<![CDATA[Hamilton Naturopathic Doctor - Blog]]>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:51:25 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Risks of Intermittent Fasting: Great for weight loss...terrible for your adrenals, anxiety, sleep and a couple of other things.]]>Sun, 19 Mar 2017 17:32:15 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-great-for-weight-lossterrible-for-your-adrenals-anxiety-sleep-and-just-about-everything-else
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Dangers of Intermittent Fasting: Cortisol and Low Blood Sugar

I usually only recommend intermittent fasting (IF) for my patients who are low carb/keto and not overly stressed/anxious. If my patients consume a fair amount of carbs and/or are stressed/anxious, I try to work on decreasing carbs and de-stressing first. I’ve heard nothing but great things about intermittent fasting lately, but everyone is failing to address the risks of intermittent fasting. Cortisol is pumped out in large amounts during the fasted state. We have this survival mechanism so, if our blood sugar gets too low or we’re stressed, we’ll pump out a bunch of cortisol (stress hormone) to turn the glycogen stored in our liver back into glucose to bring our blood sugar back up without having to eat anything. It also increases glucose to the muscles so we can fight or run away from whatever threat is present. This is a great survival mechanism and was great for the cave people because the cortisol would put them into fight or flight mode but now that food is in abundance and we’re not hunting anything down, it’s just contributing to our stress load. We pump out a bunch of cortisol when we’re low in blood sugar, when we’re stressed and when we have too much caffeine. We have enough stress in our lives, we don’t need intermittent fasting amplifying our stress levels.

Edit (Nov 12, 2018): Intermittent fasting is meant to be a stressor to our system in order for it to induce phagocytosis and regenerate our immune system. This can be a great thing when used in appropriate situations (under supervision of a trained professional, and while fat-adapted/keto). It's bound to worsen your symptoms if you are already stressed, anxious and eating a fair amount of carbohydrates. Intermittent fasting does have some benefits but just like any other therapeutic modality, should be done with proper guidance from a medical professional. If that medical professional denies that there are any risks, including the ones I list below, you need to find a different medical professional to help you through it. Rhonda Patrick mentions that our bodies were meant to be challenged and that's why IF helps, but in our current society our systems are already being challenged (stress, anxiety, external factors, insomnia, carbs, sugar, etc...) It's common for Intermittent Fasting to be a bit too much stress for an already over-stressed system. Please read some of the comments below for personal stories if you don't believe me. 
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Check out how similar the symptoms of low blood sugar are to stress symptoms. 

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)

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  • Flushed cheeks or ears
  • Shaky hands
  • Weakness
  • Hangry
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Headaches and migraines can be triggered
  • Nausea, pit in the stomach, acid reflux, lack of appetite
  • Dry mouth
  • Fatigue
  • Sweaty palms
  • Hot flashes
  • Increased perception of pain
  • Low libido and sexual difficulties
  • Craving sugar, carbs or caffeine

Cortisol: Our brains don't know if we're stressed or low in blood sugar

When we’re pumping out excess cortisol, our brain has no clue if we’re low in blood sugar or if we’re in a threatening situation so it tells us to be stressed out and crave energy… 2 birds with 1 stone. If we’re pumping out too much cortisol we’ll eventually produce more adrenaline as a boost and that will cause extreme stress symptoms like uncontrollable shaking, vomiting, irregular heart rhythm, fainting, etc… If we’re constantly pumping out too much adrenaline it will eventually contribute to burnout as well.
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I usually spend my second visit teaching this stuff to every patient because once they start eating adequate protein every 4 hours most of the symptoms mentioned above completely go away. It’s often the main cause of headaches, anxiety, nausea and sugar/carb cravings in most of my patients. 

Intermittent fasting works for weight loss because any form of caloric restriction will lead to weight loss. There are healthier forms of caloric restriction that won’t set you up for burnout, exhaustion, adrenal fatigue and all the other complications of short- and long-term excess cortisol production. 

