As of the past few years, mental health discussion is no longer a taboo subject. The current generation is very open to talking about this topic – and rightfully so. While traditional medication has always been connected when treating it, some individuals are now opting for alternative approaches for managing their well-being.

This article will explore alternative and holistic treatment for mental health conditions. The natural approach will be your toolkit to improve your mental health. Let’s start!

Cultivate Your Inner Peace

Your body and your mind are connected. These practices that address both simultaneously can significantly improve your well-being. Let’s take a closer look:

Meditation

Medication isn’t just relaxing your body and mind. It’s training your brain to focus and achieve a heightened state of awareness. By doing this, you’ll be able to understand the root cause of your thoughts and feelings while being calm and less stressed.

Training yourself through meditation will reduce your anxious thoughts. It will help you sleep better and increase your focus and concentration.

There are several types of meditation: mindful, guided, and mantra. Mindful meditation is focused on increasing your present awareness while observing your thoughts and feelings.

Guided meditation is more of creating a visual landscape to help you relax while being in a positive mental place. Mantra meditation, on the other hand, works by repeating words, phrases, and sounds, which help achieve a state of repose.

Exercise

Working out doesn’t just improve your energy level throughout your daily life; it’s also an essential tool to manage your mental health. People who exercise and work out will say that they feel great despite a tiring session. This is why it’s no secret that when you’re physically active, you improve your mood and self-esteem.

But you don’t have to go hard every time you work out. The great thing about this approach is that you have so many options. You can join dance classes so it’s more fun. You can even walk or brisk walk for an hour every morning. You don’t have to do strength training all the time. Make it a happy and enjoyable experience.

Yoga

Yoga is an exercise, too. It’s similar to pilates, but we want this to have its own section. It’s a combination of meditation together with asana (posture) and pranayama (breathing). When we talk about mind and body connection, this is it.

Aside from the aforementioned benefits of meditation, yoga also improves your flexibility and strength and increases body awareness and mindfulness. The core principle of yoga is focusing your attention on the present moment. Through various breathwork and medication, it extends to your body.

There are so many variations of yoga. One of the most famous is Vinsaya yoga. It involves flowing through a sequence of postures synchronized to your breathing. It’s known for dynamic and continuous movements that challenge the body, build strength, and enhance flexibility.

Journaling

Now, we’re moving away from your body and focusing on your mind. Journaling is the same as writing a diary when you’re young. However, you’re channeling your thoughts and feelings more when you write your journal.

It’s a brain exercise or training on how you can navigate through your emotions. You’ll be able to make better decisions and understand your feelings with clarity. Also, completing a journal is like working out. You will feel a certain sense of accomplishment after writing.

Understand that there are no strict rules on formatting your journal. Just find what works for you, start freewriting, and most importantly—be consistent. Be authentic. It’s your safe space for self-discovery.

Conclusion

By incorporating these alternative approaches to improving your mental health, you slowly will build your resilience and create your inner peace. But understand that the path to mental health is different for each person. Some of these may or may not work for you, but what’s important is you try.

When you feel tired all the time, it can be hard to live a full life. Thankfully, naturopathic medicine offers hope for managing chronic fatigue. This holistic fix highlights finding and treating the root cause. It identifies underlying imbalances in the body—doctors can help patients achieve long-term relief.

We’ll explore the various ways this treatment can support and improve energy levels. This includes personalized diet, supplement recommendations, and stress management techniques.

So, if you’re exhausted from trying everything else, it may be time to consider this remedy in your journey toward better health.

Diet and Nutrition

The number one thing this treatment highlights is a healthy and balanced diet. It’s vital to include a lot of whole foods and hydration in your daily eating habits. Herbs, vitamins and minerals can also help you boost your energy level.

Basically, what you need to eat are foods that will help your digestion and aid inflammation. A diet like this helps promote overall wellness, giving you the necessary energy to fight fatigue. Believe it or not, eating healthy improves your mood as well.

It may also be obvious, but hydration is a large part of this lifestyle. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day regulates your body temperature and keeps you from feeling tired.

Also, avoid eating processed food—it is bad for your gut and doesn’t provide much nutritional value.

