All posts by Sushma Shah

Healthy Tips From A Naturopathic Doctor For Life

Healthy Me, , ,

HERE IS A LIST OF BETTER FOOD HABITS THAT YOU CAN INCORPORATE INTO YOUR DAILY LIFESTYLE FOR BETTER HEALTH

1. Eat organic and fresh food whenever you can

While more costly than nonorganic food, organic fruits and vegetables are not only more rich in minerals and other produce they are devoid of pesticides and chemical residues and tastes better.

2. Get plenty of vital vegetables

Vegetables supply carbohydrates for energy lots of minerals, enzymes, vitamins and some protein. They help alkalinize the body. Tomatoes and peas protect against prostate cancer, broccoli and cabbage help prevent colon cancer, the most intensely colorful vegetables such as red beets, purple cabbage, yellow squash, collard greens, and spinach contain the highest level of nutrients, which boosts the immune system against degenerative disease.  The fiber contained in vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, celery, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and leafy greens  helps to keep the body’s  bowel function regular.  Choose more colorful, tastier lettuces, since then the iceberg lettuce such as red or green leaf and Romaine, which improved bowel transit time rather than a constipate you.

3. Have more fruit

The fruit is an ideal source for quick energy, valuable enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Fruit makes a great snack food. Fruit is a great source of fiber better than grains and vegetables. Try to eat it between meals or before a meal for better digestion.

4. Get enough fiber

Fiber helps lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.  Roughage is found in plant foods vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Beans, lentils, peas, corn, prunes, black berries, and blueberries are exceptionally high in fiber.  Avoid week and oat bran fiber if you are gluten intolerant. Processed foods lack fiber. Fiber adds bulk to the stool, which assists in maintaining regular bowel function. Without enough fiber, you’ll experience constipation, which is a contributing factor in many diseases. Fiber is great as well for keeping the body satiated and helps with weight as well.

5. Avoid aspartame, caffeinated beverages, carbonated beverages, fried food, and hydrogenated oils

Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It increases appetite in general and the desire for sweets in particular.

Caffeinated beverages such as coffee, black tea, and Coke does our powerful stimulants that overstress the body.  They deplete various nutrients from the body.  Carbonated beverages tends to upset the mineral balance of the body, and in turn causes the body to leach out the calcium from the bones, contributing to osteoporosis.

Fried foods are exposed to heat for long periods of time causing the food enzymes and essential fats to break down and in the body, and clog blood vessels. Start frying however is okay.

Hydrogenated oils raise cholesterol, cause heart disease and are being linked to the development of other diseases such as cancer and arthritis.  I originated oil are what you find in most packaged crackers cookies, baking and cooking mixes, and other packaged goods.

Butter is high in saturated fat but better for you because it’s more stable than margarine, which can keep youths to heart disease obesity and promotes inflammation, while suppressing the immune function. If you can choose organic butter.

6. Avoid MSG

MSG is a neurotoxin that destroys brains cells in mice and potentially humans. Check the food labels always.

7. Avoid processed meats

Processed meats such as bologna, salami, hot dogs, most sausages, smoked meats and fish, as these are high in saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium = a recipe for cardiovascular disaster! Smoked, cured, and pickled foods are also high in nitrates, which are potentially carcinogenic.

8. Avoid sugars as much as possible

Read the labels. Just because a substance is allowed in foods, doesn’t mean its safe.  Most foods have naturally occurring sugars, however the food industry seems to add sugar in all kinds of foods such as salad dressings, and most processed foods.  Sugar is disguised in other names such as corn syrup, starch, sucrose, and fructose. Sugar causes a high and then a sudden low in energy, leading to exhaustion. It also depletes nutrient reserves, especially vital nutrients and B vitamins.

9. Soy foods

Exercise caution with soy foods, as fresh soy – edamame and soy beans do contain phytates which can effect the thyroid hormones, and also contain phytoestrogens, which can effect an estrogenic effect on the body. Its also hard to digest.

