08 Jan 2025
How to Thrive in 2025: Make Self-Care a Priority
The New Year often comes with a sense of renewal and motivation to create positive change. While resolutions like "lose weight," "save money," or "get organized" are common, one resolution that deserves a top spot on your list is self-care. Prioritizing self-care in 2025 can improve not just your mental and physical health, but also your relationships, productivity, and overall quality of life. Doing so can free up more energy for creativity and the brain space to be present for others. Here’s a framework that will help you achieve your personal goals this year, along with some ideas to get you started:
17 Dec 2024
How to Reduce your Risk of Urinary Tract Infections
Ladies, does this sound familiar? You developed that tell-tale urinary urgency and frequency that comes with burning, lower abdominal cramping and back pain. Now you’re taking antibiotics again for a urinary tract infection, and you wind up with another yeast infection. Or, you develop post-antibiotic IBS-type symptoms that you just can’t shake. The cycle tends to repeat itself a few times each year. “Why me?” You may ask.
09 Dec 2024
Digestion Tips for Jolly Holiday Eating
For many of us, celebration the holidays is all about eating delicious food while gathered with friends and family. But overindulgence in rich treats and festive drinks can take a toll on your digestive system. The good news is, you can still enjoy the holidays and keep your tummy happy with a few mindful strategies. Let’s explore how to minimize the effects of enjoying good food throughout the season.
29 Nov 2024
Energy Lift Off: Elevate Your Energy and Resilience with Rhodiola
Are you looking for more energy? Here are a few reasons to consider adding rhodiola to your lineup of every-day supplements.
01 Nov 2024
Cold Hands and Feet? Why Your Thyroid Matters
Heading into colder weather it’s important to maintain good circulation to keep your extremities warm. Besides common sense, a good pair of boots and some warm mittens, what else can you do? You can nourish your thyroid gland. Here’s how.
07 Oct 2024
Supercharge Your Immunity With Glutathione-Boosters During Cold and Flu Season
Antioxidants play a major role in keeping your immune system strong in the fight against the ‘bugs’ that cause respiratory infections. This cold and flu season, supercharge your immune system with the nutrients it needs to produce your body’s most important antioxidant: glutathione.
17 Sep 2024
Are the New Iron Deficiency Guidelines Enough?
Last week Ontario Health announced that effective September 9th, the new iron deficiency guidelines for clinicians changed from a ferritin level of 15 ug/L to 30 ug/L. In comparison, the province of British Columbia uses 30ug/L as the lower range end for diagnosing iron deficiency, yet recommends a more respectable target value of more than 100 ug/L. Why is Ontario being so cautious, and at the expense of the health of its citizens? While a step in the right direction, is this modest improvement enough to change the quality of life for millions of Canadians suffering from iron-deficiency anemia?
29 Aug 2024
From Tense to Tranquil: Top Supplements for a Calmer You
September marks the end of summer schedules and a change of routine. But even the anticipation of changes—not to mention the changes themselves--- can feel stressful. The combination of work, school and personal calendar shifts can wind up making you feel flustered, irritable, tense or anxious. Yet just because this stress is normal and expected during this transition each year doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something to make it easier on yourself. Fortunately, there are several natural health supportive supplements that can help your body and mind in the face of stress. Let’s begin with the essential ones first, then finish with some effective add-ons.
01 Aug 2024
Energizing Nutrition Tips for Outdoor Enthusiasts
Do you want more energy for doing what you love outdoors this summer? Being active in hot weather can be draining as the body works hard to keep us from overheating. Whether you’re swimming, gardening, hiking, canoeing, camping or enjoying other activities, being aware of the signs of overexertion and planning your nutrition ahead of time can help you sustain enjoyable outdoor activities, day after day.
05 Jul 2024
Nourish Your Skin From Within
Taking care of your skin during summer months requires more than sun avoidance and “surface treatment”. While it’s well known that more time outdoors under higher intensity UV radiation is damaging to the skin and leads to photoaging when precautions are not applied, the role that nutrients play in skin maintenance is less familiar to most of us. Sure, quality lotions and creams can temporarily preserve moisture and sun blocking creams filter out harmful UV rays, but they cannot fulfill the role of nutrients. The recipe for total skin health must include the ingestion of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients—the building blocks of skin tissue and its functions. Let’s take a fresh look at protecting summer-exposed skin.
05 Jul 2024
Safety and Efficacy of Magnesium Stearate
Magnesium stearate is a simple salt made of two common nutritional substances, the mineral magnesium and the saturated fat stearic acid. It is used as a flow agent, lubricant, binder or anti-caking agent in the production of many nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals.
31 May 2024
Men's Health: Take the Driver's Seat
A recent U.S. national survey performed by the Cleveland Clinic found that 72 percent of men would rather do household chores than go to the doctor. Yes, men are reputedly slower to act on their health compared to women, not taking it seriously until a persistent or severe symptom forces them to see a physician. What was one of the most common reasons for avoiding the experience?
