All posts by Sushma Shah

Improving Fertility With Natural Medicine

Healthy Me, , , , , ,

For women who have been trying to get pregnant and have been unsuccessful at it for a while, quite often they decide to try something different, something that their friend might have suggested for them, something like Natural Medicine or Traditional Chinese Medicine, hoping that just maybe this will work, without realizing that all of these medicines are based on trying to get the innate ability of the body to heal and function optimally with the use of diet, herbs and other natural therapies, as opposed to taking this potion or that herb to put  a band aid on a symptom. Naturopathic Medicine is great for improving fertility naturally.

Naturopathic medicine focuses on the why you are not getting pregnant, rather than labeling you with Infertility. As a Naturopathic Doctor, my initial focus for fertility treatments is to get to the the why you are not getting pregnant. Some of the things that can effect fertility include, and are not limited to:

1. Diet – Diet has one of the biggest roles to play when it comes to fertility. Shocked? Don’t be. For people who consume dairy and meat products of a fairly regular basis, estrogen hormone levels will be effected especially if the meat and dairy are not organic. Cows and chicken pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, which can eventually end up in your body, especially if you consume high amounts of meat and dairy products. High estrogen levels in the body will cause various irregularities in the menstrual cycle and PMS symptoms, as well, effect the amount of testosterone in males. Soy is another product that can effect fertility as well. Soy products contain phytoestrogens, oxalates and phytates and these can effect the endocrine system, especially your thyroid hormone. Regular drinking water from the tap and the plastic bottles can also effect fertility. Talk to you Naturopathic Doctor about how your diet might be effecting your health and in turn your fertility.

2. Stress – Everyone goes through moderate amounts of stress on a day to day basis. Stress is perceived differently by everyone. Stress is defined as anything that puts the body out of its normal state of being. This would include mental, emotional, dietary, psychological, physical elements. Nutrient status, sleep disturbance, inadequate protein, all of these can create undue stress on the body as well. The body responds by producing cortisol, a stress hormone, which in turn will effect your female and male hormones and eventually your thyroid hormone, and it turn effect fertility.

3. Physiological problems – This relates more to the actual reproductive organs and their placement in the body. Blocked fallopian tubes, issues with sperm count and motility, are some of the factors that may definitely effect fertility. Emotional issues around getting pregnant are a huge factor that effect fertility. Naturopathic Doctors do take into account all of the above before starting any natural treatments for fertility.

There are various other factors that can effect fertility that can be improved using naturopathic medicine. The ones mentioned above are just for starters, for more information check Fertility – causes and naturopathic treatments.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Natural Immune System Boosters

Healthy Me, , ,

As the weather changes, you hear more and more people coming into the office with sniffles and coughs. So what we all can do to decrease the chances of falling ill is to boost our immune system naturally using simple natural therapies and supplements.

One of the best ways to keep your immune system in check is to make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. You are most likely to get if you have not been sleeping well and are already run down and stressed, especially this time of year. Your body replenishes / restores itself through sleep and diet, so its very important to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you are feeling stressed or are chronically stressed, your immune system will suffer and leave you more susceptible to getting sick, so make sure you are managing your stresss well. Acupuncture and massage are great as relaxing therapies that will help improve your immune function.

Diet plays a role too. Eating foods that are naturally very high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, along with high sterol contents and zinc are excellent to support the immune system.  Try to include plenty of broccoli, dark colored fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds – especially pumpkin and walnuts in your diet. Herbs such as thyme, basil and marjoram along with ginger, garlic and onions have strong anti viral, anti bacterial and anti fungal properties, and are great for taste and boosting immune function when added in cooking.

Personal hygiene is another factor that is important in preventing influenza and coughs.  Its good to keep a hand sanitizer with you especially if you are using transit often. Keep you hands away from touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you have been in contact with someone who has been ill. Hand washing is key when it comes to preventing spread of bacteria and viruses that cause most common colds and coughs.

