Natural Health Newsletter

Forces of Nature Wellness News - Fall 2009

Swine flu - is it hype or legitimate cause for concern? The coming months will provide the answer, my guess is that there's some legitimacy with a good dose of hype thrown in. That being the case I've offered up some tips to keep yourself healthy this coming winter.

H1N1 (Swine) Flu

In my opinion, not getting the flu seems like the best way to avoid any complications of the flu.

There was a 2007 study comparing the flu vaccine with 1 capsule of colostrum daily.

Colostrum was 4 times more effective than the flu vaccine and 3 times more effective than no treatment. The flu vaccine was actually worse than doing nothing at all. The highest incidence of flu (57 cases) were in the flu vaccine group, while the "no treatment" group only had 41 cases of flu.

Other health enhancing and flu prevention measures that are wise this time of year - Allimax garlic, Gastrointestinal (GI) cleanse, probiotics, vitamin C, Oscillococcinum and/or MediHerb Echinacea Premium (alternating 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off).

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc (Hons), ND. Follow the H1N1 Flu Blog here. For more information on cold/flu prevention or any other health concern please schedule an appointment by
calling 416.481.0222 or email Maria at Maria@ForcesofNature.ca

Detoxification Questions Answered

What are the Benefits of detoxing?
Detoxing helps the four detoxification organs in eliminating toxins – the liver, colon, kidneys and skin. Toxins build up in our bodies through eating the wrong foods, our environment and living an unhealthy lifestyle. Sometimes our bodies need assistance in getting rid of these toxins and this is the purpose of a detox.

When is it a good time to do a detox?
Detoxes can be done at any time during the year if you want to address a certain condition. However, if you are looking to do a general cleanse, then the optimal times are spring and fall.

What are the side effects?
Everyone responds differently to detoxing. Some people who are more sensitive and/or have a lot of toxicity may experience headaches, low energy and moodiness but these symptoms usually clear up within the first week or two.

What detox is right for me?
There are many different detoxes available. General liver/colon cleanses, digestive cleanses, Candida diets and heavy metal detoxes are some examples of detoxes that are available.

What’s involved in a detox?
A detox usually involves necessary dietary modifications along with 1 or 2 nutritional and/or herbal supplements. They usually last about 3-6 weeks.

For more information contact Dr. Marni Ross at 416-481-0222 or MRossND@ForcesofNature.ca. To book an appointment with Dr. Ross please call 416.481.0222 or email Maria at Maria@ForcesofNature.ca

Bits and Bites

- “Relatively low dietary intakes of vitamins A and C are associated
with statistically significant increased odds of asthma and wheeze.”
Thorax, 2009; 64(7): 610-9

- Current recommendations for vitamin K are not being met, placing people at
increased risk of age-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Am
J Clin Nutr, Oct 2009 (vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables and
sprouts)

- Over 5900 patients were studied and researchers found that low choline
levels were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Am J Clin Nutr,
Aug 2009 (choline is high in a food additive called lecithin, for more on
lecithin see my August 10, 2009 [http://naturopathtoronto.blogspot.com/]
blog post here.)

- Vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy was associated with obesity,
insulin resistance and gestational diabetes. J Am Board Fam Med, Sept 2009
(B12 is found in animal products like eggs and meat, vegans and vegetarians
are particularly susceptible to deficiencies).

- Serum vitamin B12 deficiency in either male or female can
result in infertility. Andrologia, 2009;41(1): 46-50.

Psychotherapy: An Overview

We are fortunate at Forces of Nature to have an excellent psychotherapist, Ariel Garten, who incorporates 3 different forms of psychotherapy into her practice: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Gestalt Therapy. In this newsletter there's an overview of the benefits of psychotherapy and conditions that may require therapy and
coming up in the next newsletter a brief summary of the benefits of each of the different forms of therapy.

Overall Benefits of Psychotherapy

1. Increased awareness and acceptance of your body and your emotions
2. Improved relationships
3. Deal more easily with stressful events in your life and make
important decisions
4. Become more self-confident and communicate better
5. Gain a greater sense of freedom in your life
6. Respond rather than react
7. Be more centered and gain more inner calmness

Psychotherapy can be used to treat and relieve a wide variety of conditions, such as:
Crisis intervention, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug abuse, food addictions, depression, anxiety, grief counselling and disorders that flare up under emotional stress such as migraine, ulcerative colitis and muscle spasms in the neck and back.

To book an appointment with Ariel, please call Forces of Nature at
416.481.0222 or email Maria at Maria@ForcesofNature.ca

New Recipes on Our Website

There are lots of new, healthy recipes on our website. The recipes are: naturopathic doctor approved and mostly dairy-free, gluten-free, lower carbohydrate but full of flavour! There's generally a new one posted every Monday and if you're curious as to what I'm having for dinner Monday night just visit our website.

