Sick & Can't Shake It? Prevention & Treatment With Intravenous Therapy

By Dr. Beata Skorka, ND

Are you feeling run down or battling this years pesky flu? Whether you took precautionary measures or not, this years cold and flu season has made an impact on the health of Ontarians.   

Every year Health Canada advises the general public to have their flu shot as a prevention against the years most prevalent strain. Unfortunately, this is not a full proof way to protect oneself, especially with this years vaccine being said to only be about 10% effective.

There are other ways to help your body fight infection, and better yet prevent its onset. Alongside daily lifestyle habits such as: maintaining a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and proteins, drinking 2L of water a day, keeping active and managing your stress levels, intravenous (IV) therapy is a quick and effective way to prevent and treat the cold and flu.

What Is IV Therapy?

Intravenous therapy is a potent way to get antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids directly to your cells without the interference of any gastrointestinal problems you may have. It’s a way to help replete your body with larger quantities of nutrients then you would be able to take by mouth. This is important for many people, especially those who battle with daily stress on a daily, as they require more nutrients then those not exposed to daily stresses. By providing nutrients directly into the blood stream, we are able to change the bodies ability to prevent and more efficiently fight off infections that are taking place.

Why Is IV Therapy Beneficial For Colds And Flus?

During times of illness, our bodies fight to combat the microbes that are attacking it. How well equipped our bodies are prior to and during will help determine how long the illness lasts and how symptomatic we become. IV therapy becomes an important tool for optimizing our fighting capabilities. Immune boosting antioxidants and minerals such as vitamin C and hydrochloric acid become important in this process. They provide antioxidant support during times of increased oxidative stress such as a cold or flu and increase important white blood cells that work to fight infection. This allows you to quickly and effectively fight an infection. The following are just some of the important nutrients that can be found in an IV bag during treatment:

Antioxidants

• Glutathione: important antioxidant for the body; anti-viral; protective for the liver and nervous system
• Vitamin C: anti-viral and anti-bacterial; supports the adrenal glands; deficiency of this nutrient leads to decreased immunity

Minerals

• Hydrochloric Acid (HCl): causes cytokine release leading to white blood cell stimulation. This  up-regulates the immune system
• Zinc: required for proper functioning of the immune system, enhances immunity
• Selenium: required for proper immune function

Vitamins

• Electrolyte replacements: Calcium & Magnesium
• Vitamin B5:  indicated for fatigue, stress, low immunity
• Vitamin B6: indicated for fatigue, low white blood cell count
• Vitamin B12: indicated for fatigue, herpes zoster, the nervous system

Who Would Benefit From IV Therapy?

• Cold/Influenza
• Flu
• Fatigue
• Shingles
• Viral and bacterial infections
• Headaches
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Chronic conditions such as chronic fatigue, chronic nutrient deficiency, EBV
• Specific conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Cancer and others.
• Detoxification support

     What To Expect?

      Expect to have more energy, see a decrease in cold and flu symptoms,  recover quicker, and boost your immune system to help prevent future attacks.  

Fight this years cold and flu quickly and effectively with IV vitamin therapy.

If you have any further questions, email Dr. Beata Skorka, ND at beatacskorka@gmail.com.  To learn more or book an appointment, please call NFHC at (905) 940-2727.  

In Ontario, Naturopathic doctors must do additional training and examination prior to administering any IVs.  Dr. Beata Skorka, ND provides IV therapy at NFHC.

Realistic and Achievable Personal and Family Health Goals for the New Year.

New Year’s resolutions are always set with good intentions but some are harder to implement and sustain than others. Here are some ideas and tips for setting reasonable, achievable and sustainable health goals for 2018 and beyond.

Reasonable, Achievable, Sustainable Health Goals:

Healthy Weight & Exercise

Clean Eating

Sleep

Healthy Weight & Exercise

Perhaps the two areas where most set unreasonable and hence unattainable goals. The dream and desire to get back to that pre-pregnancy or pre-wedding weight or going to the gym at 5am, 4 days per week is admirable but is it doable or even healthy for you? Begin by taking a close look at your personal and your family’s schedule.

