If you are interested in our HCG program & would like to learn more contact us to get started: Contact Us Here

THE PROGRAM
Our HCG weight loss is a comprehensive program designed to help you get the best results & maintain weight loss when you are finished.  Once the diet is complete you will transition to a healthy, maintainable nutrition plan. 
 
THE PROGRAM INCLUDES
* 6 visits total: initial visit, weekly check ins, and 2 final visits to help in the transition to long term maintenance.
* Lab testing prior to starting program
* Supplements during the program
* Weekly vitamin injections
* Detailed program info and recipes

WHY HCG?
* Jump start weight loss.  If you have a lot of weight to loose, or feel stuck with diet and exercise, the HCG program can offer a jump start to weight loss.

* Patients loose on average 0.5 to 1lb per day over 23 days of the diet

* HCG mobilizes your fat stores to fuel the body.  This is not a starvation diet!
 
* Decreased hunger
 
* Increased metabolism. 
 
* Burn Fat not muscle. HCG is a hormone that works through resetting your metabolism and hormones to burn fat as fuel.
 
* Body contouring – weight & inches lost in stubborn areas like arms, inner thighs, & waistline

WHAT TO EXPECT
The diet is broken into phases:
Phase 1
* 2 days of a high calorie + high fat loading
Phase 2
*23 days
*Strict calorie intake
* Lean protein like fish & chicken
* Daily HCG injections or lozenges
Phase 3
* 3 weeks
* Calories are increased
* Weight is stabilized during this phase
Maintenance Phase
 * Customized nutrition and exercise plan for optimal health and weight loss maintenance.

If not now, when?  Contact us to get started today!  Contact info here , or call 604.428.8682

 
Negative thoughts or a bad mood cannot survive in a state of gratitude.  It can be so easy to get stuck in negative thought patterns that can consume your day.  Learn to shift out of these and get back to productive, positive mindset.  These short mind-shifting exercises can be powerful tools you can use where ever and whenever you need them.  All it takes is a few minutes! 
 
Mood Lifter
Ideal for: shifting away from a bad mood
Time: 1 minute
You cannot feel upset and grateful at the same time – focus on gratitude and let the bad mood disappear!
1. Close your eyes

2. Think of 3 things you are grateful for, Focus on each for 20-30 seconds.  It can be anything – big, small, a person, place, thing, or emotion.  You may be grateful for a sunny day, a great friend, a loving pet, a new job - anything that comes to mind in the moment.

3. Open your eyes, take a deep breath, and you are done!
 
The Obsession Obliterator Meditation
Ideal For: Breaking free from mental spirals
Time: 1-3 minutes
Break these obsessive thought patters with this exercise. 
1. Close your eyes and think about what you are obsessing over.

2. Picture a computer screen, with your hand on a mouse.  Direct the arrow to the topic in your imagination and click on it.

3. Visualize dragging that item to your trash folder.  Literally see it get sucked into the digital trash bin.

4.  Hit empty trash.

5. Visualize a blank, clean, clear page appearing on the screen.  Take 10 slow, deep breaths.

6. If a pop-up of the issue reappears, simply view, drag to trash and repeat.
 
Traffic Meditation
Ideal for: Dissolving frustration, stress, & road rage.
Time: 1-3 minutes (repeat as needed)
1. A = Attention to the road.  Focus on your awareness of the road and surroundings. 

2. B = Body scan.  Starting with your feet, scan your entire body to ground yourself.  Feel your feet on the pedals, your rear in the seat, your hands on the wheel, and your eyes on the road.
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3. C = Connect with your breath.  Breath in and out deeply and slowly.  In through your nose and out through your mouth.  Inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 4, feeling your rib cage expand and deflate.  Repeat this process until your feel more relaxed.
 
After your ABC’s, repeat the mantra “it is what it is” 3 times, either silently or out loud.  The traffic may not disappear but your agitation will.
 


Article source:
Reprinted from Unplug: A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Skeptics and Modern Soul Seekers. Copyright 2017 by Suze Yalof Schwartz. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health_wellness/easy-meditations-that-improves-your-mood#ixzz4ufqBlB00

 
What are the Blue Zones? 
These are 5 regions in the world where people live healthy long lives, commonly living past 100.  These regions are Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Loma Linda in California, and Ikaria in Greece. 
 
Although the people of these regions have cultural and lifestyle differences they share fundamental commonalities which are believed to be the keys to the their longevity and health.  So what are their secrets?
 
