Blog

By: Dr. Michelle Pobega, ND

Ok. Now what??

Well, I can tell you this much - “Just take a probiotic” is not a solution, especially if you don’t know the what, the how or the why.

Why are you experiencing symptoms of IBS?

What really needs to be addressed and rebalanced?

How did it develop, so that the SOURCE of the issue can truly be addressed?

Did you know that a large percentage of IBS sufferers are really suffering from something called SIBO? This stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Various triggering factors can lead to the development of SIBO, such as traveller’s diarrhea or food poisoning.

Maybe your IBS is really one or a combination of the following:

• celiac disease
• non-celiac gluten sensitive
• lactose intolerance
• SIBO or SIFO (fungal overgrowth)
• pancreatic insufficiency
• digestive enzyme deficiency
• low stomach acid
• food sensitivities
• parasitic infection
• gallstones or gallbladder inflammation
• consequences of a removed gall bladder
• medication side effect
•improper use of supplements
... and so on!

A big philosophy of naturopathic medicine is to treat the root cause. This requires digging deeper, asking more questions, putting all the various pieces of the puzzle together, and identifying dietary and lifestyle habits that are perpetuating the problem.

Is it time to dig a little deeper for your IBS struggles? We can help you at One Health Services. Book a visit to find out more.

Until then, here are 5 tips to help support better digestion:

• Reduce your intake of refined sugars and processed foods - these add chemical burden, contribute to local (gut) and systemic (whole body) inflammation, and can affect the gut bacterial ecosystem that plays a pivotal role in digestion, detoxing and immune function.
• Drink plenty of water - but NOT with your meals. Drinking excessive amounts of fluids or water while eating can dilute digestive juices and limit your full digestive power. Focus water consumption up to 30-45 minutes before eating, or wait 1 hour after eating to drink a larger volume of water
• Chew your food - digestion starts in the mouth. Each mouthful of food should be chewed 10-20 times (into a paste), before swallowing. With every chew, you expose the food to more enzymes that are produced in the saliva, and you facilitate the breakdown of food with your teeth to make everything downstream work more efficiently.
• Take a deep breath - chronic stress puts us into SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) response, aka fight or flight. However, this does not support digestion. A more calm or relaxed state puts the body in PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) response, rest and digest, which does optimize digestive function. Deep breathing has been shown to help shift people into a PNS response and help calm their body and mood. Take a moment to stop, get centered and just breath a bit before taking your first bite of each meal.
• Fermented foods - the fermentation process of these foods unlocks various nutrients and makes them more bioavailable AND it creates a naturally occurring bacterial ecosystem that can help support the gut microbiome. Fermented foods are often lacking in the standard North American diet. Try adding a small serving of raw sauerkraut or kimchi, raw fermented pickles, miso, keffir or kombucha into your dietary routine to support your gut microbiome.

By James Barber, Registered Psychotherapist & Couples Counsellor

Physical distancing is creating its own physical, emotional and mental health hurdles for us to overcome. And of course, the uncertainty around COVID-19 - this intangible, invisible threat to most of us – leaves us all a little bit “shook.” We’re re-evaluating where our sense of control lies, and which things truly matter to us.

This is a scary time for a lot of us, and we’re doing our best to cope in our own way.

The stress and anxiety we’re experiencing right now might not be as evident anywhere else as clearly as it is in our closest relationships.

If you live with your partner, and before COVID-19 the two of you had been struggling to connect, then being isolated at home together is likely amplifying that feeling.

It can be especially distressing, and even disorienting, when the person we most want to feel reassured by, and to feel connected with as a teammate, seems unavailable to us. And yet, We all have an innate need for love – this emotional bond that stabilizes our lives and gives purpose to our relationships. As Erica Jong wrote,

Love is everything it’s cracked up to be. That’s why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.

Perhaps in this time of distancing, taking steps to strengthen love is all the more worth the risk. The question is, are you ready to take that risk?

Here are three questions to help you and your partner re-connect at a time when you may feel more isolated than ever:

Question #1: How can I be more open with my partner right now?

Openness has to do with our ability to demonstrate true vulnerability with someone else. It’s about choosing, in the moment, to risk trusting someone with your inner thoughts, your deepest fears and needs.

In other words, it’s really freaking hard!

Most of us have grown up believing that vulnerability is weakness, and weakness should be avoided whenever possible. The truth though, is that being vulnerable with someone is a strength - a gift that takes incredible courage. It showcases and displays our love and it invites our partner to do the same. It creates pathways for greater intimacy and connection.

At the same time, you simply can’t have a love connection in your relationship without taking the risk of being hurt. And the deeper the connection, the greater the risk.

Start this conversation by laying some foundation; what do each of you need in order to feel safe? Remember that it’s okay to do it in stages. Schedule a time when you’re less likely to be distracted or feel depleted. Take breaks when needed. Focus on other needs as they surface and come back together later.

Take lots of deep breaths and do your best to stay connected with each other even when you’re feeling afraid, angry or hurt.

Talking together like this takes lots of emotional energy and practice.

It also raises the uncomfortable question, “I might learn to be more open, but how do I know if my partner will really listen to me?” Well, that’s the risk part.

Question #2: Do I listen to understand or do I listen to reply?

Partner A: “You’re not getting what I’m saying!”

Partner B: “I do get what you’re saying… I just don’t agree with it!”

Sound familiar?

Listening to your partner share something personal is rarely a surface-level interaction. Listening is not simply about hearing words and responding to them from your own point of view. In fact, thinking this way is one of the reasons why we think communicating with our partner should be easy, and we’re genuinely surprised when it’s not.