Exercise: Based on your schedule, does exercise fit best on Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thur/Sat? Is morning, mid-day or early evening the best time for you (and your schedule)? Aim for 3 days per week at a realistic time of day, keeping in mind that a 5am or “bootcamp” workout may not be the ideal for those suffering from adrenal fatigue.

Healthy Weight: When it comes to weight loss, slow and steady is key and weight loss goals should be realistic and achievable. One or a few of the following strategies may be realistic and achievable for you: Monday to Friday menu planning, not eating past 8pm, avoiding sugar, fasting overnight for 12hrs, Intermittent Fasting.

Monday to Friday Clean Eating

Another achievable and sustainable health resolution is to eat clean, homemade, whole, “non-stressful” foods during the week. Choosing to avoid gluten grains, sugar (including juice and pop), and highly processed and fried foods Monday through Friday can have a tremendously beneficial impact on weight, energy levels, sleep quality, productivity and mood.

Sleep

Adults who are not sleeping at least 7.5 hrs per night are sleep-deprived. Without adequate, restful sleep, optimal health (and weight) is simply not achievable. In order for our brain, nervous system, immune system and detoxification organs to work optimally, the human body requires 5 consecutive 90 min. sleep cycles. This means that for those who need to get up at 6am, bedtime (lights out) should be no later than 10:30pm. While this minimum of 7.5hrs of sleep is required on a daily basis, it may not be achievable or sustainable for everyone based on work or family schedules. If this is the case, consider practicing an earlier bedtime at least 3 days per week (Sun/Tues/Thur) or every other day.

Talk to your ND about which New Year's health resolutions would be best for you for 2018!

Dr. Nadine Cyr N.D. has been working with children, moms and dads for nearly 20 years, helping them set and achieve realistic health goals for optimal health. She believes in setting her patients up for success by creating individualized treatment plans based on moderation and achievability. 

To book an appointment with Dr. Cyr, please call the clinic at 905-940-2727

Keeping the Resolution of Health

Dr. Iva Lloyd, ND

Becoming healthier is one of the most common New Year's Resolutions. It is important to remember that health is a life-long process, not a project that can be accomplished and  then set aside again for a number of months or years. Health is a way of life and a cumulative reflection of your life.

1st Step - Determine Your Areas of Concern
The first thing you want to do if you are on the path to becoming healthier is to take an honest look at your health -- all aspects of your health. Most people have a tendency to focus on the one or two things that are currently bothering them, but in my experience as a naturopathic doctor, many people end up ignoring the aspects of health that are either "feeding" the other areas or those that pose the greatest health risk.

For most people over the age of 30, or for those with a suspected or known health issue, the first step generally involves getting up-to-date blood work and a physical exam. One of the advantages of naturopathic medicine is that laboratory testing it is not controlled by OHIP or other provincial health-care guidelines and we can often offer patients a thorough blood work-up and physical exam. For example, our access to testing for environmental toxins and chemicals and food reactions is very extensive. There are also a range of laboratory tests that can help clarify the best treatment plans for conditions such as high cholesterol, hypertension or diabetes.

2nd Step - Follow the Logic of Healing
Yes, there is a logic to healing and re-establishing health. A lot of frustration, time and money can be spent with very little results if this logic is not followed.  Generally speaking the way the body works is as follows:

•  Acute Takes Priority -- Acute illness generally take priority.  If you are dealing with an acute situation the "healing energy" of the body will be focused on the acute problem.  This is one reason it is important to allow your body the time it requires to heal acute illnesses, like colds and flus or sprains and strains.
• Reverse Order - The last symptom will often heal first.  If you have had eczema for years and recently ended up with a cough, it is most likely that the cough will resolve before the eczema improves.  As deeper symptoms "move to the surface", it is common for them to get a little worse before they resolve. 
• Grouping of Symptoms - Symptoms that started at the same time often are related.  For example, digestive symptoms can cause joint pain, skin issues, mood changes and changes in bowel movements are simultaneously.  Hormone imbalances can contribute to insomnia, anxiety, decreased memory function, dry skin, weight gain and other problems.  One of the main jobs of your naturopathic doctor is to find the core imbalance that is contributing to your symptoms instead of treating each concern as a separate thing. Treating the core imbalance is simpler, more effective and a lot less costly.
• Top-Down - Symptoms that appear above the waist generally resolve before symptoms that are lower in the body. Chronic patterns are generally held in the lower body, including circulatory problems (peripheral artery disease), or the impact of kidney or liver disease, etc.
• Inside-Out - The vital organs are located deep within the body. As the body is healing, it will generally heal the deeper organs prior to the joints, skin and other more superficial organs.