 

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

What Is Natural Medicine – Naturopathy

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Natural medicine or naturopathic medicine or naturopathy is a distinct system of health care that encompasses various natural healing therapies to treat symptoms as well treat the root cause of the symptoms, and in doing so strengthening the overall body and immune function. Naturopathic medicine is an umbrella term that includes various other natural health modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine,  acupuncture, massage, nutrition and diet counselling,  botanical or herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, among others.

Naturopathic Doctors do place emphasis on getting to the root cause of the problem before treating it, as the only way to really resolve a symptom, is to first get to the cause and then treat it. Naturopathic medicine has been around for centuries, and been addressed as many things, however, it is what our forefathers used to heal their health before allopathic medicine came in.

I quite often get asked the following question: what is the difference between a naturopath and a homeopath or a nutritionist? So here is the answer:

Naturopathic medicine encompasses both homeopathy and nutrition, among other therapies, so when we as naturopaths treat clients, its a more holistic approach based on our length of study and experience. Naturopathic Doctors generally study for up to 8 years (with undergrad studies) and are exposed to various healing modalities in their training, including lots of training in laboratory diagnosis, pathology and pharmacology, along with an internship.

Natural medicine is much more gentle on the body – as it is focused to bringing back the optimum balance of the body, rather than just treating the symptoms, but remember, its important to get good quality help- when seeking out a natural medicine “healer”/ therapist  as opposed to seeing just anyone. Naturopathic Doctors are very well educated in using natural therapeutics for healing and hence are highly sought after.

Need more info?

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Natures Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Treating Puffy Eyes Naturally

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Everyone goes through their share of having puffy looking eyes once in a while, due to various reasons. Excessive drinking, excessive crying, PMS, staying awake till the wee hours of the morning, allergies, skin reactions to new products such as eyeliner or eye shadows, fatigue and not having enough sleep can all cause eye puffiness. Other health conditions such as high triglycerides and cholesterol, kidney and liver problems can cause eye puffiness too.

Here are a few suggestions to treat puffy eyes naturally

1. Place a cotton pad soaked in cold water or cold milk to calm down the puffiness for about 15 – 20 minutes of the day.

2. Soak black tea bags in warm water and once the water has cooled, squeeze out the excess water from the tea bag and place over the eyes. Black tea contains tannins, which are great for shrinking swollen tissues. Alternatively, you can also use eyebright tea bags. Eyebright is a herb that is great for the eyes, and works very well for pink eye and infections of the eyelids. Most health food stores carry eyebright tea bags.

3. Simple slices of cucumber cut up and place over the eyes can have a dramatic effect to bring down the puffy eyes naturally.

4. Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more.

5. Getting a good night’s sleep and getting lots of rest, is of course one the best ways to treat puffy eyes naturally.

6. If the eye puffiness is related to allergies or the use of new products, change back to the old product, assuming no allergic reaction was caused by it. Keep you diet simple and fresh for a few weeks, with some fresh dandelion and parsley, both of which work great to eliminate excess amounts from the body.

7. Acupuncture is great from reducing eye puffiness as well.

Need more information, come visit us at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

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

Preventing / Healing Anal Fissures And Tears Naturally

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Anal fissures and tears are frequent in individuals that suffer from constipation or have very hard pellet like stools or stools with harder edges which are forced through on straining. Usually what happens is the delicate mucosal layer inside the anal region tears up, which then streaks the stools with fresh blood, and quite often there is fresh blood in the toilet bowl. There is deep boring pain that follows for a few hours or days quite often, and often the fear of going to the bathroom for a bowel movement that follows and of course more blood with more stool. People then usually try all sorts of products that will help to heal the tear or the fissure, never thinking anymore about it until the next time this reoccurs.

Here a few natural / naturopathic things you can do to prevent, heal and protect yourself from going through this again.

1. IMPROVE YOUR DIET

THIS IS KEY! You may be eating healthy, which is great, but here are a few simple things that will help even more.

