If you suspect COVID 19 (symptoms here) please avoid over the counter anti-inflammatory medication.

The French minister of health has said that "the taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, Advil, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection."  This position has been supported by the WHO. 

While there is lots of controversy in the medical community about this position, I think that it it is prudent to be safe and avoid ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medication if you are feeling unwell. If you are are on prescription anti-inflammatory medication please contact your prescriber. If you are reaching for over-the-counter fever reducing pharmaceuticals the current suggestion is to take acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Acetaminophen must be taken strictly according to the recommended dose, because too much of it can cause liver damage. Avoid all alcohol before and after using acetaminophen.

Before you reach for any fever reducing medications I urge you to consider the role that fevers play...

​As amazing as it seems – given the weather this past week – we are in the dreaded Cold & Flu Season!
(insert ominous music here) If fact as I wrote this post CBC announced the first locally acquired flu case in Ontario!
 
In the next few weeks I encourage you to take some extra care of yourself and your family. We are in a near perfect storm for the onset of a colds and flus with the combination of: diminishing sunlight (lack of vitamin D); a return to chill inducing cold, damp weather; and the effects of the post Halloween sugar binge. The only thing that would make conditions more ideal would be large public gatherings with lots of small children!
 
Check out my website for Colds & Flus 101: A Survival Guide that includes cold & flu prevention tips as well as other cold & flu information.
 
For those that would like a little extra support staying healthy this cold & flu season I am once again offering free homeopathic flu prevention. With at least a 90% effectiveness (vs 19% for the 2014-15 conventional vaccine) homeopathic flu prevention is great alternative. Click the link for more information regarding homeopathic flu prevention and links to vaccine information.


I will be holding flu clinics at the Life Loft on:

• November 12th from 9:00- 11:00am
• November 17th from 9:00-11:00am
• November 19th from 3:00-6:00pm
• November 24th from 3:00-6:00pm

 
If you have any questions or if you can’t make it to any of the flu clinics but are interested in homeopathic flu prevention please contact me.

Yup – I was STUNG 3 TIMES IN THE BUTT! OMG the pain was crazy! Despite years of prescribing and promoting Apis (often referred to as homeopathic Benadryl) for all manner of stings, allergic and anaphylaxis reactions,  I quite luckily had never had a reason to use it personally…that is until this past Sunday…

Evidently a wasp had flown up my long skirt and gotten trapped. As the dictates of Murphy’s law demand, my hands were full at the time of the vicious attack on my bum. Sting #1 was shocking and mildly painful – I dropped my watering cans. Sting #2, millimeters from Sting #1, was met with some expletives and a futile attempt to get the wasp out of my skirt. Sting #3, nearly on top of Sting #1 and Sting #2, was excruciatingly painful - more expletives and mad slapping to crush the evil stinging beast that was attacking my innocent bum.

At various social gatherings I am often asked what people can do to feel better – my standard answer is “only eat real food, get outside and come and see me for an appointment”. I am often amazed at how many people dismiss my advice to get outside as flippant. I am serious – GET OUTSIDE and you will feel better.

From healing gardens, conservatories and greenhouses to restorative nature sanctuaries and forest bathing, being in nature has been used as a therapy for ages because it makes us feel better. Thankfully research is catching up and providing us with some quantitative data.

The benefits of spending time outside include: 

Thanks to some excellent new research and many professional sports figures we are becoming more aware of serious risks associated with concussions.

Most players, coaches and parents are aware of the major signs and symptoms of a concussion (loss of consciousness, vomiting, loss of memory, etc.) but are often unaware of the more subtle signs and symptoms of concussion. Fewer people still are aware that the signs and symptoms of a concussion can take hours or even days to manifest.

Things I have learned about concussions


1. Any violent, jarring motion can result in concussions

Concussions can be caused by more than just direct blows to the head. Anything that causes the brain to be shaken or bounce around in the skull can result in a concussion – think of: whiplash; players colliding together; or, flying through the air while tobogganing and landing with a thud. 

