Topic: Naturopathic Medicine

When and How to Detox Your Liver for Weight Loss and Better Health

When and How to Detox Your Liver for Weight Loss and Better Health

Is it really necessary to detox? In a word: Yes. Why? Well, more than 80,000 industrial chemicals have been developed over the last 75 years, including heavy metals, solvents, phthalates, polychlorinated bisphenols, and organophosphates. I find this number mind-blowing. Surely the knowledge of this statistic makes the gentle support of our kidneys, liver, and digestive system – the three main organs that support the removal of these harmful compounds from the body – a very good idea.

Our thyroid gland, the master of our metabolism, is particularly sensitive to these chemicals and others including chlorine, fluoride, mercury, and pesticides. These types of chemicals have also been shown to disrupt communication between the hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid – the pathway that closely controls our metabolic rate. In fact, researchers have looked at the effects of synthetic chemicals such as DDT, phenol derivatives, phthlates, polyhalogenated hydrocarbons, amitrole, and thiocarbamates on the thyroid, and have noticed mild thyroid suppression. More »

6 Health Reasons to Have More Sex (And Not Use Condoms)

6 Health Reasons to Have More Sex (And Not Use Condoms)

I ask two vital questions of each patient who comes to my office: 1. How’s your energy? and 2. How’s your sex drive? No doubt, a change in either of these factors is a very good indication that something’s out of balance with your health. Unfortunately, a lot of us are out of balance. According to an extensive study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, about 43% of women and about 30% of men experience symptoms of sexual dysfunction including lack of desire, arousal issues, inability to orgasm or ejaculate, premature ejaculation, painful intercourse, lack of enjoyment, erectile dysfunction, and performance anxiety.

If you think sex has fallen away simply because you’re getting older, aren’t in a relationship, or haven’t done it in a long time, think again. Pleasurable sex is something that every adult should enjoy for a lifetime – with or without a partner. And remember, sex doesn’t just mean intercourse alone. Masturbation (on your own or with a partner) and other forms of sexual play that get your hormones revving are definitely recommended. If you’re currently having great sex, keep at it, because it’s good for you. More »

Ditch the Diet: 3 Hormones That Make Us Fat – And How to Turn Them Into Lasting Weight Loss

Ditch the Diet: 3 Hormones That Make Us Fat â And How to Turn Them Into Lasting Weight Loss

Our hormones control almost every aspect of our daily lives, from our reproductive functions and our appearance to our sleep, and even the way we store and burn fat. No matter how a hormonal imbalance manifests itself on the outside, the internal reality remains the same – any and all hormonal imbalances lead to difficulty losing weight and an increased risk of obesity. Unfortunately, the most common imbalances cannot be solved by dieting alone. In fact, they can prevent successful fat loss, even when great diet and exercise plans are in place.

Most of us experience the very subtle symptoms of a hormonal imbalance every day. These are things like feeling tired after eating, having difficulty falling asleep, or waking up each night between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Or maybe you notice that you don’t wake up as fresh and bright as you used to, or you’re having food cravings every day at 3 p.m. Another sign of a hormonal imbalance is that you’ve walked into a room and can’t remember what you’re there for, or you can’t recall someone’s name as quickly as you used to. (Worried yet?) Changes in libido, mood, memory, focus, food cravings, sleep habits: All of these are signs of a hormonal imbalance – and the ones I most commonly see in my practice. More »

Red Wine, Garlic, Chamomile Tea and 7 Other Allergy Home Remedies

Red Wine, Garlic, Chamomile Tea and 7 Other Allergy Home Remedies

Bad news, allergy sufferers — your torture time is about to be seem even more interminable, and climate change is to blame. “A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows a link between warming temperatures and a longer ragweed pollen season,” according to TIME. As if there weren’t already enough reasons to be bummed out about global warming.

But before you start building yourself a hermetically-sealed bubble to keep out that nasty pollen, try one of these ten allergy home remedies that are all available over the counter, if not in your very own kitchen. (As always, consult with a health care practitioner before embarking on any new herbal regimen.) Sure, seeing a doc may defeat the purpose of exploring at-home allergy remedies, but you could be thankful when your face doesn’t swell to the size of a Mardi Gras mask due to a medicinal interaction. More »

Multivitamin Scams: Do Your Research

Multivitamin Scams: Do Your Research

There’s this disturbing story about a woman who took her multivitamin and it came out the other end looking exactly as it did when it was in the bottle. (No, this not a personal story about me wrapped up in a fake urban legend.)

