Following is a short list and explanation of the most common conditions treated
at our Clinic. We also treat many lesser known conditions, so please contact us directly to discuss your particular condition. To book an appointment, the fastest and easiest way is to do it is
on-line here. Otherwise you can contact us directly at
416-877-0474 or by email at
info@annapurnanaturopathic.com. Click on a condition below to find out more.
Menopause is certainly one of the greatest health care challenges
facing women today. With the recent controversy surrounding the
adverse and dangerous effects of hormone replacement therapy, many women today
are seeking safer alternatives to ease the menopause transition.
Symptoms including: hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, sleeplessness,
and depression can all be minimized. Treatments may include: dietary
and nutritional programs, homeopathy, specialized
supplements, and acupuncture. Associated risk factors for osteoporosis, breast cancer (including
other cancers), and heart disease will be thoroughly discussed
with you.
Naturopathic medicine offers many successful treatment
options for women dealing with fertility issues. Conventional
medicine alone cannot adequately treat fertility issues such as:
hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, stresses and other
lifestyle factors, which all impact on your ability to conceive.
For example, regular ovulation can be affected by your weight,
sleep patterns, caffeine consumption, history of birth control
pill use, among other factors. Treatment
may include: optimization of your nutritional intake, hormone balancing
using specialized medicine and an advanced supplement regime, stress
reduction program, and acupuncture therapy (proven in many studies to be very effective). Our program can
be used on it's own or in conjunction with
conventional fertility treatments, such as: IVF (
in vitro fertilization),
and IUI (
intra uterine
insemination) to improve fertility. See our
Fertility Program™ page
for more information. Also, be sure to read our Fertility success stories on our
Fertility Web site's Testimonial's page.
During pregnancy, Naturopathic medicine offers support to conditions
including: morning sickness, fatigue, high blood pressure, digestive
upset, heartburn, constipation, as well as to prepare for
labor, or even help to turn your baby before birth. Women often prefer
a more gentle and natural approach to their health at this time, choosing to avoid or limit the use of potentially harmful medications.
Once your baby arrives, our clinic offers support in many areas including: to help improve your
energy levels, nutrition and breastfeeding, addressing breastfeeding
difficulties, or postpartum blues. This is an important
time for rebuilding your health and energy reserves, and this is where we can help by offering support to bring you back into strong, vibrant
health.
For more information on Pre-Natal care please visit our
Conception Care Program section of the web site. For Post-Natal services and programs please consider the
Baby's First Year Program as thorough approach to guiding the health of your new born through it's first year. This program includes such important considerations as
vaccinations as well as other controversial issues.
Many women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as a result
of hormonal imbalance and poor nutrition. Symptoms including: anger, depression, anxiety, breast tenderness, bloating, pain,
and fatigue can make each month challenging at best. The most
effective treatment begins with nutrition and other recommendations to
help with estrogen metabolism. PMS also responds extremely well
to acupuncture and specialized supplements. This is a condition that is
largely preventable with Naturopathic medicine.
Many women experience menstrual cramps, and they can often
be debilitating. They can stem from hormonal imbalance, or a
uterus that is out of optimal position. The hormonal imbalance
can often be corrected with dietary changes, improved nutrition,
acupuncture, or specialized supplements. Menstrual difficulties can
be helped by natural means, while conventional medicine
may only offer birth control pills and pain killers. The results
from our treatment may take longer, but they are lasting and promote better overall
health. Another possible cause of painful menstrual cramps can
be a uterus that is tipped causing poor circulation. For more
information, you can read more about a technique called Arvigo
uterine massage at
www.arvigomassage.com.
Endometriosis is a condition that often responds very well to
Naturopathic medicine. Dietary changes are usually most important
in reducing monthly pain. Other methods of addressing endometriosis include:
liver support, reducing 'estrogen dominance', correcting hormonal
imbalance, treating anxiety, nutrition, and regular
exercise. By reducing abnormal estrogen stimulation, symptoms
are often greatly reduced without the need for surgery.
There are many different types of hormonal imbalances, for example:
estrogen dominance, progesterone deficiency, thyroid problems,
adrenal fatigue, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, to name a few.
With a close examination of your symptoms, menstrual history,
laboratory results and physical examination, an individual treatment plan
will be worked out to address your particular needs. Treatment usually begins
on the nutritional level, and later on will include herbal support,
homeopathy and possibly acupuncture to restore balance
to your hormonal system. The goal of Naturopathic treatment of
hormone imbalance is always to support your body in producing
and rebalancing hormone levels, rather than artificially providing
additional hormones in the form of birth control pills, progestins
or other synthetic hormones.
