Archive for September, 2009
Menstrual Pain and Heaviness
Posted by admin in balance your body on September 29th, 2009
I`ve written about this before on this blog, but I feel the need to write about it again.
Menstrual pain and heaviness are not necessary!
There are so many misconceptions about a woman`s menstrual cycle and what is and is not normal. I see so many woman who have suffered for years or who have had their uterus removed because of heavy bleeding.
So much can be done!
This symptoms CAN be treated — I have personally done so with many patients.
You do not need to have PMS.
You do not need to have painful periods.
You do not need to have heavy periods.
You should not be anemic because your periods are so heavy.
It is not a natural part of being a woman.
You do not have to live with it.
ALL your organs are important!
Just because you are not going to have children or have any more children, does not mean you don`t need your uterus anymore.
Just because you are menopausal does not mean you do not need your uterus anymore.
The uterus continues to produce hormones even after menopause.
Know your options!
Being a woman myself, I find it really gets me fired up (ergo all the exclamation marks) that more woman are not given all their options.
In some cases you need to accept pain and suffering. In these cases you don`t.
So if you are having any of the problems I listed above, get yourself to a naturopath who can help you.
TC
Just get the fibroids out
Posted by admin in balance your body on September 29th, 2009
Fibroids can be really hard to shrink, especially once they are of a certain size.
Usually, fibroids less than 2cm can be reduced using natural therapies. Once they are larger than this, it can be more difficult.
Keep your uterus
For women considering surgery to remove fibroids, be aware that you do not need to get your uterus removed in many cases.
The fibroids can often be removed on their own and your uterus left intact.
Not all surgeons perform this type of surgery, so you may need to ask around and/or do some research.
But this option exists!
The Freedom of Menopause
Once most women with fibroids get to menopause, the declining estrogen levels allow the fibroids to shrink naturally. So if you are close to menopause and your fibroids aren’t large enough to be causing you any harm, it can be worth your while to wait it out for a bit.
It’s Worth a Read
In the book Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by medical doctor Christiane Northrup, there is a very interesting chapter on the uterus and uterine fibroids are addressed here. It’s a big book that some find intimidating at first sight, but it’s an extremely interesting read that I highly recommend.
In her book, Dr. Northrup mentions that some doctors feel that a woman’s uterus is good for two things: growing babies and growing cancer. Now, it’s important to remember that during menopause a woman’s ovaries and uterus still produce some hormones although not nearly as much as during her menstruating years. This small amount of hormone production can, for some women, be the different between an easier versus more difficult menopause.
Now matter what route you choose, it’s all about informed choice — as usual.
TC
What is detox??
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Nutrition, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
Does anyone know what detox is?
Some people do, but there are a lot of misconceptions out there.
This is my (second, I believe) attempt to dispel some of those.
Just because things are coming out of your body, doesn’t mean you are detoxing
So many so-called detox products have laxatives in them. Taking laxatives, having more bowel movements, having diarrhea and getting `cleaned out` is not detoxing anymore than vomiting or hemorrhaging is detoxing. (Sorry to be so blatant, but I want you to understand this.)
Detoxing bars of soap, face washes etc., etc.
Marketing gimicks. That`s all.
Detoxing shampoos.
There are shampoos that completely strip your hair of product build-up, remove chlorine from swimmer`s hair and so on. Kind of like floor stripper. Taking product build-up and the like off your hair is good. But you are not detoxing anything. You don`t need to detox your hair; hair is dead tissue once it leaves your scalp.
Detox is slang
The word detox is short for detoxification. Our body has naturally occuring pathways of detoxification. To detox or to detoxify is the verb that comes from this.
Wherefore art thou detox pathways?
In the liver. Our body`s natural pathways of detoxification are located in the liver.
This is not an alternative health concept; look up p450 system in any physiology book (or on Wikipedia for that matter) and it will be there.
These pathways function 24 hours per day, 7 days per week in everyone, except in cases of genetic abnormalities and some liver disease, to put it very simply.
Where the alternative health industry steps in and confuses everyone
The idea of detoxing came from this:
Our liver`s pathways of detoxification can only do so much — they are chemical pathways and like any chemical pathways they have a limit on how much they can do.