Exercise and Physical Activity

The paradox of exercise is that it can energize us even though it requires energy. There are actually two types of it: gentle movement vs. overexertion. The main difference between the two is the energy level you exert.

Overexerting exercises such as boxing, sprints and cycling can lead to fatigue. A balanced approach recommends mindful movement such as tai-chi, yoga and meditation. Remember that your goal here is to reduce stress and increase energy levels and relaxation.

Proper pacing and avoiding overexertion are crucial to avoid worsening fatigue symptoms.

Sleep Hygiene and Relaxation Techniques

The very foundation of chronic fatigue management is rest. An adult should aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night to boost energy levels and cognitive function.

The easiest way to achieve that is going to bed at the same time every day—even on weekends. This will regulate your body’s natural clock. Also, before going to bed, try to wind down. Take a warm bath, listen to music and avoid stimulating screens like phones or televisions.

During the daytime, mindful meditation is the key to stress management and improved relaxation. Focus on the present moment and your breathing, and clear your mind from worries and distractions.

Slowly inhale through your nose, hold it for seven seconds, and gently exhale through your mouth. Do this for several minutes.

Remember, consistency is key. Implement these practices regularly and be patient, as results may take time.

Mind-Body Therapies

Some of the usual suspects of chronic fatigue are stress and anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle that significantly contributes to your overall health. You can find many holistic approaches, which are easily available anywhere.

First is the usual massage therapy. It relaxes stiff muscles, improves blood circulation and decreases stress hormones. Next is acupuncture, an ancient practice involving thin needles inserted into specific body parts. Many studies suggest that it restores your energy flow and decreases inflammation.

Finally, CBT or Cognitive-behavioral therapy. It helps find out and change negative thought patterns that lead to stress and anxiety.

Final Thoughts

The holistic approach to neuropathic medicine interconnects your mind, body and spirit. Addressing the underlying root cause of your chronic fatigue, will overall improve your quality of life. Diet, sleep, exercise and therapy are just some of the things you can do.

If you’re in pain and struggling with chronic fatigue, Calgary Integrative Medicine can assist you on your healing journey. Contact us for more information and we will help you find sustainable solutions for better health.

Winter is coming, or you may be reading this with a frost already covering the ground. No matter where you live in Canada, one thing remains true—winter is a struggle.

It’s not just the snow and road conditions that we need to worry about; it’s our health, too. So before heading out into the cold temperatures and icy roads, take a few minutes to prepare your body for what winter will bring.

How Winter Affects Your Body

When the temperatures drop, our bodies naturally want to keep warm. To do this, we start turning up the heaters and donning thick coats and scarves outside.

Unfortunately, both can create dry conditions that dehydrate our skin and limit precious vitamin D exposure—a key component for healthy body function. Colder temperatures mean activities like running outdoors or playing sports become more difficult, if not impossible.

This lack of movement often leads to decreased physical activity levels, leaving us feeling sluggish with less energy overall due to a dip in endorphins (natural happy hormones released through activity).

Healthy Tips for Prepping Your Body

The good news is that there are many healthy tips for helping to prepare your body for winter, inside and out.

Hydrate

Start by increasing your water intake. During colder months, our bodies crave more moisture from foods like soups and warm beverages such as tea or coffee. Consider adding a few extra glasses of water—hydration is essential to keep skin healthy as we move through the colder season.

Layer Up

Dressing appropriately for the conditions can make all the difference to your health this winter. For outdoor activities, start with a base layer with wicking properties (made specifically for activities such as running) and add breathable waterproof layers, a hat and gloves.

This way, you will stay warm yet avoid sweat buildup, which often leads to colds and other illnesses down the line.

Supplement Vitamin D Intake

On cold, dark winter days, it sometimes feels like the sun never rises. To ensure you get enough vitamin D, consider taking supplements throughout the colder months since true sunlight can still be limited even during the day.

Move Your Body Indoors

Don’t be a couch potato! When the outdoors gets too cold, think about going to the gym or doing indoor sports like tennis. Swimming is another excellent, low-impact option for those close to a pool.

Finally, consider exploring new ways of keeping your body active from home—try yoga or pilates if it interests you and seek other fun physical movements that foster increased circulation and breathing.

