The restorative powers of hydrotherapy may not be well known outside the spa environment in our time, but the use of hydrotherapy is well documented throughout history in Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, and many other cultures. Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, prescribed bathing in spring water as a medical treatment. These traditions have continued and can be found in the practice of bathing in hot springs and cold water baths around the world today.

Constitutional hydrotherapy, a technique developed by Dr. O.G. Carroll, is particularly effective at stimulating the immune system, achieving total body detoxification, and stimulating the body’s own innate capacity to heal itself. The word “constitutional” refers to the whole-body effects of this treatment. Although useful in almost any condition, it has been found specifically well suited for the treatment of digestive concerns, respiratory diseases, female reproductive problems, immune system balancing, circulatory conditions, neurological conditions, and environmental toxicity.

What to Expect

The treatment of constitutional hydrotherapy involves the placement of alternating hot and cold moist towels over the upper torso. The person is then wrapped in a sheet and covered with blankets. Gentle electrical muscle stimulation is applied to the back and stomach to enhance the circulatory effects.

How it Works

Hydrotherapy works so well because it acts to stimulate the body’s own healing force. The combination of alternating hot and cold applications with the use of physiotherapy devices enhances the immune response, improves the body’s capacity to absorb and utilize nutrients, encourages the removal of cellular and environmental wastes. It also promotes a healthy balance between the two parts of our autonomic nervous system, the “fight or flight” or sympathetic system and the “rest and digest” or parasympathetic systems, which regulate all our bodily processes. As such it both detoxifies and tonifies at the same time.

A lymphatic and circulatory pump is created by successively dilating and constricting blood vessels in response to the alternating application of hot and cold water. A reflexive increase in blood flow occurs in internal organs when the circulation to the overlying skin is stimulated in this manner. This process increases circulation through the liver, skin, kidneys, lungs, abdominal, and pelvic organs. It is this internal response to the alternating towels which is responsible for the long lasting and cumulative effects of a series of hydrotherapy treatments.

Research studies conducted at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and Windrose Naturopathic Clinic have shown that constitutional hydrotherapy can raise a low basal body temperature, moderate low or high blood sugar, and moderate high or low blood pressure. Remarkably, a significant increase in white blood cell counts is seen within 2 to 8 hours after only 1 hydrotherapy session. This is a rapid and natural way to boost your immune function.

Cautions

Please consult your naturopathic doctor to see if this type of treatment is an appropriate part of your health treatment plan. During a course of hydrotherapy, some people may experience fever, aches, pains, fatigue, and/or other discomforts as part of their healing process. If any of these symptoms occur, please inform your naturopathic doctor immediately so that they may adjust your treatments as necessary.

Runny nose? Sore throat? Chills? Fever? Sneezing? Congestion? Headache? Any or all of the above? Use the warming socks treatment.

Warming socks works by stimulating the body’s natural healing responses during acute infections. In hydrotherapy terms, the technique is a kind of “warming compress”, which encourages the body to increase overall blood circulation in order to warm up the cold socks. In doing so, it draws preferentially from areas of congestion in the upper respiratory passages, head, and throat. It is also effective for pain relief.

A safe treatment for the whole family, including the youngest of kids, warming socks is perfect at bedtime, or nap time, as it has a soothing and sedating effect, helping you to sleep through the night even when you’re feeling less than par.

Lovingly referred to in my hydrotherapy class as “cold wet socks”, this treatment isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds. In fact, many people find it relaxing once both pairs of socks are on and you’re lying in bed under the covers.

Besides, it’s a powerful, cheap, and easy way to treat the common cold, influenza, sore throats, sinus infections, upper respiratory tract infections, congestion, sinusitis, coughs, and headaches. Anytime there’s heat and congestion in the head and chest, it’s your go-to treatment, especially alongside individualized and integrated care that includes rest, hydration, breathing techniques, nutritional strategies, and the use of specific botanicals and/or homeopathics.

