What Is Eczema and How Do Naturopathic Doctors Treat It?
First of all, you will be wondering what is eczema? Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that commonly appears during infancy and childhood. It affects close to 20% of children. But, what does it look like? Eczema often presents as dry skin with red and itchy patches that may ooze, crust, appear scaly or harden. And can eczema spread? It can come and go and migrate around the body but is often seen on the areas where we flex (e.g. inner elbows and back of knees). How Do Naturopathic Doctors Treat Eczema? Eczema is one of the most...
read moreThe Autoimmune Paleo Diet
Autoimmune diseases (such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimoto’s, and rheumatoid arthritis) affect millions of Canadians, of all ages. There are more than one hundred autoimmune diseases, and the root cause of all of them is the same: our immune system mistakenly attacking normal, healthy cells. In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is attacked. In rheumatoid arthritis, the tissues of your joints are attached. In psoriasis, proteins within the layers of cells that make up your skin are attacked. Experts recognize that certain dietary factors are key contributors to autoimmune disease. The Autoimmune Paleo Diet (AIP) is...
read moreFunctional Medicine Approach to PCOS
Functional Medicine Approach to PCOS Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects as many as 1.4 million Canadian women. Although PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, it is commonly underdiagnosed and poorly managed, leading to many women suffering without a comprehensive plan of action. PCOS can affect multiple systems and there are 4 different PCOS phenotypes, therefore, it can look very different in each person. Functional medicine uses an individualized, patient-centered approach that targets specific manifestations of a disease, so that patients can feel balanced and happy in their own body once the symptoms are...
read moreWhat are the benefits of IV Infusion Therapy?
First of all, we need to understand what is infusion therapy. Intravenous (IV) nutritional therapy involves infusing micronutrients, hydration, amino acids, plant extracts, and other natural products directly into the body. This treatment is in the form of a customized compounded IV bag; it is directly inserted into your veins and circulatory system. What this means is that the medicines do not need to be filtered through your digestive system, liver and kidneys but instead are delivered directly to the site of action. So, what is infusion therapy good for? IV therapy can be tailored for specific health goals...
read moreFunctional Medicine for Anxiety
The Functional Medicine approach to anxiety highlights an individualized, systems-based strategy for treatment. We know that your neurotransmitters are imbalanced, but what causes them to be dysfunctional in the first place? This is where individualized testing and treatment take precedence. For some, a neurotransmitter imbalance may be caused by excessive stress leading to a dysregulated HPA (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal) axis; hyper-, or hypo-function. For others, the cause may be gut dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, sex hormone imbalances, neural inflammation, vascular insufficiency or a combination of these factors. Being a multi-casual disorder, treating everyone with the same approach is irrational. How do we...
read moreAdvanced Medicine’s Gut-Brain Connection by Dr. Robyn Murphy
Understanding how your gut could be affect your brain There is no doubt that the gut is sensitive to emotion. Many are familiar with “butterflies” in your stomach or loose stool with anxiety. Well research reveals just how the gut-brain connection influences our emotional response. It makes sense that the brain has direct influence over the gut. The brain is the master control, which sends signals to the digestive tract through our autonomic nervous system to enhance overall function and optimize nutrient breakdown and absorption. This includes the secretion of stomach acid, motility of the gut and blood flow...
read moreAdvanced Medicine’s Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis by Dr. Kiellerman MD
Coined by Dr Hakaru Hashimoto in 1914, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or Autoimmune or Chronic Thyroiditis (AIT) is probably the most common form of low thyroid or Hypothyroidism, though it can cause an overactivity of your thyroid, hyperthyroidism, also known as Graves disease. This is an attack on your thyroid of your immune system going haywire keeping your thyroid from producing thyroid hormone. Usually treatment is started with thyroid medication. If the doses of the thyroid medication are too low it can continue to feed the attack so it’s important to optimize the levels to improve the health of your immune...
read moreAdvanced Medicine’s 6 Nutrition Tips for Healthy Weight Loss
There are many reasons for considering weight loss, but it is also imperative to consider the underlying conditions that contribute to weight gain. Often, weight loss is not as simple as cutting calories, as other metabolic factors could influence results, leading to fluctuation or “yoyo” dieting. Simple changes in habit can contribute to effective weight loss results. Here are some tips for habits to adopt for improved chances for positive weight loss results: Drink more water: It can be easy to confuse thirst for hunger, so before you begin snacking, drink a tall glass of water and assess your hunger...
read moreMay Latest Clinic News
May 2014 Dear Patients, It is now the month of May and the warmer weather is finally here. This May the Centre for Advanced Medicine (CAM) wants to help all patients’ balance their inflammatory function so that they are able to enjoy the warm weather with family and friends. Inflammation is a process controlled by the immune system that protects us from invading bacteria and viruses and also helps to regulate heart function, blood flow and many other vital functions. Keeping a balanced inflammatory function is vital to good health and well being. It is when this balance becomes...
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