Interfittent Fasting: Possible complications due to long-term excess cortisol

The complications of long-term excess cortisol secretion are:
  • Increased fat around the abdomen
  • Anxiety
  • Osteoporosis
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Weakened immune system
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Weight gain
  • Sleep issues
  • Blood sugar issues and diabetes
  • Thyroid issues
  • Digestive issues
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Fertility issues 

Healthy weight loss without intermittent fasting

I usually recommend using an app/website like Myfitnesspal or Cronometer to track calories. If you use these they should be set to lose 1 lb/week and nothing more. If 3500 calories are equal to 1 pound, and you divide the 3500 calories by the amount of days of the week, we need to be at a deficit of -500 calories per day to lose 1 lb per week check out the math below: 
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​Being at a deficit of 1000 and 1500 calories will yield the weight loss of 2 and 3 pounds respectively but at that significant of a deficit your body will adapt and expect that much for the rest of your life. Once you get to your goal weight and start eating like a normal person again your newly-adapted body will now start seeing that 1000 or 1500 calories as excess and start storing it at the rate of 2 and 3 pounds respectively. A deficit of 500 calories is nowhere near as shocking to the body so it doesn’t have to adapt. It sucks because it takes a lot longer to lose the weight but the weight will stay off in the end. 
Based on my clinical findings and seeing the negative side of intermittent fasting, I believe our focuses on weight loss should be focussed more on reducing carbohydrates, increasing protein and fat, exercise, reasonable caloric restriction and proper sleep. If these don’t yield proper results investigating the thyroid is usually my next step to see if the thyroid is preventing weight loss. I get most of my patients to eat 10-20g of protein every 4 hours and it’s been helping their stress symptoms I mentioned above, leading to weight loss and having a healthy snack like pepitas or cashews before bed has been helping most cases of insomnia, as insomnia is usually due to low blood sugar causing increased cortisol levels at night. It’s difficult to sleep when we’re pumping out a bunch of cortisol and your brain thinks a threat is present, so stabilizing the blood sugar at night will help with that. Check out my article, “Why can’t I fall asleep or stay asleep”.
There are always two sides to every story. All the fuss about intermittent fasting seems to be favouring the positive side right now. I’m sure as time goes on we’ll be hearing a lot of the negative stories from the long-term complications of intermittent fasting. I think the craze is mainly due to celebrities endorsing IF, significant short-term benefits worth writing home about and articles sensationalizing laboratory findings to a stretch. 

There are some populations who might benefit from IF but anyone considering it should be sure to work with a professional to guide them through it. There are a lot of important details that must be accounted for, in order to benefit. Intermittent fasting can be beneficial or detrimental. This article is intended to shine light on the possible pitfalls of intermittent fasting so it is used responsibly, I don't mean to totally discount it as a treatment. There are so many factors (personal health, frequency, duration, exercise, etc...), that I don't think it is a safe thing to do on your own without being properly assessed and guided.  I also believe intermittent fasting is better-suited for those who are consistently doing the keto diet, compared to those who are eating whatever the heck they want and then fasting to make up for it. The former won't have as much blood sugar fluctuations and cortisol spikes as the latter.

Be sure to comment below, I’d like to hear your stories, opinions, etc… It’s a great thing to discuss right now.

Here are some other articles discussing the negative effects of fasting (Be sure to read both sides of the story): 
Sincerely,

Dr. Justin Gallant ND
Hamilton, ON
www.DRJGND.com
​Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you'd like to receive article like this whenever I publish them. 
]]><![CDATA[Refreshing Sleep: How to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed in the winter]]>Wed, 07 Dec 2016 04:06:34 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/refreshing-sleep-how-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-feeling-refreshed-in-the-winter
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Refreshing sleep article by Dr Justin Gallant ND
Waking up refreshed is rarely checked off as (Yes) on the review of systems that I give each new patient. There are quite a few things that I’ve seen work personally and clinically to achieve a refreshing sleep. If you have an underlying condition which is causing sleep issues or fatigue, those conditions should be addressed. I’ll discuss those conditions below, as well as strategies you can use to get a restful, refreshing sleep.