Our most recent additions are: Watermelon, Tomato and Watercress Salad, Collard Greens with Peanut Sauce, "Cheesy" Curly Kale, Bean and Salmon Salad with Anchovy Arugula Dressing, Newfoundland Cod Cakes, French Baked Beets and Squash Supreme. Click here to check them out.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Background: The tensor fascia lata (TFL) is a long flat muscle that runs along the outside of the thigh as a continuation of the gluteus muscles. The Iliotibial band (ITB) is the tendon that attaches the TFL onto the side of the knee.

Functions
The ITB works to:

- Help lift your thigh out to the side
- Rotate the hip joint inwards
- Extend and flex the knee joint at certain angles.

Cause of ITB Syndrome
The ITB has a degree of free forward and backward motion as the knee is flexed and extended. This free motion may result in friction between the ITB and the thigh bone creating irritation, pain and inflammation.

Contributing Factors
- Weak buttocks muscles
- Over pronation of the feet (low arches)
- Poor quality running shoes
- Running on uneven surfaces or hills

Symptoms:
- Pain and inflammation located on the lateral or outside portion of the
knee.
- Initially the pain may become noticeable after a few kilometers into a
run and remain for the duration of the run, but subsides with rest. Pain is
often more noticeable running down hills.
- Without treatment, the pain may become constant with activity and be
perceptible when walking and/or going up or down stairs.

Who does it affect?
Runners and cyclists are the most commonly affected athletes.

Treatment:
- Icing to decrease inflammation. Never put ice directly on the skin,
always have it wrapped in something and use the rule of 10: on for 10
minutes, off for 10 minutes, for about 1 hour.
- Temporary decrease in physical activities
- Soft tissue therapies such as myofascial release therapy to break up
scar tissue and fibrous adhesions (talk to your chiropractor)
- Once out of the initial stage of injury gentle side stretches are
beneficial
- Strengthening exercises for the abductors of the hip joint ie the
gluteal muscles
- Orthotics if the injury is a result of poor foot mechanics (ask your
chiropractor)

By Dr. Kim Macanuel, BSc, DC.

For more information or to book an appointment contact Forces of Nature at
416.481.0222 or email Maria at Maria@ForcesofNature.ca. If you have questions related to chiropractic care contact our chiropractor Dr. Kim Macanuel at KMacanuelDC@ForcesofNature.ca

Running for the Cure

On Sunday October 4th the Forces of Nature team will be Running for the Cure. It's a 5 km run/walk to raise funds for breast cancer research. If you would like to cheer us on come on down to Nathan Phillips Square Oct 4th between 10 and 11:15 a.m..

Deep Tissue Massage (DTM)
- Deep tissue massage involves slow, deep strokes that stretch and
re-align the fibers of the muscles and compressions to reduce knots in the
muscles.
- Stretches are also used to lengthen muscle fibers and increase the range
of movement in the joints.
- Some discomfort is normal; An experienced RMT will use slow, sensitive
strokes adapted to your pain threshold. You will never feel bruised or in
pain the next day.

Which Conditions Benefit from Deep Tissue Massage?
- All musculoskeletal and related conditions including upper back, neck
and shoulder tension, pain and stiffness
- Lower back pain and weakness, sciatica and all hip and pelvic pain and
misalignment
- Muscular tension related headaches
- Recovery from illness, surgery and trauma from accidents
- Poor posture

Though DTM treats the muscles and other soft tissues of the body, it can
have a very beneficial affect on the whole. Because muscles are involved in
so many metabolic functions it is common to experience improvements in your
health you may not associate with your muscles, such as relief from asthma
or sluggish digestion.

For more information on Deep Tissue Massage or any issue related to
registered massage therapy contact Elizabeth at EBelluominiRMT@ForcesofNature.ca or Helen at
HHarrisRMT@ForcesofNature.ca or call the office to schedule an appointment at 416.481.0222 or email Maria at Maria@ForcesofNature.ca

Coming Up
November 4, 2009 will be our 10th anniversary at Forces of Nature. We'll be celebrating by giving away prizes to some of our new and existing clients. Watch for more information about our Diamond Anniversary Festivities in our upcoming newsletter.

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“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Jimmy Dean

Please seek professional advice from a naturopathic doctor, massage therapist, psychotherapist or chiropractor before initiating natural treatment to determine if it's right for you.

Contact us:
Forces of Nature Wellness
2443 1/2 Yonge St Toronto ON M4P 2E7
416.481.0222
[http://www.ForcesofNature.ca] www.ForcesofNature.ca