Time –

How long does your doctor spend with you?

Time does not equal quality, but do you feel heard? Are they listening?

Options –

Does your doctor have a one-solution approach?

Is it always a prescription or a surgery option?

Integration –

When you have multiple specialists, who wraps it together?

Who explains the big picture of your treatment options and alternatives?

Who is your advocate in the health industry?

Who practices this kind of medicine?

It’s rare these days to find the kind of personal care you’re seeking, someone who will be there year in and year out for all your health care needs. A doctor who really listens and doesn’t think you’re making it up, or tells you, “There’s nothing wrong with you.” or “I’m sorry there’s nothing more I can do.”

Natuopathic physicians listen, they are educated in so many modalities of treatment, that if they can’t do it, they know who can. They can integrate all your healthcare needs and help you see the big picture. Naturopathic physicians help you by empowering you to take charge of your health, educating you on the nature of your imbalanced states and how to find Optimal Health again!

• · Common colds · chronic disease · digestive issues · physical medicine · women’s health · infants and children · detoxification · hormonal imbalances · blood testing·

*Able to prescribe medication and refer out for imaging and specialty testing*

Our world is becoming more toxic everyday. With the advent of pesticides, petroleum products, heavy metals and chemicals we are exposed to toxins our bodies can’t easily metabolize or excrete. Instead our bodies store those into our fat cells for protection. As a result more people are becoming increasingly sick from exposure. Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), cancers, autoimmune disease, and things as common as seasonal or animal allergies are all secondary to our under responsive overloaded bodies. Our bodies neurological, immune and endocrine function are what is primarily affected.

The ability to detoxify our bodies is increasingly becoming a critical part of maintaining our health in this world, and no surprise it takes a bit of work from you to keep your body’s channels clear. If our detoxification pathways are overloaded, then toxic metabolites accumulate, causing us to have increased sensitivity to our environment and poorer functioning of our body systems. The liver, kidneys, colon, lungs and skin are our organs of elimination. These are what we nurture when we do a detox program.

The Program

The goal of a detox is to optimize the excretion pathways while minimizing new exposures and ingestion of toxins. You can’t control the air you breathe, but you can control the food you eat and improve the way you eliminate! This gives your body the best chance in this short period of time to eliminate as many toxins stored as possible!

The basics:

• Food – to minimize toxins in and maximize toxins out
• Exercise – to promote lung function
• Sweating – to promote skin function
• Herbs – to promote liver function
• Fiber – to promote colon function
• Water – to promote kidney function

How do you know this is right for you?

A detox program can benefit anyone living in this toxic world.  A yearly detoxification protocol is beneficial for anyone, and something I recommend for many of my ailing patients.

A few indications for detoxification are:

• allergies
• arthritis
• fibromyalgia
• headaches
• fatigue
• autoimmune diseases
• chronic conditions (sinus, skin, yeast infections)
• constipation
• obesity
• depression/anxiety

Heavy Metal Testing is also available for those who think they have had exposure in their past or recent past. Additional chelation protocols can be added to the detox to help bind and eliminate new and newly mobilized heavy metals in the body.

Pollen in Seattle ranges from the first fruit trees blossoms to the June grass explosion. The pollen index in Seattle was significantly higher in March 2010 than in March 2009.

Many of you have turned to Claritin, Benadryl, Sudafed to counter the constant onslaught of symptoms. These over-the-counter remedies have lots of side-effects, drowsiness being one of the most apparent.

What if you could address the cause of your allergies? What if I told you everyone’s body has their tipping point, and past that point we suffer from these uncomfortable symptoms?

I’d like to suggest natural treatments for allergies and for those who are suffering the side effects of over the counter or prescription medications. Herbal supplementation is great for symptom control and a spring detox will bring down your total load so you are less symptomatic from the get go!

A spring detox is just the way to clear your system so you’re less reactive to the yearly pollens. To read more about this click here.

Beets are great liver food. Beets and beet greens contain betaine, a liver detoxifier and bile thinner. This is a great recipe to cook while you’re doing a liver cleanse! If you’re interested in cleansing, I have a great program involving herbs as well as dietary options for a nice 3 week cleanse.

The Recipe:

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 medium beets (2 pounds without greens), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red apple such as Gala or Braeburn, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Cook the onion in oil in a 5-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add beets and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

Add broth then simmer, uncovered, until beets are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in vinegar.

Purée soup in a blender until very smooth, (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to pan, then season with salt and pepper and reheat. If soup is too thick, add enough water to thin to desired consistency.

Food is taken from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube made of muscle and tissue that expand and contract to move food to the stomach. Between the stomach and esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES expands to allow food into the stomach, and then contracts to prevent acid from re-entering the esophagus. Normal reflux becomes GERD when it causes bothersome symptoms. This can vary from person to person; there is no definitive test to identify if you have GERD. You need to seek help immediately if any of the following symptoms manifest: difficulty swallowing, food feels ’stuck’, unexplained weight loss, chest pain, choking or spitting up bloodc.

Treatment for GERD can widely vary depending on reported symptoms. Often times medication is recommended without a thorough evaluation of lifestyle or diet. A common medication prescribed is a class of drugs called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), a common over-the-counter PPI is Prilosec or generically named omeprazole. The long term effects of Prilosec are not ideal. There is a higher incidence rate of certain stomach cancers, and it can also lead to risk of atrophy of the stomach lining because of the long-term suppression of acid secretion by stomach cells. A PPI may provide short term benefits, but ultimately it is masking the pain, rather than treating the problem.

