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5 Ways Osteopathy Can Help Indigestion

Posted on: July 5th, 2024 by TouchStone Health

Many people may be surprised to learn that Osteopathy not only helps with pain and discomfort in the body such as back, neck, jaw, hip, leg, and shoulder pain but also can improve other systems in the body like the digestive system.

5 ways Osteopathy can help indigestion:

1: Aligns the esophagus and decrease irritation to esophageal lining.

2: Improves blood flow to the salivary glands- improving the quality of enzymes to start the breakdown process.

3: Improves the stomach’s ability to expand and move, preventing regurgitation.

4: Improves nervous system communication by increasing the parasympathetic response responsible for digestion and moving the process along more efficiently.

5: Improves the environment of the stomach through acidity levels and decreasing heartburn and further esophageal lining irritation.

Set your body up for success! Book an appointment

Ayurvedic Medicine: The Health Benefits of Cumin Water

Posted on: May 21st, 2024 by TouchStone Health

By Senthil Krishnasamy, Ayurvedic Practitioner

In Ayurveda, cumin water has been shown to have many health benefits including:

1. Aids Digestion: Cumin water stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes, improving digestion and reducing bloating and gas.
2. Boosts Immunity: Rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and C, cumin water helps strengthen the immune system and protect against infections.
3. Promotes Weight Loss: It can boost metabolism and help burn fat, making it a useful addition to a weight loss regimen.
4. Improves Skin Health: The antioxidants in cumin water can help prevent premature aging and improve skin texture.
5. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels: Cumin water can help regulate blood sugar levels, making it beneficial for people with diabetes.
6. Enhances Lactation: It is believed to improve milk secretion in lactating mothers due to its high iron content and other essential nutrients.
7. Treats Respiratory Disorders: Its anti-inflammatory properties can help relieve symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory issues.
8. Detoxifies the Body: Cumin water helps in flushing out toxins from the body, promoting overall health.
9. Reduces Inflammation: Its anti-inflammatory properties can help in reducing inflammation and pain associated with conditions like arthritis. Incorporating cumin water into your daily routine can be a simple and effective way to enjoy these health benefits.

Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients:

1 to 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds

2 cups of water

Instructions:

Measure and Boil Water: Pour 2 cups of water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
Add Cumin Seeds: Once the water is boiling, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds.
Boil the Mixture: Let the mixture boil for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the seeds to infuse thoroughly into the water. Strain and Cool: After boiling, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down to a drinkable temperature. Strain the water to remove the seeds.
Serve: Pour the strained cumin water into a cup and drink it warm.
Optional Additions: – Lemon: Add a few drops of lemon juice for additional flavour and vitamin C. Honey: Stir in a teaspoon of honey for sweetness and extra health benefits.

By boiling cumin water, it can enhance its flavour and potential benefits.

“In our Ayurvedic practice, we employ numerous therapeutic strategies for gastrointestinal disorders, utilizing various herbal medicines to treat these conditions.”

“If you have any questions, please send an email to sencajal@gmail.com.”

Quick and Healthy Breakfast Idea: Mung Bean Crepes

Posted on: February 13th, 2023 by TouchStone Health

By Swapna Viswanathan, Holistic Nutritionist

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, and you might want to make it as healthy as possible. Sometimes in the quest for making it very healthy you might observe skipping the breakfast that day and grabbing something to eat on the go. One of the quickest and healthiest breakfast recipes with fat and protein that I give my clients is Moong Dal Chilla (aka green mung beans crepes). Moong dal chilla is a traditional breakfast option coming from India. One of my childhood favourites as well!
Ingredients:
 Split Green mung beans 1 cup
 Water to soak the mung beans.
 Himalayan pink salt/rock salt
 Cumin seeds or grounded cumin 1 teaspoon
 Ginger 1 inch or as per your taste – it is spicy!
 Carrots grated ½ cup (or any vegetable of your choice)
 Cilantro 2 teaspoon chopped.
Direction to cook:
 Soak the mung beans overnight or for 5-6 hours.
 Blend the soaked mung beans with ginger, salt, cumin seeds/grounded cumin with little or few spoons of water to make the batter in the consistency for making a crepe.
 Add chopped cilantro and grated vegetables and mix the batter.
 Heat a pan and apply avocado oil or any healthy oil.
 Once the pan is heated, pour the batter with a deep spoon/ladle, and spread the batter to make the chilla/crepe.
 Once it is cooked on one side, flip the crepe/chilla to cook it from the other side as well.
 You can have it as it is or with a dip or with a green chutney!