However, I admit that for years, whenever I stopped in a GNC or took a stroll down vitamin row at my local drugstore, I’d become so paralyzed with confusion and anxiety, I worried that I might be using up vital nutrients.

I’d stare at the calcium chews and think: “there’s osteoarthritis in my family.” During flu season I wondered if I should geek myself up with vitamin C and zinc. I invested hope in the purported wonders of B-12 when I felt run down and lethargic.

Then I’d usually leave the pharmacy empty-handed. Well, except for that candy bar and can of Coke Zero. More »

10 Facts About Acupuncture and Your Health

10 Facts About Acupuncture and Your Health

I’ve had such positive health experiences with acupuncture over the years, that it makes me sad when I hear people dismiss the idea that this ancient Chinese practice actually has powerful healing properties. After all, you skeptics, Eastern medicine has been around a lot longer than Western medicine. (And I’ve been able to manage my genetic skin disease called Hailey-Hailey, thanks in large part to regular acupuncture treatments.) So I asked my acupuncturist, Anne Mok, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and co-owner of Cornerstone Healing in New York City, to debunk these ten common myths about acupuncture and your health: More »

Vitamin drips (or Myers’ cocktails) are intravenous infusions of safe, naturally occurring, water-soluble vitamins and nutrients tailored to the specific needs of each individual. Not surprisingly, these treatments are gaining popularity, because benefits include reducing wrinkles; combating feeling run down; overcoming cold and flu symptoms; and topping-up socialites before their next late-night event – and after it.

Vitamin drips (or Myers' cocktails) are intravenous infusions of safe, naturally occurring, water-soluble vitamins and nutrients tailored to the specific needs of each individual. Not surprisingly, these treatments are gaining popularity, because benefits include reducing wrinkles; combating feeling run down; overcoming cold and flu symptoms; and topping-up socialites before their next late-night event â and after it.

– Naturopathic Doctor John Dempster of The Dempster Clinic in Toronto on the appeal of vitamin drips

Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths From Our Naturopathic Doctor

Top 10 Breast Cancer Myths From Our Naturopathic Doctor

Dr. Dempster is a licensed (and handsome) Naturopathic Doctor who practices in Toronto, and regularly contributes to Blisstree about health issues. Last time, the good doctor told us about his 10 food rules for treating pain – naturally. Today he’s back with the top 10 myths about breast cancer. Find The Dempster Clinic here.

With National Breast Cancer Awareness Month just a few weeks away, there’s no better time to shed some light on the #1 killer of women today: Breast cancer. Currently, a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer is a staggering 1 in 8 – and increasing every year. There’s never been a better time than now to consider what’s at the root of this debilitating and often fatal illness. Plus, there’s an increasing body of research demonstrating a link between cancer, diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors. So here are the top 10 myths about breast cancer:

1. Breast cancer isn’t preventable.

Actually, almost 98% of breast cancers are believed to be preventable by changes in diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Using supplements, getting safe amounts of sunshine, addressing chemicals in our households and workplaces, and managing stress are all huge factors that have been proven to play a role in breast cancer prevention – and many other forms of cancers and chronic disease. There’s an enormous amount of research demonstrating that optimizing Vitamin D levels can help prevent 77% of all cancers – including breast. And the good news is that there are many reliable, non-invasive tests to help detect some of these imbalances – all of which are offered at The Dempster Clinic.

2. The only proven treatments for breast cancer are radiation and chemotherapy.
Fact: Rates of cancer are still climbing, despite the widespread use of standard therapies. Currently, more and more research is being performed on natural cancer treatments – with promising results. Cancer needs to be addressed at the root cause in conjunction with directly killing and removing cancer cells. Naturopathic Medicine’s main tenant is “Treat the Root Cause of Illness” – thus is vitally important when addressing cancer and any other chronic diseases. This is not to say that we ignore standard therapies; they do play an important role in cancer treatment. Sadly, many allopathic practitioners often hastily push aside natural therapies that are showing promising results (claiming lack of research and interaction with standard therapies), and have been doing so for many years.

3. Chemotherapy is safe and doesn’t cause permanent damage to your health. More »

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