Colds and Flus Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Bacterial Infections versus Viral Infections: What you need to know!

December 1, 2015 by elisha

This time of the year provides many avenues for individuals to fall under the weather. Most of the time, individuals struggle with the common cold, but symptoms and states can escalate into scenarios that are far worse. The treatment of these various states can drastically impact not only recovery but prevention of future infections as well. This is dependent on identifying whether a bacteria or a virus is the ultimate cause of the illness.

Bacterial Infections

As you might be able to guess, bacterial infections are caused by a bacteria. The cause or route of exposure depends on the type of bacteria. For example some bacteria can enter through ingestion (e.g. our food). When an individual is infected with a bacteria, a common symptom might include a high fever. Others symptoms depend on the presenting concern, e.g. if someone has diarrhea, they might experience blood in the diarrhea. From a primary care standpoint, it is important to address bacterial infections with an appropriate antibiotic. However, if the appropriate antibiotic is not chosen, this can lead to bacterial resistance. What this means is that a bacteria fights off the antibiotic and does not respond to the antibiotic in the future as a result. In short, the next time that you have a bacterial infection from the same bacteria, and use the same antibiotic, you will not be able to fight off the bacteria.

Viral Infections

Viral infections are caused by a virus. A virus may have similar presentations to a bacteria, but ultimately can be less aggressive in general. Often, a viral infection will cause a relatively lower increase in temperature when compared to a bacteria. In addition, depending on the viral infection, the sickness caused from it can be self – limiting, meaning that it will go away on its own once it has run its course. This is not the case for all viruses though. As a result, these infections do not need to be treated with antibiotics. Taking an antibiotic when it is not necessary can result in future resistance to antibiotics and cause the treatments to not work when it may be crucial that they do. Regardless, it is important to consult with your medical doctor as to how to best approach any colds, flus, or sicknesses you might have.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

West Nile Virus – What You Need to Know

July 22, 2015 by elisha

Unfortunately, West Nile Virus is a concern in Ontario, and, as such, you should be aware of what you are up against.

Background Information

West Nile Virus is transmitted by Mosquitos. Not all mosquitos carry West Nile Virus, but they are the vector by which this condition is transmitted to humans. As a result, the Public Health Agency keeps weekly reports on how many cases of human disease exist for the week during the current summer. As of July 11, 2015, there have been no reported diseases in humans in Ontario for the summer. I would hope that this information would bring some relief to most.

Signs and Symptoms

Majority of people infected by West Nile Virus, 80%, do not develop any symptoms. The problem arises in the other 20% of people who do have some symptoms. These symptoms tend to be quite mild and mimic that of influenza. The symptoms include headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. However, the individual normally recovers completely, but may experience fatigue and weakness for weeks or months after. Unfortunately, some individuals, under 1%, are not so fortunate and may develop more serious symptoms, which include inflammation of the brain. This inflammation in the brain (also known as meningitis or encephalitis) can cause tremors, seizures, paralysis, and disorientation. Most of the individuals who are impacted by the more serious complications will recover within weeks to months. However, 10% of those impacted with serious symptoms (the under 1% who contract West Nile Virus), may die from the complications. Individuals who are more susceptible to these more serious consequences include those over 60 years old; and persons with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and organ transplants. Many of these conditions are conditions where one’s immune system are compromised.

What can you do to minimize risk?

In order to minimize risk, it is important to first diminish risk. In order to decrease the risk of being bit by a mosquito carrying West Nile Virus, one should use mosquito repellent (whatever form that may take) and keep covered in light coloured clothing. In addition, in order to diminish risk, it is important to improve the immune system health and maintain good health overall. In addition, if there are any stagnant pools of water on your property, it would be beneficial to empty them. For more information on how to boost your immune system to prevent illness, please consult your Naturopathic Doctor for more information.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Source: CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Public Health Ontario

Gua Sha for Pain Relief

February 3, 2015 by elisha

What is Gua Sha?

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves “press-stroking” the skin with a smooth edged instrument to remove stagnation from the area of concern. “Gua” refers to the scraping action, where as the “Sha” refers to the petechiae (red marks) that are produced after the application.

What are the therapeutic benefits?

Improves circulation
Relieves pain
Removes stagnation
Breaks-up scar tissue
Stimulates the immune system
Eliminates toxins
Can be relaxing
“Up-regulates the HO-1 gene expression”(1) – helps to decrease oxidative stress.