1. Move daily - Movement is incorporated into their daily lives.  It may not be a gym or a spin class, but these people are very active.  They garden, walk, climb stairs or mountains (in some cases), do house work, and do not spend long hours sitting. 
 
2. Have a Sense of Purpose, Belonging, and Balance - Family and personal relationships are very important to the people of all these regions.  They all have a positive outlook and cherish their families, friends, and especially their elders.  Whether it is spiritual, religious, or cultural, having a sense of belonging and a purpose in life is seen in all these groups and is critical to maintaining overall health.  They also have times of quiet and calm, it may be meditation, prayer, or being in nature.   
 
3. Eat A Plant Based, Whole Foods Diet - While there are cultural variations in the diets of the blue zones, they all follow a similar pattern.  Eat a mostly plant based diet, eat in moderation, and eat whole foods.  Their diets are about 80% plant based, incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, high in fiber, low in saturated fats (animal and dairy fat), and even include red wine in moderation. 
 
People generally eat together and cook at home.  There is no-to minimal processed, packaged, high sugar, or “fast” foods.  Obesity is almost non-existent in these cultures.  The rates of common chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, metabolic syndrome, and cancer are very low.  People commonly live past 100 still being active, alert, and healthy.  When they die, it is usually of age and not illness, and they pass in their sleep.
 
These are all things we can focus on in our lives.  The fountain of youth is achievable!  There is no quick fix, or fad…it is life long habits and activities that can set us up for health and happiness for many decades to come! 
 
Interested in learning more about the Blue Zones? 
Dan Buettner Has done extensive research and written books about these Blue Zones. 
Check out his work at:
 www.bluezones.com 
The TED Talk: https://youtu.be/ff40YiMmVkU
 

Trying to eat healthy but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen?  You don’t have to!

There are simple things you can do to make eating healthy from home quicker and easier.
 

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1. Food Prep – Pick one day of the week (Sunday works well for many) to prepare meals.  Make a few different dishes to store in the fridge for the week.  When you are hungry there is food ready to go so you are less likely to reach for the unhealthy snack foods.
 
2. Wash and Prep Veggies Ahead of Time – Wash and cut up a large bowl of salad veggies and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the veggies before storing in the fridge.  The lemon juice will help the veggies stay fresh longer.  When you need salad just take a portion of veggies, add lettuce and salad dressing and you are ready to go!
 
3. Make large batches – When you prepare a dish, double or triple the recipe so you have leftovers to last the week.  
 
4. Roast Veggies – You know those veggies you bought with all intentions of eating, but now they are starting to wilt in the fridge?  An easy way to cook veggies is roast them.  Wash, chop, toss in coconut oil and seasoning, and throw on a roasting pan in the oven.  Cook for 30-45 mins, until roasted at 375 F.   
 
5. Store prepped & marinated meat in the freezer – If you find a good deal on organic/free range meat or fish, but a bunch and freeze it!  I like to portion the meat, marinate it, and freeze 2 portions in a Ziploc bags with the marinate.  When you need it, defrost and it is ready to cook!
 
6. Keep Healthy Quick Options in the Pantry – We all have days when we don’t have time or don’t feel like cooking.  The key is to stock your pantry with healthy go to options.  For quick protein, I keep canned sardines, wild salmon, or wild tuna.  I also keep macadamia nuts, almonds, and pistachios for a quick snack.  Dates are also a good option to satisfy a sweet craving. 
 
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Interested in a customized nutrition plan?
Visit my website & Blog for more information and how to book an appointment: www.drlindseynd.com or t. 604.779.7869

Statistics show that the average North American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar each year, 60 pounds of which is in the form of refined white sugar! Sugars not only feed the anaerobic forms of life and disease, but also cause the peaks and valleys, or ups and downs, in blood sugar & insulin levels, mood, mental focus and our energy.

To experience a substantial level of energy, mental focus, and sustained performance, the proper maintenance of constant and adequate glucose (blood sugar) levels is one of the body's most important functions.

A slow, steady absorption of glucose rather than rapid peaks and valleys which come from refined sugars, starches, and even high amounts of complex carbohydrates and fruit sugars, is key to maintaining level blood sugar.

Excess sugar consumption can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weakened pancreas, digestive distress, allergies, Candida Albicans, hypoglycemia, type II diabetes, heart disease, stress, aging, as well as degenerative diseases. Over-consumption of sugars can even contribute to the increase of low density lipoproteins and heart disease.