Here’s a sneak peak:
  1. Misting humidifier
  2. Leave the pets out
  3. Timing is important
  4. Snore stopper mouth guards
  5. Conditions which can cause sleep conditions and fatigue
  6. Environmental factors
  7. Pumpkin seeds!
  8. Sleep cycle app
  9. Water
  10. Get vertical
  11. Protein
  12. Coffee
Click "Read More" to read more about how to feel refreshed in the morning

Misting humidifier for dry eyes

​Part of the reason why we feel so tired in the morning is due to dehydration. Dehydration can bog us down and make us feel terrible. We’re in bed not consuming fluids for a good 8 hours but we’re breathing out moisture heavily, sometimes sweating and our body is using the fluids already in our body. We tend to wake up with really dry eyes, especially in the winter once our heaters are on. Whatever the heating mechanism is, it’s drying up water molecules in the air and on your body. This is going to lead to dry eyes in the morning. A fan can make this a lot worse if it’s pointed directly at your face. This was a game-changer for me. I knew I wasn’t tired in the morning but I always felt like my eyes were heavy in the morning. A misting humidifier got rid of that heavy eye feeling. Patients tell me they have a humidifier on their furnace but the smaller ones you put beside your bed seem to do a lot better of a job. Click below to purchase a good misting humidifier from Amazon. 
​American Misting Humidifier
Canadian Misting Humidifier

Pets can cause an unrefreshing sleep! 

PictureCat's can prevent refreshing sleep if their in your bed
​There are quite a few issues pets can cause while you’re trying to sleep. They take up space on your bed, so there is less room to move around to get comfortable. They move around and wake you up. If you are allergic to them they’ll be causing sinus and breathing issues. If you have a pug or a bulldog, they’ll most likely be snoring super loud which will disrupt sleep. I know it sucks to kick your pet out of your bedroom and they might not be happy about it for the first couple of nights. They’ll eventually adapt and find a place to sleep that is not disrupting to you. This is only an option. If you find that you sleep better with your pet in your room, disregard this paragraph, it’s not an issue for everyone with pets, just a possibility. 

Mouthguards for snoring can help with refreshing sleep

Whether it’s you or your partner who is snoring it can be disruptive to your sleep. Snoring can have several different causes which I’m going to discuss in a future blog. One good temporary solution is using a snore-stopper mouth guard. They mold to your teeth and push your jaw forward a bit to help prevent everything at the back of your throat from collapsing, disrupting air flow and causing snoring. I’ll go into more detail on other things to do in my snoring/sleep apnea article (it’s in the works!). 
These take a couple of days to get used to since it's shifting your jaw but they're more comfortable after a couple of days. 
American Mouthguard
Canadian Mouthguard

Sleep apnea and unrefreshing sleep

If you stop breathing in the middle of the night, you’re not going to be oxygenating your brain or muscles properly, which is going to make you feel exhausted in the morning. I’ve heard so many patients say they never had a refreshing sleep until they did a sleep study and started using a CPAP machine. It’s always worth getting a sleep study done through your family doctor if you have chronic fatigue and never feel refreshed in the morning. Most people don’t realize they have sleep apnea unless their partner mentions to them that they stop breathing several times per night. I’ll be discussing more about sleep apnea in my snoring and sleep apnea article coming out soon. 

Conditions that cause unrefreshing sleep

  • Iron deficiency: Most patients with iron deficiency are sleepy during the day and restless at night.Check out my article on Iron deficiency to read more about it.
  • Hypothyroidism: Hypothyroidism can cause severe fatigue and depression regardless of sleep. The thyroid controls your metabolism and energy levels. Check out my fatigue article to read more about hypothyroidism and other causes of fatigue
  • Sinus issues: Sinus issues are often undiagnosed and can cause major fatigue. If you feel like your fatigue is in the frontal area of your skull it’s always worth being evaluated for sinus issues. There are so many different factors that can affect your sinuses (bacteria, mold, viruses, allergies, food sensitivities, etc…) and if your sinuses are congested you’re not going to breath properly, especially when you’re horizontal for 8 hours.
  • Vitamin D deficiency: This and the misting humidifier are important to look into if your sleep is less refreshing in the winter. Check out my vitamin D article for more information.
  • Sleep apnea: See paragraph above
  • Depression: Depression can be a major cause of feeling unrefreshed. It’s something to keep in mind if you suspect you might be depressed, especially if your unrefreshing sleep started after a situation that may have caused depression. It’s common to not know that you are depressed. This being said it's important to rule other causes out before you or your doctor blaming depression completely.
  • Menopause: If you suffer from night sweats every night, you’re not going to have a refreshing, deep sleep. There are several things you can do for night sweats during menopause. Definitely work with me or your local naturopathic doctor if night sweats are an issue for you.
  • The list goes on: pain, chronic fatigue, are a couple of others. There are plenty of conditions that can prevent a refreshing sleep. The condition that was preventing me from getting refreshing sleep originally was hemochromatosis. Once I was diagnosed and got my hemochromatosis under control my sleep started to become a lot more refreshing. 