Many people have more toxins coming into their system than their liver can handle. Over the last few hundred years there has been a huge increase in pollution, chemicals on and in our food, pharmaceutical drug use and stress levels (a high stress level also causes our body to produce toxins).
Since this increase has been fairly rapid (in terms of evolution a few hundred years is practically nothing), our system has not correspondingly evolved.
That is, the amount of toxins coming into our body has drastically increased, but our capacity to detoxify them has not correspondingly increased.
So things get backed up. (I`m not taking about constipation here.) Think of it as a line up of toxins, waiting to get into the liver to be processed. Waiting and waiting.
Are toxins impatient? Is waiting a problem?
Yes they are and yes it is.
As they wait, they cause damage to tissues and cells.
They create free radicals that speed up aging and wrinkles.
They often get deposited in our tissues — organs, glands, muscles, fat cells. As they sit in our tissues, things in general just don`t work as well.
All things being equal, all livers are not so equal
Some people have a liver that detoxifies much more effectively than others. This is just genetics.
Some things slow the liver detox pathways down
Eg. Sugar, alcohol, junk food, skipping meals, fasting (yes, fasting), stress, not enough vitamins and minerals.
Some things speed the liver detox pathways up and/or let them function properly
Eg. Fruits, vegetables, exercise, relaxation techniques, certain herbs, certain supplements.
At some point are you going to tell me what detoxing is?
Yes; here you go:
Detoxing, in the alternative medicine sense of the word, is using any combination of herbs, supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes to maximize the efficiency of the liver`s natural detoxification pathways in order to
(1) Get the backlog of toxins processed.
(2) Allow the body to take some of the toxins from the tissues and process those as well.
Once processed, the toxins can be safely eliminated through the kidneys and bowels.
That`s all for now; stay tuned for more detoxing info.
TC
Third Hand Smoke
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
The smoky plot thickens
Some new research has shown that by smoking, you`re not just harming yourself anymore — it`s been shown that children are harmed by this as well. Even if you smoke outside your home.
It`s called third-hand smoke and the news is not good.
Hair and clothing carry the toxins
Researchers have found that the contamination/toxins from tobacco smoke lingers long after the cigarette has been put out. The toxins get into the hair and clothing of a smoker (or anyone who is around cigarette smoke) and when that person comes into contact with anyone, that person is exposed to those toxins.
Two hundred and fify strong
These toxins (collectively called particulate matter) have been proven to be toxic and there are 250 of them. 250 toxins! What`s worse is that 11 of them have been shown to be Class I carcinogens — the most dangerous level of cancer-causing chemicals.
Do it for the kids!
Third-hand smoke has been associated with cognitive (definition: the process of knowing and, more precisely, the process of being aware, knowing, thinking, learning and judging) deficits and lower reading scores in kids.
Do it for your loved ones!
Even if you are not around kids, everyone you come into contact with is being exposed to these hazardous toxins.
Do it for yourself!
On a slightly different note: smoking and cigarettes are not your friend. Just like many people who overeat feel that food is their friend, many smokers feel that cigarettes are their friend. But they aren`t.
More ways to quit smoking than to skin a cat
If you find you cannot quit on your own, there is no shame in getting help. There are prescription drugs from your doctor for quitting smoking, acupuncture, hypnosis.
Stigma, schmigma
And perhaps psychotherapy is appropriate as well. Although there is still a social stigma that only `crazy`people go to psychotherapy, there`s actually a big joke here: Some of the most balanced, most accomplished people in society go to psychotherapy — they just don`t tell everyone about it. So by hanging on to these out-dated views about therapy, you`re actually really missing out.
TC
Don’t worry — we promise these chemicals are nice and safe.
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, Nutrition, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
We are exposed to so many chemicals everyday that we really have no idea just how much.
Some chemicals are unavoidable and there is no sense worrying about these.
But there are a lot of chemicals that are easily avoidable and it is in your best interest to avoid these chemicals as often as possible.
Here’s the thing with the mountain of chemicals we are exposed to everyday:
There is a TON that we don’t know about what they are doing to our body.
