Sault Naturopath

It’s that time of year again. The Canadian geese have flown south and flu season is here. Have you ever wondered why some people seem to “catch” the flu virus every year and others don’t? A group of researchers recently followed seventeen healthy people, purposely infected with an influenza strain (they were paid for their troubles), over the course of five days to try to answer that question.

Blood samples were taken, genes were examined. Both groups of participants – those that had symptoms and those that didn’t – mounted an initial defence mechanism. Certain genes that sense viruses were activated. However, after that initial point, response patterns in the two groups diverged. The symptomatic group showed a strong inflammatory response, the asymptomatic group exhibited an “anti-stress response.”  Read more...

Having been approved by Health Canada, the H1N1 vaccine is now being distributed across Canada to hospitals, doctors’ offices and immunization clinics. Regardless of whether or not you decide to receive the influenza vaccine there’s no arguing that strengthening your immune system is beneficial to help you fight off the virus. Not only can a stronger immune system help prevent contracting the flu, but if you do get sick, a stronger immune system may help lesson the severity and duration of your symptoms. This is where natural medicine excels.

Here are a few basic, yet effective things you can do on your own:  Read more...

“The principle of the interaction of the four seasons and of yin and yang is the foundation of everything in creation. Thus sages nurture their yang in the spring and summer and yin in the fall and winter in order to follow the rule of rules …” – Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor Inner Classic)

According to ancient Chinese medical philosophy, being in harmony with the seasons plays a key role in being a balanced person. Each of us are affected by the transition from one season to the next, although for many of us this instinctual awareness has been clouded by the pace and nature of our North American lifestyles.  Read more...