Environmental factors that contribute to unrefreshing sleep

PictureNight shift option on iPhone
  • Pets: Mentioned above, are one environmental factors which we can control.
  • Noise: If your spouse snores, your cat meows, your neighbours are noisy or you live in a busy neighbourhood, you might want to consider ear plugs when sleeping. Another great option is listening to white noise or soothing sounds, to drown out all the other noises. There are several great white noise apps out there. 
  • Screens and light: Tablets, phones and TV’s are constantly emitting blue light. Blue light prevents melatonin production. You need to produce melatonin to get a proper sleep. If your brain thinks it’s light outside because it’s seeing blue, it’s going to think it’s day time, not time to sleep. Fortunately for computers there is F.lux and now apple has incorporated similar technology with their newest update. If you turn “Night-shift” on it will turn most of the blues into oranges, so your brain isn’t blasted with blue before bed. Any light when you’re trying to sleep can be a bad thing. Even with your eyes closed, the receptors in your forehead can still perceive light. If there is too much light you won’t produce adequate melatonin. The night shift option can be activated by clicking on the button shown in the picture. 

Pumpkin seeds for refreshing sleep

  • One of the worst pieces of advice that’s been given out over the past couple of decades is, “Don’t eat anything after 6pm” If you don’t eat anything between dinner and bedtime there is a good chance your blood sugar will be low when you’re trying to go to bed. If your blood sugar is low you’ll secrete cortisol which is your main stress hormone. Producing too much cortisol will have similar effects to having a coffee right before bed. It has stimulant effect.Read more about this in my insomnia article. Having a carbohydrates or sugar before bed will cause reactive hypoglycemia which will most likely lead to you waking up a couple of hours after going to bed or having nightmares. I personally get nightmares every time I have an apple before bed. Protein, or pumpkin seeds is a much better strategy. 

Sleep Cycle App for refreshing sleep

  • This has been one of the best things I’ve done personally to wake up feeling refreshed. This app monitors your breathing rate or movement (whichever option you choose), and it knows when you’re in deep sleep stages or light sleep stages. You pick the approximate time you’d like to wake up (30 minute time frame) and it will wake you up once you’re coming out of a deep sleep stage. If you set your regular alarm for 7am and you’re in a deep sleep stage at 7am, waking up is going to very difficult.  You’ve probably noticed this when you woke up in the morning feeling a little sleepy and went back to bed thinking another hour is what you need, only to find that extra hour made you even more tired waking up the second time. You most likely entered a deep sleep stage and tried to wake up in the middle of it. To download the app click here.

Water will help you wake up refreshed

  • Going back to what I said about the misting humidifier, we’re dehydrated when we wake up. It’s a good idea to have a glass of water as soon as you can to start hydrating yourself. This will also help you cut down on coffee or juice. We tend to chug drinks when we’re thirsty or dehydrated and if juice or coffee is your first drink of the day you’ll drink more out of thirst. Drinking water will curb the thirst so you can limit your coffee or juice consumption. If you’re going to put a lemon in your water just make sure the lemon is organic so you’re not drinking pesticide water and use a straw so the citric acid doesn’t destroy the enamel on your teeth. 