06 Jun 2024
Hasn't changed for 20 Years
In a world filled with countless magnesium options, what sets ours apart? It's not just about the dosage or the price tag; it's about efficacy and absorption that truly makes a difference for your body.
01 May 2024
Healthy Bones: It Takes More than Just Calcium
Bones: they give our bodies form, structural support, help us move, protect our vital organs, store minerals, and produce both red and white blood cells. Although over 40 percent of healthy bone mass is calcium, it takes a whole crew of minerals and vitamins to maintain strong, dense bones. Let’s look at three of the most well-studied nutrients for maintaining bone health and how we can maximize their potential benefits.
03 Apr 2024
Nutrition: The Springboard to a Successful Pregnancy
Supplementing a well-balanced diet with additional vitamins and minerals can help you get all the nutrients essential for a healthy pregnancy. Let’s look at how some of these nutrients can support your well-being as well as the healthy development of your baby.
07 Mar 2024
Is Your Immune System Taking a Holiday? What To Take
Taking a holiday away from your everyday routine shouldn’t mean leaving your supplements at home. Traveling to exotic places can introduce you to bacteria and viruses you’ve not been exposed to before. Having a well-nourished immune system may improve your experience and outcomes of infections. If you’re heading to a tropical locale for some fun in the sun, here are 3 nutrients you’ll want to get enough of during your vacation:
09 Feb 2024
Sleeping Well: Vital to Heart Health
Finding out you have cardiovascular disease is enough to keep you up at night---but did you know that not sleeping well for any reason could elevate your risk of heart attack and stroke? That’s what a prospective cohort study of over 60,000 Chinese individuals published in 2018 found: short sleep duration and poor sleep quality were both associated with risk of developing cardiovascular disease and the risk of dying from it. In fact, research suggests that not sleeping well or long enough could also increase your risk factors for cardiovascular disease:
12 Jan 2024
5 Melatonin Myths Debunked
Do you have chronic sleeping issues? Chances are you've heard of the potential benefits of taking a melatonin supplement. But are they effective? Are they addictive? Let's debunk the myths about melatonin.
14 Dec 2023
Restore Your Mental Energy
December activities put a lot of additional mental strain on those of us celebrating holidays. Planning, shopping, and attending social gatherings are just some of the activities added to our to-do lists. When stacked on top of our regular responsibilities, this can leave us feeling drained, foggy headed, or irritable. Here are a few tips on how to be nice to your brain this busy season and always:
16 Nov 2023
Sleeping Pills and Seniors: Risks and Alternatives
Do you know a senior who has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Although lifestyle modifications are considered the most effective way to resolve chronic sleeping problems, adopting new lifestyle habits late in life can be challenging. No wonder many choose to take a pill. In fact, about 10 percent of elderly Canadians use sleeping pills regularly. But sleep medications have numerous side effects and carry additional risks for seniors. What are they? What are some of the safer alternatives?
18 Oct 2023
Diabetes Myths and Truths
Are all carbs bad for diabetics? Can natural health products affect blood sugar? Should diabetics take multivitamins? There are a lot of confusing and contradictory ‘facts’ about diabetes out there. Let’s separate the truth from the fiction.
21 Sep 2023
Supplementation in a World of UPFs
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs): they’re designed to deliver deliciousness at the lowest production cost possible. Frozen dinners, desserts, yogurts, instant soups, candy, cereals, crackers, soft drinks and even protein bars -- these are just a few of the thousands of UPFs whose presence dominates most of today’s supermarkets.
22 Aug 2023
Help For Back-To-School Jitters
Are you or your child feeling nervous about the upcoming start to the school year? It’s natural to feel jittery about the return to more rigid schedules, the pressure to achieve, in advancing to a new school, and in the hopes to be socially accepted. Even the “ghosts” of last year –like bullies, difficult subjects, or an unpopular teacher—can induce anxiety. Parents can experience anxiety too, when their child is going to school for the first time or going back to school with a newly diagnosed allergy, for instance. Whatever the reason for anxiousness, there is support that can help you both feel better.
03 Aug 2023
Improve Recovery From Strenuous Exercise
Imagine this: it’s a warm summer day, and you’ve decided to take advantage of it and go for a rare long bike ride. With a water bottle in your hand and helmet on your head, you head out into the glorious sunshine and get pedaling. You’re enjoying yourself, but as you’re climbing a steep hill you start to notice muscle aching and burning. Your breathing is more rapid, and you have a stomach pain or nausea that makes you wonder about those leftovers you ate for breakfast. What’s going on?
30 Jun 2023
Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Seniors
Seniors are among the highest users of aspirin—taken for pain relief or cardiovascular disease prevention. But a newly published study in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that daily use of low-dose aspirin by seniors increases their risk of iron deficiency by more than 20 percent. If you’re a senior, how can iron deficiency affect your well-being? How might aspirin increase anemia risk?