Fiber is key to adding bulk to stool especially if you tend to have dry pellet like stool. You can add a couple of tablespoons of bran every morning to your breakfast or have an extra piece of fruit or more leafy vegetables as a snack. Usually one should consume about 20 – 25 grams of fiber daily. Most of us get no where near close to that number, so here is a simple suggestion, read the ingredients and the nutrition label when you buy any products and try to purchase foods that have higher fiber amounts per serving. This will improve the bulk of the stool without you having to making much of an effort.

Water as well is key for well formed soft stools. Dry pellet like stools will often be harder to eliminate causing you to strain, which can then lead to tears. If you are constipated on a regular basis – and you tried to improve your fiber and water intake to improve the quality of your stools naturally, the issue could be related to other health issues. For more information on these issues, please check our Natural Treatments for Constipation.

2. DO NOT STRAIN

I know this is hard to do when you have to go but the stool does not pass with ease, STRAINING IS THE NUMBER CAUSE AS TO WHY YOU HAVE TEARS AND STRAINS.

So instead of straining, here a few simple suggestions that will help:

1. Moisten a towel with warm water and wipe the anal area with it lightly, this may stimulate movement of the stool and relax the muscles of the anal sphincter.

2. Do not go for bowel movement when you are in a rush. When you are stressed for time, you will rush every movement and the tendency to strain will be higher.

3. Massage / Rub the lower spine above the tail bone. This action will definitely help relax your bowels. A dab of Vaseline around the anal region might protect the area from tears that would form otherwise if you tried to push the stool out.

4. Have a warm glass of water with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil before breakfast. This will help move the bowels as well.

5. Try to give your self some extra time in the washroom when you are going in for a bowel movement. Just sitting on the toilet and going through steps 1 and 3 will help.

Still having trouble?  Come visit us at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

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

Healthy Resolutions For 2011

Healthy Me,

I would like to wish a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!

I hope your year is filled with health and healing, along with lots of happiness. For this year, I thought I would write a short list of naturopathic health resolutions that are easy to keep up with and forget after the first few weeks.

1. Get more free time for yourself

Yes, this is now in the resolution category because people these days have forgotten one important being – themselves, and the only way to get back to you is by getting more free time for you so that you can get back to things you once enjoyed doing by yourself, be it reading or writing, or taking a walk by yourself for 20 minutes to reconnect to your inner self away from the mental clutter around you.

2. Cultivate your mind

In the past few years Yoga, meditation and spirituality have all taken a new plight of their own, and unfortunately with all sorts of new age stuff coming up- which I find is more a hodgepodge of stuff as opposed to what the real stuff is. Cultivate your mind by taking an off beaten path or out of sort book and read it, learn more about anything and everything you ever wondered about, travel more if you can and do not be afraid to try something different – like talking to a stranger in the pizza shop you always see. You never know what you will learn or who will come across.

3. Organize

Sounds so simple but so hard to do for some people. For quite a few people who are always scrambling to do things, here is the simple resolution for you. Organize your time and you will learn how to organize your life. If you find it hard to do mentally, take about 15 minutes of your weekend and plan your week ahead of you. See how much of a difference it makes when you plan and prepare your week ahead. If you find that you are having extra time once you plan your week ahead, start planning your meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once you write it down, chances are you will stick to it and eat healthier and will feel better, naturally.

Have a great year – keep it healthy, and if you need any naturopathic advice, I am just around the corner.

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

Natural Treatments For Dry Skin

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As the weather gets colder, our naturopathic clinic generally tends to see an influx of clients suffering from dry skin or very dry skin, or eczema flare ups looking either red and angry or very dry. A lot of them say that its the winter weather that tends to make their skin dry and itchy, but here are a few things to consider before blaming the winter. As the weather gets colder, people generally tend to go out less frequently to exercise, among other things. We tend to stay in and bundle up with a warm drink in our hands, and for a lot of people that drink could be tea or coffee, both natural diuretics, leaching out what limited fluid intake we have, and suddenly the skin starts to look drier and the cells less plump. As well, as the weather gets colder, people’s fluid intake tends to decrease dramatically as well.

