Probiotics on the Daily

Taking your probiotics daily is a great preventative immune support during the cold and flu season. There is evidence to suggest that in healthy individuals regular consumption of probiotics may help lower the incidence of respiratory tract infections. Probiotics help to alter the gut flora in our digestive tracts and may play a role in enhancing our immune function when we are exposed to viruses and bacteria. Talk with your Emerald City Naturopathic physician if you have any questions or concerns about the use of probiotics for yourself or your family.-- Dr. Chad Borys

Skin Health

From Dr. Kelley Barnes-ValdesSkin issues are common among people of all ages.  We all tend to reach for lotions, creams, or salves when this sort of thing arises, but the truth of the matter is that our body is telling us that there is something going on at a deeper level.    The most common cause of skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, and candida rashes is poor digestive health.  If these rashes appear in young children, we first look at the most recently added food in the child’s (or nursing mother’s) diet.  Often times a food elimination is all that is needed to cure the rash and keep the child from having more worrisome complaints in the future.  In adults, we look at quality of digestion, probiotics, and antibiotic use among other things- your doctor can help you assess what needs to happen to bring your skin back to health.  

Frequent Urinary Tract Infections

Frequent Urinary Tract Infections

information from Dr. Erin Westaway

Recently I’ve been seeing a surprising number of women with chronic or recurrent urinary tract infections and I wanted to share some observations that might help prevent other women from having to deal with similar issues. For many of these women, the symptoms resolve only when dealt with on a physical, mental, and emotional level. They are a great lesson to us as patients and as doctors in truly addressing the whole person. Here is a sample of observations on all three levels that may help with prevention.

Physical:

· Sweets and simple carbohydrates (including just too much fruit or juice) raise the blood sugar and suppress the immune system leaving you susceptible to infection.

· Repeated antibiotics (for past urinary tract infections or other issues) destroy the good bacteria in the digestive tract, which interferes with immune function leads to leaky barriers in the urinary tract as well as the digestive tract and can cause increased inflammation of tissue, making it more susceptible to infection

· Repeated infections generally lead to angry tissue throughout the urinary tract. This tissue is easily irritated and patients may experience symptoms even without an actual infection. Breaking the antibiotic cycle is very important in getting rid of chronic infections.

· When we don’t drink much water, we don’t flush bacteria out of the urinary tract as well or as often. Staying well hydrated is the best prevention.

· Many of these infections occur after sexual activity. Urination within a few minutes following sexual activity is an important prevention for urinary tract infections.

Mental: Too much intellectual activity or analytical thought can disconnect us from our bodies and cause an imbalance. Exercise, especially involving the pelvis, is a great way to shift out of the head and into the body. Consider dancing, hula-hoop, or yoga, but any physical activity is good.

Emotional: Please note that I am not implying that urinary tract infections are purely emotional issues, rather that there is an emotional component to most physical illness and these emotional patterns come up often in people who are prone to urinary tract infections.

· Every organ and area of our body is associated with a primary emotion. The pelvis in general is about safety. Any issues about safety, particularly as they relate to intimacy, will often manifest in the form of discomfort or disease in the pelvis. All patients with frequent urinary tract infections should carefully consider where they might feel unsafe.

· Bladder emotions: the bladder is often associated with fear and shame. These emotions are often important to work through for people struggling with bladder related issues.

When I look at my patients from all these perspectives, I find that there are many tools for addressing the underlying cause of chronic bladder and kidney infections. Through dietary changes, herbs, counseling, homeopathic support, and hands on medicine, we are able to support the whole person, creating the environment for a healthy bladder.

Lung Health

We are seeing a lot of clients with lung issues recently, which seem to be long standing from 2-3 weeks to 2 months. First, many of these lung issues seem to be reactive airway disease which is an allergic reaction to something  (eg pollens, virus, etc).  This is just a heads up but more importantly I wanted to address the 3 day rule.  If you have been experiencing any health issue that is NOT resolving within 3 days; this warrents contacting your Emerald City Clinic physician as most health issues that are new begin resolution within  three days.  If your discomfort lasts than this, it often can become chronic if we do not intervene in some fashion.  Help us help you become better!  Thanks  Molly