06 Jun 2023
Protect Your Lungs During Wildfire Season
Wildfires are a hot topic in Canada during the warmer months, with forest fires raging in several provinces—resulting in air quality warnings/advisories across the country. Aside from causing widespread ecological damage over rural landscapes, should we be concerned about its effects on human health? What can you do to protect your lungs during wildfire season?
09 May 2023
Natural Support for Seasonal Allergies
Are you experiencing itchy eyes and throat, a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and fatigue? Is your asthma flaring up? These are the most common symptoms of “hay fever”—the seasonal allergic reactions to tree and grass pollens.
26 Apr 2023
Why Antacids Are a Poor Source of Calcium
With all the prescription drugs and natural health products that people take throughout their day, it’s easy to understand why a product that serves more than 1 need is attractive.
Consider your common over-the-counter calcium-based antacid. It’s used as a remedy for heartburn, but also touted by doctors and manufacturers as a good source of calcium. Sure, it’s a high source of calcium…but is it an effective one?
21 Apr 2023
The Truth About Osteoporosis Drugs
There’s a common misconception that bisphosphonate drugs build bone. Bisphosphonates are a class of medications that are prescribed to individuals who are diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Examples of these drugs are Actonel (risedronate), Fosamax (alendronate), Didrocal (etidronate) and Aclasta (zoledronic acid).
27 Feb 2023
Why Hypertension Needs Nutritional Support
Do you have high blood pressure? Hypertension increases risk of atherosclerosis—a plaquing of the arteries that increases risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, hypertension can also be a sign indicating the atherosclerotic process is already underway.
01 Feb 2023
Corticosteroids, Nutrient Depletion and Infection Risk
A heightened susceptibility to infection is a well-established side effect of using corticosteroid medications. These drugs are often used to manage symptoms of pain, swelling and inflammation in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other rheumatic conditions, as well as vasculitis, psoriasis, and COPDs (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases)-- including asthma. The most commonly used corticosteroids are fluticasone (Flovent/Flonase) and mometasone (Nasonex), used for allergic and respiratory diseases, hydrocortisone, used in skin and colon inflammation, and Prednisone for managing auto-immune and joint diseases. What kind of nutritional support is helpful for patients under these circumstances, and why?
02 Dec 2022
Indoor Air Quality and Respiratory Illness
The cold of winter spells more time indoors-- exposing us to more concentrated levels of hazardous airborne pollutants and allergens that irritate the lungs and nasal passages. Did you know this combo of stressors in turn reduces our ability to defend against infectious agents and keep chronic respiratory diseases under control? It’s not exactly ideal camping season, so before you pitch a tent outside your home, find out how you can realistically help your immune system deal with all this more effectively. What can be done?
04 Nov 2022
Prostate Nutrition
Positioned just below the male bladder, the prostate is a fluid-producing gland essential to male reproductive function. Under ordinary circumstances, its unique ‘donut’ shape allows the passage of urine and semen through the urethra without difficulty -- but if the prostate enlarges for any reason, symptoms make themselves known: urinary difficulties, and sometimes, pain. Which foods and nutrients may reduce risk of developing prostate pathologies, and which ones may ‘feed’ disease? Here’s a brief look at the most common prostate diseases, some case studies and some evidence-based nutrition to support the gland.
11 Oct 2022
Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels for Disease Prevention
Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with higher incidence of certain cancers, respiratory diseases, auto-immune disorders, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and mental illnesses. Are you getting enough to help reduce YOUR risk? Let’s look at a summary of the research and then outline how to find out your ideal dosing.
06 Sep 2022
Nutrition and Anxiety
September is a transitional time for many of us, not only for children, but for adults, too. New schedules and new daily routines add the stress of adjustment back into the mix, which can aggravate anxiety in susceptible individuals. But while many stressors seem beyond our control, not everything is. Take nutrition, for instance: are you aware of the following nutritional pitfalls and related imbalances that may be exacerbating your anxiety?
11 Aug 2022
Natural Help for Sleep-Deprived Kids
What do childhood temper tantrums, anxiety and other behavioural difficulties like ADD/ADHD have in common? They are all potential consequences of inadequate sleep. Not only can this have a huge impact on kids’ academic performance, but poor sleep impacts their social well-being as well.
06 Jul 2022
Linking H. pylori and Iron Deficiency
A recent population study published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences in 2021 sheds light on the question. Researchers sought to find out the frequency of iron deficiency anemia in patients with diagnosed h.pylori-associated gastritis—a condition in which the stomach lining becomes inflamed and sensitive in the presence of measurable levels of the bacteria.
09 Jun 2022
Achieving Bowel Regularity with Magnesium
Straining to have a bowel movement is time-consuming, frustrating and uncomfortable. Whether your constipation is chronic or just occasional---the remedy is often worse than the symptoms you started with. Think about it. A fibre supplement taken without adequate water won’t work. Then, if you take a stool softener or laxative herb, you may experience sudden urgent bathroom trips that interrupt your day’s activities. Add to this a lack of dietary fibre, stress and certain medications that may have triggered your constipation in the first place and chances are you find yourself stuck in a vicious cycle. From a nutritional perspective, what’s the best solution?