Remember, 70% of your body is made up of water and the less you replenish, the more you drain your cells of water of moisture and the more dehydrated the body gets. So a simple way to keep the skin from getting dehydrated and looking all wrinkly and dry, is to HYDRATE, HYDRATE and HYDRATE! Make sure you keep up with your water intake. Have warmer water or room temperature water instead of ice cold water, if its the temperature of the water that keeps your intake limited.

Another factor to consider is your intake of essential fatty acids – omega 3, 6 and 9. These are easily available from your diet if you eat fish – at least 2 times a week, have nuts and seeds on a regular basis and cook with olive or canola oil. Various fatty acid supplements are available in health food stores these days, my recommendation is to make sure – if its skin related – that you get enough omega 6 and omega 3. Fish oils are high in 2 ingredients – EPA and DHA. EPA is good for the eyes, heart and skin. DHA is great for memory and the brain.

EXTERNAL TREATMENTS

To soothe the itchy skin, you could use oatmeal that has been ground up in your bath. Oatmeal is very soothing for the skin and has healing properties. You can use creams that are unscented and those that lock in the moisture.

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

Natural Treatments For Acid Reflux

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Acid reflux or GERD is a common condition these days seen not only in older people, but young adults as well. People experience different symptoms but most experience a burning in the chest region, digestive upsets, a uneasy feeling on waking and an unsettling feeling in the stomach that gets worse with eating certain types of foods – ranging from salads to acidic foods such as alcohol and coffee.

While medications such as proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium and Prevacid help these problems, they do not heal the acid reflux. In order to heal GERD or acid reflux naturally, one must first find out what is causing it. When it comes to acid reflux or GERD / Gastroesophageal reflux disease, usually diet and stress are the causative factors, that tend to aggravate or worsen the symptoms. H. pylori, an ulcer causing bacteria should be ruled out as well using a H. pylori breath test first. Other issues such as hiatal hernia may worsen or create symptoms of acidity.

Here a few tips that may help treat your symptoms of acid reflux or GERD naturally

As a naturopathic doctor, when I treat GERD / ACID REFLUX symptoms in patients, I first try to identify what is causing it. As mentioned earlier, diet plays a huge role when it comes to excess acid creation in the stomach.

  • Having a bland diet and eating smaller meals through out the day seems to be very beneficial.
  • Avoidance of acidic foods such as coffee and citrus will help ease the burning sensation a little as well.
  • Eating frequently is helpful as it keeps the stomach somewhat filled with food, and the acid produced will not be spilled on the stomach lining.
  • Various natural therapies such as acupuncture and supplements may be very helpful for helping the body adapt to stress.

When dealing with acid reflux, its important to find out what is affecting it and what makes it worse, and then treating it accordingly.  More information on GERD/ ACID REFLUX.

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

Natural Pain Relief Treatments For Arthritis – Rheumatoid And Osteoarthritis

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As the weather changes, people suffering from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis tend to experience more pain and sometimes more swelling in their joints as well. The morning stiffness tends to get a little worse as well. Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are classified as “ Bi syndromes” and tend to be effected by weather elements – particularly cold and humid temperatures. Here are a few naturopathic treatments you can try at home for arthritis that might provide some relief to your joints and bones.

1. To do have a diet that is free of the night shade family vegetables – this includes egg plants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. These vegetables tend to worsen inflammation, particularly in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. A complete avoidance for a while would be ideal. Inflammation in the body can be measured by testing various indices such as CRP, ESR and CORTISOL through your naturopathic clinic.

2. Try to maintain a diet that is gluten free and dairy free. This may help in reducing the pain and inflammation in the joints. An overload of different foods in the body, particularly allergens such as wheat and dairy can exacerbate symptoms of arthritis. Inflammation could be effected by food allergies and intolerances you have but are not aware of. You can test these using food allergy/ intolerance blood tests.

