Veggnog!

Eggnog Made Healthy

Want to know how to convert the classic yet rich and sugary eggnog into a healthy holiday treat?  Check out Veggnog (Vegan Eggnog) brought to you by the Healthy Hotties, a group of Toronto-based holistic nutritionists. Brilliant!

Sharks: Why They're Not Health Products

Alternatives to Shark Oil

Shark liver oil has been used for centuries by fishermen as a general tonic and folk remedy. Shark oils do contain many of the beneficial compounds that are also found in cold water fish, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and D, which are important for optimal immune function. However, I do not consider shark oils to be appropriate substances for use in a health context.  As a naturopathic doctor I have never, and never will, recommend the intake of shark products to any of my patients. The risks are simply too great.

Why take such a stand on the shark-as-medicine issue? The naturopathic doctor's oath includes to "First, do no harm" and to "preserve the health of our planet for ourselves and future generations".  This means that the medicines I prescribe must be ecologically friendly.  Many of the world's sharks have come under survival pressures due to human activities - from intense demand for their fins for shark fin soup, or their cartilage for the mythological anti-cancer effects, to tragic bycatch losses whereby sharks are unintentionally caught in nets set for other species like tuna (a whole other issue), to spills and disasters, shark populations are particularly vulnerable to human follies because their slow rates of growth and reproduction and predator status makes them fewer in numbers relative to the "prey" species. Sharks are needed as predators to keep prey species healthy. Incidentally, dozens of "prey" species are also eaten by humans, so in helping sharks we would be helping ourselves maintain access to sustainable, healthy fish stocks (J. Sabau, Wake Shark & Ocean Educator 2009). A World Fishing & Aquaculture article published today noted that one third of Europe's shark species are currently considered threatened and the European Parliament has called for stronger policies against shark fin-removal on board ships.

Medicinal Properties of Shark Products Available From Alternative, Less Toxic Sources

Green Energy Drink

It's Kale Season!

So you know this wonderful green leafy veggie is good for you. What to do with it?  Here is a quick, delicious green drink that even the kids might enjoy!  (I admit, my inspiration from this one comes directly from a veggie drink by Dr. Oz....but this is a much simpler and I believe, tastier version). Enjoy with breakfast or as an antioxidant-rich afternoon pick-me-up.

Ingredients:

2-3 fresh kale leaves, washed, chopped, stalks/stems removed

1/2 apple*, washed, skin on, chopped (*honeycrisp variety works well due to its lovely sweetness)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 cup water

Directions:

Blend all ingredients on high until smooth. Enjoy immediately - drink in the green energy!
Total Prep Time:
5 minutes

Looking for a few more kale recipes? Check out these suggestions from Brookfield farm: http://www.brookfieldfarm.org/kale.htm

Probiotic Dosing

How Much Probiotic Should I Take?

The number of colony-forming-units (CFU), species/strains, and frequency of taking your probiotics should be based on the individual needs and health history of each person. As a general preventive dose, 2 to 10 billion CFU of a mixed strain probiotic is likely a good place to start for children over 1 year of age. There are special probiotics for infants up to 1 year. For adults, 8 to 20 billion CFU is a good daily preventive dose.  

Treatment doses and strains, e.g. for post-antibiotic complications, parasitic infections, immune system dysfunction, urinary tract infections and yeast infections (candidiasis), should be determined in consultation with your health care practitioner. Based on an ever-growing body of medical research, your practitioner can also guide you in the use of specific probiotic strains for particular health effects.

Special Uses for Probiotics

What Should I Take Probiotics For?

There are many different uses of probiotics, a.k.a. "friendly bacteria". They can be taken preventively all year round to ward off food poisoning-type infections, coughs and colds, to improve digestion and assimilation of nutrients, and to aid the detoxification of excess hormones and other toxins from the body. A 2009 randomized, controlled study showed that children who took probiotics twice daily had significantly decreased fevers, coughs and runny noses. 

Probiotics are also important for helping to prevent complications in pregnancy; this may be in part due to prevention of group B strep and urinary tract infections, which can bring about pre-term labor. 