12 May 2022
Nurturing Women’s Nutritional Needs
From your first period through your reproductive years and into menopause, your body depends on adequate vitamins and minerals to regulate hormones, build your babies and provide you with the metabolic energy and structural support to deal with life’s milestones—plus everything in between.
14 Apr 2022
Pain and pH: The Connection
Could acid be playing a role in your musculoskeletal pain? After all, Medicine acknowledged long ago that the painful phenomenon of gout is caused by excess uric acid in the blood. So, isn’t it time that we consider the impact of systemic acidity on chronic pain conditions such as tendonitis, back pain, arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases as well?
17 Mar 2022
Immune Health: Why Diet Isn't Enough
Does YOUR diet provide the immune support you need to fight infection, allergies and more? Probably not---but it's not your fault. It may still taste good, but today's food just doesn't provide the amounts of micronutrients needed to protect us from stress and ill health. Here are some of the key immune nutrients and the limiting factors that warrant their supplementation.
11 Feb 2022
Help Your Heart with NAC
While appropriate diet, regular exercise and stress management help reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, our genes and environment interplay in a way that doesn’t always work out in our favour. That’s why you may want to consider supplementation of a few key circulatory system nutrients.
Let’s examine the ways the nutrient N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) supports cardiovascular system.
14 Jan 2022
Long-COVID Syndrome (LCS) and the Brain
By Andrea Bartels CNP NNCP RNT Registered Nutritional Therapist
If you’ve overcome COVID-19 infection you may be wondering why you’ve not bounced back as quickly as you were hoping to. Dozens of chronic symptoms have been reported post-infection, while some individuals seem to recover scot-free of these problems. But what if you’re still suffering? Two years into this pandemic, enough research and data collection has been amassed to validate the phenomenon of Long-haul COVID Syndrome (LCS). We’re talking about symptoms that begin during infection that still remain weeks or months after the infection has cleared.
06 Jan 2022
Can NADH supplements increase longevity?
Have you heard the expression ‘Youth is wasted on the young’ ? It’s the idea that young people don’t appreciate their physical and mental gifts, the boundless energy to tackle anything without thought or consequence.
10 Dec 2021
Nutrient Deficiencies & Statin Drug Use
Statins act to prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries and reduce the mortality of those with coronary artery disease; however, with nutrient deficiencies caused by statins they have not been found to be beneficial for those with chronic heart failure.
02 Dec 2021
Ramifications of pH Imbalance on Mental Health
Depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, psychosis. What imbalances do these mental illnesses have in common? Abnormal pH, low mineral status, and GERD-- all of these have been associated with mental illness. Let’s examine these more closely. Are they interconnected?
12 Nov 2021
Immune support and Respiratory Illnesses
Vitamin C is critical to the support of the immune system. It helps to stimulate white blood cells such as neutrophils and has been shown to stimulate the clearance of infection. Vitamin C also helps to enhance the adaptive immunity by stimulating the proliferation of B cells and T cells and can both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections.
Prophylactic prevention of infection requires 100-200 mg/day of Vitamin C to optimize cell and tissue levels.1
02 Nov 2021
The Melatonin-Sleep-Cancer Connection
The connection between sleep and cancer risk is a complex yet important one. We know that regular, adequate amounts of quality sleep are vital for healthy immunity. But why? How? Studies show sleep deprivation reduces function of various immune cells necessary for destroying pathogens and cancer cells. So, even if you’ve never been diagnosed with cancer, it’s good to understand how good sleep may be vital to reducing your risk.
07 Oct 2021
Support for Seasonal Affective Disorder
The majority of North Americans are deficient in Vitamin D especially when especially in the winter. Vitamin D induces the expression of Tryptophan hydroxylase which is the rate limiting enzyme involved in the production of serotonin.
27 Sep 2021
Supplements for Seniors
Arthritis. Hypertension. Insomnia. Cognitive decline. Enlarged prostate. Osteoporosis. Aging can present new health challenges, yet there’s a lot a person can do nutritionally to support themselves as the years advance. If you or your loved ones are over 55, check out this rundown on some nutrients that are key to feeling good and healthy in your senior years:
31 Aug 2021
Immune-Building Nutrients for Students
The return to education in an in-person, group setting is bound to stimulate the immune systems of those who choose to take part. Although there is some evidence that increasing our contact with other living organisms may be considered a good exercise in general immune enhancement, many of us are currently looking for lower-risk ways to decrease our children’s risk of infection against influenza, the common cold, and other viral pathogens. Extra nutritional support can be an easy way to accomplish this, but the immune system needs a lot of different nutrients for it to work properly. Nutritional deficiencies have been associated with infection, but are also associated with exaggerated immune responses that involve severe inflammation, such as allergic reactions. Let’s look at the key nutrients for healthy immunity as we prepare our kids to go back to the classroom.
19 Aug 2021
L-Theanine and Stress-Induced Anxiety
L-Theanine is an amino acid first found in green tea leaves back in the mid 1950's. It works by preventing the binding of L-glutamic acid to glutamate receptors, which inhibits the neural excitation response in the brain.
