is bad but Ketones are good?

by Amber Wood | August 29, 2018

Let’s bust some health myths around low carb diets and ketone supplements. Low Carb is Bad? What the heck! Research that a low carb diet is dangerous recently hit mainstream news. If you look closely…

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Fatigue

Fatigue caused by Fungus? Find out about Candida & its Causes

by Amber Wood | June 25, 2018

Fungus occurs in the body in several ways. Some are pathogenic and others are not. Why is this? Healthy Bacteria Fungi and yeast are common inhabitants of the GI tract, birth canal, mouth, skin, and…

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genetics or environment

Is it Genetic or Environment?

by Amber Wood | May 22, 2018

For a long time it was thought that mapping the human genome would lead to breakthroughs in medicine. What we are seeing in recent years as the research matures, is environment weighs in heavier than…

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missing nutirents

Increase Vitality with these Five Missing Nutrients

by Amber Wood | May 21, 2018

Research shows that there are a few keys nutrients most people are deficient in. Find out why and what to do about it. A nutrient dense diet is the best way to ensure that your body receives…

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Heart Health

Heart Health 101

by Amber Wood | May 16, 2018

Suppressing symptoms with pharmaceuticals to treat high blood pressure or cholesterol means missing the investigation as to why these are high in the first place.   We know that blood sugar issues and metabolic syndrome…

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Amber Wood Health

This isn’t a diet. It is about being human.

by Amber Wood | May 9, 2018

An ancestral approach is much more than a diet.  Let’s start with a handful of startling facts from the industrial world: 1 out of 6 children in the industrial world has a developmental delay an…

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Amber Wood Health

Your Gall Bladder & Gut Health

by Amber Wood | April 25, 2018

Cholecystectomy is the removal of the gallbladder.  In the later stages surgery is necessary but I’ll talk about how to avoid this and why.  A few years ago my dad had symptoms of a serious…

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Are Green Smoothies Healthy?

by Amber Wood | April 24, 2018

Meet a lucky little girl who couldn’t drink green smoothies She was born with health challenges which led her to be in and out of children’s hospital.  Green smoothies with raw spinach were being given…

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the Ethics of Food & Why Grass-fed is Key

by Amber Wood | February 1, 2018

Why is Grass-fed Better? When looking at the ethics around our carbon output and industrial agriculture there is a good argument for supporting small scale farming practices.  Grass-fed animals actually support soil quality while providing…

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Want Your Life Back? Autoimmune Protocol Could Help

by Amber Wood | January 26, 2018

Digestive health was what got me into studying medicine so when new research comes out I get really excited.  Everyday I see at least one patient with an autoimmune condition.  Until now the dietary intervention…

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Are Statins Good?

Are Statins Really Necessary?

by Amber Wood | May 4, 2017

Two  patients came in recently with high cholesterol levels.  One is a woman in her twenties and another is in her 60’s who recently decided to stop taking statins because of the side effects. There…

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Taking the Good Out of Food

by Amber Wood | April 13, 2017

  A couple snapshots on food from clinic: My patient, “I was thinking about fasting on bone broth. Do you think that would help right now.” Me, “No. I do not.” My patient “You mean…

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essential nutrients

Don’t Supplement with These Five

by Amber Wood | August 4, 2016

Using food to get essential nutrients is always best.  This is why a varied diet is ideal.  It’s especially important when it comes to a five key nutrients which can have serious health complications when…

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Surprising Facts about Iron anemia

Surprising Facts about Iron

by Amber Wood | August 2, 2016

What Causes Low Iron? By far the most common underlying cause of fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia that I’ve noticed in the clinic is anemia or low iron.  Is this because many people fail to eat…

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Are you getting enough K2

Are you getting enough K2?

by Amber Wood | July 14, 2016

Why is K2 so important? There are few nutrients that can boast lowering the risk of death from all causes but vitamin K2 does.  A high intake is associated with lower risk of aortic calcification…

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Multivitamins

Why You Shouldn’t Take a Multivitamin

by Amber Wood | June 24, 2016

Getting nutrients from food is ideal. Most multivitamins are synthetic and studies show they either provide no benefit and may cause harm in certain cases. The synergistic effect of eating whole food where the vitamin…

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health reset

What Nettle Tell Us

by Amber Wood | March 15, 2016

Your Own Health Reset: an excerpt from the class Clear out your cupboards of any foods that come in a bag or box. We are going to focus on eating plants, protein and fats.  At…

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Diabetes protein and fat

High Fat, Protein and Diabetes

by Amber Wood | December 12, 2015

“With obesity and diabetes incidence and severity now at truly disconcerting rates, it is time to consider the possibility that implicating dietary fat as the primary cause and advocating that it be minimized has been…

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Is saturated fat bad?

Is Saturated Fat bad? Does limiting dietary cholesterol work?

by Amber Wood | November 23, 2015

Based on the latest evidence based research the short answer to both these questions is no.  Fat is an excellent source of energy and unlike grains is free of anti-nutrients.  In fact fats have the…

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Gut Health

Four Steps to a Long and Pleasurable Life

by Amber Wood | November 9, 2015

When the Body Speaks The body generally tells us what we need to know. Often this occurs more readily when we are injured or sick. These interruptions to our daily life force us to tune…

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Paleo Lifestyle

Two Arguments for a Paleo Lifestyle

by Amber Wood | October 28, 2015

Paleo is short for a nutrient dense, low allergic, anti-inflammatory and real food diet.  Using the word ‘lifestyle’ means we  include elements like sunlight, movement, pleasure, sleep and social support as key factors influencing health. …

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What are Omega 3’s Good For?

by Amber Wood | October 13, 2014

Inflammation & Joints I discovered the benefits of Omega 3’s first when I was training six days a week as a dancer. My knees were starting to feel the impact but supplementing my diet with…

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