You can keep the chilla batter in the fridge up until 3 days and use it with different vegetables.

Swapna Viswanathan is a Holistic Nutritionist at TouchStone Health. She loves helping clients with reversing pre-diabetes / diabetes, creating meal plans, fertility nutrition, postpartum nutrition, and general nutrition needs.

Are You Always Feeling Cold?

Posted on: February 9th, 2023 by Anna Totzke

by Anna Totzke, Registered Acupuncturist

Do you often feel cold, and not only in the winter months? Do you like bundling up with a blanket, a hot drink, and slippers?

Coldness can show in the body in many different ways such as actually feeling cold, especially the low back, feet, and hands; lack of motivation or tiredness especially when feeling chilled; copious urination; or feeling of tight contracted muscles (to name a few). From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, coldness can occur in our bodies due to:

Lack of physical activity, eating too many cooling foods, overexposure to cold environments, lack of warming foods in the diet, or a constitutional weakness.

To help warm the body, here are some lifestyle and diet changes that can be very helpful including:

EAT WARMING FOODS – Some foods have warming properties and by adding these foods into your diet, can help warm your body:

Aduki Beans, Lentils

Ginger, Cloves, Cinnamon, Basil, Rosemary, Fennel, Dill, Anise, Cumin,

Oats, Spelt, Quinoa, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Walnuts, Sweet Brown Rice

Parsnips, Parsley, Mustard Greens, Winter Squash, Cabbage, Kale, Onions, Leeks, Chives, Garlic

Cherries, Citrus Peel, Dates

USE MODERATELY—-> animal products: mussels, trout, beef, and lamb, butter

AVOID/LIMIT—> sweeteners, eating cold to the touch food (directly out of the fridge or freezer) raw foods, cow dairy

USE WARMING FOOD PREPARATION METHODS:

Baking, stir fry, saute, soups, stews, cook longer with lower heat

BECOME MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE:

Getting some physical activity each day will help warm the body.

SOAK YOUR FEET IN HOT WATER (instead of Long Hot Baths)

BUNDLE UP TO ESPECIALLY KEEP YOUR FEET, LOWER BACK, and LOWER ABDOMEN WARM

Check in with your body once in a while and see how it is feeling. Often people that have been cold their whole lives are used to being cold. Make adjustments to your wardrobe like wearing wooly high socks, cover your neck, tuck in your shirt.

From an Acupuncture perspective, moxibustion (heat therapy using a herb called mugwort) treatments are a wonderful way to deeply warm the body.

This article is for educational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or practitioner for any medical advice.

Gut Friendly Fiber – Why We Don’t Get Enough!

Posted on: November 11th, 2021 by TouchStone Health

by Jill Jackson, Certified Nutritional Practitioner, NNCP

Did you know that only 5% of US citizens reach their recommended daily fiber intake? That leaves 95% of the population in a fiber deficiency! I am sure Canadians would be the runner up in this shocking statistic. Our bodies are meant to consume fiber, anywhere between 25-50 grams daily depending on our gender, age, and level of health. Let’s consider what fiber is and why we may not be consuming enough.

Fiber has never really had a definition that has been accepted universally. Some health practitioners use the words dietary fiber, crude fiber, or even roughage interchangeably. Here is what we do know about fiber. Fiber is a combination of plant polysaccharides that are resistant to digestion combined with lignins (a class of organic polymers that help make up plant walls/structure). Simply put, fiber is exclusively a plant nutrient meaning it cannot be found in animal products.

I believe fiber consumption has decreased for two main reasons. One, low fiber diets are highly popular without many realizing it! Low-carbohydrate diets have gained popularity dating back to the 1960’s, their rules often removing potentially healthy and high fiber grains. After the low-carb craze, emerged the keto diet, even worse when it comes to fiber intake! No matter what diet is being consumed, if there is low intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, there will be low intake of fiber. However, we know a low carb diet cannot be the issue alone because for many Americans and Canadians 40-60% of their diet is carbohydrate, just not the right kind, leading us into my second fiber related concern. Westernized society relies heavily on packaged and fast foods. The processing and milling of these foods can remove most, if not all of it’s fiber content. In some African countries where there is the least amount of food processing globally and only small amounts of animal products consumed, daily fiber intake can reach 75-100 grams! A contrast to the mere 10-15 grams Americans consume daily. But why should we care about our fiber intake?