So stay safe and healthy in this cold season using simple natural therapies.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Seasonal Affective Disorder And Vitamin D Levels

Healthy Me, , , ,

As the days are getting shorter and gloomier, lots of people have been complaining about feeling more anxious or depressed for no apparent reason. If you are one of those individuals, you could be suffering from SAD also called the Seasonal affective disorder, and here are simple natural things you can do to feel better and more optimistic.

1. Go see your Doctor, be it a Naturopathic Physician or a Medical Doctor, and get them to test your Vitamin D levels. Usually the medical laboratories recommends to assume that living in a temperate zone, you are Vitamin D deficient, I do recommend however its better to know how low. Based on the results, you naturopathic doctor or medical doctor will generally recommend the required dose. If you are low and are a female, it might also be a good idea to test you bone density and calcium levels. Quite often these will be effected as well.

2. Do fun things in and around the house – Just because the weather has become colder, it does not mean that your heart has to feel the same way – COLD. No, warm up your heart with different chores that you enjoy but never get around to in the summer. Here are a few examples: cleaning up the garden, one day at a time, and make sure you do it when the sun is out, this will help you body manufacture some Vitamin D as well. You can restart old projects in the house that you had a good mind to finish when you started them, and pace yourself.

3. Change your decorating theme in the house to reflect on warmer colors – light brown, taupe and beige could be very comforting with warm burgundies and maroons. Spice up your fireplace with some decorative pieces that you like – maybe a photo frame with pictures that bring back good memories. And nothing beats the smell of warm bread (you can bake healthier versions) with a warm cup of hot chocolate with lots of little marsh mellows floating in them.

4. Light therapy is available at various health stores and regular pharmacies. So for those really bad days, give yourself an extra 15 to 20 minutes. You should use them daily for about 20 – 25 minutes depending on the model. If going south is an option, make sure you take full advantage of the sunlight while you are away.

5. Your sleeping hormone melatonin also plays a role in SAD / Seasonal affective disorder, so make sure you are resting well, and getting a minimum of 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night. A small cereal snack might help you sleep better, as it releases serotonin, your feeling good hormone and also helps with Seasonal affective disorder. If you are suffering from insomnia, this will worsen feelings of sadness and depression. Ask you naturopathic doctor to test your hormonal levels to make sure this is not causing the problem.

By: Toronto Naturopath, Sushma Shah, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Natural Treatments For Acne And Cystic Acne

Healthy Me, , , ,

Acne is one of the most disfiguring and embarrassing symptom that most teenagers and quite often adults go through in life. It quite often impacts how you see yourself around others as well, affects confidence and self esteem levels. I remember when i was younger and we had this one friend who had severe acne and people quite often called her all sorts of names, which really then went to affect her in later life, in terms of how confident she felt about herself when applying to all these high positions, even though she had all the school smarts.

Acne can be caused by :

Stress – Usually when you are more stressed, there is a tendency to break out more. right? The reason behind this is when you are stressed your body produces more of a precursor hormone called DHEAS – which can cause scalp hair loss, oily skin and acne. Cortisol, a stress hormone, is also produced in high amounts, and can also cause more inflammation and redness on the skin, creating a “flare up” so to speak.

Diet – You are what you eat and what you digest from it. Diet plays a huge role when it comes to acne and skin problems in general.  In general, spicy hot, greasy and sweet foods tend to worsen acne. Chocolate and caffeine also worsens acne. Having a diet that is wholesome and fresh is not only good for the skin, but also for the digestive system. Seafood and sea weed can effect acne as well. The inability of the body to process iodine, that is found in seaweed, is often the culprit when it comes to cystic acne.

Hormonal changes – Acne usually comes in puberty or later years. (New born acne is different). Hormonal changes can trigger changes in the amount of sebum produced in the body and in turn affect acne and the type of acne. Thyroid issues can effect cystic acne. Females can track their break out and see if there is a correlation between acne and their menstrual cycle and if there is, then working on balancing those hormones will also help improve the skin and acne. For males, high levels of testosterone can cause acne and hair loss.

