Category Archives: Natural Medicine
Spring Detox: Dry Skin Brushing
One of the very first things I like to recommend for detoxing is Dry Skin Brushing. It’s suitable for practically everyone and the benefits start almost immediately. The way that Dry Skin Brushing works is that it activates your lymph system which is located just under your skin. You can think of lymph as a … Continue reading
Spring Detox: Who Needs to Detox? …and When?
If you’ve read my two latest posts (Does Everyone Really Need to Detox? and How You Can Tell If Your Body is Overburdened with Toxins), you are probably convinced that we should all take steps to remove sources of toxins from our environment and food as well as to develop daily habits to help support … Continue reading
Spring Detox: How You Can Tell If Your Body is Overburdened with Toxins
Yesterday I introduced you to the concept of primary emunctories and hopefully convinced you that most people are exposed to way too many environmental toxins in their daily lives, including chemicals and stress. I used the analogy of a bucket (your body) and said that your skin, liver, digestive tract, kidneys, lungs and even your … Continue reading
Spring Detox: Does Everyone Really Need to Detox?
One popular FAQ I often see in health advice columns is: “Do I need to detox?” The answers usually range from “No, your body does this all on its own” to “Yes, everyone needs a juice fast and colon cleanse at least twice a year.” Since the answers run the gamut from one side of … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 7 – Nutrition for Thyroid Health
I hope you’ve been learning a lot of new information about the importance of the thyroid and thyroid health through this series of blogs. We’ve gone over the basics, talked about optimal blood tests to determine the health of the thyroid gland, discussed when medication is necessary long-term versus short-term, how non-autoimmune hypothyroidism differs from … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 6 – Graves’ Disease: My 3 Recommendations
Last week we talked about autoimmune hypothyroidism (called Hashimoto’s) and this week we’ll be discussing autoimmune hyperthyroidism (called Graves’ disease). There are certain conditions that I absolutely want to shout from the rooftops about and share the solutions that naturopathic medicine has to offer for them. This is not only because the solutions are so … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 5 – Hashimoto’s: It’s More Than Just Your Thyroid
Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease around. It is so common that it’s probably more often though of first as a thyroid condition and secondarily as an autoimmune issue. If you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, you’ll have much greater success in reversing the disease process and feeling awesome if you think of it first … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 4 – Non-Autoimmune Hypothyroidism: When the Thyroid is Actually the Cause of Symptoms of Thyroid Disease
From the previous blog posts in this series (The Basics and Do I Have to Stay on Thyroid Medication for My Whole Life?), you can see that I’ve said over and over that symptoms of thyroid disease are rarely what needs to be treated. I’ve used the analogy of a fire (underlying problem) and a … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 3 – Why Over-Medicating Thyroid Disease Masks the Underlying Problem
…or Do I Have to Stay on Thyroid Medication for My Whole Life? It wasn’t long ago that someone referred a patient to me who had been on thyroid medication for several years. The most important thing she wanted to know from me was whether she would ever be able to stop taking the medication … Continue reading
The Thyroid Part 2 – Five Reasons Why Testing Only TSH Isn’t Enough
Thyroid disease is incredibly common. If you haven’t been diagnosed with thyroid disease yourself, you probably have at least a dozen friends and relatives who have been. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) estimates that nearly 20 million Americans have a thyroid condition. However, I believe many more people suffer from uncomfortable thyroid symptoms and it … Continue reading