10 Aug 2021
Natural Support for Nerves and Focus at School
Are your kids nervous about returning to in-class learning after months of virtual education in an era of COVID-19? Are you wondering how you can help them feel reassured and relaxed about it?
Since going back to school subjects children to more stimuli just by being surrounded by their peers, expect that an adjustment period will take place. This transition can manifest as nervousness, poor attention span and emotional swings. Fortunately, there are several nutritional and lifestyle strategies that you can employ as parents--right now-- to support mental and emotional health of your kids.
08 Jul 2021
PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS & NUTRIENT DEPLETION
Proton Pump Inhibitors (Rx Acid Blockers) work by blocking H+/K+ ATPase pumps found in the parietal cells of the stomach which control acid production. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI’s) affect about 70% of the proton pumps activity in the stomach.1
07 Jul 2021
The Impact of Stress on Fertility
If your family growth plans aren't panning out, stress could be the culprit. Reproduction may be a natural urge and process, but a stressed body has other priorities. Learning how stress affects fertility and nutrient status can help you prepare to conceive.
15 Jun 2021
Nausea During Pregnancy
How to Treat Nausea during Pregnancy Safely: Using Vitamin B6 and Folate
Morning sickness is very common in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. A small percentage of women suffer from a constant form of vomiting/nausea through the majority of their pregnancy called hyperemesis gravidarum.
09 Jun 2021
Choosing the right magnesium product doesn’t need to be so confusing!
If you have been shopping for magnesium in your local health food store recently you will have noticed a wide range of products in this category. From magnesium glycinate, bisglycinate, oxide, citrate, aspartate to threonate and glycerophosphate there is an abundance of choice. But which magnesium is the right one for you?
18 May 2021
Iron: An Essential Nutrient in Athletes
Iron is essential for blood production. About 70% of the body's iron is found in the red blood cells, and in the muscles it is stored as myoglobin. Hemoglobin transfers oxygen in your blood from the lungs to the tissues. Myoglobin accepts, stores, transports, and releases oxygen in the tissues.
30 Apr 2021
Low Iron During Pregnancy: How to Prevent its Consequences
Iron deficiency doesn't just make the prenatal experience more difficult for moms-to-be. It also impacts the fetus's health in utero and after birth. Armed with this information, you and your baby can avoid serious health consequences of deficiency.
28 Apr 2021
Get Alkaline for Better Skin, Joints, Heart, Bones and overall health.
Arthritis, wrinkles, sagging skin, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease: what do these have in common? Collagen deterioration and over-acidity.
13 Apr 2021
Treatment for Osteoporosis is not More Calcium - Improve pH to Improve Bone Density
The body has several buffering systems in order to calibrate pH in the body. The respiratory system is the first line of defence, which generally corrects pH in a matter of minutes to hours. Carbon dioxide helps to regulate the extracellular pH in the lungs.
07 Apr 2021
Nutrition for Healthy Skin
Your skin: it's the largest organ of the body. It contains and protects your insides, preserves your hydration and acts as a first line of immune defence against pathogens. But it can't do any of this without nutrients. Here are some of the key vitamins and minerals needed by the skin, and the skin problems that their deficiencies are connected to:
03 Mar 2021
Glutathione and the Cofactors
Glutathione has been shown to be useful in protecting against bacterial and viral infections and enhancing the activity of various immune cells. T cells (a white blood cell) and natural killer cells (involved in eradicating viruses) require glutathione for adequate functioning.
24 Feb 2021
C is for Collagen
Sagging, wrinkly skin...fragile bones...weakened arteries...muscle atrophy...gum problems...tooth loss... Doesn't getting older sound fun? While aging itself is unavoidable, we can limit its impact on our well-being with adequate rest, wholesome food and supplementation with extra levels of the essential nutrients that play a role in maintaining wellness.
05 Feb 2021
Natures Alternative to Antacid Tablets
Heartburn. Acid reflux. Gas. Bloating. Whether you're experiencing any of these symptoms after a holiday over-indulgence or on a daily basis, it suggests your digestion could use some support!
04 Feb 2021
Heart Disease: Improving the Female Experience
Did you know that two thirds of clinical heart and stroke research is based on men? For too long, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been viewed as a 'man's disease', yet this condition is the number one cause of death in Canadian women. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, most Canadian women have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke. In the United States, 64 percent of women who die of a massive heart attack have no previous symptoms. So symptoms of CAD need to be taken seriously given the fact that CVD accounts for about 1 in every 3 deaths in women. What's also a concern is that without monitoring of blood biomarkers for heart disease, it can be a sudden, silent killer ---with symptoms going unrecognized until an acute, life-threatening coronary event occurs.
04 Feb 2021
You Can't Beat a Healthy Heart
The heart is a complex muscle that relies on a series of complex muscular and electrical functions. Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium are involved in the cycle of heart contraction and relaxation.
