It is one thing to make New Year’s resolutions, another thing to start working on them. . . and yet another thing altogether to successfully achieve your New Year’s resolutions. In this article we will focus on the top five tips to successfully follow through with and achieve your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Write and Re-write Your Goals on Paper

Having your goals on paper is one of the most important strategies for successfully following...

This is the time of year when many people begin thinking about their resolutions for the New Year. You may have a good idea of what your resolutions will be but for many people it may be a very difficult decision. In this article we will focus on the top five tips for making successful New Years resolutions.

1. Be True to Yourself
The most important part of setting successful New Year’s resolutions is that they be true to your authentic self....

The most common thing I hear in the weeks after Halloween is, “I ate too much candy!” It’s something almost all of us have been guilty of a time or two. If you are feeling like you indulged too much this Halloween and are concerned about the potential for further candy binges, this is for you. In this article we will talk about the most important ways to reduce candy cravings and prevent yourself from becoming sick of candy.

Tip 1—Spread It Out

It is not pleasant for anyone to experience sluggish bowels or constipation let alone infants, toddlers, and children. It is both difficult for the child and the parent to deal with the consequences of constipation. Because of this, constipation is one of the most common reasons parents bring their little ones into my office. Not only does constipation cause pain, it can also contribute to sleep disturbances, skin conditions, and malnutrition. Constipation can occur in an infant...

All parents want their children to be as healthy as possible and most parents do whatever they can to support their children. Many parents bring their children into see me not necessarily to treat specific medical conditions but to determine what they can do to support the health of their children. One of the most common questions they ask is, “Should my child take vitamin supplements?”

I typically recommend most infants and toddlers under the age of two get the...

Skin conditions like eczema are amongst the most common reasons parents bring their children to see a physician. In fact, next to constipation, eczema is the most common childhood condition I see in my practice. In this article, we will discuss the possible causes of eczema and highlight the most effective treatments.

Eczema can affect infants, toddlers, and children of any age and can present in a number of different ways. Eczema typically affects the front side of the body...

Many of the most common medical conditions affecting infants have some connection to the digestive system. Over the next several articles I will discuss many of these common medical conditions individually and provide treatment recommendations for them. However, because the digestive system plays such a crucial role with many of these conditions I feel it is very important to start this series with an investigation into the digestive system of an infant

Babies have very...

One of the most common questions I get from male patients is, “Do you think testosterone would help my sex drive?” I always answer with one of my typical naturopathic responses, “It depends if your testosterone is low and if that low testosterone is indeed causing your sex drive to diminish.” For the most part, men want simple answers to what we think are simple questions, but the question of testosterone and sex drive appears to be anything but simple.

What is Anxiety?
Technically, there are several different types of anxiety disorders. However, for the purposes of this article we will look at anxiety in very general terms that could encompass most of the individual types. In this respect, anxiety can be thought of as an emotional imbalance where lingering feelings, emotions, and mental energy are unresolved and thus staying in the body. However, unlike depression disorders, anxiety disorders manifest as...

The main reason I write a monthly column is to help empower people to take their healthcare into their own hands and become more aware of the how the body works, how disease takes hold, and what testing and treatments are available.

The most important goal of any treatment, natural or synthetic, should be to treat the factors actually causing the symptoms. I strongly recommend that you spend the time, money, and energy required to investigate the causes of your...

In the last column we discussed the role of probiotic bacterial species in the treatment of Candida overgrowth. We learned that there are hundreds of species of beneficial bacteria that live in the intestinal tract. We learned that these species work synergistically together amongst themselves and with our immune system to digest food and to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. We learned that a good probiotic should contain multiple strains of...

In last month’s column we discussed the most important natural agents for killing Candida overgrowth in the body. We reviewed some of the recent studies highlighting undecylenic acid, oregano oil, clove oil, and berberine and found that these nutrients not only inhibit the growth of Candida but they also prevent Candida from converting into its more harmful state (hyphae). In this column we will look at the use of probiotics to treat Candida...

At least a couple times a week a new patient will ask me about Candida. Usually, they say something like, “a friend of mine who had similar symptoms told me they had Candida, how do you treat Candida?” I always answer this question by saying, “first we need to determine if your symptoms are from Candida or something else.” One of the most important jobs of a physician is to make an accurate diagnosis. Once an accurate diagnosis is made we can then...

At least a couple times a week a new patient will ask me about Candida. Usually, they say something like, "a friend of mine who had similar symptoms told me they had Candida, how do you treat Candida?" I always answer this question by saying, "first we need to determine if your symptoms are from Candida or something else." One of the most important jobs of a physician is to make an accurate diagnosis. In this article, we will discuss the diagnosis of Candida.

What is the Prostate and What Does It Do?

The prostate is a golf ball-sized gland located between the bladder, rectum, and penis in the male genitourinary system. It surrounds the urethra, which is the passageway for urine from the bladder and sperm from the testis. The prostate produces and secretes a milky alkaline fluid that makes up about 25 percent of the volume of sperm. Prostatic fluid provides energy for sperm on the journey to the female egg, contains enzymes...

Asthma is one of the most common medical conditions in North America. The prevalence of asthma has increased significantly over the past few decades. There are a number of possible reasons for the increase in asthma rates including increased pollution in the atmosphere. However, there is another cause that is often overlooked; food allergies. In this article we will discuss how food allergies can cause or exacerbate asthma.

About 3½ years ago Vincent came into the office...

The naturopathic approach to sleep management examines every aspect that influences ones ability to get a good night’s sleep. These include environmental factors, routine, blood sugar, stimulants, sedatives, and psychological factors. By examining and addressing these factors many common sleep problems can be improved without more aggressive intervention.

Diabetic neuropathy is a symptom that many people with either Type I or Type II diabetes will face. In fact, roughly half of all diabetics will develop nerve damage causing symptoms. Diabetic neuropathy results as a consequence of damage to nerves caused by periods of high blood sugar. The high blood sugar results in the formation of advanced glycosylated end products (AGEs), which physically damage the nerves. The high blood sugar also decreases circulation, which results in poor healing...

February is Heart Health month, which includes Valentine’s Day (the most important day for our hearts!). The Heart and Stroke Foundation and many other organizations are doing their best to raise awareness and empower individuals to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. Since heart disease is the number one killer in North America supporting the cardiovascular system can save a lot of lives.

In this month’s column we will cover the most important aspects you need to know about...

January can be a very difficult month for many people. The holiday season may have been filled with parties, good food, and lots of fun things to do. However, in January there tends to be a post holiday blue due to the cold weather, darkness, and bills that need to be paid. In this article we will focus on the top five tips to make January a great month.