** These guidelines have been updated: Lyme Disease Prevention Guidelines 2019.

Prevention and quick diagnosis are critical! Here are some things to keep in mind this summer:

Please view our entire April e-newsletter, here.

~ Dr. Sonya Nobbe, ND

Environmental contaminants are a significant contributing factor to chronic disease and pain. Science repeatedly links toxins to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, infertility, and cancer. Recent research also clearly links some environmental contaminants with obesity and difficulty losing weight. Though we may regularly choose to reduce our chemical exposure by eating organic food and using safer household cleaners, exposure in today’s world is unavoidable and it’s up to our bodies to successfully detoxify and eliminate these common chemicals. Is your body doing this as efficiently as possible?

Our body is in a constant state of detoxifying and eliminating the wastes it generates through normal metabolic processes. This is a highly evolved and complicated series of chemical reactions that require participation by nearly all body organs. These chemical reactions rely extensively on numerous vitamins and minerals called “cofactors”, such as magnesium, pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (active vitamin B6), and 5MTHF (active folate). When we’re deficient in a cofactor we risk slowing down detoxification pathways, including pathways that are critical for survival. This state has been implicated in many well researched theories of chronic disease, in which the body steals essential nutrients from less vital body processes in order to survive. The consequences of the body’s wise compensation are what we call “symptoms” of various illnesses, including possibly of diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, eczema, and asthma.

Mindfulness
Jocelyne Leyton, DOMP

My husband was going away for a few weeks hiking and I found myself saying to a few close friends ‘this is a great opportunity for me to deepen my Mindfulness Practice’. Well, it is four weeks later. Although I started out with resolve and awareness to be more present moment to moment I eventually, once again, got caught up in the speed of the demands of life I deemed important.

My attention to future and past details began, as usual, to take over my life. I was rushing my morning shower to get to the boat (we live on an island). I was driving faster to work to get there earlier. I was doing the dishes without presence absorbed with the next future activity. Does this sound familiar? Meanwhile, life is happening in the moment.

Please click here to see our full online version of our February e-newsletter.

~ Dr. Christina Vlahopoulos, ND

Many of you may be familiar with the sleepy feeling associated with a large turkey dinner or the sugar rush that comes after a sweet treat. But what about children who have a complete melt down after lunch or who are unable to sit at their desk at school while trying to learn? Various learning challenges seen in children are a growing concern for parents and educators. The increased demands on educators make it more problematic to provide children the attention they need to excel scholastically. That may be one piece of the puzzle.

Please click here to see our full online January e-newsletter.

~ Dr. Sonya Nobbe, ND

Many of us believe that if we could just lose a few pounds, we’d be healthy. In fact, our body must be healthy before we can achieve long-lasting weight loss.

Studies suggest that starting a diet is one of the best predictors of weight gain. If you’ve been on at least 3 diets in your lifetime, you may know this fact too well. Many weight loss programs focus on reducing calorie intake and increasing calorie expenditure. In real life the math isn’t that simple, and I hear too often of people severely restricting their food intake, increasing their exercise routine, and not losing an inch.

The solution lies in understanding your body’s unique metabolic balance. For example, a sluggish thyroid gland can generate a slow metabolism and this condition may not be obvious through conventional blood testing. Current laboratory

Please click here to see our full online January e-newsletter.

~ Dr. Sonya Nobbe, ND

Even if you’re fortunate enough to answer “no” to this question, the illness is so prevalent, it’s likely that someone you know struggles with depression. Unfortunately, of the nearly 1 in 20 Canadians treating their condition with pharmaceuticals, fewer than 50% will experience complete relief from their symptoms and at least as many will experience drug complications or side-effects, ranging from increased risk of suicide in adolescents to bone fractures in the elderly. Science’s limited understanding of depression offers solutions for only a minority of people afflicted, leaving many more searching for additional healthcare options.

Your brain is responsible for up to 25% of the metabolism in your entire body. These metabolic processes require hundreds of nutrients, including proteins and B-vitamins for brain chemicals that create mood, and omega-3 fats that generate healthy brain cells. Vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc are also critical for healthy brain function. A struggling brain works much more efficiently if given the correct nourishment.

Did you know that the digestive tract makes approximately 95% of all the serotonin in your body?

For the full online version of our December newsletter, please click here.

The following three articles on adverse drug reactions and bone health are intended to support informed choice only. Always speak to a health professional before changing how you use your medications.

Warning for use of Actonel and other Bisphosphonate drugs

Fosamax, Didrocal, and Actonel, part of the drug class known as bisphosphonates, are well known for their ability to improve bone density in individuals with osteoporosis. These drugs cleverly slow down the cells that break down bone, called osteoclasts. Research indicates that extended use of these drugs can actually lead to an increase in certain types of rare leg fractures caused by simple activities like walking.