Tanya Smith Acupuncturist Chinese Medicine Practitioner

Category: Healthy Eating

Thyroid and Fertility

A large percentage of the fertility clients I see have been prescribed thyroid medication as part of their preconception care. Fertility doctors know that the thyroid is a critical hormone for conception and pregnancy and that the "fertile" range is much narrower than the "normal" range.

Low thyroid can cause problem with the reproductive cycle like not ovulating, irregular or heavy menstrual periods and increased incidence of miscarriage. The thyroid drives the function of all of the systems of the body, so low thyroid S-L-O-W-S everything down. Every cell in the...

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Postpartum preparation

I love working with pregnant folks, it is often such an exciting time in their lives! One thing I notice is that they are so amazed by the process happening in their bodies that it's easy to forget to plan ahead for when they have to take care of the baby on the outside!

I make it a priority to encourage expectant parents to prepare for their postpartum time. Things like enough food prepared ahead and support systems like family coming to help and someone to clean...

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Nettle is the green juice of the wintertime

Where I live, in Toronto, it's cold in the wintertime. While we CAN get fresh greens in the wintertime, they are often coming from a long way away. To then take those greens and squeeze the juice out of them and throw away the pulp seems like an incredibly unsustainable enterprise. It may be "healthy" for you, but not for our planet.

Happily, nature always provides a better alternative!

Stinging nettle, picked and dried at it's most vigorous (in the spring) is a rich source of many minerals that you would find in...

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Natural Ways to Combat Sugar Cravings

Guest post with Allison Martineau of Sweetpea Nutrition!

I am so pleased to be able to share the advice of my friend Allison.

Allison has been working as a nutritionist with new families for over 10 years and is a mom of two. This lady has so many nutritional tricks up her sleeves!

This post is all about what to do about sugar! Here's Allison:

One of the questions I ask when meeting new clients is which foods, if any, they are craving. Without fail, the majority of people highlight...

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Ugh, Morning Sickness…

Why medication may not be the best choice and what to do instead

 

It's awful to see people in early pregnancy struggling with nausea and vomiting. Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP), often termed pregnancy sickness, occurs in the first trimester in up to 80% of pregnancies (Gadsby et al., 1993). Symptoms range from mild nausea (often accompanied by aversions to certain foods) to frequent vomiting and hyperemesis.

Clearly it is a significant issue for pregnant women, but the reason for pregnancy sickness is not well understood and there is no reliable treatment for it.

Health care professionals...

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