Probiotics with Antibiotics

Probiotics should definitely be taken during and after antibiotics to prevent antibiotic-induced diarrhea and opportunistic yeast and Clostridium difficile infections. Probiotics do not interfere with the efficacy of antibiotics in killing the infective germs, but should be taken as far apart in time from antibiotics to preserve their survival. This is because antibiotics are non-specific: they kill the infective or "bad" bacteria as well as the good guys.

Probiotics for Travel

When traveling or camping in a new area, you may have low natural resistance to the microbial life in that environment and in the food and water you consume. When probiotics are in good supply in your gut with supplemental extras on the go, you'll be in better shape to have a trip uncomplicated by traveler's diarrhea.

Probiotic Prevention

Should I be Taking Probiotics?


Great question! and one I field often in my practice.  Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that normally colonize the human gastrointestinal system - in particular the colon or large intestine. In the gut, probiotics, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, help to prevent and treat a variety of conditions through several mechanisms:

Rolaids Recall

December 10, 2010

Health Canada has issued an urgent recall advisory for certain Rolaids products due to contamination with metal and wood particles. See the full article here.

LizCherevatyND on Twitter

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Thanks for following!

-Dr. Liz

Complementary Cancer Care Advances to 5th Place!

Update on Aviva Community Fund Competition

"Whole-Person Cancer Care Regardless of Income" has advanced to 5th place today in the Semi-Finalist round! This is a fantastic opportunity to win $100K in funding to support a sustainable, cost-free centre for integrative cancer care - including evidence-based natural medicine and therapies that enhance the efficacy and improve tolerance of conventional cancer care.  

Keep this incredible community momentum going!

If you haven't already registered, click here to register and log in to vote. Voting is fun and takes just a few moments to make a difference.

Voting daily with you through Dec. 15th,

-Dr. Liz 

CBC Interview on Complementary Cancer Care

Cost-Free Complementary Cancer Care Centre Stands to Receive $100,000 in Aviva Community Fund Competition

The idea of "Whole-Person Cancer Care Regardless of Income" stands in 6th place today in the Aviva Community Fund competition. Dr. Dugald Seely MSc ND, director of research at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, was interviewed on CBC (check out minute 4:30 of the interview podcast) sharing more about what the $100K in funding would do for Canadians dealing with cancer: http://www.cbc.ca/allinaday/2010/12/03/4-ottawa-groups-vie-for-aviva-community-fund/

About three quarters of people dealing with cancer use complementary therapies such as acupuncture, nutritional medicine, mind-body therapies and massage therapy to enhance the efficacy and decrease side effects of conventional therapy, decrease pain and improve quality of life. With public support through online voting until December 12th, this project stands to be awarded $100K to enable these vital, evidence-based health services to be accessible to people who need them - cost-free.  

In addition, the prize would be matched by an additional $200K from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation to establish the infrastructure and ongoing research capacity to make sure this type of high-quality, accessible cancer care is sustainable.

If this project resonates with you, make your vote count by registering (with an email address) and voting DAILY to help make this dream a reality!

Check out the funding proposal here, and keep on voting!!


-Dr. Liz


http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf6149

Natural Cancer Care - Vote in the Aviva Community Fund!

Want to see cost-free, integrative cancer care become accessible in Canada?  Vote DAILY for the next 10 days in the Aviva Community Fund Competition for idea #6149, "Whole-Person Cancer Care Regardless of Income"! 

Make your vote count in the bid to win $100K in support of a new, cost-free integrative cancer care centre in Ottawa (our nation's capital will be just the beginning!)  The first of its kind, this centre would make whole-person, complementary cancer care accessible to cancer patients and cancer survivors in Canada who otherwise could not afford these valuable and life-changing health services. What's more, the $100K prize would be MATCHED by the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation AND the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (http://www.ccnm.edu) for a total of $300K in funding for a sustainable project that will help people from across Canada. 

For more information about whole-person cancer care regardless of income, click here.

Let's get voting!

-Dr. Liz

HOW TO VOTE:

Step 1 (If you've already registered before, you don't need to do this again) CLICK HERE TO REGISTER(you will be asked to confirm the registration by email)

Step 2 CLICK HERE FOR "Whole Person Cancer Care Regardless of Income" idea #6149 you can also use the advanced search option and type in "6149" to get to our idea)

Step 3 Bookmark the page and repeat step two every day until you have used up your 10 votes!

Step 4 SHARE THE MESSAGE!