Thank you for your interest in Naturopathic medicine and my blog. I recently started private practice in SE Portland. The new website & blog is finally finished. Please click here to visit the new site and online store: Dr. Shields Natural Health, LLC
The key to burn resolution is hydration. The best way to build tolerance to the sun is to gradually expose your skin, without sunscreen, each day. Getting sunburns and excess sun can lead to skin cancer; however, regular exposure is required to make vitamin D and for overall health.
What foods protect the skin from sunburns?
~Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables are the body’s natural sunscreen.
~Before going out into extended sun exposure, make sure to load up on berries, green leafy vegetables, carrots, broccoli, beans, legumes, and green tea. Eating two brazil nuts every day will give you optimal selenium levels, a powerful antioxidant.
In the first stages of the sunburn, try a baking soda bath to draw out the heat and calm inflammation.
Add 1cup of baking soda to a tub of cool to luke warm water. Hot water will further strip the skin of its natural oils.
Stir to dissolve
Soak for up to 20 minutes, rinse off, and pat skin dry
Apply moisturizing treatment
Avoid using soap on your skin because it is drying and irritating
Optional: add a few drops of lavender essential oil
Topical moisturizing treatments
Aloe
Aloe is healing and soothing to the skin. If you have an aloe plant in the house, cut off a section and apply the gel directly to the skin. When buying conventional aloe products look for 100% pure aloe vera, free from alcohols. Remember to store your aloe in the refrigerator.
Easy Cucumber Sunburn Spray
With a lemon juicer, juice a cucumber and add 1/4 cup juice to a jar or spray bottle.
Add 1/4 cup distilled water and 1/8 cup rosewater
Shake well to mix
Apply liberally to sooth and hydrate sunburned or newly tanned skin
Store in refrigerator
Keep no longer than 1-2 weeks
For pain relief, try a vinegar application.
Soak towels in a half water half vinegar solution and apply topically to burned areas. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used. The acetic acid in the vinegar helps to sooth, moisturize, and minimize peeling. Avoid contact with broken skin and eyes.
Homemade Oatmeal Itch Bath
Fill one leg of nylon stocking with 2 cups of oats
Tie stocking end in a knot
Set bath faucet to comfortable temperature
Hold stocking under faucet flowing at full force
Swirl stocking through water several times
Wring stocking out over water
Discard stocking (do not reuse)
Soak in tub for 15 to 20 minutes
Other tips:
~Make sure to cut your fingernails short and scrub under them
~Use a blow dryer on affected areas to relieve itching
~Use pure 100% aloe gel or calendula lotion for the itching and healing
~Green clay packs can be used to speed healing (found at health food stores)
~Apply honey to the area and put a bandage over
~Baking soda & oatmeal baths can help with itching and pain reduction
Basil
Basil is preventive and curative for insect stings or bites. Apply fresh juice to the affected area.
Lemon
Apply fresh lemon juice to the insect bite. Though it may sting a little bit, the lemon juice will help the healing process begin and help to fight off infection.
The AANP has teamed up with the award-winning program, American Health Journal, to produce a six-part series (and a seventh “best of” series) on naturopathic medicine which will be aired over thirteen weeks. The program, which reaches 30 million viewers, currently airs in 158 cities across the United States on Turners Healthy Living Channel and on PBS. You can learn more about the show at their web site.
On April 8, 2009 the country’s first series on naturopathic medicine will air on southern California’s KOCE, the sixth-largest PBS station in the country. Produced by the award-winning American Health Journal in conjunction with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), the series will educate the public about the practices and philosophy of naturopathic medicine.
“The public is hungry for a system of health care that is patient-centered, wellness focused, cost-effective, and which uses natural remedies without side effects,” said Karen Howard, AANP’s Executive Director. “Naturopathic medicine is what the public wants and needs. We’re excited about this opportunity to educate the public about naturopathic medicine.”