What you need

1 pair of medium weight 100% cotton socks
1 pair of thick 100% wool socks
access to cold water, maybe warm water and a towel

How to do it

1. If your feet are cool or cold, warm them by running under warm water for a few minutes and dry off with a towel.
2. Soak cotton socks in cold water. Wring out excess water until wet but not dripping.
3. Put on wet cotton socks.
4. Put dry wool socks on top.
5. Cover well with blankets and go to bed. Stay warm in bed with feet covered overnight.  When you wake in the morning, your feet will be warm and the socks will be dry.
6. Repeat for 3 nights in a row or as directed by your naturopathic doctor.

*Caution: People with chronic health concerns or conditions, or those with compromised immune systems, should consult with a health professional before starting this treatment.  Consultation with a naturopathic doctor or other primary care provider is recommended for anyone interested in the state of their health.

Although this time of year is about gift-giving and receiving for many people, we don’t always think about those who are very much in need all year round. As my kids are thinking about what they want for Chanukah, I’m thinking about ways to mitigate the rampant consumerism so obvious in December with a greater sense of generosity, charity, and a respect for people and our planet that is balanced all year round.

Recent events highlight the need for a more holistic approach to our personal and universal problems. Talks in my household have been as much about poverty and other socioeconomic issues as raised by the Occupy movement, as well as the inadequate promises to curb climate change made in Durban this week, as they are about planning and decorating for holiday celebrations. Coming from a place of respect and empathy, and extending the naturopathic principle of Tolle Totum (treat the whole) from the individual person to the community, society, planet and universe, we can help bring balance and healing into the forefront. The etymology of the word ‘contribution’ best reveals this holistic, all-encompassing nature of both charity and activism. Coming from the words ‘com’ and ‘tribus’, meaning ‘add together’ and ‘tribe’ respectively, contribution can be seen as the work of building communities, both small and large.

Many individuals already incorporate a ritual of giving into this time of year. If this isn’t a practice that you and your family already engage in on a regular basis, this month is a great time to start a new tradition that you can carry through into 2012.

Set some time aside for this process — volunteer, sit on a board, help create positive change, and/or research where you want to focus your energy, money, etc… If you are looking for research, and consolidated information about organizations you are considering donating to, visit Charity Intelligence.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Children’s Book Bank — provides free books and literacy support to children in low-income neighbourhoods; a great place to drop off your gently-used children’s books
• The Stop Community Centre — works to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community and challenges inequality
• June Callwood Centre — one of North America’s first centres for teen parents and their children, they offer health services, counselling, education, housing, prenatal classes and parenting groups and many types of practical support
• Evergreen — makes cities more livable by deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments
• Boundless Adventures — helps youth-at-risk attain their high school diplomas and provide leadership in their communities through counselling, social rehabilitation, alternative education and outdoor adventure
• Distress Centres Toronto — provides 24-hour, year-round telephone support to those experiencing emotional distress or in need of crisis intervention and suicide prevention, as well as face-to-face support and counseling to people dealing with the effects of suicide and homicide
• Kiva — connects people through lending and microfinancing to provide safe, affordable access to capital to those in need, helping people create better lives for themselves and their families

Four years old is a big milestone. First it was finding out from his friends that Halloween actually involved candy, and not just parading through the neighbourhood in costume. The following week, K declared that a birthday party was all about friends bringing you presents (It’s ok, kids are supposed to be this narcissistic.) and cupcakes. His specific request was chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing and sprinkles. You can’t blame a kid for having a vision. Being both a naturopath and a mother, I revised some recipes to create a (relatively) whole food and gluten-free version of what he wanted.

Two weeks later, K’s birthday has come and gone, and he’s still talking about when I’m going to make them again. I can safely say that my gluten-free chocolate cupcakes were a huge success. Here’s the recipe so you can make them too.

Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes
2 bananas
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free All Purpose Baking Flour)
1/2 cup cocoa (I used fair trade and organic Camino cocoa powder)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Blend bananas, maple syrup, egg, oil and vanilla in a blender. Mix dry ingredients well in a bowl. Combine with wet ingredients from the blender. Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 cupcakes or 24 mini-cupcakes.

Tip: I used If You Care 100% unbleached baking cups with muffin tins but you can use these baking cups without a muffin pan too!

Cool muffins and top with maple cream cheese icing (recipe below) and shaved dark chocolate “sprinkles” which I made by grating a Camino Panama Extra Dark chocolate bar.

Maple cream cheese icing
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.