Get Enough Quality Sleep

Finally, sleep plays an important role in staying healthy during any season. Make sure to create time to get at least 7-8 hours of uninterrupted rest each night. A good night’s rest supports natural immune functioning, which will help keep illnesses at bay during winter months when flu viruses are most prevalent.

Spice Up Your Diet

In addition to active movement and hydration, spice up your diet. Many spicy foods, such as chilli peppers, boost immunity by increasing cell activity around the body.

Other herbs like garlic produce great health benefits, too, such as inflammation reduction in throats from colds. Experiment with classic winter dishes that can aid your health throughout this time of year (stews and soups come immediately to mind!).

If you’re looking for more information or personalized advice on how best to stay healthy in Calgary over the winter months, book an appointment at Calgary Integrative Medicine today. Our team is experienced in providing customized treatments tailored specifically to your needs.

Living with Lyme disease, which is often referred to as the “great imitator,” presents many unique challenges.

Lyme disease is difficult to manage and diagnose, its wide array of symptoms can imitate the symptoms of several chronic diseases, making it incredibly difficult to diagnose and manage.

The disease was reported to have affected over 2,100 Canadians in 2022, with cases expected to rise in line with the effects of global warming.

The fight against this complex and multifaceted disease has taken a promising turn at Calgary Integrative Medicine. We employ a unique holistic approach to Lyme disease with a focus on natural and integrative medicine.

This approach revolves around healing and improving the entire body for optimal comfort, healing and wellness.

Understanding Lyme Disease: The Great Imitator

Lyme disease is a complex illness primarily caused by transmission of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, through the bite of ticks.

It is known to mimic other chronic diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons’, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia. In addition to these, the disease can also present as chemical sensitivities such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and even some psychiatric illnesses.

It’s clear to see just how Lyme disease has earned itself the nickname of the “great imitator.”

As a result, treating and managing the disease requires a complex and integrative approach that extends beyond the mere eradication of a virus or bacteria.

Calgary Integrative Medicine: A Unique and Holistic Approach

The comprehensive approach provides a robust management plan for Lyme disease while catering to all other aspects of a patient’s health and wellness.

Here at Calgary Integrative Medicine, we have made significant strides in providing the innovative, natural, and unique approach required for managing and treating Lyme disease.

By combining and blending the expertise of multiple practitioners and modalities, the clinic focuses on improving the overall health of the body – ensuring that every system functions together for optimal well-being.

Our goal is to provide a comprehensive approach that manages the symptoms and progression of the disease, all while covering all aspects of your health and wellness.

Detection: The First Step to Wellness

At Calgary Integrative Medicine, the first step to managing and treating Lyme disease starts with detection.

This approach involves the identification of all causative agents and dysfunctions that contribute to the disease and its symptoms. Factors such as heavy metal and chemical toxicity, dysregulation of the immune system, detoxification, genetic predispositions, and infections are considered.

Using advanced medical and laboratory diagnostics in addition to a full and thorough medical history, the causative factors are identified. This lays the groundwork for an effective and personalized treatment plan.

Treatment: Customizing the Path to Recovery

The next step is treatment. With the causative factors identified, the clinic designs a specific treatment program for each and every patient. This includes improving digestive health, detoxification, repairing the mitochondria, and correction of genetic predispositions.

The intention of our practitioners and treatment program is to create an environment that is inhospitable for the bacteria causing Lyme disease and setting the stage for healing.

Eradication: Comprehensive and Effective

The final step of the process is eradication. A highly individualized plan is administered to eradicate Lyme and its symptoms.

Typically this incorporates a combination of supplements, IV therapy, diet, and lifestyle recommendations. Each treatment plan is tailored to the patient’s unique needs.

This comprehensive 3 step process ensures the management of Lyme disease symptoms and paves the way for a return to optimal health.

Conclusion

The management and treatment of Lyme disease require more than a band-aid approach and symptomatic relief. The multi-systemic nature of Lyme disease demands a tailored and comprehensive approach, with a focus on detection, individualized treatment, and eradication.

Calgary Integrative Medicine offers a unique and holistic approach to health and wellness, providing an avenue for patients to reclaim their health, finding comfort and optimal health once more.

This approach to the treatment showcases the potential of Lyme disease natural treatment and integrative medicine in the management of complex chronic disease.