The program will cover a broad range of topics, including the training and education of naturopathic physicians, environmental health and cancer, naturopathic approaches to chronic disease, family medicine, preventing heart disease and diabetes, mental health, allergies, and chronic pain. The six-part series (with a seventh “best of” episode) will begin airing April 8, 2009.
Naturopathic physicians combine the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science. Steeped in traditional healing methods, principles and practices, naturopathic medicine focuses on holistic, proactive prevention and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. Naturopathic medicine embraces the medical oath “first do no harm.” By using protocols that minimize the risk of harm, naturopathic physicians help facilitate the body’s inherent ability to restore and maintain optimal health. It is the naturopathic physician’s role to identify and remove barriers to good health by helping to create a healing internal and external environment. Currently, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors. In these states, naturopathic doctors are required to graduate from a four-year, postgraduate naturopathic medical school and to pass an extensive postdoctoral board examination (NPLEX) in order to receive a license.
* * *
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians’ is a professional association strives to make naturopathic medicine available to every American, and to increase recognition of naturopathic physicians as the identified authorities on natural medicine. Our members include accredited schools of naturopathic medicine, students, physicians, and individual and corporate supporters, participating independently or though 40 state-level affiliate organizations.
This is a tremendous opportunity for the profession, and comes at a time when consumers are increasingly demanding alternatives to conventional medical care. With your help we can crack our own vision of the glass ceiling and dramatically improve awareness of the schools and physicians, changing the face of health care for years to come.
Please join AANP in funding this wonderful effort.
To find a Naturopathic physican in your area, visit the AANP.
Daffodils are blooming. Spring is officially here. Some of you may have noticed the pollen in the air by the onset of any of the following symptoms: sneezing, itching watery puffy eyes, nasal congestion and discharge, headaches, itchy throat, dry cough, fatigue, and poor sleep.
In the spirit of Hippocrates who said, “Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food”, a very effective, easy, and delicious solution to decrease and prevent seasonal allergies is to introduce local wild flower honey into your daily diet.
How it works
Ingesting small amounts of the airborne pollens that are also contained in the honey helps your body to build up resistance to the allergens. This is the same basic concept used in vaccines, but natural!
When to start
The best results occur when starting the treatment 1-2 months prior to when you typically get symptoms; however, honey can be used to reduce the severity of current symptoms.
Typical treatment
Take 2 teaspoons of honey 2-3 times daily
What type of honey should I use?
Look for locally harvested (try within a 50 mile radius of your house), un-pasteurized, un-filtered, 100% pure wild flower honey. This is not the honey found in the bear on the typical grocery store shelf. Commercial mass produced honey does not contain the medicinal effects because of the processing and high heating. Commercial bees are fed corn syrup, rather than their own honey, to increase honey yields; however, this decreases the health of the hive and the nutritive benefits.
How is honey made?
Honeybees start the process by collecting flower nectar and storing it in their honey stomach, which is different than their regular stomach. The honey stomach stores are full when the bee has visited 
anywhere from 100 to 1500 flowers. The bee then returns to the hive where the worker bee mixes it with enzymes in their saliva to produce honey. The honey is then deposited into the honeycombs of the hive walls. The bees fan the honeycombs with their wings to induce thickening and then it is sealed with a wax plug until it is eaten by the colony. A colony of bees eats anywhere from 120 to 200 pounds of honey each year.
The many healing properties of honey
Anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal
Cancer fighting, anti-tumor
Contains probiotics
Antioxidant effects
Helps the liver control blood sugar
Increased insulin sensitivity
Improves cholesterol balance
Boosts immune system
Other medicinal uses
~Research and clinical experience suggest that honey is a more effective cough suppressant than over the counter cough medications. For your next cough or sore throat, try mixing a spoonful of honey with a squeeze of lemon instead of reaching for the cough medications.
