Lions, and Tigers, and … Ticks?
Lately, Lyme disease and other tick borne infections have been getting a lot of attention in the press. Tick populations and tick borne infections are on the rise, and while it used to be mainly a concern in the NE United States, ticks carrying harmful infections are now present on the West side of the…
Digest Your Best
Last week we talked about the importance of healthy bowel function, and how to set your system up for consistent, regular movements. How we set ourselves up at the other end of our digestive tract is equally important! Digestion is the gateway for our body’s fuel. If you aren’t digesting your food well, your body…
Constipation and Bowel Retraining
As most of you know, naturopathic doctors LOVE to talk to you about your poop almost as much as we love to talk about kale. We want to know all the details! Color, consistency, regularity… the reasons for this are many, but pooping plays an important role in your health. It helps with ridding the…
Tea: infusions and decoctions
Tea is a wonderful beverage, but did you know it can be medicine too? Whether you are drinking traditional teas made from Camellia sinensis, or enjoying an herbal tea, these beverages can improve your health, promote wellness, and help heal you when you’re sick. Teas made from Camellia sinensis, include green, black, white, and oolong…
Spring Nettles
Spring has sprung in the valley! Some people would argue that it has been spring for a few weeks, while others would say that it won’t start for a few more days, but for me it is officially spring when the first nettles raise their stalks from the leaf littered soil of the forest floor…
Sleep
In my blog post about anxiety, I promised I’d write a post about sleep. Today’s topic discusses 7 things you can do to create the optimum conditions for sleep. Sleeping well is one of the most important things you can do for your health! Your brain uses this time to do repairs and remove any…
Ten Tips To Kick The Winter Blahs
The gray clouds today inspired me to do a little write up for people who struggle with the seemingly endless gray of a Pacific Northwest winter. This blog post is a little longer than my usual blog posts, because there’s a lot of things that can help! 1. Wake up to light: you can use…
Anxiety
Today I’m writing about one of the most common things I see in my practice: feelings of anxiety. As a naturopathic physician, I am trained to help assess for physical causes of psychological stress, and often work in partnership with mental health professionals. In this blog post, I’ll explore what anxiety is, discuss underlying causes…
Hydration
Water does so many things in the body! Water promotes the proper elimination of toxins and prevents premature wrinkling and discoloration of skin. All the cartilage padding of your joints and spine rely on being hydrated to maintain their padding. When dehydration occurs, cartilage is weakened and joint repair slows. When the body is dehydrated,…