On my way to drop off the kids this morning, I noticed frost on the ground for the first time this season, a signal to finally put away our fall rain coats and make sure that all our winter gear is front and center in the hall. It’s also a good reminder to make sure that everyone has got their wind gate covered when they’re going outside.

Although the name “wind gate” is the literal translation of a specific point on the bladder channel (UB 12, Feng Men, or 風門 to be exact) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is often used to talk about the entire back of the neck and upper back. According to TCM, external pathogens enter the body through the wind gate. In other words, we are most susceptible to environmental forces such as wind when our necks are exposed to the elements.

Invasion by wind can lead to those all-too-familiar cold and flu symptoms — chills, fever, body aches, runny nose, congestion, and cough. This vulnerability is increased if we also go outside with damp hair or do other things to impair our immune system responses (poor diet, inadequate rest, lack of exercise, drink too much alcohol, etc…) Parents everywhere can rejoice in a moment of “I told you so” about all those times they implored you to wear a scarf, or not to go outside with wet hair.

If it wasn’t already obvious, it’s officially cold and flu season out there. And in a couple of days, it’s Halloween. Be sure to figure out how to incorporate a scarf or a hood into your costume and cover up that wind gate. Especially if you’re planning on indulging in some Halloween treats.

I’d been involved in naturopathic medicine, as a student, a clinician, a professor, and a conference attendee for almost a decade before I noticed it. I was listening to a talk by Joseph Pizzorno at CCNM about gastrointestinal health and detoxification, and one of the things I found most striking wasn’t the content of his presentation (as great as it was) but his pronunciation of the word “naturopathy.” At first I assumed it was pronounced differently in the US — this hypothesis seemed plausible enough. But it dawned on me that I had heard this pronunciation before by Canadians too, but only by a handful of NDs who graduated in the 80s. And then I considered the semiotic implications.

The way Dr. Pizzorno pronounces it is linguistically closer to the root word “nature,” as it is said with a long ‘a’ sound (ney-chuh-rop-uh-thee, or neɪtʃəˈrɒpəθi). The other pronunciation (nach-uh-rop-uh-thee, or nætʃəˈrɒpəθi) connects back to the word “natural,” spoken with a short ‘a’ sound. So what’s the difference? While the former pronunciation invokes the core naturopathic principle of the Vis Medicatrix Naturae or the healing power of nature, the latter references a natural form of medicine. Here, pronunciation can serve as a cultural signifier of the type of therapies used (natural) or the philosophical approach of facilitating the body’s ability to heal itself (nature). It can imply ‘what’ we do, or ‘how’ we do it.

Asking colleagues about this difference in pronunciation unfortunately hasn’t brought much light to the genealogy of the two ways of speaking the name of our profession. Most chalk it up to nothing more than personal preference. I am left with many questions: Does the pronunciation I am most familiar with speak to a prioritization of natural therapies over philosophical assumptions about health and disease? Which one or both were the original way of saying the word? What is the etymology of the word, and what meaning is ascribed to it now? Was there a change in common pronunciation at some point in our profession’s history? If so, what signaled or triggered this change? Can it been read as a signifier of a shift away from philosophy as the driving force behind our medicine, to a more mechanistic view of what naturopathic doctors do?

In general we are frequently taught to think about what we say, but so rarely encouraged to consider how we say it. We fail to ask ourselves about what we are saying through and between our words, in spite of observing the verbal and non-verbal communication of our patients sitting across from us in the clinical setting. Words, as much as clinical presence and healing intention, are part of the space created in the doctor-patient relationship. As naturopathic doctors, we need to reflect as a profession on what we say, but also how we say it.

ps. If someone could introduce me to Dr. Pizzorno, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’d love to have a conversation with him (or anyone else for that matter) about the semiotics and hermeneutics of naturopathic medicine.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, fall marks the shift into the yin time of year, a time thought to be ideal for recharging and nurturing yourself and retreating to quieter, internal pursuits. For many people, fall is a time for new beginnings and new endeavors. In nature, leaves and flowers are dying and energy sinks, becoming concentrated in the seeds and roots of plants. During this time, we are particularly vulnerable to colds and flu.