Stand up as soon as you can in the morning to get your system going

  • Your heart rate and blood pressure both drop significantly when you’re laying down for an extended amount of time. When you wake up they’re still going to be low until you stand up. Once you stand up, you force your body to bring the blood pressure and heart rate back up. A low heart rate and blood pressure will make anyone feel sluggish. Once they start to come back up you start bringing more circulation to the brain and the muscles, causing your energy levels to increase a little bit. Just don't get up too quickly or you might get light-headedness and fall over, especially if you have low blood pressure as it is. 

Eat some protein first thing in the morning to feel refreshed! 

  • I always tell my patients, as protein increases, caffeine requirements decrease. If you have carbs or fruit for breakfast they might give you some quick initial energy but then your blood sugar will drop soon after, causing you to crash within an hour. Protein will convert into energy for a lot longer than carbs will. If you have carb-heavy breakfast you’ll feel tired and hungry about 45 minutes later, but if you have adequate protein you should be good until lunch time (or at least 4 hours). If you skip breakfast, you're not providing your body with the fuel it needs and you'll be dependent on your adrenal glands and caffeine to produce a bunch coritsol to get you going. 

Coffee 

  • Coffee requires a whole article on its own, which I’ll get to eventually. Nowadays, we are doing the jobs of 3 different people, raising kids, commuting, preparing meals, just trying to keep our heads above water. We’re being spread too thin, and some of us need coffee to get through the day. That’s totally okay as long as coffee isn’t your only source of fuel. I have way too many patients that come in having 5 coffees a day and 1 meal a day. It should be the opposite! We need to fuel our bodies with food, not stimulate are adrenals with caffeine. Fueling with food is sustainable, while stimulating the adrenals to produce more cortisol will eventually lead to exhaustion. If you have stress or anxiety symptoms like palpitations, sweaty palms, headaches, high blood pressure, etc… It’s not the greatest idea to drink coffee. If you’re unsure whether the amount of coffee you’re consuming is healthy, consult with your local naturopathic doctor. For many people coffee is the one thing that perks them up in the morning. Hopefully incorporating everything else I’ve mentioned helps reduce coffee requirements. 
Thanks for reading! 
If you have any questions, comments or contributions feel free to comment below.
If you live near Hamilton, ON and would like to book in please call/text 289-808-9076, or email me.
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Sincerely, 
Dr. Justin Gallant ND
​Hamilton, ON
]]><![CDATA[Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms, why it's so common and what to do about it.]]>Sat, 19 Nov 2016 21:58:35 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms-why-its-so-common-and-what-to-do-about-it
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Vitamin D deficiency information by Dr Justin Gallant ND

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

​Vitamin D deficiency has been coming back low in so many of my patients lately.

Getting your vitamin D tested before winter comes is a great idea because it’s only going to go downhill until summertime.

The main symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency are:
  • Fatigue
  • General poor sense of well-being
  • Discomfort in muscles, joints and bones
  • Muscle cramps, weakness or discomfort
  • Low mood, depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D) 
  • Getting sick all of the time or taking a long time to recover from infections or viruses.
  • Low white blood cells (leukopenia), specifically low neutrophils (neutropenia). 
  • Increased risk of several different cancers
  • Osteopenia or osteoporosis
  • Flaring of autoimmune conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc...
  • Cold sore or shingles breakouts
  • Hair loss
  • There are too many too list! 
Click on "Read More" or scroll down to learn more about vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency causes - why vitamin D deficiency is so common

 There are several reasons why vitamin D deficiency is so common (in Canada at least).

Reason #1: Lack of sun exposure

Reason #2: We don’t spend enough time outside. Most people work 9-5, so they’re not exposed to the sun during it’s prime hours during the summer

Reason #3: We apply sunscreen before sun exposure. If we block UV we don’t make vitamin D. I usually recommend getting 15-30 minutes of sun first, and then apply sunscreen.

Reason #4: We don’t have access to the summer sun for 8-9 months out of the year (In Canada).

Reason #5: Darker skin requires more sun exposure in order to make vitamin D. People with darker skin who immigrate to Canada should get vitamin D tested after they have been here for a couple of months. I’m finding significant vitamin D deficiencies in this population within months of moving here. 

