The Art & Practice Blog
You Are Not Your Thoughts: On OCD
Can you do me a favour? I want you to think about your thoughts. Not just any thoughts: The Thought Spiral. We all have thought spirals. You know, where your thoughts feel like they're on an automatic playback loop? If you suffer from OCD, your thought spirals likely...
You Aren’t Sick, You’re Adapting
In my last post on "I Treat Stories", I talked about the spectrum between perfect "health" (perhaps better defined as "potential") and disease, and death. The Disease Spectrum, perhaps we can call it. And I also talked about the conflict many naturopathic patients...
I Treat Stories
"I don't believe in diseases anymore, I treat stories. "...No other medical system in the world ever believed in diseases. They all treat everybody as if, you know it's whether it's the ancestors or meridians--it's none of this rheumatoid arthritis, strep throat kind...
You Weigh Less on the Moon
I’ve struggled with body image as much as the next woman. In certain influencer, nutrition and health circles I find “skinny” is confused for “healthy”. When we talk about health and wellness, people assume we mean "thinness", or weight loss.And I want to confess...
Depression is a Ditch
"A human being can endure anything. "As long as they see the end in sight. "The problem with depression is, you can't see the end." Depression is like a ditch. Sometimes you head into and get stuck, but you manage to wiggle out. Other times you're in a major rut and...
Are You Beach Body Ready?
Yes.Have you heard of something called "self-objectification"?It is the effect of moving through the world imagining how your body looks to others: perhaps checking yourself out in the mirror, adjusting clothing, taking selfies--the awareness of your body moving...
Dear Anxious Patients: Choose to Trust Your Guide
Imagine that you're stuck in the middle of the Amazon forest. You have no idea where you are. You're terrified and hungry. All of a sudden a man (or a woman) emerges from the bushes. They tell you, "I can help you get out of here. I can help you find your way home"....
My Beliefs About Nutrition
Our beliefs come from external factors: our research, others' stories, things we read, things we see, and internal factors: personal observation of our own experiences. My beliefs about food have formed through reading scientific studies and nutritional studies, to an...
How to Heal Loneliness
Is anyone else feeling wet dog in a bathtub-level lonely?With this pandemic loneliness is on the rise. And we already lived in an epidemic of loneliness.Humans are social creatures with attachment needs--and many of us are alone or surrounded by people who make us...
Chronic Low-Grade Anxiety
Chronic low-grade anxiety. That feeling that you can't settle. You can't eat. You can't relax. Your muscles are tense. Not all is right with the world. Many people who live with chronic low-grade anxiety don't even realize it's there. I see this all the time in my...
I’m Walking, Yes Indeed
One of the reasons I love dogs so much is that we share a fundamental understanding: walking is healing.I love walking. My body craves walking. I walk to strengthen my lower body, to stretch my psoas (hip flexors), to stabilize my core.I walk to self-soothe, to...
I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Adaptogens
My best friend is a teacher. She told me that lately, all the children she works with have a label. "Meredith can't attend your online class because it's her first day of school and she can't handle more than two things because of her anxiety", one mother wrote in an...
Taming the Tiger of Anxiety: That Naturopathic Podcast
I talk with Dr. Kara and Dr. Dave of That Naturopathic Podcast, rated in the top 6 Canadian Medicine podcasts, about taming the tiger of anxiety. Click to learn about your HPA Axis, the stress response and how we can "tame the tiger" by providing our body and mind...
Surfing in the Time of Corona: The Weird Waves Podcast
I talk to Taylor Morozova of the Weird Waves Podcast about how I became a naturopathic doctor, surfing, immunity, vitamin D, and how to stay safe in the age of Corona. Listen on Spotify.
The Mood Diet
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Books
The Mood Diet a 39-page resource on how to eat for your mental and emotional health. How can we eat to reduce inflammation, optimize the microbiome and support neurotransmitter synthesis to boost energy and support optimal mood? The Mood Diet offers 12 science-backed...
Should I Take Anti-Depressant Medication?
In September of 2019, Jakobsen, Gluud and Kirsch published a review in the British Medical Journal: Evidence-Based Medicine entitled “Should antidepressants be used for major depressive disorder?” (1) Their conclusion was this: “Antidepressants should not be...
The Anxiety Revolution Podcast with Hannah Hepworth
Hannah Hepworth, of the Anxiety Revolution Podcast, and I team up to discuss a natural and functional approach to managing anxiety. In our talk, featured in her 2019 Anxiety Revolution Summit, a series of talks with integrative mental health practitioners and experts,...
Mental Health on the Rebel Talk Podcast with Dr. Michelle Peris, ND
I appeared on the Rebel Talk Podcast with Dr. Michelle Peris, ND. Dr. Michelle writes, "Not a week goes by that I do not discuss mental health with patients in my office. Rates of depression and anxiety are on the rise. So I really wanted to unpack this important...
Micro-Dosing for Depression: Research on Psychedelics for Mental Health
This article is for informational purposes only. My friend Nelson (not his real name) was depressed. Depression frequently came in and out of Nelson’s life, but this last bout was the worst. Severe job stress compounded by issues with his relationship sent Nelson into...