~Heals wounds, skin ulcers, abscesses, and burns. It is reported that in WWI honey mixed 
with cod liver oil was used to dress war wounds. The healing properties of honey are due to the low water content, providing a poor growth medium for organisms, the hydrogen peroxide effect, giving it antiseptic properties, and high acidity of 3.2 to 4.5. Honey stimulates the whole immune system by providing glucose to the white blood cells. In fact, it is currently being used in wound gels for drug resistant infections (MRSA).
~Honey is a gentle, non-habit forming laxative and improves overall digestion.
~A small spoonful of honey each day, in addition to eating fruits and vegetables, may provide much needed antioxidants to counter the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radical damage has been linked to the following health concerns: premature aging, inflammatory disorders, cancer, arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
Where should you buy your honey?
Farmers markets, local health food stores, online, or from the beekeepers themselves
Honey facts
~The color and flavor of the honey depends on the types of flowers the nectar was collected from.
~Honey is one of the easiest foods to digest.
~Because of honeys’ unique ability to absorb air, it is used as a moistening agent in baking.
~Bees must visit around 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey.
~Honeybees pollinate around 80% of the fruits, vegetables, and seed crops in the US.
~Honey (55) has a lower glycemic index rate than table sugar (61). To look up the glycemic index of other foods visit the Glycemic Index Database.
~Honey is a very hardy substance! A jar of still edible thousands of year-old honey was uncovered in King Tut’s tomb.
This interesting video follows Vermont beekeepers as they take you through the honey making process.
For more information on honey visit World’s Healthiest Foods.
To find a naturopathic doctor in your area visit: Find a ND
CONCLUSIONS: In a comparison of honey, DM, and no treatment, parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their child’s nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infection. Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection.
WARNING
Infants under the age of 12 months should not be fed honey because of the rare but serious risk of botulism.
Recipes
Cinnamon Honey Butter
Mix ¼ lb unsalted organic butter at room temperature with 3 Tbl honey, 1/4tsp cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt.
Honey Vinaigrette
Whisk together 1/4c red wine vinegar, 2 Tbl Dijon mustard, and 1Tbl honey. Add ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper. Whisk in 1/4 c olive oil, adding slowly.
Do you struggle with weight gain, poor concentration, fatigue, acne, headaches, constipation, poor digestion, hypoglycemia, diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease?
If so, then you may have inadequate fiber in your diet.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a compound of plant origin that cannot be broken down by normal digestion.
Did you know?
*Eating high fiber meals prevents you from overeating. High fiber foods take longer to chew and digest, helping to control weight.
*The fiber content in food does not change much with cooking, unlike other nutrients that often decrease with cooking.
*When you increase the amount of fiber in your diet, you must increase water intake to help with digestion.
Soluble vs. Insoluble fiber:
Soluble fiber is a carbohydrate that dissolves in water. It is mainly found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Insoluble fiber is a plant cell wall that does not dissolve in water. It is mainly found in vegetables and grains.
Why eat fiber?
Soluble fiber slows the absorption of sugar and lowers cholesterol.
Insoluble fiber creates a feeling of fullness by adding bulk to your meal.
Fiber also regulates your bowels and hormones, while diluting toxins within the gut.
How much do I need each day?
~35 to 50 grams
Most Americans get only 12 to 15 grams of fiber each day because of high processed food consumption, which contains little to no fiber.
What are the best foods sources?
High fiber fruits: Apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, dates, figs, kiwi, olives, papaya, pear, raisins, prunes, and raspberries
High fiber vegetables: Artichoke, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes or yams, turnips, peas, and cabbage
High fiber legumes, nuts, and seeds: Black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, almonds, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds
High fiber grains: Bran, amaranth, buckwheat, cous cous, cornmeal, oats, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, and rye
Can a person eat too much fiber?
Yes and No. If your diet consists of a lot of fiber in the form of grains then YES! Eating a diet very high in grain carbohydrates may increase your consumption of phytic acid and oxylates. These substances bind important minerals to the body such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc creating deficiencies. The solution to this is to eat the majority of your fiber in the form of fruits and vegetables.