3. Mild exercise and stretching in rooms that are a little warmer and more humid may provide relief as loosening up stiff joints. The warmth will loosen and relax muscles, which in turn will release some joint tension. One of the reason why people tend to wake up stiff is because of lack of proper circulation in the body, leaving hands and legs quite stiff on waking. Improving circulation is a great way to reduce stiffness and joint pain. Mobility is great for improving circulation as is massage and acupuncture.

4. Massaging joints with warming oils – such as mustard, castor oil, peanut (if tolerated), rosemary and thyme may also be beneficial in improving circulation and reducing pain related to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. If you are suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, talk to your naturopathic doctor and see what the best natural treatment option for you would be to be pain free.

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

Natural Treatments For Vitiligo

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Vitiligo is a skin condition that affects 1 – 2 % of the population world wide. Vitiligo is a condition where there is de- pigmentation of the skin due to an imbalance in the melanin production, which gives colour to the skin create lighter spots on the skin that become more apparent when you tan. Vitiligo can show up at any time, but more so under conditions of stress and poor diet.

Various naturopathic treatments are available for the treatment of vitiligo, and naturopaths treat vitiligo based on the various factors: diet and stress being primary. To date, no one is really sure as to why one gets vitiligo, but in our naturopathic clinic, as a naturopath, I have found that in order to treat vitiligo naturally, its necessary to first evaluate the general health status of the individual. The immune system plays a huge role when it comes of the treatment of vitiligo and it is necessary to rule out any auto immune conditions, as autoimmune triggers may in effect cause an “flare up” of vitiligo spots, where you see a whole lot of new spots appearing or the existing spots getting larger.

Vitiligo is part of a larger group of skin condition called leukoderma.  Stress is another factor that may worsen this condition. Naturopathic medicine uses various natural therapies such as acupuncture, natural supplements and diet to improve the body’s reaction to stress. An imbalanced diet can also create stress on the body, along with food allergies that can create an imbalance in the immune system due the an antigen – antibody complex overload.

Various skin creams are available that may or may not help with vitiligo, depending on the cause of the vitiligo. Quite often leukoderma is misdiagnosed as vitiligo. UV treatments have been shown to be somewhat helpful for treating this condition. Natural supplement therapy targeted to balance the immune system, rebalance the body and produce melanin is usually most effective when it comes to halting new spots from appearing.

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

Soy Controversy – Should I Or Should I Not Eat It?

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There has been a lot of controversy regarding soy foods and the whether we should use soy or not. Soy is a bean that has become more and more popular in the past decade as more and more people started to switch over from regular milk to an alternative and Soy was readily available. Now we have plenty of other choices such as goat milk, sheep milk, oat milk, hemp milk, almond milk, rice and brown rice milk.

The controversy with soy comes from the fact that it contains oxalates and phytoestrogens, which can effect the endocrine system – namely your thyroid hormones and female hormones and have been suggested to increase cancer risk. However, if you look at studies based on Asian diets, the prevalence of breast cancer is actually low in their women and part of their diet includes soy products. The difference comes from the fact that they consume fermented soy products such as tofu and miso as opposed to raw soy products. Fermented soy products in general are much better as the different acids – oxalic acid and phytic acid that the beans contain are broken down.

Soy also contains genistein and daidzein. These are isoflavones and have various health benefits especially when used correctly – for menopause. When menopause approaches, the dropping estrogen levels can cause symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and night sweats. Isoflavones can be beneficial to reduce these symptoms as they mimic estrogen on estrogen receptor sites in the body. Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor if you are suffering from peri-menopause or menopause symptoms and want to treat them naturally.

Soy is an allergen, and a lot of people are allergic to soy or soy products and can have symptoms ranging from mild stomach aches and diarrhea to an anaphylactic shock. Hence its important to be vigilant when using soy products.

As a naturopath, my recommendations is make sure you are okay to take it before trying it out. So should you take it? It does have various health benefits that cannot be ignored, so yes if you are okay with it.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Natures Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.