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If there is a history of breast cancer (cancer in general) in
your family, there are many things that you can do to reduce
your risk. These include nutrition as well as reducing your body's toxic
load with regular detoxification programs. There are also many
other aspects involved including your mental and emotional health,
hormonal balance, and environmental exposures to toxins. An individual treatment plan will be created
to address your particular areas of risk, along with the use of
salivary hormone testing to check for hormone levels.
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This is generally done in conjunction with conventional cancer
treatment programs. Naturopathic medicine can address your nutritional
state, hormonal balance, reduction of toxic exposures and emotional
health, among other things.
For recovering breast cancer patients, please visit our
"Breast Cancer Recovery Program" or (BCRP) page for information on ways to reduce the possibility of reoccurrence.
These are two conditions that are commonly treated by MD's with pharmaceuticals
that have very difficult side-effects. The goal in Naturopathic
medicine is to treat the fundamental cause of the illness, and in this case anxiety
or depression could be related to a host of underlying conditions including: hormonal imbalance, prolonged
stress, thyroid dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, intestinal
health, history of eating disorders, or an acute emotional issue,
to name a few. Treatment is then two-fold: first locating and
addressing the underlying cause, and also immediate treatment
of the anxiety or depression by natural means (herbs, vitamins,
improved nutrition, exercise, acupuncture, homeopathy, etc).
Fatigue is probably the most commonly seen complaint in any naturopathic
clinic. Feeling run down, waking up feeling un-rested, having
too little energy to keep up with your usual fast-paced life.
As typically done in naturopathic medicine, getting to the root cause is key.
There are many potential causes, but to name a few: low thyroid
function, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, intestinal
yeast overgrowth, poor nutrition, food sensitivities, iron deficiency,
deficiency of other vitamins such as vitamin B12, insomnia, and
chronic stress.
Naturopathic medicine supports an entire range of digestive
disorders including: IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), inflammatory
bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), heartburn,
constipation, diarrhea, chronic bloating, gas, ulcers, acid reflux,
and gastritis. For example, with constipation, it is unlikely
that you will simply be prescribed a laxative supplement to ease
this symptom. Instead we will address nutrition including: fibre intake,
water consumption as well as lifestyle factors, and possibly thyroid dysfunction.
Irritable bowel syndrome is very common among women, and can
be effectively treated. There is often
an emotional component to this condition related to anxiety, which
also must be addressed by learning how to manage stressful situations
from manifesting so strongly in the body. We would therefore
closely examine and treat the anxiety associated with IBS, and
also look at any possible causes of the intestinal irritation
including: food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome, or intestinal
dysbiosis (for example yeast overgrowth).
There are several aspects that we
address in our approach to weight management including: detoxification,
education, nutrition, exercise as well as
goals and attitudes. In any weight
loss program, we also need to address any possible underlying
causes of excess weight - for example, thyroid imbalance, adrenal
fatigue, or insulin resistance. Our weight
loss program is a long-term lifestyle change rather than simply diet.
Weight loss occurs naturally and easily when the body's metabolism
is functioning well and you are fueled appropriately.
Revitalize your body with a detoxification program! Specifically designed
to reduce and eliminate your body's burden of toxins that have accumulated
through poor diet, pesticides in foods, polluted air and water,
caffeine, nicotine and alcohol use. You will notice a great change
in your energy level as your body begins to work more efficiently again.
This program focuses on the liver (as it is the main organ that
deals with toxins) as well the skin, kidneys, colon
and lungs since they are also crucial to detoxification. This is a great way
to jump-start your new healthy lifestyle.
Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Wilson's thyroid syndrome, Hashimoto's
thyroiditis, Grave's disease - all of these conditions can be
supported naturally. Thyroid conditions are seen
more and more frequently lately and can have profound effects
on mood, weight, and general well-being. It is important to first
accurately diagnose the type of thyroid disorder so that it can be treated
appropriately. For example, Wilson's thyroid syndrome and Hashimoto's
thyroiditis are both hypo-thyroid conditions, but since they
stem from very different roots, the treatments would differ also.
In Wilson's thyroid syndrome, a condition often related to adrenal
fatigue and prolonged stress, the adrenal system must be treated
in conjunction with the thyroid. With Hashimoto's thyroiditis,
on the other hand, we must look at the body from an autoimmune
perspective, where the cause may be related to your gastrointestinal
health. Thyroid conditions are also common after childbirth in
the postpartum period and may be related to postpartum depression
or 'baby blues'. Thyroid activity also commonly changes at menopause
and can be responsible for many of the unpleasant symptoms such
as weight gain and depression.
