Christmas is approaching quickly and there’s a lot of sugar around. If you are a chocolate lover like I am, let's not miss out on all the fun.
If you are managing your blood sugar like I am, it’s nice to know that 70% dark chocolate has a low glycaemic index of 22. I am sharing my favourite recipe ideas that I hope you find useful over the holidays…(click on image above to read full article).
Last year I did a deep study with Michal Yakir into the ancient plants in homeopathy, and now I cannot go on a walk in the forest without my gaze being drawn down...to the mosses, ferns, and lichen which fill our forests.
Home tincturing can be fun, simple and cost effective. We will use ginkgo as an example as ginko trees are easy to find and identify in Vancouver. In this blog article you will learn about the preparation of medicinal herbs, quality issues in herbal medicine, and how to tincture ginkgo biloba leaves for home use.
We are a diet crazy society at the moment. Are you Paleo? anti-inflammatory? carb free? fruitarian? vegetarian?
Confused? don’t know what to eat anymore?
The first mistake you might make is thinking that any one ‘diet’ will work for you. The diet that works for you has no name. It is a custom diet based on the individuality that is you. To think you are going to be able to pick up a book and follow the blueprint in the book probably won't work for the long run.
When you breathe in, you breathe in all the things that your body needs for life. You breathe in oxygen which perfuses your tissues and muscles and organs. When you breathe out, you breath out carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other gases which are toxic and would kill you if you didn't breathe them out. Through a process called photosynthesis, leaves pull in carbon dioxide and water and use the energy of the sun to convert this into chemical compounds such as sugars that feed trees. But as a by-product of that chemical reaction oxygen is produced and released trees.
How you breathe is literally how you do life…
The term ‘primary scenario’ is an Integrative Body Psythotherapy term. It is a way of exploring Intergenerational themes. You may have done this before working with different kinds of counsellors or personal work. You may have heard the word ‘family tree’ believe me, this not your average family tree.
Here are some great recipes you can do at home with a few plant medicines
Vapors for Steam Inhalation
Lavender essential oil Lavendula officinalis
Eucalyptus essential oil Eucalyptus globulus
Thyme essential oil Thymus vulgaris
Ah the joys of travel! Except of course when something unexpected happens, (and doesn’t it always?) and you are caught unawares in a foreign country. Having a small homeopathic kit nearby with you can save headaches and pain….
In these times of varying health reports in the media, it can be confusing. It is the position of this clinic that continued ongoing homeopathic and naturopathic care is your best 'defence' regarding acute colds and flus. If you are already coming in for homeopathic treatment, you are already doing your best for your health by strengthening your overall system in a holistic way.
Hiding under the covers is something that I regularly prescribe and encourage. It is a mental health day, a restoration day to be used in when feeling burned out, fighting a lot of colds, having a lot of headaches or feeling moderately depressed and don't know why. I am writing this blog before Christmas and it is my experience that the month of December is very stressful. Many people start to twitch in December.
When Doris Grumback was 70, she wrote Coming to the End Zone: A Memoir. The End Zone is that time of life when you must be conscious or you will miss the rest of your life. It could start at anytime, but by the time you are 60, you automatically begin to feel like an elder, at least older than most and more experienced than many.
Here are some random thoughts about the End Zone from Jack Rosenberg (Author of IBP: Body, Self and Soul)…
They say that that India is a mixture of the best and the worst. It is a sensory collision of colour, pollution, temples, poverty, spirituality, beaches, partying, chaos and people. Mumbai is the home to Bollywood and I discovered, quite expensive compared to the rest of the country. I was surprised to find that rents in Mumbai can easily compare to those in Toronto or Vancouver.
Usnea barbarata (Old Man's Beard) is a type of lichen that grows on trees. Though lichens appear to be single plants, they are really a combination of fungus and algae that grow together for their mutual benefit. Usnea is an immune system tonic that can be used in acute situation as well as for long term immune enhancement and general prevention. Be sure to remember this humble but powerful plant when cold and flu season comes around this year, or any other time your immune system needs an extra boost. It has no side effects and is safe for children.
Usnea is one of the most powerful herbs we have for it's antibiotic, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.
Routine blood work and a physical exam should be done annually for both men and women. These tests can help your doctor look for things like hypertension, anemia, infections, cholesterol levels, liver and kidney function, blood sugar levels and thyroid function. We recommend you specifically ask for cholesterol levels, TSH (thyroid), ferritin and liver enzymes if they have not previously been done.
October 24, 2016. I am on the train on the way to Paris having just spent a very pleasant and educational afternoon at the Institute for the History of Medicine of the Robert Bosch Foundation in Stuttgart, Germany (www.igm-bosch.de).
Health Canada is purporting that low risk natural health products need to be regulated at the same standard and with the same enforcement tools and rigor as pharmaceuticals and biologics. This bill, once fully implemented, will lead to a tremendous price hike in natural products as well as the closing of the smaller and local manufacturers of these products, as well as companies pulling out of Canada (which has already begun). This will leave us with far fewer products available on the market.
Once fully implemented. this stands to have a significant impact on your access to natural health products as well as the practitioners you have come to depend on.
Bill C-47 has passed as law already. The regulations at this point have not been finalized. We have a little time to push back.