What does 35 to 50 grams of fiber look like in a daily menu plan?
Breakfast: Omelet with 2 cups vegetables (7g)
Lunch: 1c spinach, ½c green pepper, and ½c mushroom chicken stir-fry with 1c wild rice (10g)
Dinner: Salmon with half of an acorn squash roasted and 1c sautéed collard greens (10g)
Snack: 1/4 cup dried apricots (8g) and 1 large apple with skin (5g)
Total grams of fiber= 40g
Diet tips to get enough fiber each day:
Add fresh ground or toasted seeds to your meals (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
Eat high fiber snacks: fruit (with skin), seeds, nuts, vegetable sticks
Ham and Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Collard Greens
~13 grams of fiber!~
1 medium onion, 1 garlic clove, a 4-ounce piece cooked ham, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½-pound collard greens, 1 cup chicken broth (8 fluid ounces), 3 cups water, a 16-ounce can black-eyed peas (about 1 1/2 cups) or use fresh soaked, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Chop onion and garlic and cut cooked ham into ¼-inch dice. In a 3-quart saucepan cook onion, garlic, and ham in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is pale golden.
While onion mixture is cooking, discard stems and center ribs from collards and finely chop leaves. Add collard, broth, and water to onion mixture and simmer until collards are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a bowl mash half of peas with a fork. Stir mashed and whole peas into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper and stir in vinegar.
What role does healthy fat and cholesterol have in our health?
Building blocks for cells and hormones
Help with the absorption of vitamins and minerals
Protect our organs
Strengthen the immune system
Creates energy
Balances mood
Act as an antioxidant
Controls blood sugar
What is cholesterol?
Think of cholesterol as the duct tape of the body. When inflammation and injury occurs within blood vessels, the body’s production of cholesterol will increase to repair the damage. Injury is a result of accumulated environmental, dietary, emotional, and physical stress. Rising levels of cholesterol is not always the problem, the need for repair is the underlying issue.
Hydrogenated oils
Definition: Vegetable oil normally liquid at room temperature that is converted to solid with chemicals, bleaching, dying, and high heating
Fully hydrogenated = trans fat free, partially hydrogenated = contains trans fat
Examples: Margarine and shortening
Trans fat
Trans fats are contained in partially hydrogenated oils and rarely exist in nature. There is a small amount of naturally occurring trans fats in butter (all milk products) and meat. Consumption of un-naturally occurring trans fats increases your cholesterol and triglycerides.
Why have trans fats been incorporated into food products? To extend shelf life of processed food and to create a good mouth feel of products (creamy textures)
Note: If < .5g of trans fats are contained in the product, the manufacturer is allowed to report that the product is trans-fat free on the label!!
Omega 3 fats
Omega 3’s are health-promoting fats normally deficient in the typical American diet. High amounts found in: seafood, flax seeds, walnuts, and squash.
Saturated fat
There are healthy sources of saturated fats. These include: coconut oil, protein from animals living on their traditional diets (ie. free-range grass-fed cows), avocados, oils, butter etc.
Saturated fats are highly stable oils and do not usually go rancid.
Toxins are stored in the fat of animals; therefore, most commercial meats have accumulated many hazardous chemicals. Look and ask for: organic, fresh water, free-range, and grass-fed animal products
Heart disease & Eating fat
Heart disease is caused, in part, by eating hydrogenated oils, trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and fats from unhealthy animals that have been treated with antibiotics and hormones and are living on grain diets.
Summary
Eat healthy oils and fats in moderation. Get to know your sources! Ask your butcher for organic free-range grass-fed meat and fresh-water fish.
~Smoking Point of Cooking Oils~
Lowest Smoking Point (200s Fahrenheit): Do not use for cooking or consumption, they are often rancid!