On request, here is my recipe for Change of Season Soup. This delicious herbal chicken soup is a great tonifier, gently supporting the immune system during times of stress, and especially during the change of seasons. It enhances the body’s ability to remain balanced during times of transition by increasing our innate ability to adapt to change. As an immune system tonic, change of season soup is an ideal way to mark the autumnal equinox (this Friday Sept 23), improve your resistance to colds and flus, and prepare yourself for the colder seasons to come.

Basic Ingredients:
You can buy the herbs pre-packaged in traditional Chinese herbal stores and some health food stores or use 2–3 oz of each of the following herbs:

• Astragalus membranaceus / Huang Qi – 4 sticks, 15 cm long each
  This herb will help to tonify and strengthen Qi energy. It helps to build blood and nourish body fluids.
• Codonopsis pilosula / Dang Shen – 4 sticks, 10 cm long each
  Astragalus is a root that helps to strengthen protective defenses, strengthen Qi energy, nourish the spleen, and tonify the blood and lungs.
• Dioscorea opposita (Chinese wild yam) / Shan Yao – 2 sticks, 5 cm long each
  Dioscorea is a herb that tonifies and balances the lungs and the kidneys.
• Lyciium barbarum (Goji berries) / Gou Qi Zi – 3 tbsp
  Goji berries help to strengthen the liver and the kidneys.

You may prepare the soup with the above ingredients, simmering for 2–4 hours in a covered pot with 4 L of water. Or use it as a base for a fuller soup made with the addition of the following optional ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken or carcass
• 5–10 whole garlic cloves
• 1 thumb of ginger
• 1 onion, chopped
• lots of local harvest vegetables: mushrooms, carrots, celery, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, beets and beet greens, swiss chard, etc…

Instructions:
Place herbs in a tea sock or cheesecloth bag for easy removal. Add all ingredients (except leafy greens) to a large soup pot. Cover with 4–5 L of water, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 2–4 hours until chicken and vegetables are well cooked. Remove herbs, add leafy greens and continue cooking until greens are wilted. Serve.

Drink 1 cup or bowl every day for 2 weeks. This soup is also safe for children but the amount needs to be adjusted for weight.

People who are already in the midst of a cold or flu should not drink the soup until after they have recovered.

Enjoy!

Last Sunday, K’s agenda for the day was to move Ducky from the bathtub to a pond. Despite Ducky’s existence as a phthalate-free bath toy, I couldn’t disagree with K when he stated that ducks actually live in ponds not in bathtubs, so we trucked out to the Evergreen Brick Works to bring Ducky to his natural environment, with the caveat that he would have to return home with us too.

On every trip there, the Brick Works shows me that it is possible to truly re-naturalize Toronto’s watershed ecosystems. While having a snack by one of the ponds, we spotted the first of two Great Blue Herons, wading (and waiting) at the water’s edge. A few minutes later, we saw the second swoop down and land in a nearby pond. After tracking it down, we watched it fishing in the waters from a distance of less than 10 feet. K & E can’t yet appreciate how special it is to see these birds living in the city just a short bike ride away from our house, but they definitely were in awe of making eye contact with a wild animal, and happy to be there to congratulate it on catching such a large fish.

Moments like these remind me of how grateful I am to be raising my children in the heart of the city, yet still have plenty of access to nature. So many kids, and adults too, experience nature deficit disorder, especially when living in an urban setting. Time spent in nature has been linked to better outcomes for asthma, stress, and ADHD, but is equally important for fostering environmental stewardship, and facilitating our body’s natural ability to heal itself. I always feel better after a walk in the woods, don’t you?

Last week, media outlets were quick to pick up the story of a research study^[1] that showed cranberry extract isn’t as effective as antibiotics for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The headlines were consistent: “Antibiotics beat cranberries,“^[2] “Don’t bet on cranberry,“^[3] and “Cranberries little help“^[4].  Unfortunately, what is lacking from many of the medical news reports is a critical review of the study’s methodology and thus the validity and applicability of its results.  While a study comparing the efficacy of antibiotics and cranberry is a great idea, the cranberry extract studied contained the daily equivalent of merely 9.1 mg of proanthocyanidins, the key chemical constituent responsible for protecting against adherence of bacteria in the urinary tract.   This dose falls far short of the 72 mg daily dose of proanthocyanidins currently accepted as the most effective based on recent clinical studies^[5], a problem admitted by the study’s authors in discussing their results.

