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
…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
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
There is often a paradox in conventional medicine’s dealing with thyroid disease. What I see from my perspective as a Naturopathic Doctor is that thyroid conditions are largely under-diagnosed and over-medicated. It is my goal over the next series of blogs to help you understand how this is by educating you on all things thyroid-related. … Continue reading
Often when we talk about nutrition to build a healthy immune system we are told what to take out of our diets—sugars, fried foods, processed foods, etc. And often we are told to get more vitamin C; many of my new patients list daily vitamin C as a part of their self-prescribed supplement regimen. However, there is an … Continue reading
Welcome to summer in full swing! In both Colorado and California we have at least a couple more months left of sunny summer weather. I often recommend to patients that they spend at least 30 minutes outside, rain or shine, winter, spring, summer, or fall. This time of year there is a lot of shine … Continue reading
There were a few years in my childhood when I looked forward to Shamrock Shakes from McDonald’s as a special March treat. And how bad could a milkshake really be? After all, isn’t it just ice cream and mint flavoring? If only. It is important to know your ingredients and we almost never do when … Continue reading
My goal as a Naturopathic Doctor is not to simply replace pharmaceutical medications with “natural” alternatives because of some notion that one is inherently better than another. Modern drugs are incredibly useful when used judiciously, and I am grateful for the availability of many of them. That being said, I do want people to be … Continue reading
California’s Central Valley is looking absolutely gorgeous this month with all the orchards in bloom! If you’re an allergy sufferer, you might not be able to fully appreciate or enjoy the splendor. Symptoms of allergies include a runny nose, eye discharge, sinus congestion (pressure or ache in the forehead and/or nose and cheek area), headaches, … Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day! This heart-centric holiday has me thinking about the health of both physical hearts and emotional hearts. What can we do to keep both of our hearts healthy? First, the physical heart. You’ve probably heard about “heart healthy diets.” These diets are often recommended to be low in fat and high in fiber. … Continue reading