Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Water Excess?

Was just sent the following article on drinking too much water causing kidney failure in Walkerton residents....

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/health/story/4110293p-4706638c.html

What do I think? I think 80% of people that I see don't drink enough water and stories like this upset me because it just deters people from drinking water at all! Simple health concerns like headaches and constipation can be minimized with making sure you are properly hydrated. Your body is 70% water and every cell needs water to do its function properly. A good goal is 2 L a day or half your body weight in ounces - definitely increase that amount if you are exercising.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Detox Day 10 - Husband Crashes

Yes it's true.... Chris threw in the towel today and had steak and wine for dinner.... we'll see how he feels tomorrow...

Hopefully he can hold off on going back to coffee in the morning and stick to the green tea for a while longer! Maybe we can still slowly reintroduce things over the next few days...

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Water Bottles

So many questions and thoughts surrounding water and water bottles today!

Just talking to my sister Ang out in Edmonton.... She just recently opened up a Moksha Yoga Studio (hot yoga) out there and is selling Sigg water bottles along with some other yoga stuff. She was saying that since Lululemon pulled the Nalgene water bottles off the shelf last year, she has been getting more questions about the best containers for water. Interestingly enough I told her, I've been getting the same questions over the last year from my patients and friends.

Here's the scoop:
Most plastics have the numbers 1 through 7 stamped on the bottom to indicate how to dispose or recycle the plastic. Number 1 bottles, that typically hold water or soda or juice, contain PET which cause the plastic to degrade and leach into the water with crinkling and reuse. The small mouth also makes them hard to wash therefore bacteria can be a problem.

Number 7 bottles, hard plastic ones like Nalgene or baby bottles, contain bisphenol-A, a hormone disrupter. Studies on its effects are currently being done. Number 2 and Number 5 bottles are currently the safest and can be found on yogurt containers.

What do I think? If you are going to drink bottled water, drink it and then recycle it, don't keep reusing the bottle. When you are at your desk or at home drink from glass. And if you need something for on-the-go or at the gym or at Moksha Yoga, buy a stainless steel, glass, or Sigg bottle which is aluminum that has been tested to not leach!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Children and Cough Syrup

Finally got the January newsletter done and sent out. The whole 2nd page of the newsletter is on the controversy with children and cough syrup, a topic I was recently asked to do a segment on CBC radio about and partly what I'm speaking to a mom's group about this Friday.

Over the holidays I was sick and my biggest symptom was a cough. Being at my parents over Christmas I didn't have my usual arsenal of herbs and homeopathics, so rest and lots of fluids, Eucalyptus steam inhalations, and pear sauce were my main weapons. This is why I decided to write about coughs in the newsletter - my dad although greatly supportive of my career and willing to try anything naturopathic, including a detox, insisted that NyQuil was the only thing that would help my cough go away. Coughs are a natural defence mechanism of the body... why suppress something that needs to happen? Sometimes for babies or children the discomfort and ensuing irritability signals that something has to be done, but there are a lot of natural therapies one can try to support the body's own ability to heal itself before surrendering to a cough suppressant!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Detox Day 4

Well the start of a new year means another detox to clean up shop and start fresh. Things are going well for me - feeling good and don't miss much. My biggest obstacle this time is my husband.... his constant complaining of being unsatisfied and grumpy is taking its toll on me. He says I would be grumpy if the tables were turned and I had to eat and drink nothing but wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Yes my body would indeed revolt.

Made some tasty detox-friendly sweet potato pancakes today.... grated a large sweet potato and a zucchini, added some paprika, sea salt, and pepper and bound everything together with some chickpea flour and my favourite egg replacer (flaxseed simmered with water). Made them into little patties and quickly browned them on a skillet before throwing them into the oven. TASTY!