And dying of a broken heart is real. As a hospital doctor, I saw two cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as Broken Heart Syndrome. It occurs after a significant stressor, either physical or emotional, and changes the structure of the heart. Both of my patients had been bereaved. Emotions affect the body and can […]
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Plastics and Hormones
There is much talk about the harm from plastics, but do you know why? Plastics affect our hormones, also known as the endocrine system. Hormones aren’t just our sex hormones. Thyroxine, insulin, cortisol, serotonin, Vitamin D, growth hormone and oxytocin are just a handful of many other hormones. Hormones work like an orchestra in the […]
Clocks
Nature works on clocks. Flowers open and close, leaves furl, photosynthesis occurs and insects live and die. The human body also works with many different clocks. We have a digestive clock, an adrenal clock, a thyroid clock and more. Being in balance with nature’s clocks is vital to living in balance, and the master clock, […]
Change of Season
As the season changes, so too do our health needs. Early autumn is actually a great time to do a gentle detox and reset. In no particular order here are some of my tips for Autumn: Start supplementing with Vitamin D and Magnesium as a minimum. Wishing you health and happiness, Dr. Maria
Alcohol
I find it interesting how certain foods have become vilified in today’s society, while others are given a free pass, such as alcohol. Where to start with the effects of alcohol? Let’s look at what it does on a micronutrient level. Alcohol has been shown to significantly increase the loss of vitamin C through the […]
As the Christmas season kicks in, here are some quick tips to consider:
Wishing you all health and happiness, Dr. Maria
My interview with Julie Ryan
Recently I had a pleasure of being a guest on the “Ask Julie Ryan” show. We discussed the gut instinct in Medicine, the power of gut feelings in diagnosis, the importance of a good death and the value of compassionate palliative care among other topics. You can listen to the interview on the “Ask Julie […]
Oxytocin
Have you heard of oxytocin? It’s also known as the love hormone or cuddling chemical! Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that is made in the brain. It gets released when we do certain things such as: The beauty of oxytocin is that it is a quick and natural buffer to our stress hormone, cortisol. […]
Vitamin D
Part 2 – Vitamin D and Cholesterol. Vitamin D and cholesterol work together. As I explained last week in Part 1, we make Vitamin D from the sun. However in order to convert that sunlight into Vitamin D that the body can use, we need CHOLESTEROL. The cholesterol in our cells is the raw material […]
Vitamin D – Brains, bones and babies.
Part 1 – Brains, bones and babies. Vitamin D is VITAL for good health. It is important for brain health, thyroid health, a strong immune system and bone health. Studies have shown that pregnant women who are low in Vitamin D go on to have babies with a lower bone density than normal, so any […]