All unrefined Canola, Flax, Safflower, Sunflower, Corn, Soy
Medium Smoking Point (300s Fahrenheit): Good for cooking at low and medium temperatures.
Coconut oil, Butter, Olive oil
Highest Smoking Point (400s-500s Fahrenheit): Best oils for high heat cooking.
Extra light olive oil, Grape seed oil, Sesame oil, Peanut oil, Ghee
**Rancid oils cause damage to blood vessels and raise cholesterol.
Bashed up pine nut, basil, and balsamic dressing
By: Jamie Oliver
½ a clove of garlic, peeled and bashed or chopped
1 good handful of fresh basil, bashed or chopped
1 small handful of toasted pine nuts, bashed or chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tip: When making salad dressings, as a general rule, use 2:1 oil to vinegar mixture.
Vegetable oils have been used for bathing for over 3,000 years! Using oils for skin care contributes to retained moisture and shine and reduced rates of skin cancer.
At home solutions for rough, chapped, and dry skin and hair:
Coconut oil hair treatment: For added shine and lustre of hair, take several Tbls of coconut oil and massage into clean wet hair from mid-shaft to ends. Put plastic shower cap over hair and use a blow dryer to heat up cap for 5 minutes. The heat will allow for deeper penetration of the oils. After leaving oil on hair for 15 minutes, shampoo and rinse well. Repeat several times per month.
Castor oil glove/sock treatment: For dry chapped hands or feet apply several tsp of castor oil to hands and/or feet and put gloves or socks over the oiled area. Wear overnight. Add heating pack over area for increased penetration of oils. Repeat nightly until you reach desired outcome, then repeat every week for maintenance.
Check out these products:
Olive Oil Soap: company that uses the traditional methods of soap making from olive oil
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap: products use a combination of olive, jojoba, coconut, and hemp oils
Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help to protect you from common seasonal illnesses.
Here are a few of the many reasons to eat winter fruits and vegetables:
1. In-season foods have likely traveled a much shorter distance to make it to your plate. The shorter the distance food has traveled, the more nutritional value and better the taste.
2. Winter vegetables are very high in vitamin C and vitamin A, two very important nutrients for the immune systems ability to fight colds and the flu during the winter months.
To increase your immunity against colds and the flu this season, consider increasing your intake of:
Winter squash: Delicata, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut, Pumpkin, etc.
Dark leafy greens: Kale, Chard, Bok choy
Root vegetables: Beets, Parsnips, Rutabagas, Radishes, Turnips, Celery Root, Carrots
Sweet potatoes, Yams
Cabbage, Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
This is a really simple and great tasting winter recipe. For different flavors, use a combination of any herb, root vegetable, squash, and/or potato.
Bon Appetite!
Roasted Root Veggies
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
6 carrots washed and roughly chopped
4 baby turnips, peeled
4-6 fingerling potatoes (yams or sweet potatoes),
washed and cut lengthwise
1-2 parsnips cut into ½ in pieces
2 medium onions peeled and cut into chunks
1-2 beets, peeled and cut into thick wedges
1 celery root, trimmed and halved, halves cut into 1inch chunks
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
3 sprigs of rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley
olive oil
salt, freshly ground pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Chop 5 of the garlic cloves to coat the vegetables and leave the rest whole. Place all veggies in a roasting pan, finely chop the herbs and throw them on top of the veggies. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, salt and fresh pepper. Toss them with your hands to coat them evenly.
Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 45 min stirring them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from oven and serve immediately right out of the pan or on individual plates.
Cold and flu season is upon us. It is important to have a good strategy in place before you or your family becomes ill. Being unprepared results in prolonged duration and increased severity of the illness, the use of prescription medications, and missing unnecessary days from work and away from family.
Did you know…
Getting sick can actually be healthy for your immune system?
Think of getting a cold as a necessary “tune up” for your immune system. A healthy cold is one that occurs once or twice a year, comes on quick, produces a fever, is completely gone in 3-4 days, and ends with a sense of increased wellness.