Since it is hand washing season (or at least it should be given that it is cold & flu and holiday gathering season) – I am bringing up household antimicrobials again. A new study has given us yet another reason to avoid synthetic household antimicrobials. 

This study has linked triclosan – the most commonly used household antibacterial agent – with liver dysfunction. The study found that exposure to triclosan disrupted liver function, leading to liver fibrosis and liver cancer.

Based on research by the USA Food and Drug Administration “there currently is no evidence that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soap products are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water”.

Why are there risky chemicals in our common household products that provide us with little to no benefit?


Things I have learned about triclosan

Homeopathic Flu Prevention

I am offering free homeopathic flu prevention this year. I recommend that you consider homeopathic flu prevention if you get the flu often, are in a high risk group, or are considering a flu vaccination.

Homeopathic flu prevention has been in use for more than 150 years and has a greater than 90% success rate in preventing the flu with no reported side effects. Please visit my website for more information.   


Other Ways to Prevent The Flu


Wash your Hands - Often
By far, this is one of the most effective, and simplest, methods to prevent the spread of the flu.


Increase your Vitamin D
Inadequate levels of vitamin D will reduce your ability to fend off the influenza virus. For more information about how to increase your vitamin D check out Stay Healthy all Winter.

Living in a post antibiotic world…a reality I would rather not experience – Part 3

This is part 3 of a 3 part blog on antimicrobial resistance. In this final instalment I am expanding on the primer presented in Part 1. 

Part 1 – 5 Easy Things You Can Do To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance and a  primer on the issue of antimicrobial resistance 

Part 2 – Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use

Part 3- Antimicrobial Resistance – The Science Stuff 

I am again starting with the good news. After the good news I am going to really geek-out and talk about the research and science around antimicrobial resistance. At the end of this blog I have included a list of some resources that will give you lots more information about antimicrobial resistance.


The Good News...

There are things we can do  - 5 Easy Things You can do to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance 

There are  Alternatives to Medicinal Antimicrobial Use


The Best News…
Using fewer antimicrobials may effectively eliminate antimicrobial resistant ‘superbug’ populations!

Microbes compete with each other for resources. Studies suggest that carting around antimicrobial resistance is hard work and superbugs require more resources to reproduce – in more scientific terms, there is a fitness cost associated with antimicrobial resistance. Paying the fitness cost of antimicrobial resistance makes evolutionary sense as long as there is a selective pressure to do so - i.e. antimicrobials keep killing your competition and clearing the way for your offspring. Eliminating the selective pressure to have antimicrobial resistance (eliminating the use of antimicrobials) will put superbugs at a competitive disadvantage since they require more resources to produce offspring. In the absence of antimicrobials superbugs will have to either drop their antimicrobial resistance or be overtaken by the competition. 

I feel like a harbinger of the fall cold & flu season…I guess I kind of am…except that, the main impetus for this post is actually Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) - a cold virus that is typically associated with summer colds!

You can find out more about EV-D68 here.

The best thing you can do for a cold or flu is prevent it! Check out Cold & Flu Season - Part 1: Prevention for the 5 Things You Can Do To Survive The Cold & Flu Season.

If you do start to feel the beginning of a cold or flu drop everything and rest ASAP – lots of sleep/rest now may save you 5-10 days of dragging yourself around at ½ speed. In the first 24-48 hours of the onset of a cold/flu try taking 3 doses (2 pellets) at 4 hour intervals of either:


Oscillococcinum (Anas barbariae): effective in treating the first stages (first 48 hours) of influenza (fever, chills, body aches & pains, etc.)
or
Aconite 30c or 200c: great for acute illness with sudden onset, especially after a shock or exposure.  Symptoms include: excitement, anxiety & fear; restless; a dry cough; and burning heat with a flushed face.

If the 'prevention' and 'nip-it-in-the-bud' ships have sailed and you are now SICK a great place to start is by following the recommendations provided in Cold & Flu Season - Part 2 Treatment. With colds and flus I generally only recommend homeopathic intervention if:

1. If there is either no improvement or a worsening of symptoms
2. If the symptoms are intense (headache, fever, etc.) or unbearable (aches & pains, sleeplessness, etc.)