13 Jan 2021
Boost Your Biochemicals
Probably the most dreaded question we each face every January hits us right around now, and it's this: "Have you made any new year's resolutions?" If you haven't, don't feel guilty, because that won't help. Instead, consider that low physical and mental energy may be responsible for your lack of goal-setting. The stresses of the pandemic have drained many of us, and the situation can feel out of our control. No wonder the motivation for personal change may not be there. While counseling may be indicated to help one cope, here's what's needed on the biochemical level for motivation and inspiration to occur.
05 Jan 2021
NADH and Caregivers
This year, 2020, has proven to be a year triggering many forms of stress including emotional, financial, family-related and finally adjusting to the "new normal" of this year's pandemic. With province-wide lock down restrictions in effect, many people have been forced to care for children and aid in homeschooling as well as taking care of elderly parents leading to caregiver burnout.
30 Dec 2020
Ask the Pharmacist: Pure Magnesium Glycinate
Welcome to our new Q&A blog series with Cyrus, called 'Ask the Pharmacist'. In this first blog, Cyrus answers a customer question about why some companies do not disclose the amount of Magnesium Oxide in their Magnesium Glycinate products.
09 Nov 2020
Can We Protect Ourselves from "Forever Chemicals"?
It's been widely known and accepted for decades that chronic inhalation of large particle substances like tar, coal, asbestos, vehicle exhaust fumes and tobacco is associated with increased incidence of pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma and cancer. What about other, more fine-particle chemicals? If naturally-occurring substances can deposit there, why wouldn't synthetic chemicals do the same? Could reviewing existing literature help us understand why viral infections of the lungs can be so deadly for the elderly, but less commonly so for younger people? Let's explore where these questions are coming from.
15 Oct 2020
Nutritional Deficiencies in Crohn's Disease and Colitis: 5 Key Nutrients
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) characterized by recurring symptoms that include intestinal inflammation, bleeding, frequent evacuation of loose, bloody stool, bloating and pain. While ulcerative colitis is confined to the mucosal layer of the descending colon, the ulceration of Crohn's colitis can occur anywhere in the digestive tract and penetrate beyond the mucosal layer of the bowel into the muscular layer beneath, presenting elevated risk of complications. The chronic inflammation creates structural changes in the small intestine and the absorptive surface becomes compromised, quickly leading to nutritional deficiencies. Not only that; the surgical removal of portions of diseased intestine can leave the patient with diminished absorption of nutrients, giving rise to potential long-term health problems that extend beyond the digestive tract. That's why it's important to understand the nutritional deficiencies Crohn's patients are most vulnerable to developing.
06 Aug 2020
Are you reading this inside or outside? Many of us had the best intentions after months of quarantine and isolation time, vowing to spend as much time outside as possible, enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. But the summer of 2020 has brought record high temperatures. Heat warnings and sunburn fears on top of COVID-19 concerns have translated to yet more indoor time and lower vitamin D levels---especially for those we refer to as "the vulnerable". Who are they? This group consists of those with diabetes, immune dysfunction and heart disease, as well as those who are elderly: some of the most D-deficient members of our population.
27 Jul 2020
Vitamin C: A Game Changer
What do humans and other primates have in common with guinea pigs? Their bodies can't make Vitamin C and absolutely depend on adequate dietary intake. That's why diets lacking in raw fruits and vegetables make us vulnerable to deficiency symptoms such as poor wound healing, bleeding gums, and poor resistance to infection. With the abundance of produce filling grocery store shelves you may be surprised to learn that vitamin C was found by the CDC's NHANES study (2003-2006) to be the fourth most common nutritional deficiency in the United States--behind iron, vitamin D, vitamin B-6. Although Canadian data is limited, there's no reason to assume Canada would have better results. Let's look at why this nutrient is important to our immunity and how it's helped people with infection.
21 Apr 2020
Stay Out, Gout! Reduce Your Risk
Have you suffered from a bout of gout? If you have, you know that gout is a localized, acute inflammation that typically manifests as a very swollen, very painful big toe. However, gout can occur in any of the lower leg and foot joints and even in the hands-not just once, but multiple times-lasting for days.
13 Apr 2020
Melatonin-a hormone necessary for good sleep AND good immunity
Watching evening news to get the latest status of the COVID-19 pandemic? Doing so could be bad news for your immune system. Here's why. For one, cortisol is released in response to perceived stress, making us feel too wired to sleep-and sleep is vital for immune function. Second, exposure to blue light via TV, tablet and phone screens against a dark background prevents you from releasing melatonin-a hormone necessary for good sleep AND good immunity.
01 Apr 2020
Did you know stress can make you more vulnerable to infection? Here we are, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with no end in sight, and the stress levels for much of humanity are reaching critical. The uncertainty about our future, coupled with our need to practice social distancing (or more accurately, physical distancing) is causing many of us to feel super-stressed.
26 Mar 2020
Millennia before refrigeration was invented, ancient Egyptians, East Indians and Romans consumed food and drink served in copper cups, utensils, bowls and plates. Perhaps they were on to something...