Are you tired of battling lingering sickness the entire winter, taking repeated courses of antibiotics, and never fully recovering only for the process to repeat itself the following winter? Timing is very important. A combination of the following five steps should be started at the immediate onset of any symptoms. This will teach your body to deal with sickness in a more healthful way.
NUMBER ONE:
Get adequate rest and water.
Take the day off to rest when needed. During sleep the body repairs and heals itself. Without sleep, illness tends to drag on and on.
The rule of thumb, for most people, is to drink one half of your weight in ounces per day. For example, a 150-pound person should drink 75 ounces of water per day or about 10 glasses. It is most important to stay hydrated to flush the toxins from the body.
NUMBER TWO:
Eat easy-to-digest foods so the body can focus on healing.
Interestingly, over 50% of our immune system resides in the gut. Stay away from dairy products, sugar, and caffeine as they interfere with the immune system function, increase mucus production, and feed the bugs you are trying to eliminate.
Your diet should consist of soups, broths, steamed vegetables, and lean healthy sources of protein like organic chicken and fish. Garlic, onions, ginger, mustard powder, turmeric, horseradish, rosemary, oregano, and thyme are all foods that support the immune system.
Shannon’s Sick Soup Recipe:
Dice 1 large onion
Chop 3-4 stalks of celery
Chop & peel 4-5 large carrots
Mince 4-5 cloves of garlic
Peel and mince 2 inches of ginger
Chop handful of parsley and cilantro, or other desired herbs
Add ¼ cup of olive oil to a big soup pot. Cook on medium-high the onion, ginger, garlic, and celery until soft (about 4 minutes).
Salt and pepper chicken and add whole chicken to pot. Brown all sides.
Cover with 1quart chicken stock and enough water to cover the chicken. Add the carrots and 2 bay leaves.
Bring soup to a boil then turn heat down to simmer. Cook until chicken is done (about 20 minutes).
When chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove the meat from the bones and put back into pot.
Add chopped parsley and cilantro.
Add red pepper flakes if you would like some spice.
Enjoy and let the healing begin!
Or, try this easy Broth Recipe:
Chop 2 medium zucchini, 1 cup green beans, and 2 stalks celery. Steam until soft (about 10 minutes).
Place steamed vegetables, 3 cups boiling water, and a handful of chopped parsley in blender and blend until smooth.
Add garlic and ginger freely. They fight microbes and decrease inflammation. Salt and pepper to taste.
NUMBER THREE:
Use the warming socks treatment nightly.
This therapy will increase circulation to remove toxins that are keeping you sick. This will significantly shorten the duration of your illness. Many people report that it improves the quality of their sleep.
Directions:
1. Before bed, warm feet in a bath for 5-10 minutes.
2. Next, take a pair of thin cotton socks and wet them with cool water and wring out.
3. Put the socks on your feet and cover immediately with a pair of thick wool socks.
4. Get in bed and make sure to stay warm. If feet are feeling cold or you are unable to sleep, add more blankets. Socks should be dry by the morning.
**Repeat the process each night at first onset of sickness until several days after cessation of symptoms. This therapy is safe and effective for infants and children of all ages.
NUMBER FOUR:
Take a fever bath to raise your temperature.
An elevated temperature is important for your body’s ability to heal. The body requires raised temperatures to stimulate the immune system and rid itself of infection.
Directions:
1. Make sure to be well hydrated.
2. Fill the tub with enough warm water to keep body submerged. Water should be warm but not hot enough to burn you, around 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Drinking warm ginger tea with a little added lemon and honey during the process aides in the fever development and keeps you hydrated.
4. Monitor temperature throughout the process. It is ideal to bring the temperature to 101-103 degrees Fahrenheit, without going over 104.
When done, your face may begin to perspire. Cold applications can be applied to the forehead when you become warm.
