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28 June 2009
Posted in
Feeling Healthy This Winter
Winter Healing, Naturally - Dr. Lycette (Naturopath)
Dr. Lycette, Naturopathic doctor (N.D.), has been practicing in Nova Scotia for 15 years. In fact she was one of the earliest to do so here. Dr. Lycette has generously contributed the following information to help you with you winter health. Happy healing!
- Naturopathic Medicine: What & Why?
- A Preventative Approach
- So You’re Already Sick, What Now?
- Be Well Spa – Be Close to Nature
Wonderfully enough, naturopathic medicine seems to have become almost trendy these days. It’s a positive trend in our opinion since society’s mind-set, at least in North America, seems to be to reach for the closest pill at the slightest suggestion of illness. Taking a preventative approach and looking at health in a more holistic way certainly seems a kinder, gentler way of healing our bodies and keeping them healthy. Besides, things like garlic, ginger root, oats, brown rice, cod liver oil and more, are all things you keep in your kitchen, right!?
Naturopathic Medicine: What & Why? by Dr. Lycette, N.D.
My name is Dr. Cheryl Lycette, N.D. and I have been practicing Naturopathic medicine for 15 years. In fact, I was the second Naturopathic doctor in Nova Scotia. Naturopathic medicine is a post-graduate degree and integrates standard medical diagnostics with a broad range of natural therapies which include; acupuncture, Chinese medicine, botanical medicine, Homeopathy, massage, hydrotherapy, nutrition and lifestyle counselling.
Naturopathic medicine acts as a fantastic complement to allopathic (mainstream) medicine. One of the major strengths that I think Naturopathic medicine has over allopathic is that we are great at seeing the whole picture and how all of the different parts of the body are connected and act together.
Secondly, Naturopathic medicine shines at dealing with issues before they become disease states. So many people come to see me who have obvious symptoms but all tests that their MD has run for them show that they are "normal". I don't think it is possible for the body to go from perfect health to a major disease, without passing some other stages on the way. This is where Naturopathic medicine really comes in handy.
Yet, a lot of my patients also come for advice on how to work with a diagnosis that they have been given. So thirdly, Naturopathic medicine does well with a disease diagnosis and is often a very real alternative to allopathic medicine (or at least a great companion). Rather than covering up the symptoms, a Naturopathic doctor uses many tools to discover what the root causes are of an illness, and very often is successful in ceasing the symptoms and helping the person to significantly decrease if not stop medications.
Along with my Naturopathic degree, I have taken extra training in fertility management and in balancing hormones, to help in achieving pregnancy or decreasing symptoms from periods or menopause. I continue to upgrade my training as well as researching the latest information in natural health care. For example, I now have training in Anti-aging medicine, which is at the leading edge where natural remedies meet the latest advances in nutraceuticals and bio-technology. As well, I have remedies in the office to assist in the prevention and treatment of many illnesses that are associated with aging such as Alzheimers, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.
The last two years have lead me further down the road of skin care and esthetics and in April of 2008 (on Earth day) I opened the Be Well spa, a dream that I have had for 18 years. I have taken great care in choosing the products and therapies that the spa offers. Everything possible is organic, chemical-free and eco-friendly. There is not another spa like us, at least in Atlantic Canada. For more information on me please visit www.drcheryl.ca or call 902-422-2767. My office is at 2110 Robie street, nestled inside the Be well spa.
A Preventative Approach
Home Remedies Ahh, the good old days. Remember when you would rub a raw potato on a wart and plant it under the light of a full moon in hopes that you would lose your wart? Or put a warm, used tea bag on your eye for pink eye? Did your Mom ever give you chicken soup for your cold? Do you still take cod liver oil in the winter to help to prevent colds? These are just some examples of old home remedies.
Looking at them now with a scientific eye I have to ask was there anything to them or did a person just get better either a) because they didn't want to take the remedy as they tasted bad or b) because they got to stay at home, watch t.v and be pampered. Believe it or not most of the above old home remedies and others can now be explained by science and are enjoying a re-emergence into the typical North American home. With us now in the colder weather I wanted to spend a little time recommending some medicinally useful foods that you may want to keep in your kitchen for the months ahead.
Garlic and other members of the allium family, which includes onions, are the first that come to mind when I think of medicinally useful foods. Garlic is the strongest member of this culinary family. Members of the allium family have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties and also aid in loosening excess mucus. Garlic if used as a food works just as well as in supplement form, but must be added near the end of cooking to retain its usefulness. If you avoid garlic due to its smell, you may want to note that people only tend to smell like it when they only eat it infrequently. If you have a clove daily your body will be able to break down the chemicals that cause the odour and prevent you from being smelly. You can also use a thin slice of garlic on a wart at bedtime (held on by a bandage) to help kill off the virus that causes warts.