Contact Calgary Integrative Medicine and discover well-being today.

Spring is just around the corner! For some, this is great news. For others, however, the onset of spring brings along with it seasonal allergies that can really put a damper on your plans.

As pollen counts begin to rise, so do allergies and many tend to turn to conventional medications to relieve their symptoms. These medications often come with undesirable side effects, like drowsiness and nausea, which many of us have learned to put up with as we yearn for the summer. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Treating allergies naturally is a safe and effective alternative to resorting to the medications we’ve become so accustomed to. Here’s how to do it:

Avoid Exposure When the Pollen Count is High

Treating allergies naturally begins at home. As gorgeous as the day may be, staying indoors can sometimes be your best option to avoid worsening your allergy symptoms. Keep doors and windows shut to minimize the chances of exposing yourself to pollen and curl up with a good book or catch up on your favorite show. If you have to travel or leave the house when the pollen count is high, get into the habit of leaving your shoes outside, showering, and changing your clothes as soon as you get home to keep pollen out of the house.

Keep a Clean Home

From the moment you step out of the house, your body, shoes, clothes, and hair become covered in tiny particles that can make your allergies worse. In addition to leaving your shoes outside and showering as soon as you get home, it’s important to regularly clean your home. Be mindful that the chemicals used in some house cleaners can irritate your nasal passages and make your allergies worse. So, use them sparingly and opt for natural or homemade cleaning agents whenever possible. Don’t forget to regularly check and clean dust-prone areas like shelves and under tables, and be sure to use HEPA filters in your home’s HVAC system and vacuum cleaner.

Regularly Clear Out Your Nasal Passages

Homemade nasal rinses are great at both clearing out excess mucus from your nose and treating allergies. Make a simple mixture of three teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of baking soda, and store it in an airtight container. Mix one teaspoon of the mixture into eight ounces of boiling water and let it cool. Use a neti pot or nasal bulb once the solution has fully cooled down to gently rinse out any accumulated dust and pollen from your nose. If nasal rinses aren’t your thing, steam therapy can work just as well. Simply pour some boiling water into a bowl, place a towel over your head, and inhale the steam to clear your nasal passages. This works great when paired with therapeutic essential oils like peppermint or eucalyptus oil.

Visit a Naturopath

Naturopathy uses natural treatments to treat the root causes of your ailments and improve your overall wellness. More than just simply suppressing the symptoms, a naturopath will help you treat your allergies naturally using a variety of treatment methods, including specialized diets, advanced laboratory testing to assess root cause, IV therapy, customized supplementation and acupuncture.

There’s no need to suffer or put up with the side effects of conventional medications this allergy season. At Calgary Integrative Medicine, we believe in using the least invasive methods possible to help you achieve your path to wellness. Contact us today to book your consultation and have your allergies tested and treated naturally with the help of a professional naturopath.

Your first visit to a naturopathic doctor will be somewhat different from a regular visit to a medical doctor, so it’s worth knowing what to expect. The main difference between naturopathy and conventional medicine is the treatment methods and approaches adopted by the different systems, thus the way a naturopathic doctor approaches a particular ailment may differ from the way a medical doctor does. In short, naturopathy focuses on tackling the underlying causes of a condition and utilizing the body’s natural healing mechanisms.

First visits typically last an hour and primarily serve as information-gathering sessions for naturopathic doctors to obtain a detailed overview of your health history and identify the underlying causes of any health concerns you may have. Following this, your naturopathic doctor may have enough information to devise an effective treatment plan or may recommend further physical examinations and lab tests. The following is a closer look at what’s involved in each step.

Information Gathering

Since naturopathic doctors focus on the underlying causes of a condition, they’ll typically ask a series of questions covering areas such as your current and past medical history, medications, supplements, diet, sleeping habits, emotional and mental health as well as a review of all body systems to try and gather as much information as possible.

If at any point you feel like the questions being asked are unrelated to your condition, remember that the main goal of the first visit is for your naturopathic doctor to pinpoint exactly why you’re feeling the way you are and what’s causing it and that each question asked can play a part in your treatment plan. Be honest when answering the naturopathic doctor’s questions and bring along the results of any recent lab tests you’ve had — this will help ensure they can create the most effective treatment plan possible.