Personal hygiene – This one goes without saying. If you keep you skin clean – it will usually stay clear. Sweat, mixed with sebum and make up, and other skin products, along with moisture will definitely clog up pores which in turn can get infected with bacterial creating pustule acne that may or may not be pus filled.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Doctor.

Improving Allergy Symptoms Naturally For You And Your Pets

Healthy Me, , , ,

Allergies cause symptoms such as skin irritation, hair loss, digestive symptoms, sneezing, hives, runny nose and eyes, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches among other symptoms. Allergies are triggered by specific foods, environmental elements such as pollen and dust, molds, chemical pollutants. Pinpointing allergies can take a lot of time, so one way to narrow down the time and find out what is causing them is by doing some allergy blood tests.

In order to improve symptoms of allergies in you and your pet, its important to improve your  and your pet ‘s health first, and which will help the body come back to balance and in turn improve overall health symptoms. Three key things you can do:

1. TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIETARY FACTORS IN ALLERGIES AND CHANGE THE DIET ACCORDINGLY

Foods play a huge role in worsening allergy symptoms, so try to monitor your diet and your pet’s diet. The most common allergens for humans include: milk, wheat, soy, oranges, eggs, corn among others. For pets, try eliminating corn, soy , wheat, beef and yeast . Switch them and yourself to a healthy hypoallergenic diet of rice, lamb, chicken, vegetables, fruits and whole cooked grains, but no wheat.  Reintroduce the foods one at time after a month to see the reaction and if tolerated, you can introduce the food into the diet.

2. IMPROVE DIGESTION

Optimizing your digestive system is a great way to alleviate allergy symptoms. Various supplements are helpful in improving digestion for you and your pet. Simple suggestions to improve the digestive symptom include: having a wholesome diet with lots of fiber, which helps to keep the digestive system running smoothly and clean, eliminating toxins and decreasing allergenic potential. Yogurt or lactobacillus (acidophilus) supplements are great as the acidophilus provides natural antibiotic to ward off any undesired bacteria or parasites and helps to improve immunity too.

Click here for information on digestive disorders.

3. CREATE A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

Various cleaning products and chemicals, mold and dust can cause allergic reactions. Try to use natural household cleaners in and around the house, which are generally just as effective but much more safer to use. Wash out bedding, linens and sheets weekly with gentle laundry detergent as harsh chemicals and perfumes could irritate your pet’s and your skin and the respiratory system.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto.

Natural Treatment For Menopause / Perimenopause

Healthy Me, , , ,

TREATING MENOPAUSE OR PERIMENOPAUSE NATURALLY

Menopause is the time at “mid-life” when a woman has her last period. It happens when the ovaries stop releasing eggs — usually a gradual process. Sometimes it happens all at once. It can be a stop-start process that may take months or years. “Climacteric” is another word for the time when a woman passes from the reproductive to the non-reproductive years of her life. Most women tend to go through various symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, mood swings and hair loss among other symptoms.

Perimenopause and menopause bring about huge hormonal changes, that are mostly responsible for the symptoms that follow suit. Saliva hormone testing is the best way to figure out how the hormones have changed and what is required next for the treatment for menopause or perimenopause symptoms naturally.

NATUROPATHIC TREATMENTS FOR MENOPAUSE INCLUDE:

  1. Diet, exercise, lifestyle, stress management and counseling
  2. Nutritional supplementation
  3. Herbal Medicine
  4. Homeopathy
  5. Traditional Chinese Medicine / Acupuncture
  6. Natural Hormones

Here are simple diet and lifestyle suggestions for the natural treatment of menopause and perimenopause:

Increase intake of the following foods:

  • Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and halibut
  • Flaxseeds
  • Soy foods*
  • Legumes
  • Whole grains and seeds
  • Sea vegetables
  • Wild yams

ALSO:

  • Avoid spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol as can trigger hot flashes
  • Decrease animal and saturated fats
  • Regular physical activity – stretching, aerobic exercises: walking, jogging, yoga and weight bearing exercises
  • Relaxation for stress management. Need more information, please check out our menopause centre

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Natural Treatments For Phobias

Healthy Me, , ,

There are various types of phobias that many people suffer from. They typically involve a strong fear and avoidance of one particular type of object or situation. The fear is quite often strong enough to interfere with day to day activities depending on the situation, and can cause quite a bit of distress. Phobias can cause symptoms of anxiety, and spontaneous panic attacks. Listed below are the most common phobias:

ANIMAL PHOBIAS – These can include fear and avoidance of snakes, bats, rats, spiders, bees, dogs, and other creatures.  They quite often start in childhood, where they are considered as normal fears.  If they persist in adulthood, they can create significant distress and disrupt your life, they can be classified as a phobia.

ACROPHOBIA – (fear of heights). With acrophobia, there is a significant of heights – could be high floors in buildings, hills, mountains, or bridges. One may experience significant symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo, or an urge to jump – where they feeling is where you have an external force drawing you to the edge.

AIRPLANE PHOBIA – This phobia is the fear that the plane will crash. Quite a few people do have anxiety around flying – and can suffer from significant symptoms of anxiety and panic.

ARACHNOPHOBIA – Abnormal fear of spiders or crawling insects.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA – is usually described as a significant fear of enclosed places and the inability to get from a space.  Other types of phobias include – dentist or doctor phobia, phobias to thunder and lightning, injury or illness phobias among others.

ELEVATOR PHOBIA – This phobia relates to fear of being in elevators and travelling in them. There is fear of the cables breaking or the elevator crashing, or getting stuck or trapped inside. You may experience panic in these type of phobia.

Specific fears / phobias can develop after a traumatic events or repeated exposure to certain elements. Up to 10 % of the population suffers from phobias and a very small percentage may seek treatment for their fears. Various natural treatments exist for  general anxiety and panic, and are quite helpful for phobias. Before being exposed to the situation, you may take preventative natural supplements. Homeopathic medicine is fantastic for this, as are certain flower essence remedies. These work really well to alleviate the symptoms of panic and distress – for example – while flying or driving.

Other treatment methods that are currently in place include relaxation therapy and training, which when used on a regular basis help to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Cognitive therapy where fearful thoughts that tend to perpetuate the specific phobia are challenged and replace. Other therapies include: incremental exposure, panic – control therapy and interoceptive exposure (desensitization).

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Treating Emotional Eating Naturally

Healthy Me, ,

Here are 2 simple questions for you:

1. Do you eat or eat more when you are feeling tense, under pressure or stressed?

2. Do you tend to feel better when you eat more especially if you are feeling stressed out or nervous?

If you answered yes to either, chances are you could be an emotional eater, who eats to suppress their emotions and true feelings. Many people eat out of boredom, but most people who tend to eat when feeling overwhelmed or stressed, actually do that because psychologically they actually feel better, even though physiologically the body does not feel so – as most emotional eater tend to overeat carbohydrates – chips, cookies, bread, pasta, chocolates among other things, which will raise the blood sugar and in turn affect the functioning of the pancreas that produces the insulin and eventually will effect the triglyceride and the cholesterol levels as excess sugars in the body are eventually turned on fats. This will in turn effect the functioning of other organs, and of course ultimately the endocrine system

So if you are dealing with emotional issues that are keeping you from your perfect weight, you need to do the following:

1. IDENTIFY WHY YOU OVEREAT / EMOTIONAL EAT – Easier said then done you say? No, before the next time you grab for that bag of chips, take a piece of paper and a box of colored pencils, and then write down how you are feeling at that time – exhausted, overwhelmed, stress, nervous, anxious, whatever the emotion is.  YOU NEED TO FIRST IDENTIFY THE EMOTIONS. Overeating or self medicating with food is not the answer – stop punishing your body for what your mind is feeling. You need to find strategies to deal with the emotions in the mind as opposed to eating them away, and your body will thank you.