Low fiber diets are are associated with chronic constipation, gastrointestinal disorders, colon cancers, diverticulitis, high cholesterol levels and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fiber is best known to bulk our stool and increase (or slow down) our transit time leading to healthy bowel movements, but it does so much more than that! As our understanding of fiber increases, we have learned that fiber also appears to nourish our gut microbiome (the ecosystem found within our intestines). After a chain of reactions within the gut, fiber acts as a food source for our
“good” gut bacteria contributing to an overall healthier gut microbiome. Fiber also helps with weight management and blood sugar management, the two going hand in hand. Fiber has seen to help draw out toxins and parasites within the body as well. It is a myth that all fiber does is help us use the washroom, it has many roles!

The final question you may be left with, how do I increase my fiber? The easiest way to answer this is through a quote from one of my favorite nutritional textbooks it says “Whenever we increase out intake of plants in comparison to animal foods, we are increasing our fiber intake” – Staying Healthy With Nutrition by Elson M. Haas, MD. It really is simple, we must increase consumption of plants whether it be legumes such as split peas or chickpeas, whole grains like oats and quinoa or fruits and vegetables like pears, avocados, berries, broccoli, or collard greens. (Not to forget nuts and seeds like flax, chia, and pistachios!) When considering your carbohydrate consumption go for the whole grains as opposed to white, processed breads and foods. With a little forethought fiber consumption can be easy!

I hope this blog post has helped you to gain a deeper understanding of how easily fiber consumption can be missed as well as how easy of a problem it is to fix! I challenge you to make an effort to boost your fiber intake this week and I am sure you will reap the benefits of increased energy levels, digestive wellness, and overall stronger vitality.

In Wellness,
Jill Jackson, CNP, NNCP

TUINA – ACUPRESSURE BODY WORK

Posted on: May 3rd, 2021 by Anna Totzke

By Anna Totzke, Registered Acupuncturist

Tuina is a type of bodywork based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles. Tuina focuses on the pathways in the body called meridians to help encourage circulation in the body. Acupressure is also applied to acupuncture points to promote healing. Depending on the client’s constitution and concern, various Tuina techniques are used to help the body to heal by either: unblocking, nourishing, warming/cooling, dispersing/gathering, stimulating/calming, and helping with circulation throughout the body.

I enjoy applying Tuina along with cupping, acupuncture, or moxibustion but is a wonderful and effective treatment on its own. Tuina is also a great option for people that would prefer a needle-less treatment or a more hands-on approach.

Tuina Can Help With:

Muscle and Joint Pain and Weakness: Back pain, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, cervical spondylosis, wry neck, chronic neck and shoulder tension, back pain, sciatica, leg pain, hip pain

Menstrual / Fertility: PMS and menstrual problems, painful periods, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, fibroids, infertility

Digestive: Digestive & inflammatory bowel conditions (IBS, colitis, constipation, diarrhoea, Indigestion, poor appetite, epigastric pain, abdominal pain)

Head / Sinus Issues: Headaches and migraines, Sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, facial paralysis, toothache, teeth grinding, TMJ issues

Respiratory / Chest: Palpitations, angina, cough and asthma, plumstone throat, rib tightness

Emotional / Mental: Stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia

What You Should Know About H2O

Posted on: March 15th, 2021 by TouchStone Health

By Jill Jackson, Certified Nutritional Practitioner

Water is one of the most vital things for human life. Without water we would all be dead within 4 days to a week. As morbid as that may be, it shows how essential it is for human life. Collectively the human body is between 60-66% water, that’s a pretty large percentage! This percentage is even larger when the human fetus is developing in the womb (up to 80%). Our bones contain about 30% water, and it is a main component of all fluids in our body.

Water is involved in many important functions such as:

Circulation
Body temperature regulation
Elimination of waste
Elimination of toxins
Digestion and absorption
The carrying of electrolytes

That’s just to name a few. In a 24 hour day we lose 1.5 liters of water through urine only. Also an additional 400ml through the breath, 150ml through feces and 750ml through our skin. That equals 2.8 liters of water loss every single day. The simple answer would be to say that 2.8 liters is the amount of water we should be drinking each day. However, the body can make a small amount of water by metabolizing certain nutrients and we also receive water directly from food. This still leaves us with an average of 1-1.5 liters of water that we need to get from elsewhere.