5. When you have reached the ideal temperature, get out of bath and get wrapped up warm in bed for a nap.
Be warned that this process is usually very draining. It is part of the healing process and it is suggested that you have someone available to assist you.
**Do not do the fever bath therapy if your temperature is already 102 or above.
**This therapy is not intended for infants or children.
NUMBER FIVE:
Use a netti pot several times each day.
The netti pot is an ayurvedic traditional therapy especially helpful if the illness is concentrated in your sinuses or head. The netti pot can be a lifesaver to clear out unwanted stuffiness.
They can be bought, with the salt, at most drug stores. You can make your own saline solution but it is important to get the right amount of non-iodized salt in solution to prevent the feeling of slight burning when it is poured into the nasal passages. If the burning sensation occurs, it may mean that you need to add more salt. With the proper solution and a little practice, this is an easy way to bring relief to a head cold or sinus infection. Check out this instructional video:
To address repeated colds and flus and to receive individualized recommendations to speed recovery,
find a naturopathic physician in your area:
Naturopathy, or natural medicine, combines modern medical science with time-proven healing traditions to provide a holistic model of primary care medicine. Licensed naturopathic physicians earn their doctorate by attending a four-year, post-baccalaureate- level naturopathic medical school. In addition to the standard medical curriculum, naturopaths complete intensive training in homeopathy, medicinal herbs, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, clinical nutrition, functional diagnosis, and alternative laboratory testing.
Naturopathic physicians emphasize a drug-free approach to medical care when possible. Office visits are longer than the traditional medical visit in order to gain a full understanding of the underlying cause of the patient’s symptoms. To address the symptoms, and more importantly why they are occurring, a typical treatment may include changes to lifestyle and nutrition. Additional body work and prescriptions for a homeopathic remedy and nutritional/herbal supplementation may be given. Each person has unique needs; therefore, this model of medicine does not take a “one size fits all” approach.
The Goal…
The naturopathic treatment goal is to bring the body back into balance through identifying the biochemical, structural and emotional aspects of disease. To accomplish this, the patient’s symptoms are viewed as the body’s outward expression of an internal disease process. Symptoms are a guide to the cause of disease.
Who & What Do We Treat?
This healing model is successful in treating acute, chronic and undiagnosed disease processes. As a leader in integrative healthcare, we encourage collaboration with other healthcare professionals to give the most comprehensive care for your individual needs.
The Basic Tenets…
The basic tenets of naturopathic medicine are: to look at each patient holistically and not as individual symptoms or unrelated parts; to identify and treat the cause of disease; to use the healing power of nature and the innate wisdom of the body to bring about the healing process; to use treatments whenever possible that also do not bring harm to the body and to provide each patient with resources and education on natural health and top-quality natural products while promoting prevention as the best cure for disease.
The End Result.
Our treatment goal is to facilitate your movement towards better health and balance and to live life free from disease.
Are Primary Care Doctors Becoming Endangered In America?
It is a very exciting time for naturopathic physicians to step up. Recent surveys show that only two percent of current conventional medical graduates are considering primary care. This could result in a shortage of general medicine practitioners. Without primary care there will be no one to assimilate and interpret the information from specialists on the body as a whole system.
Adopting a new model of healthcare that includes naturopathic preventative care will result in healthier populations. The U.S. is at the forefront of modern medical science; however, many nations around the world have already implemented an integrative medical approach resulting in better quality of life and healthier aging populations. America spends more on healthcare than any other nation in the world, yet ranks 42nd in life expectancy worldwide. The majority of our healthcare dollars are being spent on the last years of life. Naturopaths are focused on prevention and do not equate aging with illness. As Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Help us become part of the solution… spread the word about natural medicine.
To find a naturopathic doctor in your area visit: Find a ND
**I will continue to add articles on health topics, healthy living suggestions, recipies and/or research reviews. Please feel free to add comments about subjects that you would like to see information.**