Don’t be mislead because some person with a chemistry degree tells you it’s fine. I have a chemistry degree too (well, a minor in chemistry — same ballpark) and I whole-heartedly disagree.
There is sooooo much that we don’t know, it is so much better to err on the side of less chemicals rather than chemicals currently presumed to be safe.
For water bottles, get Kleen Kanteen or use glass. Pistachio at Yonge and Eglinton carries a great, light glass water bottle that is getting very good feedback. They are nice looking too!
The good thing about the Kleen Kanteen is that they are super sturdy and will not break if you drop them. They will also not leak in your bag — I carry mine in my purse all the time. And with a nice wide neck, the 500ml Kleen Kanteen washes nicely in the dishwasher.
I would advise against putting protein shakes or green food powders in there though; more than once I had to use some elbow grease and a bottle brush to get it clean. Stick to water.
I called it!
Posted by admin in balance your body on September 29th, 2009
A while ago on my old blog (and recently re-posted on this blog) I wrote an article about the Kleen Kanteen water bottles and how they were my top choice. I mentioned that I used to have 3 SIGGs and the coating wore off at the mouth and the aluminum was exposed — I could taste it and I got that tooth “zing” that tells me there is metal in my mouth.
Recently there was a huge recall with the SIGGs — the special coating they use has been found to leach BPA. That’s the cancer-causing chemical that was found in the plastic water bottles. It’s also a big factor in this new trend towards re-usable water bottles (in addition to sanitary and environmental concerns).
I read an article that seemed to insinuate that the SIGGs could potentially leach BPA, but there was nothing to support this and I decided not to post on this detail.
Here’s a couple of links:
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/09/08/ouch-patagonia-terminates-relationship-with-sigg-over-bpa-reveal/
http://mysigg.com/bulletin/exchange_program.html
The second link is to the SIGG site that states they are voluntarily replacing any water bottles that were made before Aug 2008. Apparently water bottles after this date do not leach BPA.
Read my next blog post for my comments on that.
TC
The Verdict is in: Kleen Kanteen is My Pick!
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
(I don`t have any financial interest or arrangement with this company. I just really like this product!)
I love my Kleen Kanteen water bottle!
If you are a patient of my Brampton office, you`ve never seen it because I have a big glass 1 litre jar. But when I`m at my Toronto office and on my days off, I`ve always got my Kleen Kanteen (500ml) bottle with me. In fact, I am going to add to my collection with a 1 litre bottle soon.
Non-leaching stainless steel
These water bottles are made from non-leaching stainless steel. Some types of stainless steel can leach, but this company uses a kind that does not — incidentally there are over 50 different types of stainless steel.
Light and easy to carry around
This bottle is nice and light when empty. And the 500ml bottle fits nicely into my purse — so I can take it with me when I am out running errands downtown, on the subway or out for a walk.
Dishwasher friendly! (not the cap though, just the bottle)
It is easy to clean — it has a nice wide mouth that fits perfectly into my dishwasher and comes out sparkling clean and ready for another day`s use.
It is just stainless steel — there is no coating to wear off.
What a waste!
At one point, I had another re-usable water bottle that was made from aluminum with a coating (because aluminum is toxic). This bottle worked well for a while, but eventually the coating wore off in the mouth of the bottle and I could taste the aluminum. I had three of these bottles (about $75 plus tax!) and I just threw them all out.
With the Kleen Kanteen there is no coating, nothing to wear off and no reason why this bottle shouldn`t last a lifetime!
TC
No Wonder There is so Much Confusion!
Posted by admin in Nutrition, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
There is so many mixed messages out in the media about what is healthy and what is not healthy. No wonder so many people are confused about what food is and is not healthy.
Why, why, why?
One of the most common questions I get from patients is, “If it’s not good for you, why are they allowed to say it’s good for you?”
Marketing. Sales. Profits.
Health? No, no….that’s not the point. Sales and profits are the point.
I just caught a few minutes of a morning show…
…and on this show they were talking about saving money at the grocery store. I didn’t catch the whole thing, but what I did catch fired me up enough to open up my blog and write this post.
