Women’s Health
Healthy Pregnancy, Naturally: Drug-free Solutions for Common Pregnancy Concerns
Thursday, August 26th, 2010 | Events
You are pregnant – congratulations! Pregnancy is a time of great transition and a myriad of potential emotions as you adjust to the idea of a new family constellation. It can also be a difficult time physically as your body adapts to the needs of your growing baby. For some women, the first trimester is dominated by nausea, extreme fatigue, and great confusion over conflicting prenatal advice or warnings. Later in pregnancy, it may be concerns about high blood pressure, diabetes, or the baby’s position. But, there is no need to worry while you wait for the months to pass!
Join Drs Tanya Smith, TCM, and Mahalia Freed, ND to learn how to address the following concerns, naturally:
- optimal pregnancy nutrition & supplementation
- nausea
- fatigue
- high blood pressure
- high blood sugar
- low thyroid function
- heartburn, constipation
- hemorrhoid prevention
- breech position
- pain: back, pubic, gastrointestinal
Please Preregister via Whole Foods to Reserve your Spot: 416-944-0500
Naturopathic Pregnancy Care
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 | Articles
Optimizing Nutrition and Addressing Fatigue, Nausea, and other Common Concerns of Pregnancy
You are pregnant! Congratulations! 
The first trimester is a time of great transition and a myriad of potential emotions as you adjust to the idea of a new family constellation. It can also be a difficult time physically, with profound physiological changes as your body adapts to the needs of the growing fetus. For some women, the first trimester is dominated by nausea, extreme fatigue, and great confusion over conflicting prenatal advice or warnings. But, there is no need to suffer while you wait for the months to pass!
Do you have questions about how to ensure your baby is getting what it needs from your diet? About whether or not to take iron if it makes you sick? About differentiating between various Omega 3s? About the safety of herbs during pregnancy? Ask a naturopathic doctor!
By adding a licensed naturopathic doctor to your care team, you will not only be able to resolve existing concerns including fatigue, nausea, anemia, vaginal infections, blood sugar changes, low thyroid function, constipation and heartburn, you can also learn how to optimize your diet to offer the best possible nutrition for you and your baby and develop a personalized supplement plan to address your unique pregnancy needs. The goal of naturopathic perinatal care? To promote a pregnancy free of complications, an efficient labor, successful delivery, ease with postpartum healing, and a healthy baby, naturally.
Did you know:
- That ginger and vitamin B6 are clinically proven to be safe and effective for nausea in pregnancy, according to randomized controlled trials?
- That probiotics during pregnancy are associated with lower rates of allergies, eczema and asthma in infants and young children?
- That there are a variety of herbs that are safe in pregnancy, including some for immune function, energy, mood, digestion, and more?
Nourishing Pregnancy Tea
(*Custom Blend Available From Mahalia Freed, ND*)
Combine Equal Parts of:
- Red Raspberry Leaf
- Nettle Leaf
- Alfalfa
- Peppermint (optional: for taste, and for some women to help with nausea)
- Oatstraw (optional: nutritive and calming)
Use 1-2 tbsp per cup of boiling water; Steep, covered, up to overnight; Drink warm or cool, 2-3 cups per day throughout your pregnancy
Dr. Mahalia Freed ND has a family practice at Lifecycles Wellness with a clinical focus in women’s health including fertility, perinatal care, hormone balancing and breast health.
