Q: What is a bunion? A: A bunion is a bony growth on the side of the base of your big toe. Both pressure from your shoes and motion in the big toe joint can cause pain. Bunions can be due to heredity, or a biomechanical problem (over-pronation). Wearing a pad over the bunion can help to reduce friction on the inside of your shoes. If you think over-pronation is the cause, try a custom orthotic and find shoes that fit properly. More painful bunions often require surgical correction.

Life is short, and February is even shorter. With Valentine’s Day looming, it’s not easy if one or both partners experience low libido. There are many reasons for a low libido, including hormonal fluctuations, medications, sleep problems, illness, depression, stresses of daily life, etc. Working with a naturopathic physician can help you identify the causes of a low libido using diagnostic measures such as hormone testing. You’ll receive simple, effective treatments like IV vitamin therapy, which infuses vitamins, minerals, and nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing your digestive system and allowing for maximum absorption for better overall health.

We have all experienced pain at some point during our life. But there are some people for whom pain is a daily burden that doesn’t seem to go away. For those people, it is important to find a practitioner who has extensive experience in assessing and treating acute and chronic pain conditions. It doesn’t matter if your pain is from joints, muscles, nerves, organs, emotional trauma, or even an unknown origin, there is almost always something that can be done to decrease or remove the pain. Get a thorough assessment that can uncover previously overlooked or misunderstood aspects contributing to your problem.

make sure your back is healthy! It’s very important to make sure your neck and back (your spine) are fit enough to handle the rigours of movement that a new exercise regime brings. At the centre of spinal health is movement, and alignment is key to proper health and movement. A misaligned spine cannot function well. So what happens when you embark on a new exercise regime with an unhealthy or dysfunctional spine? Potential damage to the joints, nerves, muscles, cartilage, and ligaments. A thorough chiropractic examination would be a safe and recommended starting point to any new exercise regime.

Q: I have issues with depression and anxiety. Can acupuncture help with this?
A: Stress can result in several symptoms, such as insomnia, constant worry, weakened digestive system, and others. Acupuncture treatment can adjust and balance our meridians to reduce emotional and physical stress. During treatment, the patient will feel more relaxed and joyful, and some will fall asleep. They will also sleep more soundly when they go home. After a few treatments, they will feel stronger and can better resist the stress.

What will your retirement look like? Will you say good-bye completely? Will you transition out gradually? Will you try something new? There are many choices and no right answer. The path you choose will be your own. This time of transition from career to more “me” time can bring with it many mixed emotions. The excitement of not having to answer to an alarm clock, the sadness of a loss of identity, or the fear of not having enough to do can be very real. Many activities are calling your name. What path will you take? What story will you write?

All the Christmas trimmings have been put away for another year; the turkey has had its last stand and everyone eating chocolate like it was going out of style. We now have a brief period to catch our breath before we embrace the Tax Season. Take a few of those moments to consider your RRSP/TFSA. Typically, we have more time to talk with you from now until the last week of February. We can review what you have done in the past and see if we should add to those investments or look at others. And, as you will appreciate, the more time we have for that the better.

If you’re trying to quit smoking once and for all, you’ve likely used a variety of products, from patches to gum to pills. The addictive qualities of cigarettes make smoking a tough habit to break, but there are safe and alternative measures you can take to remove this addiction from your life. Laser acupuncture is a non-invasive option that focuses on the three aspects of addiction: physical, using laser/electronic stimulation of acupressure points on your upper body; psychological, providing materials, tips, and one-on-one coaching; and detoxification, helping to eliminate cigarette toxins from your body.

What if this January we weren’t ONLY talking about losing weight, but instead also looking to achieve overall optimal health? By making a few positive lifestyle changes, including food choices, exercise, and stress management, you can reap the benefits of optimal health for years to come. Your hormones, genetic makeup, stress levels, and even your occupation can affect how you gain/lose weight. A naturopathic physician can offer hormone testing, genetic testing, and meal/diet planning, along with different treatments like IV vitamin therapy and acupuncture, to start you off on the right path to your individual optimal health.

While many children have some difficulty with math, some may experience dyscalculia, which makes understanding numbers and mathematical concepts an ongoing struggle that is often stressful and anxiety provoking. Aside from causing issues with solving traditional math problems, dyscalculia can also affect a child’s ability to manage their time or follow a calendar. Children with dyscalculia often require extra support in the classroom, which is something not all schools can provide. Taking advantage of programs that provide additional support outside of school can help children with dyscalculia grow their brains capacity for learning, which in turn can lead to improvements in the ability to understand math.