Ginger root is another very important food to have at home for the winter season. A medicinal property of ginger is that it is a diaphoretic; it makes you sweat. Sweating is the ideal way to fight a fever, rather than suppressing it with drugs. A fever, unless it is too high, is a healthy thing as it makes your body an inhospitable place for a virus or bacteria to live and actually matures your immune cells faster. Ginger is also great to help with nausea, regardless of why you have it. Use half a teaspoon of fresh ginger root that has been chopped finely or grated either as a tea or just ingested, as needed. To increase the diaphoretic qualities of ginger you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your tea. Cayenne pepper is great for improving circulation whether used internally or by adding a little to your shoes in the winter to help keep your feet warm (don't use on broken skin...ouch!).
Brown rice is an excellent source of fiber which is typically needed more in the winter as fresh, inexpensive produce is not as available. Rice water is an excellent cure for uncomplicated diarrhea from the flu. To make this take one cup of brown rice and four cups of water, boil for one half hour and use one half a cup per half hour with a pinch of cinnamon until the diarrhea is better. It typically takes an hour for this to work and it is best to not eat until the diarrhea has improved as this will encourage the loose stool.
Oats are an excellent breakfast for cold winters and are full of many nutrients and fiber. Oats can also be used in bath water to help with dry skin. To use them in this way put one to two cups of oats into a sock (so they don't stick to you) and let it sit under the tap while the water is coming into the bath tub, soak for ten to twenty minutes.
Now, my column comes full circle. Cod liver oil in the winter was sound advice in the past as this oil is high in vitamin A which helps to keep the immune system strong and is also high in Vitamin D, which we get less of in the winter due to decreased sun light. I usually don't suggest this supplement anymore though, due to the oceans not being as clean as they used to be, cod being a bottom feeder and the liver (the part that the oil is derived from) being the main part of the body in charge of cleaning out toxins. Instead, in the winter time you may want to take 10 - 20,000 IU of Vitamin A and 800 IU of Vitamin D daily, either together in one supplement or separately.
The tea bag for pink eye was a good idea as the tannin in tea is able to kill bacteria and viruses that can cause different types of eye infections. Chicken soup as well as being delicious, also helps to stimulate the immune system with its garlic and onions and the protein from the chicken is needed for strengthening the immune system. But as I said in the beginning not all remedies can now be proven scientifically, so as for the potato and warts, I'm not even going to go there.
So You’re Already Sick, What Now? by Dr. Cheryl Lycette, N.D.
So, you're already sick.
Although these suggestions aren't exactly food related I wanted to pass them along as most people find them very helpful for preventing and fighting acute illnesses.
Feed a fever, starve a cold? Don't fret! Follow this advice. Do not eat when you have a fever. Your body will not be prepared to digest and it can make you sicker. Keep your fluid intake up by having broth, water and herbal teas and you will feel better in a few days.
If you drink juice when you are sick, water it down as the natural sugar in juice is enough to decrease your immune system function. If you are taking a supplement with iron in it and are fighting acute illness, stop the supplement until you feel better as iron can make viruses stronger.
Almost anyone can benefit from using Echinacea (except for those with active auto-immune diseases and AIDS). It is best to use Echinacea in tincture form and make sure that the supplement contains both Echinacea Angustifolia and E.purpurea. For an adult 20 drops is a dose. Use it the following way; if you are trying to not get sick when something is going around take it twice daily. If you feel sick take it every two hours. If you get sick (after a day of fighting it) take it four times daily.
Don't use Echinacea for over two weeks at a time, without a three day break, as it will not work effectively over a longer period.
Be Well Spa - Be Close to Nature
- What: Organic Spa with Naturopathic Medicine practice
- Where: 2110 Robie St. (between Quinpool & Cunard, facing commons)
- When: Call 902-422-2767 for appointment
- Website: www.bewellspa.ca
The Be Well spa has been the dream of Dr. Cheryl Lycette, N.D. for over 18 years. The spa is a full service spa which uses non-paraben, chemical-free, non-petroleum, organic skin and body care products that are pampering and therapeutically effective. We strive for excellent, personal service and incorporate, as much as possible, organic, local and eco-friendly amenities in the spa. for example, all the sheets, linens, face cloths & towels are certified organic.
The Be Well spa is located in a large Queen Anne shingle style house at 2110 Robie street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It's at the mid-point of the commons, halfway between Cunard and Quinpool. There is parking in front of the house on the street. The house is from 1898 and was originally a doctor's home. During the Halifax explosion it was a temporary hospital and over the years it has also served as a seniors home and a boarding house.
For more information on the spa please visit www.bewellspa.ca, call 902-422-2767 or drop in for a tour.
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