MY BLOG

Your Summer herb garden is not just about fresh flavour into meals, it’s a living pharmacy right outside your door! Herbs are some of the most accessible, affordable, and underrated tools for supporting digestion, hormones, immunity, and nervous system health. Let’s explore what makes them so special, and how to actually use them in everyday life.

There’s a reason they call stress the silent killer. Stress is a major factor in things like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, immune issues, and even cancer so it’s not something to just shrug off. Our nervous system is the physical system behind our bodies response to the stresses of our world, and unfortunately it doesn’t know the difference between the pressures of modern life and being chased by a tiger. All our nervous system recognizes is that something that feels like a threat to our survival is happening and it does its job and gets our body prepared to either fight, fight, or freeze.. whichever one is better conducive to survival. 

I don’t know about you, but for me my sweet tooth always gets a Summer upgrade. Suddenly instead of longing for chocolate, I’m wanting something fresh and fruity… and I’m happy for that because it becomes easier to make dessert a lot healthier!

Ahhh summer… that delicious time of year where we can throw the rule book out the window and embrace freedom. Long days, lots of time outside, and the glory of summer BBQ. But that doesn’t mean you should throw out your healthy habits for the season, our bodies still need us to take care of them no matter what season we are in. Or maybe you dread the unstructured chaos that the kids being out of school wreaks on your routine and are desperate to find a way to keep your health momentum going. Either way, I thought it was a good time to check in with a few ways you can keep your healthy habits going over the summer holiday.

Where does your mind go when I tell you to keep hydrated? Most people think hydration simply means “drink more water.” But if you may cart that Stanley cup with you everywhere, feel like your guzzling water all day and yet still feel tired, dizzy, headachy, crampy or thirsty… there’s a good chance your body may actually be missing electrolytes and minerals, not just fluids. True hydration is about getting water into your cells and helping your body actually use it properly.

One of the biggest frustrations that leads patients away from conventional medicine and into my office is the experience of feeling deeply unwell, but being told everything looks fine in their testing. Many people are left feeling helpless, and they are looking for answers. Our maxed out medical system simply does not have the capacity currently to work with people on achieving their optimal health, and instead is fighting a battle just to help those who are critical. The answer to many is a mystery as to “what is wrong with me?” The reality is that there’s often a big difference between what the medical system considers “normal” lab ranges and the optimal levels for how your body actually functions. 

As a Naturopathic Doctor, my main goal is to be in the business of prevention. Let’s create a solid lifestyle that will set you up for long term health, rather than trouble shooting the consequences later on… But I hear it again and again in my practice: I’m just too busy.  SO it is my pleasure to present to you today 10 truly low effort wellness habits that even the busiest of you would be hard pressed to find an excuse not to incorporate into your routine. 

Spring is the season of coming alive and shaking off that heaviness of the winter hibernation mode.  Brighter days bring cravings for fresher foods, but here’s where a lot of people go wrong: they swap heavier winter meals for light salads and smoothies and then wonder why they’re starving, snacking all day, or feeling off. Fresh? Yes. Light? Sure. But protein-packed is the real game changer. Because stable blood sugar, balanced hormones, and sustained energy don’t come from greens alone

Despite our cultural norms, your period isn’t actually just something to “deal with” every month, as a woman it’s one of the most powerful health report cards your body gives you. And yet, we have been taught to hide  it, suppress symptoms, or just push through what our body throws at us, missing out on the deeper clues it’s trying to show you.  Here’s the truth: a healthy menstrual cycle should feel relatively smooth, predictable, and, dare I say, uneventful. If it’s not, your body is communicating. 

While bloating may be common… it definitely isn’t normal. It is normal for your stomach to expand slightly after eating, as the food moves into your body and takes up space, but the feeling of your belly ballooning out, the dreaded ‘food baby,’ or your waistline suddenly going up 3 sizes is a sign that there’s something else going on. In fact, there are a lot of people out there who are working so hard to try and lose extra pounds of ‘stubborn belly fat’ that in actuality is an issue with their gut and bloating. 

I see you Mama. You went to bed at a reasonable hour. You got your 8 hours (or close to it).. and yet you wake up tired, foggy and already behind. What gives? In honour of Mother’s Day. Let’s look at some of the reasons why… Because wouldn’t finally feeling rested be the ultimate gift?

There is no better time to be enjoying our beautiful city of Victoria than Spring. The blossoms are out everywhere, birds are singing, and the sunlight is the most pleasant feeling of warmth, without being too hot. The best way to see it? On foot!  Walking is an incredibly underrated form of exercise. In fact, if I had to tell everyone (mobility willing) to do only one activity for the rest of their lives… it would be walking!