Allergy Season & Nettles
Monday, April 26th, 2010 | Uncategorized
by Mahalia Freed, ND
Allergy Season Tips
Hay fever (also known as seasonal allergies or allergic rhinitis) is estimated to affect 10-20 % of the population in developed countries. Hay fever occurs when your immune system overreacts to airborne particles, most commonly the pollens of trees, grass, and ragweed. The unfortunately familiar list of symptoms includes runny & itchy nose, itchy, red, watery eyes, sneezing and congestion. People who suffer from seasonal allergies are more likely to develop asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infections, and other complications. Interestingly, there is also new research suggesting a link between seasonal allergies and depression. Naturopathic medicine offers a variety of treatments that can effectively manage symptoms and bring resolution, with individual plans drawing on nutrition, herbal medicine, constitutional homeopathy and acupuncture. One of my personal favorite herbs is a star in treating allergies, and it is profiled below. › Continue reading
Plastics, Pesticides and Periods: Xenoestrogens and Health
Thursday, April 8th, 2010 | Articles
Yes, there is a connection between hormonal balance and exposure to pesticides and certain plastics. That connection is xenoestrogens, an ever-expanding group of synthetic chemicals similar enough to our own estrogens that our bodies respond to them, but foreign enough that we cannot adequately get rid of them. They can build up in our bodies, stimulating estrogen-sensitive tissues and throwing off our delicate hormone balance. Xenoestrogens are linked to breast growth in prepubescent girls, gynecological concerns such as PMS, hot flashes, endometriosis and fibroids, and have clearly been shown to enhance the growth of breast cancer tumors. Studies also suggest that xenoestrogens decrease sperm counts in men, contribute to increased rates of testicular cancer and affect developing reproductive systems in utero. Thus, effective treatment & resolution of any of the above concerns must address this class of chemicals.
Cervical Dysplasia & HPV
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 | Articles
Abnormal Paps, Cervical Dysplasia and HPV
A Pap test – the primary reason women are encouraged to have gynecological exams – is an evaluation of the health of your cervical cells, and a screening test for cervical cancer and precancerous changes. What does this mean? The cervix is the lower portion, or opening, of the uterus, through which blood, sperm and babies pass. You can feel it with your finger at the end of the vaginal canal: while the vaginal walls are muscular and soft, the cervix feels like the tip of the nose, with the opening palpable as a little indent. For those of you who like pictures, see www.beautifulcervix.com for a great selection of photos.
Ditching Your Toxic Load: Far-Infrared Saunas for Detox
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | Articles
The Chlorinated Villains and Their Impact
By now, you are likely aware of the negative health effects of chlorine-containing chemicals like pesticides, dioxins, and PCBs. We know that these chemicals, which the body is not adapted to process, accumulate in fatty tissue. This causes trouble in the form of breast and other cancers, infertility, endometriosis, hypothyroidism, neurological ailments such as ADD, brain fog and depression, chronic infection, allergies, autoimmune diseases, environmental illness, heart disease, and fatigue (Kaur 2003, Crinnion 2007, Rogers 2002). Alarmingly, the main way women purge these chemicals is through breast-feeding. A baby breast fed for 6 months receives more than 5 times the daily limit of PCBs set for a 150 lb adult (Kaur 2003)! Fortunately, there is another way to expel these toxins from our body fat: infrared saunas.
10 Tips for Breast Health
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | Articles
Lately it seems like pretty much everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Indeed, current statistics are that 1 in 9 women in Canada will get breast cancer in her lifetime. Understandably, this reality and the associated media attention has created a lot of fear. But what the media doesn’t emphasize is that the majority of cancer is caused by “diet & lifestyle” and environmental factors rather than genetic heredity, which in fact accounts for only about 7% of breast cancer.
Lymphatic Health Tips
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | Articles
Download PDFSupporting Detoxification and Immune Function Through Lymphatic Health
The lymphatic system is central to our health, yet it is often overlooked in western medicine, both by practitioners and by health-conscious individuals. Working in concert with the blood circulatory system, lymphatic function in fact supports every other system in the body by providing nutrients, draining wastes, and coordinating immune system activity. White blood cells – the so-called “soldiers” of our immune system – are produced and transported throughout the body via the lymphatic system. As well, lymphatic channels perform a crucial function in draining away waste material from virtually every cell and organ in the body. Unlike our blood circulatory system, the lymphatic system has no pump. Lymph moves when we move. When we are sluggish, so is our lymph, and this is recognized as having a significant impact on our health. Sluggish lymphatic drainage can lead to nausea, fatigue, swelling and joint pain. Symptoms associated with lymph blockage include breast tenderness, fibrocystic breasts, worsened allergies & food sensitivities, sinusitis, more frequent colds and ‘flus, fatigue, and skin breakouts. Many practitioners associate cancer with lymph blockages. In general, if lymph function is compromised, detoxification and the immune system are compromised.
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Dr. Mahalia Freed, ND
94 Cumberland St., Suite 805
Toronto ON M5R 1A3 Canada
tel: 416.856.4682