TV Tip: Instead of buying frozen/refrigerated pasta, buy old-fashioned pasta in cans. The pasta is already cooked and in sauce, so you don’t even have to boil water! And it`s non-fat, whereas the other pasta has lots of fat.
Me: Are you kidding me?? First of all, the frozen/refrigerated pasta had cheese (and probably cream and/or vegetable oil in it). So of course there is going to be lots of fat - that’s the jist of high-fat dairy.
So they suggested the old-fashioned canned pasta in sauce. Canned foods, as a general rule, are not good for you. There are some foods that are okay to use canned sometimes (sardines, legumes) but that`s about it. Having meals that come out of a can is not a good idea.
And while I`m on it, let me say that although I`m all for old-fashioned, just because something is the way ”it always was when I was a kid”, it doesn`t mean it’s good for you.
About 50 or so years ago, the pesticide truck used to drive down residential streets and spray lawns with chemicals. People would take lawn chairs and sit on their front lawns while they were being sprayed as a form of entertainment. I guess there wasn’t much going on in many suburban neighbourhoods and this was exciting. (I’m not kidding.) But now we know better and some communities are banning pesticides on lawns altogether.
But I digress…
A healthy alternative would be to buy dried and/or fresh plain pasta, a healthy jar of sauce and add a bunch of vegetables and sauteed/stir-fried meat/chicken/fish.
TV tip: Since most orange juice is just reconstituted orange juice concentrate anyways, you might as well save some money and just buy the concentrate and add the water yourself. There is a huge savings of about $5 with this one.
Me: Ah, the illusion of choice. Would you like this one or that one? Maybe I would like neither.
If you are going to buy orange juice (or any juice) make sure it’s not from concentrate at all.
But something important to know is this: juice isn’t good for you. You read that right. Juice isn’t good for you.
Juice is processed by your body the exact same way as if it were sugar-water. By the time you buy orange juice in the store, the vitamin C is long gone and all you have is a liquid with a ton of sugar in it.
Eat the fruit. Fruit is full of fiber and it slows down how quickly the sugar enters your bloodstream. Eat the fruit instead of drinking the juice.
And no, kids don’t need juice. Of course they like it, but this is for the same reason they like cake and cookies: they are full of sugar. Teach them to eat fruit and you’ll be planting some very good ideas in your child about healthy food choices.
Save on juice by not buying it at all! (Now there’s a tip!)
TC
Children do NOT need to be immunized to go to school in Ontario
Posted by admin in Lifestyle, balance your body on September 29th, 2009
That`s right, folks. Kids do not need to be immunized to go to school in Ontario.
You DO however, need to get an affidavit signed and notarized and get it on file with your local health unit. Basically this form says that you choose not to immunize your child based on your conscience or religious beliefs.
For all the fear that surrounds ”But what will happen to my child when they go to school?”, this one is pretty straightforward.
Don`t know where to get the form? Don’t know where your local health unit it?
Never fear — I`ve got you covered!
The Form - Here you go! The Form
Local health unit - this web page lists the health units throughout Ontario.
http://www.ingoodhands.ca/cert_02.html
Print out the form, fill it out, take it to a notary public (when I needed one in the past, I just looked in the Yellow Pages. You should be able to find one easily on the internet as well.) and get it signed. Then go to your local health unit, get it on file and have a copy for yourself and anyone who may want to see it such as schools etc.
Some people say that non-immunized kids put their kids at risk. If those other kids are immunized and if they trust in the effectiveness of the vaccine, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
Just remember that immunization is a personal choice that every parent needs to make for themselves concerning their child. Don’t let anyone push you in either direction. Before you make your decision, make sure you have all the information you need — a quick search on Amazon should bring up plenty of books for you to read that are against immunization and your doctor should be able to provide you with information that supports immunization.
And that’s all there is to it!
TC
Thought on vaccinated vs unvaccinated children
Posted by admin in balance your body on September 29th, 2009
This is another “out of the mouths of patients” anecdote.
Some people who strongly believe in vaccinating all children feel that they do not want their children around other children who have not been vaccinated because of the “germs” they may be carrying.
One of my patients made an excellent point:
“If you believe so strongly in the vaccinations you have had for your children, then why does it matter that my children are not vaccinated?”
TC