Lifestyle Changes for Dealing with GERD

• Weight loss — For those that are overweight the number one factor increasing your likelihood of experiencing GERD is the extra weight you are carrying. Weight loss will also reduce your chances of heart diseases and diabetes.
• Quit Smoking — The LES is affected by the stimulant in cigarettes, nicotine.
• Reduce Caffeine — Stimulants in general reduce the pressure in the LES increasing GERD symptoms.
• Avoid large and late meals — Lying down with a full stomach may increase your chance of symptoms. Smaller meals keep the stomach from becoming engorged.
• Raise the head of your bed 8 inches, using pillows or props.
• Chew gum — Chewing gum can increase saliva production which can help clear stomach acid in the esophagus.

There are lots of treatments to soothe the symptoms of GERD while healing the tissues. This is an area to be addressed with your Naturopathic Physician, who can help wean you off of PPI or other prescription drugs.

The body’s craniosacral system is comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. By delicately manipulating the bones of the face, head, vertebra and membranes beneath the skull, cerebrospinal fluid is allowed to move more freely. This allows for the body’s energy fields to be rebalanced.

A typical CST session runs about one hour. Clients are fully clothed, and laying down on a massage table. The therapist lightly places hands on the clients body ‘with thinking fingers’. Clients often report a deep sense of relaxation during this therapy.

For more information call to schedule an appointment, visit the wikipedia entry, or check out this great video below.

Most of us think of Castor Oil as the horrible liquid our parents made us take for the lovely laxative quality it possesses. Many are surprised to learn of the variety of uses cold pressed castor bean oil has for your health. Castor oil gained popularity as a topical healing agent in the mid-1900s, applied with a wool cloth and a heat source directly to the skin. In Naturopathic Medicine, castor oil packs are a commonly prescribed home remedy for ailments involving scar tissue, liver stagnation and joint pain or inflammation. In this modern age a flannel cloth and a heating pad or hot water bottle is all you need. As a strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic, this is a satisfying (and warm) treatment option.

Indications for Castor Oil :

• Liver Cleansing
• Skin inflammation, pain and/or infection (if closed)
• Breast Infection and/or plugged milk duct
• Peptic Ulcers
• Colitis
• Prostate or uterine problems
• Arthritis
• Chest colds
• Anti-inflammatory and analgesic

How To:

• Fold 1 to 2 inch thickness of flannel cloth about 10″ x 12″ for abdominal applications.
• Dampen the cloth and pour castor oil onto the cloth.
• Place over treatment area and place plastic wrap over the castor oil pack to prevent soiling your clothes or sheets.
• Place heating pad or hot water bottle on top.
• Pack may remain in place 1 – 8 hours.  Minimal treatment time is 1 hour.

Post Treatment Cleaning: If you choose, you may clean off castor oil with soda water prepared by adding one teaspoon baking soda to one pint of cool water. Dip a cloth into soda water and rub skin briskly until thoroughly cleansed. Castor oil pack may be kept up to one year in a plastic container or zip lock bag

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided     

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of water in a bowl, then drain well in a fine-mesh sieve. Stir quinoa into boiling water and return to a boil, then simmer, covered, until quinoa is dry and water is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then stir in egg.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and lightly brush with oil. Lightly oil a 1-cup dry-ingredient measure. Pack enough quinoa into measure with a rubber spatula to fill it two-thirds full. (If spatula becomes sticky, dip in water.) Unmold onto baking sheet and gently pat quinoa into a 4-inch-wide patty with spatula. Make 3 more quinoa cakes, brushing measure with oil each time. Chill cakes, uncovered, at least 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Carefully add quinoa cakes and cook, turning once carefully and adding remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes total (pat cakes to reshape with cleaned rubber spatula while cooking if necessary). Transfer to plates.

Prevention is the best medicine. Exercise boosts your immune cell activity so stay active this winter. Wash your hands. Drink plenty of clean water all day long. Vegetables and fruits are full of all the antioxidants and vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally. This winter is the opportunity to add in an extra fruit or vegetable a day to one of your meals. If you make one veggie at dinner, try making two. If you don’t eat fruit at breakfast, add your favorite one in. Satsuma oranges are in season only in the winter and are great sources of Vitamin C.

The basics need emphasis when you’re feeling sick. We all know this, but let’s just say it again. When you’re feeling sick, it’s not time to go out to that Christmas party and drink three glasses of hot buttered rum and two helpings of dessert. It’s time to lay low, sleep extra hours, stay hydrated and stay away from your vices. Sugar, alcohol and foods you may think you’re sensitive to are only going to suppress your immune function when you need it most. So what do you do when you feel that shift in your body that tells you you’re getting sick? A quick trick is to artificially raise your core body temperature for 20 minutes. You probably learned to suppress your fevers, but what I’m telling you is to actually create a little fever, either by sitting in a sauna or steam room, or by taking a hot bath. Add some Epsom salts in that case (sold at most drug stores) and soak in as hot of water as you can stand for 20 minutes. Don’t stop there! Bundle up warmly and stay hot! Your immune cells actually work faster in a slightly higher temperature while putting the virus or bacteria at a disadvantage!

For you special cases, the stressed moms and workers who struggle just to get breakfast let alone enough sleep, there’s hope even for you! The approach for your immune health is through your adrenal glands. They help you cope in times of high stress, and during this winter season they need specific attention. Through the wonderful remedy of herbal medicine, we have all sorts of combinations to meet your needs.