Health, Naturally

07.30.10

10 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a vitamin that has been getting a lot of press over the past year, particularly since some research was published supporting its ability to prevent H1N1. It is an important vitamin to know about, as we live in a northern latitude without much sunlight in the winter and in a culture that has been trained to either avoid the sun completely or to religiously use sunblock.

02.28.10

Understanding Diabetes

The term diabetes is one that is used to describe a wide range of conditions revolving around the body’s ability to appropriately manage blood glucose levels. Some involve a decrease in the body’s ability to produce insulin, which decreases blood glucose levels, while others involve a body’s inability to respond appropriately to insulin when it is released. They may be autoimmune, a result of a genetic predisposition, or secondary to diet and lifestyle but though they are all quite different, the many potential complications of diabetes are all related to one thing: poorly controlled blood glucose levels. Diabetes continues to become an ever-evolving problem, as it is predicted that 1 in 4 people born today in the U.S.A. will develop diabetes in their lifetime. It may be shocking but more importantly, it should be an indication of the role we must play in protecting future generations from this disease.

01.30.10

5 Must Have Supplements For Every Sports Enthusiast

Whether you’re a high performance athlete like Emily Brydon and her fellow athletes competing in the Olympics this month, or someone that simply enjoys being active, there are a variety of supplements that can help to maximize performance while minimizing the risk and repercussions associated with injury. None of these supplements will substitute for clean water, good sleep, a well-balanced diet and stretching before and after a workout, but they can give your training and performance a boost.

12.30.09

January Immune System Boost

It’s winter, it’s dark, it’s cold, and we’ve all just come out of a season of excess only to be faced with numerous viral enemies: flu viruses, cold viruses, stomach viruses…and the list goes on. With few exceptions, most winter illnesses are the result of viruses, not bacteria and thus are immune to antibiotics.

10.26.09

Stress and Adrenal Glands

“Adrenal fatigue” is a condition that, although addressed by many naturopathic doctors, is not frequently treated by conventional practitioners. “True” adrenal disease is not often diagnosed until the adrenal glands are either in failure or there are noticeable tissue changes. Adrenal failure is also known as Addison’s disease, and typically is the result of autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex causing a halting in the production of the hormones generated by the adrenal gland.