Ever since that experience, I am a firm believer in fasting, and recommend it to many of my patients. Other benefits of fasting are the following:

Fatigue, weight gain, depression, constipation, and dry skin are all signs of slow metabolism related to a poorly functioning thyroid. Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disease that can be due to an underlying attack by the immune system, a lack of nutrients, miscommunications between other hormones like cortisol, and of course surgery or treatment to remove the thyroid. While the causes of hypothyroidism may be different in each individual, one of the most common treatments prescribed no matter what the cause is due to is thyroid medication.

The skin care market is flooded with topical lotions, potions, and serums promising relief of dry, itchy, red, blotchy, you-name-it problems of your skin. But as I mentioned in the last blog, there are several ingredients to be wary of that many of these topicals contain. Today I’m going to talk about what ingredients you should consider and why, according to Dr. Trevor Cates, an expert in naturopathic skin care.

Autoimmune diseases start with an abnormal immune response; therefore, we generally treat these conditions from within the body with a focus on the gastrointestinal tract where the immune system starts. But I often get asked, “what should we put on the skin itself to help with these diseases and what should we avoid?”.

Autoimmune diseases are described as diseases in which the body’s immune system attacks certain parts of the body itself. Depending on the disease, it can attack different parts of the body all the way from the nervous system such as in multiple sclerosis, the pancreas such as in type 1 diabetes, or the musculoskeletal system such as in rheumatoid arthritis.

Multiple Sclerosis is a neuroinflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that line the nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms vary by individual but can include numbness and weakness, tremors, vision problems, bladder and bowel problems, fatigue, insomnia, slurred speech, and dizziness.

There are few more challenging times of life in which women’s hormones change than menopause. Although PMS, pregnancy, and peri-menopause can be difficult, menopause is often described as the switch when women no longer feel like themselves.

Migraine. The very word makes those who understand its implications shudder. Changes in vision. Pain that can last for hours to days. Nausea. Vomiting. Extreme sensitivity to light or sound. Loss of ability to function, sometimes for days on end. Yes, for those who suffer from migraines, prevention may be one of the greatest gifts you could ever receive.

According to the CDC, each year, greater than 21 million people in the U.S. become infected with norovirus and develop acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). Contrary to it’s mistaken identity as a stomach “flu”, norovirus has nothing in common with the flu, other than also being caused by a virus. The flu is actually a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus.

Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are quickly becoming recognized as vitally important in the treatment of cancer. Cancer Treatment Centers of America now employs NDs as part of their cancer treatment team and praises their remarkable results.

A vaginal yeast infection is an infection of the vagina, most commonly due to a fungus known as Candida. It is known in the medical community as vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). At least 75% of women will have a yeast infection at some point in their lives, with nearly 45% experiencing two or more in their lifetime, and 5-8% having recurrent episodes ( a condition known as RVVC, and is defined as four or more episodes within one year).

According to The World Health Organization, 18 million women aged 30-55 years perceive their menstrual bleeding to be excessive. Clinical reports demonstrate that 10% of these women experience blood loss severe enough to be clinically defined as menorrhagia.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer of women in North America, with only 1% of breast cancer patients being male. In North America, approximately 1 in 7 women will develop breast cancer at some point in her life. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in American women, second only to lung cancer. Fortunately, due to the fact that it is reasonably treatable, the 5-year survival rate is approximately 84%.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease, affecting millions of people around the world. OA results from biochemical degeneration of articular cartilage in synovial joints.

Kidney stones are small, hard deposits in the kidney formed by the crystallization of mineral and acids salts. Approximately 80% of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate. As a result, the majority of research on kidneys stones is related to the prevention of calcium oxalate stones. Other stones consist primarily of calcium phosphate, a mix of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate, magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite stones), and uric acid.

Although it has earned itself a bad reputation, cholesterol plays some essential roles in proper function of the human body. Cholesterol is a crucial component of cell membranes and is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D and steroid hormones (including those that help you cope with stress, as well as those for proper functioning of men and women).

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that causes a person to periodically move their legs in response to an uncomfortable or unpleasant sensation in the legs. In the United States, 5-15% of the population suffers from RLS.