With the recent controversy around the dangers of hormone replacement therapy,
many women are seeking safe alternative therapies to ease the menopause
transition. Symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, sleeplessness
and depression can all be helped.
At this time our clinic offers a unique, premium progam aimed at effectively
easing the transition to menopause. Click here to learn more
about our menopause program. Treatments may include: dietary and nutritional
advice, homeopathic remedies, herbal and vitamin supplements, and possibly
acupuncture. It is also important at this time to deal with any risk factors
for osteoporosis, breast cancer (and other cancers), and heart disease,
which we will thoroughly discuss with you.
Naturopathic medicine offers many alternative treatment
options for women dealing with fertility issues today. Conventional medicine
alone cannot adequately treat fertility issues such as: hormonal imbalances,
nutritional deficiencies, stresses and other lifestyle factors which
all have an 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 with
a Naturopathic doctor may include: optimization of your nutritional intake,
hormone balancing using natural herbs and vitamins, stress reduction,
and acupuncture sessions. These therapies can be used on their own to
improve fertility, or in conjunction with conventional fertility treatment
such as IVF (in vitro fertilization),
and IUI (intra uterine insemination). See the Fertility page
for more information.
During pregnancy, Naturopathic medicine can offer support to conditions
such as: morning sickness, fatigue, high blood pressure, digestive upset,
heartburn, constipation, and later on to help prepare for labor, or even
turn your baby before birth. Women often prefer a more natural approach
to their health issues at this time, in order to avoid or limit the use
of potentially harmful medications. After your baby is born, you may
want help with improving your energy levels, dietary advice while breastfeeding,
help with breastfeeding difficulties, or postpartum blues for example.
This is an important time for rebuilding your health and energy reserves,
and a Naturopathic doctor can offer advice to bring you back into strong,
vibrant health.
So 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 herbal supplements.
Menstrual difficulties can be helped by natural means,
while conventional medicine offers only birth control pills
and pain killers. The results may take longer, but they
are lasting and promote better overall health.
Many women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) resulting
from hormonal imbalance, and often poor nutrition. Symptoms
such as anger, depression, anxiety, breast tenderness, bloating,
pain, and fatigue can make each month challenging at best.
The most effective treatment begins with dietary changes
such as quitting coffee, eating more organic foods and other
recommendations to help with estrogen metabolism. PMS also
responds extremely well to acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
This is a condition that is largely preventable with Naturopathic
medicine and a healthy lifestyle!
Endometriosis is a condition that often responds very well
to Naturopathic medicine. Dietary changes are usually most
important in reducing monthly pain. Other ways of addressing
endo include: liver support, reducing 'estrogen dominance',
correcting hormonal imbalance, treating anxiety, eating more
organic foods, and regular exercise.
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,
a treatment plan will be worked out to address your case.
Treatment usually begins on the nutritional level, and later
on will include herbal support, homeopathic remedies and
possibly acupuncture to restore balance to your hormonal
system.
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If your family has been affected by breast cancer, there
are many things that you can do to reduce your risk. These
include dietary changes such as eating more organic foods,
increasing your intake of foods like broccoli, cabbage, onions
and garlic, and also reducing your body's toxic load with
regular detoxification programs. There are also many other
aspects involved including your mental / emotional health,
hormonal balance, and environmental exposures to toxins that
can be explored.
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This is generally done in conjunction with conventional
cancer treatment programs. Naturopathic medicine can address
your nutritional state, hormonal balance, reducing toxic
exposures, emotional health, among other things.
These are two conditions that are commonly treated with
pharmaceuticals that have very difficult side-effects.
The goal in Naturopathic medicine is to treat the cause,
and in this case, anxiety or depression could be related
to 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, not waking up
feeling rested, having too little energy to keep up with
your usual fast-paced life. As typically done in naturopathic
medicine, we first need to find the cause of your low energy
and treat from this level. There are so 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. Once we have determined what is causing the fatigue,
treatment begins so that your energy is restored.
Naturopathic medicine can help with a whole range of digestive
disorders such as: IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), inflammatory
bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), heartburn,
constipation, diarrhea, chronic bloating, gas, ulcers,
acid reflux, and gastritis. The approach to each is individual,
although the goal is always to find the root or cause of
the condition and treat it there. For example, with constipation,
it is unlikely that you will simply be prescribed a laxative
supplement to ease this symptom. Instead we will address
your diet, fibre intake, water consumption and lifestyle
factors, and possibly thyroid function as an underlying
cause.
Irritable bowel syndrome is very common among women, and
can be treated effectively with natural medicine. There is
most often an emotional component of this condition related
to anxiety which also must be addressed by learning how to
prevent 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 such as food sensitivities,
leaky gut syndrome, or intestinal dysbiosis (for example
yeast overgrowth).
There are several aspects that we address
in a Naturopathic approach to weight management: detoxification,
education, dietary recommendations, exercise guidelines,
and 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.
Revitalize your body with a detoxification program! This
is designed to reduce your body's burden of toxins that
have accumulated through poor diet, pesticides in foods,
polluted air and water, caffeine, nicotine or alcohol use.
You will notice a great change in your energy as your body
begins to work more efficiently again. This program focuses
on the liver as it is the main organ to deal with our toxins,
but also supports the skin, kidneys, colon and lungs since
they also help us detoxify. 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 helped naturally, some with natural medicines
alone, and others in conjunction with medications. 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 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
be different. 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. There are certain things that do make you more
susceptible to yeast infections such as prolonged or frequent
antibiotic use, or the birth control pill, but regardless
of the cause, there is an effective treatment. Usually,
when yeast infections keep coming back, there is also an
intestinal yeast problem too. This
can take a few months, but once it is dealt with, the
vaginal infections stop too. Treating intestinal yeast
overgrowth has three components; first to eliminate foods
that feed the yeast - sugar, simple carbohydrates, fermented
and yeasted foods; second to use natural substances to
kill off the yeast; and third to help reestablish a normal
intestinal flora with the use of probiotics such as acidophilus.
This approach is definitely more difficult than an over
the counter vaginal suppository, but when faced with yeast
infections that are coming back over and over again, it
is an approach that works.
Women these days are living extremely stressful lives as
they try to balance home life, working, relationships and
children leaving little time for self care. Chronic stress
can manifest in many ways - for example some people have
difficulty sleeping, others are chronically fatigued, others
have anxiety or depression. In these cases the body needs
herbal or nutritional support, time to relax, good nutrition
and a readiness to heal. 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 naturally, and again
we search for the cause of the condition. Sleep can be affected
by dietary choices, stress levels, anxiety, toxicities, thyroid
imbalances, worrying, menopausal changes, among other things.
A treatment plan is designed to work on most likely causes
of insomnia, and treatment may include any combination of
homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, calming herbs, 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, on top of the gastrointestinal
problem. Treatment addresses all of these aspects as a
way of curing the underlying cause of the condition so
that your skin clears up for good.
If your immune function is low, you may be getting too many
colds and flu's each year. There are many herbs and supplements
that can help to rebuild your immune system so that you are
healthier each year. It is also important to look closely
at sleep, stress, home environment, nutrition and water intake,
as all of these factors can significantly depress immune
function. Although it is normal to get a cold once or twice
a year, if you are suffering more often, there is a lot we
can do to support a healthy immune system.
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 treatment for people who are in
a weakened state after surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation,
hospital stays, or chronic illness. Here we address
nutritional needs to strengthen the whole body, visualizations
and stress reduction techniques for the mental / emotional
impact of your illness, and other therapies to rebuild
your system as part of recovery. |