Physical Examination

If necessary, your naturopathic doctor may carry out a physical examination on your first visit to collect important information such as your height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and information from a standard physical exam that you would have performed by your conventional doctor. Physical examinations are especially important if your condition stems from or has affected a particular part of your body.

Blood Work

Once your naturopathic doctor has gathered the necessary information and carried out a physical examination, they may order some blood work. Blood work and other lab tests can be an effective way to assess your overall health and help your naturopathic doctor better understand what’s causing your current condition, as well as how to effectively treat it.

While you might not receive any naturopathic treatment to take home with you on your very first visit, it’s an essential step on the road to recovery and a better life. Reach out to Calgary Integrative Medicine to find out more about the benefits of naturopathy and book your first visit today.

With many of us striving to achieve optimal health and wellbeing, the demand for health products and services has been accelerating. In addition to conventional medicine, society as a whole has been focusing on preventative and proactive approaches to healthcare. This is where naturopathic medicine is playing a foundational role in shaping the future of healthcare as we know it. Naturopathic medicine is that preventative, and proactive healthcare model that so many patients are looking for.

Naturopathic Doctors aim to find the root cause of their patient’s health issues, not just to address the symptoms present. This requires investigation with a very thorough consultation, physical exam, and blood work. Rather than solely relying on medication, Naturopathic Doctors use a variety of techniques, and treatment modalities to approach a patient’s health and healthcare goals. So, why would people choose to visit a Naturopathic Doctor in addition to a conventional physician? Let’s find out!

An Individualized and Integrative Approach to Wellness

Taking an integrative approach to wellness means that your health care is now a part of a team effort. Naturopathic Doctors have a broad scope of training in many modalities and also work in conjunction with your other health care providers. Each body is unique and requires an individualized approach. Naturopathic doctors may use several treatments to tackle your health including lifestyle modification, clinical nutrition, supplementation, acupuncture, injections, intravenous therapy, and manual therapy. No two bodies are alike, and your treatment protocol will reflect this as each protocol is personalized to you and your case.

Suitable for a Variety of Medical Conditions

Naturopathic medicine can treat a wide variety of medical conditions, with many Naturopathic Doctors choosing to focus on specific areas like integrative oncology, chronic pain, and cardiovascular health. A few medical conditions commonly treated by our Naturopathic Doctors include:

Cardiovascular disease
Neurological disease
Integrative oncology
Lyme disease
Digestive and metabolic disorders
Hormone balance and thyroid optimization (female and male hormone imbalances)
Weight loss
Pain management (prolotherapy, neural therapy, acupuncture)

Focus on Root Cause

Naturopathic Doctors focus on the root causes of medical conditions to develop long-term sustainable solutions, rather than short-term relief. The first visit to a Naturopathic Doctor is typically an information-gathering visit that involves the Naturopathic Doctor going through a series of questions to get a detailed view of your health history, with the intention of identifying the root cause of your condition. Advanced blood/serum, sputum, urine, and stool testing may be utilized on a case-case basis, to create an effective treatment plan.

Natural Treatments

The use of natural therapies facilitates the body’s self-healing capabilities. Treatments are focused on improving both a patient’s physical and mental wellbeing. Treatment modalities range from: clinical nutrition, nutraceutical/supplement prescriptions, botanical/herbal medicine, acupuncture, injection and IV therapies. Lifestyle medicine is at the core of naturopathic medicine, as what we put into our bodies highly impacts our health and ability to heal.

Works in Conjunction with Conventional Medicine

Many prospective patients are surprised to hear that Naturopathic Doctors work alongside conventional medical doctors. Despite what some may think, naturopathic medicine does not exclusively follow traditional/natural healing techniques but rather blends the two with modern conventional medicine. This approach is an integrated medical approach for patients, that allows for optimal, well rounded, personalized treatment plans, that support the patient in all domains. A collaborative, integrative team of medical professionals, is what gives the results we are all looking for: true health.

Anyone can benefit from naturopathic medicine however, if you’re unsure if it’s right for you or the medical condition you’re currently facing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Calgary Integrative Medicine. Our team of passionate healthcare providers is on-hand to ensure that you receive the best treatment possible so you can continue living life to the fullest.