5 Quebec Avenue, Toronto

innate-logo-02

About Innate Wellness

Innate Wellness provides a variety of current wellness content from our team of amazing practitioners. To read more about the writers please visit Our Team page. Please leave your comments and questions!

Maintaining Holiday Cheer During COVID-19

By Lise Fitzsimmons MA, RP (Q), Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) One of the goals with Psychotherapy is to increase your sense of wellbeing and to help you gain a fuller understanding of yourself and your feelings. Therapy seeks to provide you healthy coping skills in response to challenging experiences and feelings. While the holidays do not necessarily exacerbate mental health specifically, they do have a tendency to create additional stress. The additional stress can then trigger anxiety and depression, and this year it is complicated by the pandemic. I am including some tips that I hope will be useful. […]

By |2024-06-13T02:58:12-04:00December 12th, 2020|psychotherapy|Comments Off on Maintaining Holiday Cheer During COVID-19
Read More

Men’s Health During the Winter Season

By Xianmin Yu, R.TCMP & R.Ac According to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), men’s kidney essence starts to decline at the age of 40. It is time for you to do some preparation to deal with this natural process, especially during the severe cold winter. How can you manage to strengthen your body and relieve the stress and pressure of work? TCM has already given you the guidance in its classic “Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic”, i.e., nourishing your kidneys and storing the essence. According to TCM, the human body corresponds to natural seasons, i.e., the liver corresponding to spring, the heart corresponding to early to middle summer, the spleen corresponding to middle to late summer, the lung corresponding to autumn, and the kidney corresponding to winter. The warm spring nourishes the liver, while the hot summer nourishes the heart and the spleen. After the cool autumn nourishes the lungs, the cold winter is around the corner. Winter is the season of replenishing energy and nourishing the kidney. It is a perfect time for kidney to store its essence and consolidate your body foundation. Thus, here are a few important suggestions for you to consider. […]

By |2023-04-28T10:24:20-04:00November 28th, 2020|Acupuncture, Men's Health, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture|Comments Off on Men’s Health During the Winter Season
Read More

To Zoom or not to Zoom?

By Monica Grainger, MSW, RSW Recently, a NY Times writer David Streitfeld published an article, “The Long, Unhappy History of Working From Home,” claiming people are more productive working at the office than working from home. Streitfeld cited research dating back to the early 1980’s to 2009 where prodigious companies, such as Google and IBM, declared there was greater productivity, team innovation, creativity, and availability if employees worked in the office compared to working from home. Research dating back 40 years investigating the plausibility of working from home versus in-office work is outdated and tangential with the advent of online video conferencing. Applications, such as Zoom, Face-time, and other online Hiipa compliant video conference technology, are more sophisticated in our present time and available to a larger population. Hence, team innovation and creativity, accountability, and availability are now made possible for many work groups to meet through video conferencing.  […]

By |2023-04-28T10:23:25-04:00July 29th, 2020|Anxiety, Mental Clarity, psychotherapy|Comments Off on To Zoom or not to Zoom?
Read More

The Coronavirus and Your Anxious Children

By Monica Grainger, MSW, RSW This is an unusual time. Families are asked to stay at home and engage in social distancing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Families are becoming flooded with news from around the world about the deadly result of this virus. As we are becoming more anxious about COVID-19, the anxiety is mounting among our children. I have highlighted some behaviours which may lessen our childrens’ anxiety regarding the coronavirus. People are fearful and discussions about death are rampant. Children easily sense fear in other people. They need to be comforted and reassured that they are safe at home. In the next few days and weeks to come, help your children reduce their anxiety by adhering to the following recommendations: […]

By |2023-04-28T10:12:18-04:00March 24th, 2020|Anxiety, Cold and Flu Season, Mental Clarity, psychotherapy, Supporting Your Child|Comments Off on The Coronavirus and Your Anxious Children
Read More

Corona Virus Prevention & Support – A Naturopathic Approach

By Dr. Angelina Riopel, ND Currently the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has become the center piece of every news story. My purpose in this article is to provide you with information on how keep your immune system strong. COVID-19 is classified as a pandemic by the WHO and the number of people infected is rising quickly around the globe. It’s important to recognize that the majority of individuals who are already or will become infected, will experience symptoms of a typical cold or flu. As with any respiratory infection, those at greater risk are the elderly (over 65) and those with underlying health conditions and lowered immunity. Without a known cure or vaccine it’s crucial for individuals to focus on two areas; immune system health and acute care. […]

By |2023-04-28T10:07:54-04:00March 14th, 2020|Cold and Flu Season, Naturopathic Medicine, ND Editorial, Nutrition|Comments Off on Corona Virus Prevention & Support – A Naturopathic Approach
Read More

Cow Dairy Intolerance: The Evidence

By: Dr. Kathleen Regan, ND Humans have been consuming cow dairy for thousands of years. In fact, a recent archaeological dig from Britain showed that prehistoric farmers were consuming dairy products as early as 6,000 years ago – despite being lactose intolerant! And we are still at it! Humans consume dairy in volumes despite it being linked to a number of problematic health issues such as diarrhea, constipation, dermatitis, eczema, respiratory conditions and more. Cow dairy offers a creamy, satiating food that is readily accessible. Its nutritional profile is noteworthy with 1 cup of 2% milk offering 8g of protein, 5g of fat, 30% of daily calcium requirement as well as naturally occurring Vitamin A and B6. However, despite this healthy profile, milk seems to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. In Canada, close to 7% of the population report a food allergy. At the top of the list of reported food allergens is dairy with 2% of the Canadian population reporting an actual Cow’s Milk Allergy (CMA). This is the highest reported food allergen in Canada! Anecdotally, from my clinical practice, many patients speculate that dairy is a trigger for their health concerns. However, they are often told that ‘there is no evidence’ that milk or dairy-based foods is an inflammatory or immune-triggering food – and so they don’t eliminate dairy. I am always surprised to hear this as there is plenty of evidence that milk is problematic. Here are a few reasons why:  […]

