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Read Dr. Nicola’s Naturopathic Blog
The following articles were written by Dr. Nicola McFadzean. Please click the titles to read the articles in their entirety.
Naturopathic Approaches to Lyme Disease Treatment
Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that utilizes natural therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy, along with diet and lifestyle changes. The philosophy underlying naturopathic medicine is to treat the underlying cause of disease, to treat the person holistically, and to start treatment using least invasive therapies first, working up the therapeutic order as necessary.
Lyme Disease: a cause of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and arthritis
Lyme disease was once thought of as an obscure disease that only affected people living in the northeast. Increasingly, however, Lyme disease is showing itself to be more prevalent than ever, and more widespread throughout the country, and indeed the world.
The Three Pillars of Health and Disease
In today’s medical environment, it is increasingly difficult to wade through the myriad of information available and decipher exactly what is involved in achieving optimal health. Most Americans have some health problems, many of which are medicated, but not actually treated at the root cause level. In other words, the symptoms are being treated, but not the underlying cause of disease.
The Importance of Adrenal Health in Athletic Performance
As athletes, we often subject our bodies to far greater levels of stress than the average person in pursuit of our goals. While in some ways this may be a necessary part of our training regimens, it can have far-reaching ramifications on many aspects of our health.
Naturopathic Medicine for Eating and Dieting Disorders
Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry. Many different diets exist and a plethora of supplements are sold. Yet the majority of people who lose weight on a diet will gain it back in a relatively short amount of time, plus interest. This is great for the industry, as there is always a new miracle product or diet plan that can offer the next “solution.” But it has left many people disillusioned, frustrated and even more overweight than when they started.
Bioidential Hormone Replacement
Millions of women today experience some kind of health issue relating to their hormones, ranging from premenstrual moodiness or sugar cravings, to severe hot flashes and sleep problems during menopause. Infertility and miscarriages are becoming more and more common. And while more and more women are searching for solutions, frequently the only solution offered to them by their doctors is to put artificial hormones into their body to relieve their symptoms. Hence the millions of prescriptions for synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and the oral contraceptive pill (OCP).
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a condition that presents a wide array of symptoms and associated illnesses. Tiredness is the most recognized but certainly not the only symptom. CFS has been defined as “a virally induced, cytokine-mediated psychoneuroimmunologic disorder that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals.”(1) This definition reflects one certain aspect of CFS – it does not have one clear cause, nor one clear pattern of manifestations or one simple treatment regime.
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is the virus responsible for causing infectious mononucleosis (“mono”), otherwise known as glandular fever. The virus is widespread globally, with 75% of U.K. adults infected. 50% of infections in adolescents and young adults may be due to EBV.
Detoxification and Your Health
Our body, although perfect in design, was never designed for what it is subjected to today. We live in a polluted environment – our food, drink and even the air we breathe are all contaminated with chemicals. In fact, according to Environmental News Network, 2000, U.S. industry releases about 24 billion pounds of toxic substances annually.
Nutrition for Digestive Health
Candida overgrowth is getting to be a more and more prolific problem. Our diets are getting higher and higher in sugar – I am staggered how many people I see ordering a Venti, Caramel Frappuccino as their regular daily drink at Starbucks!! Even a soy chai latte (seemingly “healthy” right?!) contains a whopping 48 grams of sugar for a grande size at Starbucks.
Disordered eating: is it all in the mind?
Whether you are a self-confessed compulsive eater, or have been diagnosed with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, getting your eating habits back in balance and your body functioning optimally again is no easy task. Certainly, any type of disordered eating pattern usually has a psychological component that must be addressed. But there is also a strong physiological component that is overlooked in many medical circles.
Could the Foods You Eat Be Making You Sick?
If you suffer from fatigue, malaise, headaches, difficulty losing weight, insatiable food cravings, food addictions, trouble concentrating, or simply that run-over-by-a-truck feeling that you just can’t shake, you may have food sensitivities that you are not aware of.
Naturopathic Medicine and the Treatment of Infertility
Infertility can be defined as the inability to conceive and produce viable offspring i. A diagnosis of infertility is usually only made after one year of engaging in sexual relations without contraception. Where once it was thought of that infertility was predominantly due to the female, studies now show that approximately 30% of cases are due to female factors, 30% due to male factors, 20% to combined, and 20% to unknown causes ii.
The “mid-life crisis” that affects men in their 40’s and 50’s has never been well understood in medical terms. We now know that men go through hormonal changes in their middle years, just like women do. It’s been termed “andropause”, and it can be just as debilitating and emotionally challenging as menopause can be for women.
The Role of Nutrition in Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological syndrome which is characterized by distractibility, impulsivity and restlessness. Theories vary as to whether it has a hereditary basis, if it is a psychological disorder caused by parenting styles or environmental factors, or whether it is caused by societal factors such as teaching styles in schools and the impact of television. The role of nutrition in ADHD has been examined and debated.
Oxalates and Their Role in Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)
Oxalates are non-toxic organic compounds naturally occurring in certain foods, mainly vegetables and fruits. An accumulation of oxalic acid crystals in the muscle and connective tissue cells may be the cause of the muscle aches and pain associated with FMS.
Keeping the Drive Alive: Maintaining a Healthy Sex Life at Any Age
Human sexuality is a topic that gets ignored, misrepresented and generally swept under the rug. Our sexuality is a big part of who we are, but as men and women age, physiological changes occur that can alter the way we feel about and respond to sex, both physically and emotionally.
The Spiritual Quest for Thinness
Back in the 18th Century, ascetics fasted, starved themselves and wasted away to anorectic proportions in pursuit of spiritual purity. The belief stood that thinness was equivocal with purity, goodness and moral transcendence. Fasting would cleanse a woman of her sins and make her feel ‘pure’. Food was seen as a poison, a source of contamination that would rid a person of their spirituality. These people were known as Holy Anorectics.
Glutathione is a substance that is naturally found in the body, and acts as one of our key antioxidants. An antioxidant is a substance that scavenges free radicals (molecules that are responsible for accelerated cellular damage and aging) keeping us young, healthy and functioning at high levels.
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