What are the indications?

Pain
MSK Disorders
Breast Engorgement
Stress
Chronic injuries
Colds/flu
Fibromyalgia
Scar tissue

What does the research say?

After one treatment with Gua Sha, versus heat pack, to the posterior neck in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain, there was a statistically significant reduction in pain, increase in quality of life, and decreased pain with motion in the intervention group. Follow-up was one week later. (2)
Postpartum breastfeeding women with breast engorgement problems were assigned to a Gua Sha protocol or hot packs and massage for 20 minutes. The Gua Sha was statistically more effective at decreasing breast engorgement, breast temperature, pain, and discomfort both at 5 min and 30 minutes (3)
A systematic review showed that it may be beneficial for MSK pain (4)
A study of individuals with chronic neck pain and chronic low back pain reported decreased pain and improved quality of life following 1 treatment, BUT they were compared to those on the weight list (5)
In combination with other TCM therapies, Gua Sha caused a decrease in TSH levels in patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism (6)
Many case studies exist for its application in other conditions such as hepatitis, headaches – migraine type, priapism, etc.

What are the Contraindications (when should Gua Sha not be used)?

Gua Sha should not be performed in the following cases:

Broken skin
Fractures
Contusions
Burns
Over moles or pimples
Over genitals

Caution should also be used, or Gua Sha not done in patients with any of the following:

Older patients with less “elastic” skin
Frail patients
Those taking blood thinner medication
Past history of abuse – the treatment can be misinterpreted as abuse

Please let your health care provider know if you have any of the following around the area that they will be treating.

What should be done after treatment?

Following the treatment, let the patient know that they:
- May feel sore for several days
- May have bruising or petechiae for several days
- Should drink plenty of water to help their body flush out toxins and waste product
- Keep body surfaces that have had treatment done to them covered (the treatment opens up pores, maybe susceptible to wind invasions)

Resources

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Power Food: Ginger

December 22, 2014 by elisha

History

Ginger has long been used in many cultures such as China, Japan, and India. Since the 1500s, Ginger has been used for many ailments including asthma, colds, flus, and fatigue. Currently, ginger is commonly found in beverages, soaps, candles, cosmetics, and of course in many culinary dishes. As the Christmas season comes upon us, Ginger might be used in more baked goods or fragrances around the household. Though ginger normally accounts for less than 0.5% of the content in ginger – related baked goods, it is still worth mentioning the health benefits that can be derived from it.

Health Benefits

The health benefits of Ginger are quite extensive, and include effects on a variety of different organ systems.

Anti – emetic – alleviates nausea and vomiting
Anti – inflammatory – decreases inflammation
Anti – platelet agent – helps with blood disorders
Stimulant – helps combat fatigue, stress, and overwork
Carminative – helps promote digestion
Diaphoretic – helps bring down fevers
Anti – rheumatic – helps relieve pain
Anti – cancer – helps prevent cancer
Anti- oxidant – decreases oxidative stress
Bitter – increases digestion
Anti-spasmodic – decreases spasms in general
Hepatoprotective – protects the liver
Anti – microbial – fights off viruses and bacteria

Research

The research is quite extensive for ginger, including its benefit for chronic pain, PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome), menstrual cramps (Dysmenorrhea), nausea and vomiting (in cancer treatment, pregnancy, or in general), and in sickness. The research provided below is only a brief glance at the research that does exist for ginger and its medicinal use.

Ginger decreased nausea and vomiting in pregnancy within 1 day of treatment: (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0004-8666.2003.00039.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false).

Ginger decreased PMS symptoms within 3 months: (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4040198/).

Ginger decreased intensity of and duration of pain in menstrual cramping (dysmenorrhea) within 5 days: (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/12/92/).

Cautions/Concerns

Though ginger can be quite useful medicinally, it can also be quite harmful in certain situations. Therefore, ginger should only be taken if advised by your health care provider. Specifically, ginger should be used with caution in those with diabetes (can cause blood sugars to dip too low), with gastrointestinal disorders (can irritate the stomach and esophagus), or on anti – coagulant or anti – platelet therapy.

In addition, some sources of ginger have been known to be contaminated with heavy metals and toxins, and so, one should always consider the source of their supplements or food products.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.