Why 6-8 glasses?
Why does this magic number ‘6-8’ appear everywhere? It’s because 6-8 cups are an estimated daily intake that stems back to a 1945 US Food and Nutrition Board recommendation. A little outdated if you ask me! Water intake will vary depending on your size, activity level, climate, and your diet. It should be completely individualized to you!

The consequences of not drinking enough water:
With all the functions adequate water consumption supports, there is bound to be a host of negative things that can happen to our bodies when we lack proper hydration. Dehydration can affect both our physical and mental health. Water protects our organs and digestive system. Dehydration can cause gastric ulcers, asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, irritation, migraines, lupus, light headedness, and chronic fatigue. It can even cause things like joint pain since cartilage cushioning requires water to remain fluid and function properly. A lot of these symptoms can be missed or be mistaken to be caused from other ailments.

Is there a maximum amount of water you should intake?
Drinking above around 2 liters daily can be harmful to your body. Too much water can be hard on your kidneys, causing over hydration. In severe cases, you can die. A few cases have been seen in marathon runners or people who take certain drugs, disturbing their thirst reflex. Keep in mind there has been far more people who have died from dehydration than over hydration. It is rare, but it can happen.

How should we get water into our diet?
We should get water from water, and we should never try to obtain hydration simply from sugary pops and coffee. Water is the simplest form of hydration. There is a ton of debate about what water is best. However, a high elevation spring water seems to be the cleanest and purest source but realistically it is not attainable for all. Tap or city water can contain a horrible amount of toxins. It can be hard to know what dangers can be found in our tap water, for this reason, I recommend water that has had some type of filtration. Installing a reverse osmosis tap would be a great option. Cost wise this may not be an option for many, in that case I recommend the Santevia jug filters. Any filtration is better than none!

In summary, water is absolutely life sustaining. Sadly, I feel that much of the world’s Western population lives day to day unknowingly dehydrated. If you haven’t already, add proper hydration to the top of your health goals and you will soon see the difference it can make in your daily life!

What is the Gut Microbiome?

Posted on: July 31st, 2020 by TouchStone Health

Written by: Alexandria Muirhead, R.H.N.

The gut microbiome is a collection of good and bad bacteria that live in our digestive system with the majority being in our large intestines. There are actually more bacteria then there are cells in our body, approximately 10 bacteria for every 1 cell! They help us digest the food we eat, modulate our immune system, make vitamins such as vitamin K, B12, riboflavin and thiamine. Our gut microbiome affects our weight, our brain and when out of balance, is associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohns, SLE, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, fibromyalgia, etc. They even have an effect on our gene expression and activity. There are only a few of the things that the gut microbiome effectsIt is a super powerful part of us that we can have a positive effect on with some simple lifestyle, diet and mindset modifications.

Symptoms of Dysbiosis? (Unbalanced Gut Microbiome)

There are a wide range of symptoms since our gut is connected to our entire body. These symptoms can show up in our brains, nervous system and even our skin! Some symptoms include;

Bloating
Anxiety
Depression
Brain Fog
Difficulty Concentrating
Diarrhea
Constipation
Upset Stomach
Gas
Acne
Eczema
Sore Joints
Allergies; environment or food

How can we Positively Change our Gut Microbiome?

We can begin to positively impact our gut microbiome which in turn affects our health on so many different levels.

Increase Fiber and Decrease Refined Sugar

We can do this by eating whole foods with fiber and reducing our consumption of refined sugar. Fiber is our friend and nothing to be scared of. It helps regulate our bowel movements and feeds our good bacteria. Vegetables, nuts and seeds are excellent sources of fiber! Sugar has a negative effect on our gut microbiome and the more processed and refined sugar we eat the more and more depleted and out of balance it gets. Switching to all natural sweeteners such as real maple syrup, raw & local honey, coconut sugar or date sugar will help to minimize the negative effects. This also means being aware of what you are consuming and how much sugar it has in it. Sugar is sneaky and can be found in things you would never think of like Windsor Iodized Salt! Sugar is the third ingredient in our table salt. Getting rid of the sneaky exposures to sugar will help you maintain a healthy gut microbiome balance. Anything you eat that has an ingredient list you should read the ingredient list and review it to make sure you want to be putting that into your body.