26 Mar 2020
Newsflash: inflammation is GOOD for us
Did you know that inflammatory messengers are actually an important part of the weaponry used to fight infection?
13 Mar 2020
Fortify Your Immune Defences
Infections are NOT caused by echinacea or elderberry deficiency. BUILD your immune system with micro-nutrients.
03 Dec 2019
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Don't Let Winter Win!
With the abundance of warmth and sunshine now behind us, it's normal to find ourselves feeling a brief transitional period of the blues.
29 Nov 2019
Slow Release L-Theanine and Sleep
Sleep. After a long workday or hours spent in the sun, your bed is practically calling your name.
04 Nov 2019
Zinc & Copper
You've likely heard the term, "yin and yang" before. Couples use the line in their wedding vows and others use it to craft yoga sequences and classes. In this case, we're talking about the yin and yang of copper and zinc.
25 Sep 2019
Copper: The Confounding Variable in Iron-Deficiency Anemia?
It's an accepted fact that the fastest way to increase iron status in an iron-deficient individual is through supplementation.
07 Aug 2019
The Nutrition-Sleep-Hyperactivity Connection
Hyperactivity: if you haven’t experienced it, you’ve witnessed it. Take the toddler who just won’t settle down long enough to get into his pyjamas, let alone finish brushing his teeth or get into bed.
16 Jul 2019
NADH + Ubiquinol and Athletic Performance
To perform a physical challenge is one thing; to recover from it quickly so that you have the energy and ability to repeat the exercise again is another.
03 Jul 2019
NADH and Ubiquinol | Cellular Energy Production
You've already tried increasing your coffee intake, getting a few extra hours of sleep, watching what you eat but you still feel like you're flat lining.
14 Jun 2019
Canada's New Food Guide: Why You'll Want to Supplement
Canada's new guide to healthy eating is now 6 months old. The illustrated version is pretty, and it's simple; there are no recommended number of servings, or portion sizes.
31 May 2019
Timing & REM Sleep Cycles
"Let's talk about sleep baby. Let's talk about you and me..." It sounded better in my head than it does on paper, but regardless of its sexiness and ability to rhyme, sleep is one of the most important pieces of our health and well being.
31 May 2019
Magnesium
Magnesium, also known as the chill pill or the magic mineral that helps you drift off to sleep or help take the edge off after a long day. Being a student and entrepreneur, I know first hand the effects of being even the slightest bit magnesium deficient.
12 Apr 2019
Muscle Health when running for marathon training
It's hard to believe that we are already three months into the new year. Where does the time go? With all the sunshine we have been experiencing I find myself anxious for spring to get here.
22 Mar 2019
Get Alkaline for Better Skin, Joints, Heart and Bones
Arthritis, wrinkles, sagging skin, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease: what do these have in common? Collagen deterioration and over-acidity.
22 Mar 2019
Exhausted
The single most frequently used word I hear in both my practice and in my school’s clinic. Students, teachers, full time employees, new moms - everyone. They’re exhausted. Why is that?
08 Feb 2019
Safety and Efficacy of Magnesium Stearate
Magnesium stearate is a simple salt made of two common nutritional substances, the mineral magnesium and the saturated fat stearic acid.
08 Feb 2019
Blood donation can lead to iron deficiency
Most of our body’s supply of iron is found in our blood, so when we donate blood we lose iron. Our bone marrow replaces this blood using the iron stored in our liver.
08 Feb 2019
Calming the Storm of Self Doubt & Overwhelm
As a health practitioner, I serve as a role model, coach, and example to my clients and peers at school. I love my career with a fierce passion, but I too feel a great deal of pressure to be the perfect all the time.
07 Jan 2019
The Importance of Activated B Vitamins in High-Fat, Low-Carb Diets
We all know someone who is starting or finishing a ‘keto’ based diet. This trendy diet promises weight loss, improved energy and mental clarity by limiting the amount of carbohydrates and focussing the majority of daily calories on fats and oils and lower amounts of protein.
03 Jan 2019
Gastric Bypass Surgery and Nutrient Deficiency
Gastric bypass surgery for obesity increases the risk of nutrient deficiencies. This operation makes the stomach smaller, so that less food can be eaten and bypasses part of the intestine, so that less absorption can occur. These surgical modifications result in weight loss, but also impair nutrient absorption.
21 Dec 2018
Heartburn, gas, reflux... your body has a message for you. Listen up!
Heartburn. Acid reflux. Gas. Bloating. Whether you’re experiencing any of these symptoms after a holiday over-indulgence or on a daily basis, it suggests your digestion could use some support!
20 Dec 2018
How to Support Your Digestion During the Holidays
Take at least 5 minutes to relax before eating your meal. Stress hormones shut down the digestive process, so take a few deep breaths and think about something positive before digging in.
30 Nov 2018
Are Your Workouts Suffering? Low Zinc Levels Might Be The Reason
We’ve all been told to supplement pre-workout with carbs and to drink our protein shakes post workout, but have you ever considered the effects that low zinc levels are having on your workout?
