MY BLOG

After the holidays, getting back into a school routine can feel like a full-body reset. Mornings are earlier, schedules are more rigid, and by dinnertime, the decision fatigue is very real… especially coming off of a stressful Christmas!  This is where having a meal plan that is full of simple, whole-food meals can make a huge difference. Where we can support energy, blood sugar, digestion, and avoid any hangry meltdowns without requiring hours in the kitchen.

The best part of Christmas baking is the spices! The aroma of these spices is enough to paint a picture of a tree and a cozy fire in your mind's eye… And it’s more than just a yummy thing. It's basically herbal medicine disguised as dessert. The spices we associate with festive treats have deep roots in traditional healing systems, and their therapeutic benefits are still celebrated today. Let’s explore the medicinal magic of three seasonal favourites: cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

T’is the season of joyful chaos, family politics, endless to-dos, sugar everywhere, and approximately 147 events you’re expected to attend. Where all that is merry and bright meets cortisol. As magical as it can be, this time of year often pushes our nervous and immune systems into overdrive. It's no accident many of us end up sick around the holidays! Let’s talk about stress-proofing the holiday season.

If your hands and feet spend half the year feeling like little ice cubes, you’re not alone. Many people chalk it up to “just running cold,” but in naturopathic medicine, we see chilly extremities as meaningful feedback from the body about your circulation. Your circulation is one of the most honest storytellers you have, and when it’s not working optimally, it’s worth listening to. Let’s dive into why your hands are freezing while everyone else seems fine, and what it could be telling you about your health.

As the trees drop their leaves, mother nature reminds us that letting go is a vital part of health and vitality. Just like those spent leaves drifting to the ground, our bodies, too, are ready to release what’s no longer serving us. In other words, fall is the perfect season to focus on lymphatic support and drainage.

With the damp Vancouver Island weather and drops in temperatures this time of year, many people… ahem north of 40… notice old aches start to whisper again, or roar. Whether its stiff fingers, sore knees, or that familiar dull ache in the hips, these are the telltale signs that tend to flare up when the weather turns for those who suffer with rheumatism or inflammatory joint conditions. But why does cold weather seem to make inflammation worse? And what can we do to find relief naturally?

Whether you’re an autumn lover, or mourning the end of summer, October is a marked time of transition. The air gets crisp, leaves start to fall, and our cozy sweaters finally come out of hiding. But there’s another shift happening right now that often slips under the radar: our vitamin D levels begin to take a sharp dive. And because vitamin D plays such a wide-ranging role in health, this seasonal dip can leave you feeling more tired, more moody, and more vulnerable to illness right as cold and flu season ramps up.

Before you pack away your gardening gloves… the growing season doesn’t have to end just because summer has! Creating an indoor garden is a simple, body, mind, and soul nourishing way to extend the garden magic all year long, and it comes with some surprising health benefits, too.

As the seasons shift, many of us notice our energy levels dipping. The shorter days, the full schedules, and colder weather can leave you reaching for that second (or third) coffee just to scrape through the day. But if you’re feeling more than just a little sluggish, your iron and ferritin levels might be the missing piece.

Pumpkin spice has become the unofficial flavor of autumn. It’s cozy, warming, and instantly makes you feel like fall is here. But beyond the infamous lattes and sugary treats, there’s real wisdom behind these spices. The spices used to create ‘pumpkin spice’ are traditionally used in herbal medicine, with ingredients that support digestion, circulation, and immunity. When we peel back the layers of syrup and whipped cream, we discover that maybe it’s popularity is more than superficial.