By |2023-04-20T10:31:16-04:00March 11th, 2020|Allergies, Digestion, Naturopathic Medicine, ND Editorial, Nutrition, Pediatric Health|Comments Off on Cow Dairy Intolerance: The Evidence
Read More

‘Defecation Posture Modification Device’ AKA ‘The Squatty Potty’

By Dr. Kathleen Regan, ND Squatting during bowel movements (BMs) is commonly practiced in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia while western populations prefer to use the toilet. When people say they are ‘constipated’, they are often referring to not ‘going’ daily but are also often referring to a lengthy time spent attempting to poop, straining or incomplete poops. These last few problems lead to troubling issues such as pelvic floor issues, hemorrhoids or fissures, blood in the stool and, of course, stress. People become nervous to ‘go’ which worsens the problem. But there is hope in sight! […]

By |2024-09-26T07:31:17-04:00March 7th, 2020|Digestion, ND Editorial, Nutrition|Comments Off on ‘Defecation Posture Modification Device’ AKA ‘The Squatty Potty’
Read More

Getting to the Root of Constipation

By Dr. Angelina RiopelGetting to the root of constipation begins with understanding what causes constipation and how dietary choices impact our digestive health. When we are constipated the toxins from the stool become reabsorbed and recycled through the body. Improper elimination of waste can lead to inflammation, chronic digestive concerns, allergies, skin rashes, eczema, fatigue as well as many other symptoms. Adopting natural ways to help constipation, such as increasing fiber intake and regular exercise, can promote smoother digestive processes and prevent the reabsorption of toxins.What is a Normal Bowel Movement?Normal is a pretty loose term, but you should be having at least one bowel movement every day and it should feel like you have completely evacuated your bowel. The stool should be formed, not hard or pellet-like, loose or watery. Blood and mucus is not normal. […]

By |2024-05-13T02:45:56-04:00March 5th, 2020|Digestion, ND Editorial|Comments Off on Getting to the Root of Constipation
Read More

Women’s Heart Health

By: Dr. Keara Taylor, ND Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among older post- menopausal women.  As women, the risk of cardiovascular disease is 2-3 times higher after menopause (1).  Statically, men are at a higher risk, however, as women age, their level of risk approaches that of men, and the lifetime risk for women may actually be higher because we live longer (2).  The risk of cardiovascular disease in women should not be underestimated, and because there appears to be a link between hormones and cardiovascular disease – we see rates increase significantly after menopause – we can and should be proactive in managing that risk, especially as we age. The average age of menopause in women is approximately 51, and is often accompanied by the immediate symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats. However, longer-term issues can also arise, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and cognitive impairment. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) looked at the correlation between a menopausal woman’s experience of vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes with cardiovascular risk factors.  It found that vascular aging, endothelial dysfunction and large artery stiffening seemed to increase in women during the menopausal transition and that women with hot flushes had higher rates of subclinical cardiovascular disease (1). As women enter menopause, treating symptoms with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) may be a good option, and should be discussed with a health care practitioner. While the use of BHRT in menopause is beyond the scope of this article, here are some dietary and lifestyle practices that you can implement right now that have been shown in the literature to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events: […]

By |2023-04-28T10:16:01-04:00February 26th, 2020|Cardiovascular Health, Naturopathic Medicine, ND Editorial, Nutrition, Women's Wellness|Comments Off on Women’s Heart Health
Read More

Connecting Cancer and Nutrition

By Dr. Kathleen Regan, NDI have always been intrigued by the connection between cancer and nutrition. I have written many articles on diet and health but have rarely focused on the relationship between food and cancer. It is certainly something I think about and talk about to patients in the context of prevention and adopting an anti-inflammatory diet.Recently, I have been affected personally by a number of cancer diagnoses in my own family where there was no prior family history. This has driven me to delve deeper into the connection between diet and cancer. The rising number of cancer cases worldwide is alarming, with the World Health Organization (WHO) predicting a 70% increase in new cancer cases over the next 20 years (1).Our modern lifestyle, including the chemicals we are exposed to and consume, farming practices, and environmental management, significantly influences our global cancer risk. Additionally, as our population ages, cancer, which can be an age-related disease, becomes more prevalent. Our immune system is a crucial defence against cancer, yet many contemporary practices weaken this vital system. Listing all potential cancer-causing elements in our environment can be overwhelming.This is why I like talking about lifestyle and nutrition. You can modify your habits (with a little support) and you can control your own kitchen. Positive change starts at home and nutrition is an impactful, empowering place to begin.So, what are the facts? An estimated one-third to one-half of cancers could be prevented by healthy lifestyle choices such as eliminating tobacco use, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), maintaining an active lifestyle, increasing fruit, vegetable and fibre consumption and moderating alcohol consumption (2,3).Tobacco Use:Smokers have an estimated 25-fold risk of developing lung cancer as compared with [...]

By |2024-08-16T05:06:46-04:00February 5th, 2020|Cancer, Naturopathic Medicine, ND Editorial, Nutrition|Comments Off on Connecting Cancer and Nutrition
Read More
Go to Top