What is Naturopathic Medicine Conditions Treated Therapies Available Meet the Doctors and Therapists Frequently Asked Questions Booking Your Appointment Newsletters and Articles Links Contact Information Home Page |
Feature Article:
10 steps to healthy digestion Digestive health is an extremely important component of overall health and wellbeing. Your digestive system has the tremendous task of breaking down your food into nutrients that are essential for life. The following 10 elements are the basics in terms of ensuring proper digestion. 1. Regularity: Having a minimum of one easy, complete bowel movement per day is essential for digestive health. Waste that isn't eliminated regularly contributes to the absorption of toxins into the body. The following 9 items help to promote regular bowel movements. 2. Sufficient Hydration: Drinking plenty of fluid, ideally water, is important to promote healthy, regular bowel movements. Water should be consumed primarily AWAY from meals. Drinking more than a few sips of fluid with your food can dilute your digestive enzymes making it harder for your body to break down the food. 2 litres of water per day is a good goal although the exact requirement varies depending on an individuals size, activity level and environment. 3. Chew, chew, chew: Mastication (chewing) is the first step in the digestive process. It is a lot easer for your teeth to do a lot of this initial digestive work rather than relying on your stomach acid and digestive enzymes to break down large particles of food. 4. Probiotics: Healthy bacteria such as acidophilus are a normal inhabitant in your digestive tract. These bacteria have many important roles including protecting the lining of the digestive tract, controlling both constipation and diarrhea, and producing vitamins. Taking probiotics in supplement form is an important part of the treatment for many types of digestive disorders. Probiotics should also be taken preventatively after taking a course of antibiotics. 5. Rest and Digest: There are two opposite states for your nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, this is referred to as the "fight or flight" state. This occurs when you are stressed, busy or active. When the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant this is called the "rest and digest" state. Your digestion works best when you are relaxed or in the parasympathetic state. Eating when you are stressed, busy and on the go (or in the sympathetic state) is not conducive to healthy digestion. For best digestion relax when you are eating, sit down, and focus on your food (chew, chew, chew) and not on the television or newspaper. 6. Fibre: Most adults need a minimum of 25-35 grams of fibre per day for healthy digestion and regular elimination. Increase your fibre consumption gradually to prevent bloating. Choose whole grains like brown rice instead of flour products. Whole fruits or vegetables with every meal is also necessary. 7. Eliminate specific foods: Refined foods such as white sugar and flour or junk foods, such as fried foods, often cause digestive upset. Specific foods such as wheat or dairy may cause digestive problems in certain individuals. A Naturopathic Doctor can assist you in identifying your problem foods. 8. Enzymes: Digestive enzyme or hydrochloric acid supplementation can help with gas, bloating, burping or maldigestion. There are many different options in terms of supplementation. The correct digestive supplement can cause a dramatic improvement of symptoms. 9. Exercise:Regular exercise is often helpful for the prevention of constipation. A daily walk is sometimes all that's needed to notice improvements in bowel function. 10. Cleanse: We generally recommend a cleanse or detoxification program one to two times per year. A properly designed cleanse will decrease the toxic burden on your body while simultaneously rid your body of excess toxic build up. The information listed above is intended to provide examples of the suggestions a Naturopathic Doctor may provide. We always recommend making an appointment with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor so that a program can be designed to meet your specific needs. Clinic News: Dr. Tocher has returned from Maternity Leave Dr. Rebecca Tocher is back in the clinic on Mondays, 9am-6pm and Thursdays, 2pm-7pm. She looks forward to seeing returning and new patients! Intravenous Therapy now available The clinic's new IV suite is now in full operation. Intravenous therapy is important as a supportive therapy and for the treatment of many chronic health problems including, but not limited to chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, crohn's and ulcerative colitis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Short term illnesses such as infections can also greatly benefit from specific injections. Dr. Richmond is certified in IV therapy and chelation therapy. We are very pleased to have Claire Chauvet, RN working in our IV suite. Extended Hours The clinic is now open the following hours: Monday: 9 am - 6 pm Tuesday: 10 am - 7 pm Wednesday: 9 am - 6 pm Thursday: 10 am - 7 pm Friday: 9 am - 5 pm (Closed 1-2 pm for lunch, Monday to Friday) Saturdays: 1-2 per month. Please phone for specific dates and times. Holiday Hours The clinic will be closed Thursday December 21st and reopening on Tuesday January 2. In the News: Melatonin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome 40 patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and disturbed sleep were given either 3 mg melatonin or placebo at bedtime for 2 weeks. Compared to the placebo, the melatonin significantly decreased the abdominal pain and increased the patients tolerance to rectal pain. Melatonin did not affect bloating, stool type, stool frequency, anxiety, depression or sleep patterns. Melatonin is a hormone which is synthesized by the pineal gland and also in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the GI tract melatonin regulated motility and sensation. Our comment: Based on this study melatonin may be an effective supplement for certain patients with abdominal and rectal pain which has no identifiable cause other than IBS. This supplement would likely work best in combination with an IBS treatment program which would include many of the items mentioned in this months feature article. Song GH, et al. Melatonin improves abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome patients who have sleep disturbances: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Gut. 2005:54:1402-1407. Acupuncture Relieves Pain in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip In a randomized controlled trial involving 3,633 subjects with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, treatment with acupuncture was found to significantly reduce osteoarthritis severity and improve quality of life. 357 patients were randomized to receive acupuncture (15 treatments over 3 months), 355 patients were randomized to a control group (no acupuncture), and 2,921 patients who did not consent to randomization received acupuncture. Severity of osteoarthritis and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Results found that subjects who received acupuncture experienced significant improvements in severity of osteoarthritis and improvements were sustained through 6 months. The results of this study suggest acupuncture may be a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Our comment: In our clinic, we perform acupuncture as an effective treatment for many types of pain. This recent study demonstrated that acupuncture is particularly effective for pain due to osteoarthritis. Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip: A randomized, controlled trial with an additional non randomized arm," Witt CM, Jena S, et al, Arthritis Rheum, 2006; 54(11): 3485-3493. Recipe of the Month: Tofu Veggie Kabobs 1 cup vegetable stock 2 cups firm tofu, cut into cubes 1/8 cup Braggs liquid aminos 2 onions, cut into quarters 1 tbsp olive oil 1 red pepper cut into bite-sized pieces 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 green pepper cut into bite-sized pieces 1 tsp dried basil 10 large mushrooms, cut in half 1 tsp dried oregano 15 cherry tomatoes 1 tsp all purpose seasoning (Spike) 1 medium zucchini cut into bite-sized pieces Preheat oven to 350 F or prepare the BBQ. In a large bowl, stir together the stock, Braggs, oil, vinegar, basil, oregano and seasoning. Add tofu and veggies to the bowl and toss. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Spear the tofu and veggies on wooden skewers and place on a baking sheet or on the BBQ. Turn kebabs occasionally and brush with remaining sauce. Cook until slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice or quinoa. |