14 Nov 2018
The Dangers of Low Iron Levels When Working Out
We are told that regular exercise and activity is great for our health and wellbeing. But what if you were doing more harm than good?
06 Nov 2018
Why Zinc is Essential to Male Sexual Functions
Men, consider your sex life. With every ejaculation, a human male loses about 1 milligram of zinc. So you can see why this mineral needs regular replenishment if you want to maintain your sexual and reproductive organ health.
04 Oct 2018
Ramp up Immune Protection with Vitamin D
Is your immune system healthy? If you are prone to colds or the flu during colder months then your immune system is in sub-optimal condition. Don't despair! An accumulating body of research shows that if you supplement vitamin D you may reduce your risk of infection.
15 Aug 2018
L-Theanine: Nature's Antidote to Stress
For thousands of years the benefits of green tea have been discussed and documented in Asian cultures. Originally green tea was only available to Chinese nobility but eventually the 'noble' beverage spread to Japan and India and the health benefits became more apparent and widespread.
18 Jul 2018
Improve Your Sleep Quality
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland upon the shift from light to darkness, making us sleepy. This is because melatonin suppresses release of noradrenaline and dopamine, two stimulating chemical messengers in the body that can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Melatonin helps us feel refreshed upon waking; plus, it aids immunity by supporting healthy cell division, among other benefits.
08 Jun 2018
CoQ10, NADH and Lyme Disease
It's tick season in the northern hemisphere. Each year, thousands of people are bitten by deer ticks infected with the bacterium borrelia burgdorferi. While some recover quickly thanks to rapid, correct diagnosis and treatment, many others develop debilitating physical and mental fatigue, joint and muscle pain, cognitive impairment and heart trouble that can go on for years. This is the nightmarish face of Lyme disease.
09 May 2018
Magnesium: A Nourishing Alternative to Popular Laxatives
Chronically constipated individuals have been led to believe that their only choice in prevention and relief is a fibre supplement---one that can potentially lead to more trouble if an inadequate volume of water is consumed. Alternatively, the use of inferior magnesium products as laxatives can lead to sudden and urgent bathroom trips that interrupt your work day. There’s a better way.
25 Mar 2018
The Health Benefits of Being More Alkaline
A healthy body is in balance: mineral balance, hormonal balance and acid-base balance. Plants do not thrive in acidic soil. Fish require a specific pH in order to survive their aquatic environment. Humans require a blood pH range of 7.35 to 7.45. A shift of 0.2 would have deadly consequences!
25 Mar 2018
Tips to Maintaining Brain Health
Every year 25,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s are documented in Canada. At present, there are more than 564,000 Canadians living with dementia. After the age of 65, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease doubles approximately every five years.
25 Mar 2018
How do I choose a B complex supplement?
We’ve all been sitting at the breakfast table with a box of cereal in front of us. We’ve probably read the ingredients panel and wondered what pyridoxine was or riboflavin. These are examples of B-vitamins.
25 Mar 2018
L-Theanine - Nature's antidote to stress and anxiousness
Many of us enjoy drinking green tea and in recent years a multitude of health benefits have been attributed to it. One of the ingredients of green tea, receiving a lot of attention in the natural health community, is L-Theanine.
08 Mar 2018
The Role of Iron in Maintaining Optimal Health
Iron can be considered the body's gold reserve as it contributes to the vitality of every cell. Iron is the mineral responsible for producing hemoglobin which in turn transports oxygen from the lungs throughout the body.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLV 
Magnesium Glycinate Capsules
Magnesium Glycinate Powder
Magnesium Glycinate +Taurine +CoQ10
Magnesium Glycinate Raspberry Lemon Powder Mix
Carbonyl Iron 22.5 MG
Zinc Glycinate 23 MG
Copper Glycinate 1 MG
Selenomethionine 200 MCG
Calcium Hydroxyapatite
Magnesium Glycinate + L-Theanine
Bioactive B Complex
Bioactive Folic Acid 1 MG
Bioactive B6 (PYRIDOXAL-5-PHOSPHATE) 50 MG
Bioactive B12 1000 MCG
Bioactive B12 5000 MCG
NADH SR 20 MG
NADH + Ubiquinol
Vitamin K2-MK7 120 MCG
NAC 600 MG
L-THEANINE 250 MG
L-THEANINE SLOW RELEASE 200 MG
L-THEANINE CHEWABLES 125 MG
L-Glutamine Capsules
L-Glutamine Powder
Vitamin C 1000 MG
Vitamin C Slow Release 1000MG
Vitamin C Powder
Vitamin D3 1000IU
Vitamin D3 2500IU
Vegan Vitamin D3 1000IU
Vitamin D3 2500IU
Slow Release Melatonin 10 MG.png)
Magnesium Glycinate +Melatonin
AlkaPure pH
ThyroPure
AdaptaPure
Rhodiola
UTI Pure 120s
UTI Pure Powder