When we’re listening in order to reply, arguments can look like a tennis match. You hit the ball back and forth trying to make the perfect shot to win the point. And just like in any competitive sport, the tension builds and builds to a final breaking point.

But here’s the rub: when was the last time you felt you really “won” something after a serious fight with your partner?

When we listen with the goal of understanding, our focus shifts. We slow down our eagerness to respond so we can hear the deeper messages beneath the words. We take our time wrestling through some uncomfortable truths. Sometimes our partner might be really saying,

I feel really alone right now. Do you care about me? I feel defeated, exhausted, and hurt. I’m not sure that you’re there for me.

This can be unbelievably hard for us to hear.

But listening for these deeper, emotional cues from our partner will help us make critical and kinder decisions in the moment. Can we do this?

Question #3: Can I be there for my partner when they need me?

When our partner is upset or in distress, it often triggers our own ‘danger’ alarms. We feel intense stress, and we can react the same way people have been reacting to stress since the dawn of our existence - Fight, Flight or Freeze.

We fight because we feel unjustly blamed. We think the best defense is a good offense, and we can get confrontational - loud, angry, and accusatory. Or we can get (infuriatingly) quiet, calculating, and overly reliant on logic to prove our point.

We run or hide because we feel shame. We start to question whether we’re “failing”, no longer good enough and we wonder if our partner would be better off without us.

We freeze because we feel overwhelmed and out of control. We go into system shutdown to protect ourselves and our partner. We can get cold, ‘professional’, distant and aloof.

There are times we can’t be there for our partner, not in the way they need, and not in the way we want to be. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own stuff that we just don’t have enough caretaking energy left for our partner.

And this is okay.

Of course, being responsive to our partner’s emotional needs is about “showing up” for them even when it’s uncomfortable for us. But it’s also about circling back to our partner when we know we dropped the ball. It means owning our mistakes and repairing any damage done. When we learn how to heal our relationship screw-ups, it actually makes the relationship stronger and more resilient than it was before.

If these questions and thoughts resonate with you, but feel a bit overwhelming, or seem difficult to carry out, please don’t think you have to do this on your own. Perhaps it might be the right time to speak with a couples counsellor. - either alone or as a couple. You can contact us today to let us know how we can help. And remember that when it comes to your self-care, there’s only ONE health.

Book your complimentary consult today: https://onehealthservices.janeapp.com/#/counselling

By: Dr. Michelle Pobega, ND and Mirela Cojoaca, RHN

A couple of days ago when I went grocery shopping I was pleasantly surprised to find extremely well stocked shelves of my favorite section: fresh produce.

Such a relief to see a big variety of food! I am really grateful to the local farmers and grocery stores for their effort to make healthy food available during this COVID-19 pandemic. On contrast, most of pasta, canned food, rice and beans were poorly represented.

While stockpiling on non-perishable food is definitely a good strategy these days, it is important to remember that a balanced diet should also include lots of vegetables and fruits.

And it is totally possible to eat balanced meals if you buy your food once a week or even every other week. For instance, some vegetables have quite a long shelf-life and are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. As an added benefit, they are also low in calories.

Regarding fruits, there are quite a few that can last for a couple of weeks: apples, pears, citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons) and pomegranates.

Besides providing the body with adequate nutrients to support the immune system, digestion and detoxification, it is also important to improve hydration.

We have summarized some of our top tips and helpful reminders to support your eating habits at this time. First and foremost, be kind and compassionate to yourself during this time.If you think to improve at least one thing in your diet during self-isolation that is a great step in the right direction.

• Focus on trying to get that 2L of water in daily
  • Front load your water intake in the day: In the morning have a 1 L jug or jar of water prepared to consume first thing upon waking up. Add a ¼ - ½ of a washed lemon to add in some digestion, detox and elimination invigoration.
  • Prep another 1L jug/jar to sip on for the remainder of the day
  • Consider setting a timer or downloading a water drinking app to help you remember
  • If you feel like snacking – trying drinking water first.We often mistaken thirst for hunger J
  • Flavour water during the day with some frozen berries, mint, cucumber, or with some diluted herbal tea.
• Try to still include a generous serving of veggies at every meal – whether fresh or frozen – the nutrients in these will work to support your immune system (especially during this pandemic), energy, gut health, brain function, detoxification etc.
• During your grocery shop, to minimize the need for frequent trips, considering heartier, more shelf stable vegetables/fruits such as:
  • Kale, collard greens, swiss chard
  • Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels’s Sprouts
  • Cabbage – can keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
  • Radishes, celery, carrots, beets.
  • Onion and garlic – also great for immune health
  • Lemons, oranges, grapefruits
  • Apples
• Try out Cauliflower Rice instead of a carb at meals to boost veggie intake.It’s super easy to make.
  • https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/
• Smoothies are a great way to boost nutrient intake and can be a great meal replacement for breakfast. Be sure to include the basics for a well balanced smoothie:
  • 1-2 spoonful’s of a healthy fat
  • 1-2 spoonful’s of fibre (like flax or chia seeds)
  • some frozen berries + a generous handful of greens (like washed kale or spinach) or a greens powder
  • a scoop of protein powder of choice.
• Try and stick to a more regular eating schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. And pre-plan the day before so that making your meal doesn’t feel as stressful in the moment.
• Snacks – keep nuts, and cut up veggies, and washed fruit available at the house to snack on.
• If you still want something like chocolate, chips, etc. after dinner – go for it! Just try to have a proper meal with some veggies and protein first.
• Portion your treats – add some into a bowl. Avoid eating right out of the bag.