Women commonly come to the clinic with chronic, annoying yeast
infections that just won't clear up with conventional treatment.
Prolonged or frequent antibiotic use,
or the birth control pill could be part of the of the cause. When yeast infections reoccur there is usually an intestinal yeast problem associated. This
can take a few months to clear-up, but
once it is dealt with, the vaginal infections will stop. Treating
intestinal yeast overgrowth has three components; first -
eliminate foods that feed the yeast - sugar, simple carbohydrates,
fermented and yeasted foods; second - use natural substances
to kill off the yeast; and third - help reestablish a normal
intestinal flora with the use of probiotics such as acidophilus.
This approach is definitely more involved than an over the counter
vaginal suppository, but when faced with recurrent yeast infections, it is an approach
that works.
Today's women are living extremely stressful lives as they
balance an array of ever growing responsibilities ranging from family life, relationships and children to career and work,
leaving little time for self care. Chronic stress can manifest
in many ways including: insomnia, chronic fatigue, anxiety and/or depression.
In these cases the body needs herbal and nutritional support as well as
a time-out. Afterwards,
it is essential to find ways to maintain balance in our busy
lives - whether it be a regular yoga class, time every day for
a walk, or learning breathing exercises to help maintain a calm
state under stressful circumstances.
Sleeping difficulties can be treated. Sleep can be affected
by factors including: dietary choices, stress levels, anxiety, toxicities, thyroid
imbalances, worry and menopausal changes.
Treatments include: homeopathy, acupuncture, specialized supplements, teas, and dietary changes.
Eczema is a very common skin condition
that often begins in childhood and can continue to affect people
through adulthood. Eczema is considered an allergic condition.
The causes of childhood eczema are often related to gastrointestinal
health, and possible food sensitivities, or environmental / chemical
sensitivities. When this continues as an adult, there can be
triggers like stress, and poor nutrition, in addition to the gastrointestinal
problem. Treatment addresses all of these aspects as a way of
curing the underlying cause of the condition so that your skin
will be clear.
If your immune function is stressed, you may be getting too many colds
and flu's each year. Although it
is normal to get a cold once or twice a year, if you are suffering
more often, then your immune system is compromised. There are many treatments designed to rebuild your immune system. Sleep, stress,
home environment, nutrition and water intake are
factors that can significantly depress immune function.
Naturopathic medicine can help you kick the habit. There is a
10 week program available at Annapurna Naturopathic that provides
both physical and mental / emotional support during the process
of stopping smoking. The program includes a full naturopathic
checkup, an individualized treatment plan and 8 acupuncture sessions.
Herbal, nutritional or homeopathic supplements may be recommended
to assist you in this process. We will address both the physical
withdrawal symptoms of nicotine, and the mental / emotional challenges
associated with this lifestyle change.
Restorative therapy is for those in a weakened
state recovering from medical treatments including: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, prolonged hospital stays,
or chronic illness. Treatment includes nutrition, stress reduction
techniques for the mental / emotional impact of your illness as well as other rebuilding therapies.
Many people suffer from allergies - seasonal, environmental and foods. What most people do not realize is that by treating their overall health and lifestyle factors that these allergies can be minimized and sometimes eliminated. Chronic food intolerances to dairy products, eggs, wheat or gluten are often found in patients with allergies, and in removing the intolerant foods from the diet, the immune system functions better in response to other allergens. Frequently people find that with naturopathic treatment (changes in diet, testing for food intolerances, liver support and cleansing), that their allergies are either gone or minimized, without any use of antihistamines.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a frequently diagnosed condition. It results in a combination of symptoms that can include: irregular menstruation and anovulation, acne, weight gain, facial hair growth (hirsutism), head hair loss. In most cases the root of PCOS is a blood sugar imbalance known as insulin resistance. With correct dietary and exercise interventions, most women with PCOS are able to achieve regular menstruation, ovulation and in many cases fertility. The treatment for PCOS is primarily lifestyle interventions, but may also include acupuncture and supplements to support correction of the hormonal imbalance.
Migraine headaches can be successfully treated without the need for strong medications and/or sick days off work. Common interventions include: food sensitivity testing, dietary recommendations and homeopathy. Many patients who have experienced regular migraine headaches, are now headache free.
Cervical dysplasia affects many women these days, and it is observed that many of these women would like to take a proactive approach in reversing these cell changes, rather than a watch and wait approach. For atypical cell changes and mild dysplasia, there are naturopathic treatments that are very effective in reversing the cell changes. This is one way of reducing the need for future invasive procedures such as LEEP.
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