Even at such a low dose, cranberry showed great promise.

After 12 months of taking either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, 480 mg once daily) or cranberry capsules (500 mg, containing 4.55 mg of proanthocyanidins, twice daily):

• the mean number of women experiencing at least 1 UTI was greater in the cranberry than the antibiotic group (4.0 vs 1.8; p=0.02)
• the proportion with at least 1 UTI was also greater in the cranberry group (78.2% vs 71.1%; p=0.03)
• median time to first UTI was 4 months in the cranberry group, vs. 8 months in the antibiotic group
• 86.3% of fecal and 90.5% of asymptomatic bacteriuria E coli isolates were TMP-SMX resistant vs. 23.7% and 28.1% in the cranberry group
• increased resistance rates for was other types of antibiotics were also found in the TMP-SMX group after 1 month
• antibiotic resistance did not increase in the cranberry group

As noted by Galen’s Watch, “As part of a total treatment that included other supplements that have shown benefit in preventing UTI’s such as probiotics and vitamin C the outcome could be quite different. A typical treatment plan could include dietary recommendations and herbs, among other things.“^[6]  All is not lost for cranberry.  At the correct dose, it remains an important part of a holistic approach to preventing UTIs.

1. Beerepoot MAJ et al. Cranberries vs antibiotics to prevent urinary tract infections. A randomized double-blind noninferiority trial in premenopausal women. Arch Intern Med [serial on the internet]. 2011 [cited 2011 July 30];171(14):1270–1278. Available from: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/171/14/1270.
2. Freeman DW. For urinary tract infection, antibiotics beat cranberries. CBS News [website]. 2011 July 26 [cited 2011 July 30]. Avail­able from: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20083454–10391704.html.
3. Gardner A. Don’t bet on cranberry against UTIs. CNN [website]. 2011 July 25 [cited 2011 July 30]. Avail­able from: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/25/antibiotics.cranberry.upi.prevention/.
4. Walsh N. Cranberries little help for bladder. MedPageToday [website]. 2011 July 25 [cited 2011 July 30]. Available from: http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/27725.
5. Howell AB et al. Dosage effect on uropathogenic Escherichia coli anti-adhesion activity in urine following consumption of cranberry powder standardized for proanthocyanidin content: a multicentric randomized double blind study. BMC Infect Dis [serial on the internet]. 2010 [cited 2011 July 30];10:94. Available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471–2334/10/94#B12.
6. Way S. Antibiotics beat Cranberries for UTI’s? Not so fast… Galen’s Watch [blog post on the internet]. 2011 July 26 [cited 2011 July 30]. Available from: http://camwatcher.typepad.com/cam_watcher/2011/07/antibiotics-beat-cranberries-for-utis-that-is-what-the-headlines-say-but.html.

Aside from the aesthetics of having beautiful plants growing in my front yard, one of the main reasons I chose to grow specific plants was to learn more about their therapeutic uses by getting to know them.  Verbena hastata, or Blue Vervain, has been capturing my attention lately, its blue flowering spikes extending higher and higher, continuing to bloom for what seems like an eternity for a perennial plant.  Having rarely used it in my clinical practice, I know Vervain primarily as a Bach Flower remedy.

One of the twelve original remedies used by Dr. Bach, it is helpful in mental/emotional states where there is an anxious tension and physical exhaustion related to straining oneself in support of a good cause.  It is for people with fixed principles and ideas, over-achievers who put everything into their undertakings, pushing themselves to take on too much, their minds consistently running, unable to slow down or stop.  The positive side of Vervain is the person who holds strong views but does not impose them on others and can change them when appropriate.  As Dr. Bach wrote, Vervain can help us understand that “it is by being rather than doing that great things are accomplished.”

This rigidity of mind described by Dr. Bach, is mirrored in Vervain’s botanical uses for tension or stiffness in the neck, and epilepsy, especially where the spasm begins in the neck.  It is this sense of tension and straining which initially drew my attention to the plant growing in my garden.  While other plants bow to the wind or bend toward the sun, Vervain continues to stand tall, stubbornly over-exerting itself by continuing to produce seemingly unending blossoms on its long flower spikes.