In like manner, over-consumption of complex carbohydrates in the absence of a balanced amount of good fats and protein can be metabolized by the body just the same as refined sugars. This can trigger hypoglycemia and late onset diabetes, which statistics show are on the rise, particularly among vegetarians.

Although high blood sugar levels may be controlled by the use of insulin, there are associated complications with prolonged use of insulin. There is medical evidence that daily injections of insulin may be partly responsible for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications. Dr. Bernard E. Lowenstein, M.D., reports that too much insulin can stimulate the production of excessive cholesterol in the body. High insulin doses can aggravate the tiny blood vessels, a condition characteristic of diabetes.

We are actually born with a palate for sweets but acquire the taste for sour, bitter, and other tastes later in life. So, for the most of us, sweet foods give us a sense of pleasure. Nature provides us with all the sugar we require through our foods; especially whole foods or superfoods which have the fiber, enzymes, co-enzymes, catalysts, trace minerals, and nutrients to properly assist the slow absorption and assimilation of the sugars that are contained in these foods.

There are some natural sugar substitutes that can be used to help you with your sweet tooth but the goal is to change your taste preference away from sweet/sugar.  This can be done by reducing sugar consumption over time and replacing sweet with nutrient dense fat and protein foods.

I work on nutrition with all my patients and address some of these exact changes on an individual basis.  Contact me for one on one health support and book a visit today! www.drlindseynd.com

HEALTHIER SWEETENERS

 STEVIA 
Stevia is a natural plant extract which is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, with hardly any calories. Stevia does not feed yeast or Candida and should be a natural sweetener of choice when dealing with parasites, fungal infections, diabetes and hypoglycemia.

MAPLE SYRUP
Dark, pure maple syrup is an unprocessed sweetener and has naturally occurring minerals and nutrients.  The natural minerals and nutrients help slow the absorption into the blood stream so you do not get as strong of a spike in blood sugar as we see with white sugar.

DATES
Whole dates contain fiber and nutrients and make a great option to add sweetness to smoothies, recipes, or to have with tea.  The fiber and nutrients of the dates help slow spikes in blood sugar.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Be sure to include healthy fats in your daily diet. Omega-3 essential fatty acids from natural oils are essential to health, but your body cannot manufacture it. Therefore, they must be consumed daily in your diet. Essential fatty acids also play a very important role in keeping the blood sugar level.

For example, give a bottle of soda pop or sugar water to one child and a bucket of ice cream to another. Assuming that both of these foods contain the same amount of sugar, you will notice that the child drinking the soda pop will have an elevated glycemic index, whereas the child eating the ice cream will not have elevated blood sugar. The second child's blood sugar was not elevated, not because the ice cream is a wonderful food or had less sugar, but because the ice cream, along with the sugar, contained fat and protein.

WHOLE FOODS AND A BALANCED DIET
After an initial cleanse, consider a balanced diet of properly combined whole foods. Work to develop a balanced diet high in fiber, high-moderate in fat, moderate in protein, and moderate-low in carbohydrates. Eat organic whole foods with sufficient quantities of quality protein and fat at each meal.

When your blood sugar drops, you may become drowsy, foggy or sluggish. When elevated, high blood sugar may cause you to become jittery, irritable and hyperactive, with no mental focus.

To avoid the peaks and valleys that come from refined foods, stay with a simple diet containing quality proteins such as lean meats, fish, free range eggs, avocados, coconut oil, grass fed butter, olive oil, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and lots of green vegetables.

Our bodies are genetically programmed to repair, regenerate and fight diseases every living moment of our lives. The same way a wound, a broken bone or a cut heals itself before your eyes, our body is capable and is programmed to repair, regenerate, and fight diseases every living moment of our lives.

Health is gained or lost at the cellular level on a daily basis. The quality of the cells you build, your immune function, mental acuity, longevity, and quality of life are dependent upon and begin with your next meal.

Our brains are constantly evolving, and the daily lifestyle choices we make have the power to influence this process to help improve memory, cognition, and overall brain health.
 
Each of these tips can be customized to the individual, and I work with my patients’ to do just that.  Here are my top 5 tips to Boost Brain Health.
 