2. FOCUS ON EATING WHATS RIGHT FOR YOUR BODY – When you are stressed, the types to foods you need to avoid include the following: alcohol, caffeine, refined sugar and carbohydrates and of course, tobacco products. Did you know that if your body is craving any of these, you might be lacking in certain key nutrients and vitamins? So instead of having detrimental foods for you body – eat healthier foods which are packed full of nutrients, and will help reduce your cravings, and not to mention, you body will thank you and you will feel better.

3. AVOID EATING ON THE GO – Most of us who have very busy lives tend to do this frequently. How you eat your food is very important. So if you are rushed with time, try to have a healthier shake instead of rushing through a barely chewed meals which will in turn affect your digestion. Eat in peace, enjoy every bite, savour what you are eating, enjoy the colors, textures and the type of foods you eat. EAT CALMLY.

These are simple suggestions on what you could do.

You could also check out our weight loss section for more information.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Being A Health Conscious Shopper

Healthy Me, , , , , ,

I know what you are thinking … I cannot afford it. Right? More than just being a good shopper, you could also be a health conscious shopper and save money while doing so. And here is how:

Realise that eating organic food prepared at home is cheaper than eating outside at a sit down restaurant or a fast food joint and its healthier. Convenience foods are actually more expensive then you think. Let me give you an example: Its cheaper to buy a peach, rather than having a low fat peach yogurt. Even natural health foods stores have deals, so look for them. And when you find them – usually monthly or weekly, stock up on them as they are too good to pass up.

Build your meals around:

1. HEALTHY SALADS – try different types of lettuce – romaine, radicchio, escarole, endives, fennel, dandelion) with other vegetables such as tomato, celery, red onions, peppers, avocados and olives.

2. NEW ANCIENT GRAINS – such as amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, teff, barley

3. HEALTHY NUTS AND SEEDS – Raw Pumpkin seeds, almonds, hemp nut, walnuts, brazil nuts not only give a great nutty flavor but are full of essential oils for the body and are  high in minerals.

4. HEALTHY VEGETABLES – Broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, onions.

5. HEALTHY MEATS AND GRAIN FED EGGS – Free range chicken, wild game, organic eggs, are good healthy protein choices for the main meal.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

To Shower Or Not To Shower Daily?

Healthy Me, , ,

I recently read an article about whether one should shower daily or not and I was:

a) appalled that this was even questionable – you do need to shower daily. Not showering daily is like saying we do not need to use the washroom daily to urinate or defecate.

Daily showering or bathing should be part of your daily hygiene routine. It helps to remove dead cells and toxins and clean out sweat, which would otherwise accumulate on the body, and mixed in with the oils the body releases allow growth of certain types of bacterial or fungal species, which can cause various skin problems, especially for people who have overactive sebaceous glands such as acne and folliculitis.

b) surprised as to why we should not shower daily – and here are the reasons suggested: saving water and being more environmentally friendly – I get this one sure, other reasons: not showering daily keeps your skin moisturized, really? One of the best ways to moisturize your skin is to apply a good moisturizer after showering daily, but also making sure that your body keeps your cells hydrated. You can achieve this by making sure that you are drinking enough water (half your body weight in ounces). You also need to make sure that your diet is providing enough of the essential fatty acids – omega 3, 6 and 9 – which are found in foods like fish, flax, nuts and oils. The essential fatty acids help to keep the skin cells “plump” and healthy looking as opposed to dry and wrinkly, and when the cells are dry and wrinkling, you skin will look that way as well.

What was even more surprising is that companies are actually making products – hair products to encourage the scruffy, unclean look. I wonder what is next – should we really perhaps rethink this whole showering thing, and forget that we are part of a society that believes that cleanliness is next to Godliness? and just start going back to the old “hunter gatherer” ways, where may be we took a quick dip in water if it was available? I hope not!

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.