Guidelines for Optimal Health & Nutrition
Vital foods provide optimal nutrition and assist in our ability to thrive. Be mindful when sitting down to eat a meal and give gratitude to the food itself and those who took care to provide the nourishment. Eat with awareness. Eat Well. Eat Simply. Eat real food. Real food is vital. Stay away from processed & factory food. The highest quality foods come from farmers who rotate crops and use organic bug control & fertilizers. Increase your intake of organic, locally grown vegetables, organic eggs, organic butter, extra virgin olive oil, raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, freshly ground flax or chia seeds, brown rice, old fashioned steel cut oats, local/seasonal fruits and organic pastured meats. Limit wild caught ocean fish to 2 times per week. 100 years ago the term “organic” did not bring about thoughts of expense or luxury. Organic food was simply food. It...
Read MoreKetogenic Diet
Ketogenic Diet What is the Ketogenic Diet? The Ketogenic diet is a medical treatment that shifts the body’s primary metabolism to a fat based energy source instead of a carbohydrate or glucose energy source. This therapeutic diet involves eating high amounts of healthy fats, low to moderate amounts of high quality protein and the elimination of all sugars & carbohydrates, other than non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates. How Does the Ketogenic Diet work? The body obtains energy from three major food sources:
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins
What Is………..Diet?
What is the Paleo Diet? What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet? What is the GAPS Diet? What is a Weston A. Price Diet? What is a Vegetarian Diet? What is a Vegan Diet? What is a Pescatarean Diet? What is a gluten-free diet? What is the Paleo Diet? A paleo diet or Paleolithic caveman diet is based on eating the way that ancient hunter-gatherer people did. They ate on average about one-third hunted food to two thirds gathered. It was primarily a vegetarian diet that varied seasonally with added high protein and low carbohydrates. The high protein Paleolithic food was mainly meat and that meat was wild-game. If you chose to adopt this diet in modern times be sure that all meats are either pasture raised or wild-game. The total fat content of wild game is much lower than the feedlot-raised meat of today, not to mention the horrific...
Read MoreResources
RESOURCES: HERBAL MEDICINE Ontario Herbalists Association: www.herbalists.on.ca American Herbalists Guild: www.americanherbalistsguild.com Materia medica Henriette’s Herbal: www.henrietts-herb.com North American Institute of Medical Herbalism: www.naimh.com/ Medicinal mushrooms: www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-genera/cancer-questions/mushrooms-in-cancer-treatment Paul Bergner: paulbergner.com/ Ryan Drum: www.ryandrum.com Aviva Romm: avivaromm.com NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors: www.cand.ca College of Naturopaths of Ontario www.collegeofnaturopaths.on.ca Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors: www.oand.org Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine: www.ccnm.edu Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors: www.apnd.org Pediatric Association of Naturopathic Doctors: www.pedANP.org DOULA CARE West End Naturopathic Doulas: www.westendnaturopathicdoulas.com TORONTO FARMERS MARKETS Toronto’s Farmers Markets: www.veg.ca/content/view/76/108 TORONTO GROCERY STORES West End Food Co-Op westendfood.coop The Sweet Potato thesweetpotato.ca Fiesta Farms fiestafarms.ca MASSAGE West End Massage Therapy Daniel Heaney RMT 14 Heintzman...
Read MoreThe Honey Salve
- Hydrastis Canadensis
- Commiphora mol-mol
- Symphytum officinalis
- Unpasteurized organic honey
Notes:
Salving with honey goes way back in history in every culture that gathers honey from the bees. The herbs are powdered to 60 – 80 mesh fineness and mixed into the honey until it becomes thick but still pliable. The mix is spread on a gauze pad instead of directly into the wound so as not to disturb the healing process. Use on open cuts, wounds, pustules sores, decubitus ulcers and fistulas. Even deep wounds will heal by first intention and not by granulation and generally leave no scar. Perineal tearing can be treated with baths filled astringent, antiseptic and vulnerary herbs and with the honey salve. One case of a seriously large haemangioma that was not resorbing was treated successfully with the honey salve.Application:
- Warm salve in a water bath to make...
Wet Sheet Treatment
There are two popular variations of using the wet sheet treatment.
- During the 1970’s I worked in a Chicago hospital emergency room. Often in the late night hours a mother would come in clutching her feverish baby. The child would be examined and a temperature taken. If the child was too hot (39 – 40 C) it would be laid down on the exam table and stripped naked. A round or three of treatments would ensue. A flannel bath blanket would be soaked in tepid (neither hot nor cold) water. The sheet is wrung out so it is damp and not dripping. Place the bath sheet one layer thick over infants & toddlers and double layer over larger children leaving the face uncovered. A cool face cloth can be applied to cheeks and forehead. In the event of febrile seizure be sure first that it is not epilepsy or...
The Comfrey Poultice
Whenever there is trauma causing damage to soft or hard tissues e.g. haematomas or broken bones (especially in the limbs) a comfrey poultice is indicated. It is easy to make when there is fresh comfrey to be found. Roots or leaves can be used interchangeably though it is much easier to regenerate leaves, so, when using fresh plant material we will rely principally on leaves and stems.
The Comfrey Poultice
Supplies:
- Cut fresh leaves close to the ground to include the whole leaf and stem. Five to ten large leaves should suffice.
- 1 bed sheet cut into 10cm wide strips cut across the width of the cloth. Roll into individual bandages.
- Large cook pot filled with boiling water
- 1 Vegetable knife or food processor
- 1 Medium-size mixing bowl
- Tongs
- Plastic Wrap
Method:
- Bring the water to a boil in the large pot.
- Immerse the leaves until they...
Phytolacca and Viola Oleum
- Phytolacca decandra. Infused Castor Oil
- Viola odorata. Infused Olive Oil
- Boswelia thurifera. Tincture
- Styrax benzoin. Tincture
- Monarda didyma. Essential Oil
- Lavandula officinalis. Essential Oil
The Castor Oil Pack
Castor oil is a clear, viscous oil that is cold extracted from the seed of Ricinus communis. This plant, native to India and Africa can now be seen in many Canadian gardens. After the oil is extracted, a second extraction of the pomace yields Ricin, a poison used in cancer research and poison products. Castor oil is first mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus – 1550 BCE and was used by Cleopatra for her eyes and lips. Information available in the modern scientific literature is limited to the purgative properties of internal ingestion of the oil. A dose of 5-15 ml will produce catharsis within two to eight hours. There is a plethora of anecdotal folk and clinical literature on Castor Oil, but this bears no stamp of authority in the academic community. A more enlightened approach regarding the use and efficacy of Castor Oil packs is found in the readings...
Read MoreMustard Plaster
For many people, the fall and winter seasons bring increased incidents of colds and flus that may progress into more serious conditions like pneumonia. Those who suffer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as chronic bronchitis, miner’s lung, emphysema and chronic asthma also tend to have their symptoms worsen at this time of year. When professional medical help has been sought and the diagnosis confirmed, a cooperative plan of action may be outlined with the agreement of the health care providers and the patient. The mustard poultice can be extremely effective when given as an external treatment along with the use of herbs and/or drugs taken internally to treat COPD. This combination of internal and external treatments can considerably shorten the healing time and make the patient more comfortable.
The Mustard Plaster
Supplies:
- Single bed sheet cut in half lengthwise or pillowcase
- Small bath blanket or large Turkish...