Daily Movement

Movement and exercise is linked to having beneficial effects on our gut microbiome. Studies are showing the connection between daily movement having an anti-inflammatory effect and balancing the gut microbiome. Any movement is better than no movement. Find what you love and what feels good to your body. It can be walking, yoga, biking, working out, running, jogging or any sport! If you find movement that you enjoy you will want to keep doing it every day!1.

Mindset

Our bodies and all of our cells are listening to what we are thinking and saying. Positive affirmations and gratitude are a wonderful way to help shape your gut microbiome. We live in a society that has a lot of harsh and strict judgements on what beauty is, leaving many people feeling less than beautiful. These beauty constructs are simply not ture and you need to begin to believe it for yourself and begin to love your body. This also incorporates believing your body can heal. Our bodies want to be in balance, it is called homeostasis. Our bodies want to heal and repair and be vibrant and in balance. Given the right conditions our bodies will begin to restore this balance!

I hope you have learned something about your gut microbiome! Please feel free to reach out to share your experience or stories with me!

Citation

Cook MD, Allen JM, Pence BD, et al. Exercise and gut immune function: evidence of alterations in colon immune cell homeostasis and microbiome characteristics with exercise training. Immunol Cell Biol. 2016;94(2):158-163. doi:10.1038/icb.2015.108

The Power of Gratitude!

Posted on: July 25th, 2020 by TouchStone Health

Written by: Alexandria Muirhead, R.H.N.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of gratitude but have you heard of a daily gratitude practice?

As a Holistic Nutritionist, I consider all aspects of a person when helping them achieve their health and wellness goals, including mindset! A daily gratitude practice has such a positive impact on your emotional health and physical health!

Our minds are so powerful and science has proven this with the “placebo” effect and the “nocebo” effect. The placebo effect is when someone gets the same positive benefits from taking a sugar pill as the people who are taking the medication. This is just once example. The nocebo effect is the same premise but the opposite. It is when you believe something is causing harm or making you sick, it will actually make you sick and harm you! Our minds are so fascinating and these two effects show us that our mind is extremely powerful! The good news… we are in complete control of our minds and thoughts! With some easy lifestyle changes you can begin to change the way you feel!

A study conducted in June 2020 looked at research data on gratitude and the resulting effect on a person’s physical health markers. The results showed that in the majority of the studies a person experienced sleep quality improvements when incorporating gratitude. Also, there were improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar, asthma and eating habits.1.

What is a Daily Gratitude Practice?

This is something super simple that you can do at any point of the day but the morning or evening are the two best times! The best way for a daily gratitude practice to have an impact and become part of your life is to make it into a routine and a habit.There are two main methods of a gratitude practice. The first is writing down 3 things you are grateful for and the second is telling someone 3 things you are grateful for. This is an easy practice that takes no more than 2 minutes.

My husband and I have a daily gratitude practice and it has been such an awesome addition to our health routine. Every morning on our walk with our dog, we share 3 things we are grateful for with each other. This usually leads to us sharing stories or talking about these things which further reinforce our gratitude for them. I love to start my day with our gratitude practice. I feel like it sets us up for a really wonderful day of work, errands, family time, friend time or whatever else we have on the go for that day!

How to Begin a Daily Gratitude Practice

Step 1: Choose the morning or the evening

Step 2: Choose whether you want to share it out loud or write it down

Step 3: Set a reminder in your phone to help remind you for the first few days until it becomes second nature!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Citation

Boggiss AL, Consedine NS, Brenton-Peters JM, Hofman PL, Serlachius AS. A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors. J Psychosom Res. 2020;135:110165. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110165

My Favourite Gluten Free Recipes to help you create your Menu

Posted on: July 6th, 2016 by TouchStone Health

Going Gluten-free (GF) can be intimidating and many people don’t know where to start. Whether you’re trying it out to see how you feel, needing to do so for health reasons or trying to cook/bake for someone who is GF…it can feel overwhelming.

Here is a list of some tried and true recipe ideas that I have enjoyed. If you know me, you know I’m not a great cook…I don’t enjoy spending a lot of time in the kitchen and the last thing I want is needing to go to various stores to get different ingredients. These recipes are generally – easy to make and you can buy most ingredients from either your local grocery store (Zehrs health section is usually the best match for me) and Bulk Barn.

See what you think and I hope these recipe ideas taste great for you too. (And most of these recipes are dairy free as well or allow for dairy-free substitutions.)