There’s nothing quite like the miracle of life. You spend 8 months nourishing another human being inside of you, went through the whole birth and labour process, and have a beautiful baby as a result. Now what?
(more…)
I recently saw the term “eco-anxiety” and I haven’t related this much to a word in a very long time. It is a term that describes “feeling overwhelmed with the existential challenge of climate change”. One of my favourite quotes from this year is:
“We have two homes: the Earth and our bodies. Take care of them”
Luckily, my training and journey of personal growth has taught me that when faced with the fear of the unknown, first acknowledge what you’re feeling and allow yourself to feel it, and then channel those emotions into something meaningful. That’s when I reminded myself that although I am feeling helpless at the moment, I should focus on what I can control – which are adopting lifestyle behaviours, habits, and mindset that can contribute to a livable Earth for the children of today and tomorrow. That’s when I decided to take action, and share it with others so that hopefully they can be inspired to do the same.
(more…)Imagine what we can do together. The past cannot be changed, but our future can.
Addressing your diet is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health. There is nothing more we do on a regular basis (except breathing, I guess) that has such profound impact on your cognition, immunity, mental/emotional health, and overall wellness.
“Every time we eat, we send our body a signal towards health or illness”
There is power in this quote. This means that our journey towards health can start as early as the next time we take a bite. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Whether you’ve thought about going on a “healthy diet”, or have done so unsuccessfully before, the following list can be reasons why you aren’t getting the results you want:
Although the word “diet” is often synonymous with “wanting to lose weight”, there are numerous reasons why someone would choose to follow a certain diet. The important thing to always remember is that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach in terms of what the “best” diet out there is, and there never will be. Each body is different in terms of responsiveness, environmental and genetic factors, personal goals, lifestyle, etc.
However, whether it be due to enhancing athletic performance, overall health, or due to a specific health concern, one of the diets I constantly recommend is called “the elimination diet”. From auto-immune disease, to skin concerns such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne, to digestive symptoms including bloating, constipation/diarrhea, acid reflux, etc, the elimination diet is a fantastic way to help your body reset, decrease inflammation, and help you feel like your best self.
Food sensitivity testing (FST) is a blood test many naturopathic doctors do in practice to measure the level of an immune response a patient has to certain foods. With the increasing evidence on the link between your gut and many chronic diseases, this can be a very useful tool in finding the root cause of your health concerns. Consumption of foods that your body negatively reacts to initiates an inflammatory cascade that can contribute to many skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, acne, etc), cognition problems (poor memory, concentration and focus issues, etc), osteoporosis/arthritis, joint pain, asthma, weight gain, fatigue, as well as gut concerns (including poor nutrient absorption, constipation/diarrhea, bloating, etc), and many more.
There is some resistance in the medical community about this test, and a large part of this is because many don’t understand what FST is truly measuring. First and foremost, even though the test is measuring an immune response, it is NOT indicating a true “allergy”. There are specific tests that the conventional medical system does (such as the skin prick test) that DOES measure an allergic response. Confused? Take a read below as I dive into what a food allergy vs. sensitivity vs. intolerance is.
A screening test is defined as: “The examination of a group of usually asymptomatic individuals to detect those with a high probability of having or developing a given disease”. In other words, screening tests are done to assess risk, NOT for already symptomatic individuals.
I’ll be honest – it took me quite some time to write this article, because I feel like mental health is a very intimate and personal conversation. I began to feel like maybe it would be too intrusive and I would be making too many over-generalizations and assumptions (which, I’ll admit, I do for the purposes of getting my point across. Also, I apologize for the excessive use of quotes around words). However, I wanted to write this because I feel so strongly in my heart that men deserve the same care and respect as females, and shame, guilt, silence – these are words that should never be linked with mental health, regardless of sex.
I decided to go ahead with it anyway, because I am grateful. Grateful that I have found my voice, and am able to share it with those who will listen. Grateful, because I know that not everyone is so lucky.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to get the awkward stuff out in the open. I’m more of a “rip-the-bandaid-off” sort of gal, so let’s get right to it. As men get older, sometimes you have less control of things in your nether regions than you want to, and maybe you pee your pants sometimes. Let me start off by saying this is VERY common, and nothing to be ashamed of. If this is the right comparison (which it definitely isn’t), women have periods and menopause, men have erectile dysfunction and a prostate. It’s a fact of life – let’s accept it, and move on.
While doing research for my previous article on tomatoes being a men’s health superfood, I came across a study that basically said men have no idea what a prostate is. So, let’s start there.
If there were ever a time to be able to eat your way to better health, it would be now. And, if you’ve been around the block long enough, you’ve probably heard that tomatoes are good for you, especially if you’re a male. The main compound that gives tomatoes a good name is called lycopene. Lycopene is what gives tomatoes its red pigmentation, and is responsible for the staining of your cutting boards (although not all red fruits/vegetables contain lycopene). It has been studied a lot in relation to things like prostate cancer and semen quality. A study published in 2014 showed that although a group of 130 men were uncertain about the function of the prostate and about prostate cancer, they had positive beliefs on the effect of lycopene on prostate cancer prevention [1]. In all honestly, not all of the evidence supports the protective effects of lycopene, but a good chunk of it does.
While I haven’t had the pleasure of going through menopause just yet, I know that sometimes it seems like a death sentence to even speak of the word. The purpose of this article will be to discuss the misconceptions about menopause, and hopefully give you more hope if you’re approaching (or currently experiencing) this phase of life.