3rd Step - Open the Routes of Elimination
Being able to eliminate what the body doesn't require is essential to health.  In traditional systems of medicine, such as Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, opening the routes of elimination is the most important single step to achieving and establishing health.

For example, having proper bowel movements every day and breathing effectively need to be part of every health-building plan. Many people find that once they are able to eliminate toxins from their body, many other symptoms resolve.  Check out my blog on Eliminating Toxins - Top 5 Things to Remember for more information.

4th Step - Regular Movement
Movement is essential to health. Most people are much too sedentary in their jobs and at home.  Regular movement is required not only for proper functioning of muscles and joints, but movement is an integral part of cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, mood regulation and other aspects of health.  Check out my blog on Movement for more information.

5th Step - Eat For Health
What you eat will strongly impact your ability to heal. Knowing how to choose what food is best for you is the single most important factor that a person has to ensuring health, next to positive thinking.

There is no magical healthy diet. It generally boils down to ensuring that you eat more vegetables, adequate protein, complex carbohydrates, good fats and 1 or 2 pieces of fruit a day. Some additional general guidelines are as follows:

• Identify and address your personal food allergies and sensitivities.  Identifying the foods that your body reacts to and then avoiding or limiting those foods is a great first dietary step to achieving health.
• Address your personal weakness and indulgences. Most people are aware of their specific weaknesses and the "bad" habits that they have that affect their health. One of the best ways to achieve your health goals is to be honest with yourself and commit to addressing your "bad" habits and making more healthy choices.
• Avoid the "feast then famine" phenomenon. The solution to eating too much is not to spend the next couple of weeks or months eating too little.  Keep in mind that January and February are often the coldest months of the year. Dramatically changing the amount that you eat will often increase the chance that you will come down with a cold or flu. Major fluctuations in dietary intake often worsen underlying conditions such as thyroid conditions, diabetes and other metabolic conditions.
• Get rid of the sugar and the "white processed food". Those chocolates, sugary sweets, morning danishes, muffins or bagels are packed with calories, but offer very little nutrients.  The increase in sugar and empty carbohydrates is one of the main reasons for those added pounds that creep on over time.  If you are serious about getting back on track with your diet, it is time to get rid of the sugar and the calorie-dense, nutrient-deficient foods.  To learn more about the health impact of sugar, click here. 
• Drink water -- lots of water.  Sweets, alcohol and many other "treats" are dehydrating.  Ensuring that you are drinking sufficient water is a safe and effective way of helping the body re-balance and rid itself of the excesses that it has accumulated.  Click here for tips on how much water is ideal for you. 
• 4 to 6 cups of vegetables a day.  Increasing your consumption of cooked vegetables, especially those dark green vegetables like swiss chard and kale, is a great way to help the body detox. Vegetables are also the primary source of minerals and nutrients.
• Cut out the snacking.  Only children and those with low blood sugar need to snack between meals.  Unless advised otherwise by your naturopathic doctor, stick to three meals a day.

Check out my blog on Nutrition for more information.

6th Step - Adequate Sleep
The body heals while you sleep. Ensuring adequate restful sleep is essential to establishing and retaining health.  There are many reasons why sleep can be a concern.  It is important to identify the reason before engaging in any treatments.  Check out my blog on Sleep for more information.

7th Step - Work with Your Naturopathic Doctor
If you are serious about becoming healthier, then book an appointment with your Naturopathic Doctor. They will be able to help you determine what steps are best for you and will help you stay on track. For more information visit our website at: http://www.naturopathicfoundations.ca/