1 Exercise – One of the single most impactful things you can do to support your brain health is exercise!  Exercise helps memory, increases blood flow, builds new neurons, and improves insulin sensitivity.  Aerobic exercise shows the most benefit in helping the brain but strength training and HIIT exercises are also beneficial.  No matter what you do, just get moving!
 
2. Eat Healthy Fat – Your brain is largely composed of fat and requires healthy fats from the diet to operate at its best.  Brain healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and raw unsalted nuts & seeds.
 
3. De-Stress – Doing things that you enjoy, spending time with friends or loved ones, meditate, rest, and relax.  Whatever you do, do something that helps you de-stress and calm your brain.
 
4. Improve Digestion – You know the saying “trust your gut?”  Well your gut is really another brain, and the two brains are in constant communication.  Poor digestion or digestive issues impact the brain as well.  I work with all my patients to address digestive issues and get this system working optimally.
 
5. Reduce Inflammation - Inflammation and poor digestion go together.  Improving diet and removing inflammatory foods like dairy, gluten, and sugar will go a long way to reducing inflammation and helping the brain as well.  A food allergy panel can also help identify specific food intolerances that may be contributing to inflammation in your system. 
 
 
 
Interested in a customized brain health plan?
Visit my website & Blog for more information and how to book an appointment: www.drlindseynd.com or
t. 604.779.7869

It is that time of year again- sneezing, watery eyes, headaches, sniffles, and bloodshot eyes.  Yup, allergy season has begun early this year! 

A naturopathic doctor, such as myself, can help guide you though the allergy remedies and what may work for you.  There are treatments to address the symptoms, but it is also important to have a treatment strategy that addresses overall health and balances the immune system.  For example, diet is a big part of this, eating a whole food based diet high in vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats and avoiding your food allergens can help your seasonal allergies as well. 
 
So what are some of the treatments that you can try for seasonal allergy relief?
 
Lifestyle changes
Avoiding exposures to pollens when they are at their worse – checking the pollen counts and plan to go for walks or runs when the counts are low, or in the evenings.  Most plants pollinate early to mid morning hours, so its better to head outside later in the day.  Take showers and change your clothes to reduce the pollens you are carrying on your self.  Change pillow cases every few days.
 
Spring cleaning
It’s also important to consider what, exactly, might be triggering symptoms inside your home, and then combat common offenders such as dust mites, pollen and mold:
 
• Use a diluted bleach solution to clean and denature mold in basements and garages and on old patio furniture and the like, making sure to thoroughly dry all objects to prevent further growth.
 
• Consider a good HEPA air filter and change it at least every two to three months to help prevent pollen and dander from being recirculated in your house.
 
•  Launder bed linens at least once a week in 130-degree water (which is what it takes to kill dust mite eggs). And bear in mind that the default “hot” setting on many washing machines doesn’t reach that temperature, so you may have to adjust your hot water heater.
 
Saline Nasal Rinses
Using a daily neti pot or salt-water rinse can really help to clear out the nasal passages and wash out the pollens.  If you make the salt-water solution at home, use filtered or bottled water as tap water can contain bacteria.
 
IV and Injectable Treatments
Injectable and intravenous (IV) treatments can help seasonal allergy symptoms and also help the body to desensitize its reaction to the allergens for a longer term solution.
 
Myers cocktail and immune supportive IV’s containing B vitamins, Vitamin C, selenium, and other nutrients help the immune system better respond to the allergens.
 
Herbs and supplements
There are many herbs and supplements on the market that help to a minimize allergy symptoms.  Most of these do not have negative side effects such as drowsiness and headaches.  But it is best to see a Naturopathic doctor who can recommend which ones you should try. 
 
Vitamin C:  Strengthens the immune system and helps to fight off allergens
 
Quercetin:  It is an antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory, it helps to stabilizes mast cells and reduce histamine release- important players the in the allergic response.  
 
Magnesium: an important mineral that most people are low in, it can help wheezing by relaxing the bronchial tubes and is also important for the immune system.
 
Probiotics:  Supporting the gut and making sure there are high levels of good bacteria in the gut is key in sustaining a healthy immune response.
 
Nettles: Stinging nettle plant extract is a common herb used for allergy relief.  It helps to reduce the inflammatory response. 
 
Omega-3 Fatty Acids:  Getting a good, clean source of omega 3 fatty acids daily can help decrease inflammation in the body. 

With so many options, it is important to have a concise treatment plan that you stick to daily, to support the body continuously through the allergy season.