As February is Heart Health Month, we thought it would be appropriate to go beyond focusing only on the physical heart, and to also include the “heart-mind” connection. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the heart system refers to both the physiological pump that moves blood around our body and also the mental/emotional centre. This concept [...]
In PART 1, I covered the basics: cycle / period length, quality, female hormones, and PMS. Now, let’s focus on the role of the liver, our primary detox organ, in balancing female hormones. An imbalance of the progesterone to estrogen ratio, specifically the condition of Estrogen Dominance (or relative Progesterone Deficiency), is at the [...]
It never fails to amaze me how much our body can heal and repair itself given favourable conditions. This is particularly true in gut health where I’ve had the privilege of witnessing dramatic improvements in my patients. When we take a closer look at the causes of indigestion, we often find liver issues are a [...]
Wow, the growth at Brio did not slow down as 2019 was coming to a close. I will say however, that this decade ended with fervor! This new and exciting energy has carried on right into the start of 2020. It is always excited to Brio take baby steps towards growth and lean into the [...]
Wishing all of our patients, friends, and family of Brio a wonderful new year. Here are some thoughts from the Brio staff reflecting on the past year, and looking ahead to 2020. 2019 - Wow, I don't know how to actually put into words and summarize this past year, it literally felt like such [...]
As the busy holiday season approaches us, it is a nice time to think about giving back to our community. As an outreach for the holiday season we will be collecting donations of non-perishable food items and cash. This year, you will also be able to donate directly through our website to the Richmond Food [...]
*Note: hormonal forms of birth control (contraception) such as pills, certain IUDs, implants, injections, vaginal rings, and skin patches can change your cycles: timing, length, and flow. A woman’s period, especially a natural menstrual cycle*, can give a lot of information about her overall health. Some ancient cultures believed that female hormones mimic the waxing [...]
In the recent years, the concept of the Gut being our second brain has become more accepted as mainstream thinking. This is a fundamental teaching of Naturopathic Physicians, which is why many treatments for a variety of symptoms, will include treatment of the digestive tract. As a fetus is developing in utero, the development of [...]
Just in case you haven't seen it already, click here to check out PART ONE of the series. Kamonegi (in the artsy Freemont neighborhood of Seattle, north of downtown) When you think of Japanese cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sushi, immediately followed by ramen. Kamonegi goes its own way and [...]
I love learning about food: learning about how nutrients work together; how we build relationships with ourselves and others around food; how digestion works with microbes and our circadian rhythms. I’m always looking for ways to put what I learn into practice in my own life. In my experience preparing most meals at home is [...]