There are other reasons why the winter causes people to be fatigued and depressed (S.A.D) but vitamin D is one factor we can test and treat!

Why Vitamin D deficiency goes undiagnosed so frequently

In Ontario, OHIP has decided to stop testing vitamin D levels. They declared that we should assume everyone north of Florida is deficient in vitamin D during the winter, so it’s a waste of government money to test the general population. They’ll only cover the cost of vitamin D testing if you already have osteoporosis, have a malabsorption syndrome, kidney disease, and a couple of other conditions. Two problems with not testing are that MD’s stopped testing vitamin D levels in the general population because it’s no longer covered so vitamin D deficiencies are not being detected in the general population. Also, OHIP didn’t tell people to start taking vitamin D even though we're to assume everyone is deficient. So much illness could be prevented if vitamin D levels are tested regularly and treated accordingly. It's a guessing game when taking vitamin D. I have seen patients take 1000IU and their levels are optimal (120-160), and others take 5000IU and still need a higher dose. Test don't guess! Calcium should be tested along with vitamin D to make sure calcium levels aren't too high to take vitamin D. It's best to test vitamin D at least twice a year. I like to test once in September or October and then in January or February to make sure the dose and form you are taking are optimizing your levels. I can confidently say that vitamin D is one of the most important lab tests to run for our overall health. 

It costs about $40 to test vitamin D through your ND or MD but it’s worth it. I’ve seen several patients do a complete 180 in terms of mood and energy levels once they're vitamin D levels start increasing to a normal level.

How to get healthy vitamin D levels

Normal levels of vitamin D are 75nmol/L-250nmol/L. The average in my practice is <50nmol/L.  Other countries use different measurements (e.g. ng/L), so if you’re reading this from another country don’t confuse the units.

Another big issue is proper vitamin D supplementation. Clinically I find patients can be on a generic-brand vitamin D tablet for years and it won’t budge their vitamin D levels, but as soon as I switch them to D3 liquid from a good quality brand, vitamin D levels start to increase. They usually report a positive change in mood and overall sense of well-being almost immediately after switching from tablets to liquid. I’ve even had patients who came in on mega-doses of vitamin D tablets that didn't affect their vitamin D levels, and once I switched them to a D3 liquid, their levels started rising. Gel-caps seem to be a good runner up. 
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It's important to test vitamin D rather than just supplementing with it because too much vitamin D can be harmful to the body and worsen certain conditions. You shouldn’t be treating anything blindly. It's a good idea to retest 4 months after taking vitamin D to make sure it's actually rising and to make sure it's not getting too high. 

Possible issues with vitamin D supplementation

A couple of things to watch out for when supplementing with vitamin D are: 

1) A lanolin allergy: vitamin D is made from Lanolin, so if you have a lanolin allergy you should invest in a vegan vitamin D supplement made from lichen instead. 

2) Magnesium deficiency: Vitamin D increases calcium levels and calcium depletes magnesium levels. If you start getting signs of magnesium deficiency (muscle cramping, constipation, muscle tension, headaches, etc...) please work with your naturopathic doctor to get your magnesium levels back up. 
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3) Kidney stones: Taking too much vitamin D for too long can contribute to kidney stone formation (calcium oxalate crystals). Testing vitamin D and calcium, as well as consuming foods or supplements with vitamin K can abate these risks.  

Why liquid vitamin D is better than tablets or capsules

Vitamin D3 liquid is superior to D tablets because vitamin D3 is already active as opposed to other forms of inactive vitamin D. Also, when we drop the liquid on our tongue it goes directly into our bloodstream, overriding the digestion. Just make sure you drop it right on your tongue and not in a glass of water or your smoothie. There’s a good chance the oil will just stick to the side of your glass, rather than you getting any.

I also find that it's best to maintain vitamin D levels with a vitamin D3/K2 combination. Vitamin D can increase calcium levels and vitamin K directs calcium into the bones and teeth, rather than the kidneys (kidney stones) and arteries. 

We should be putting more importance into vitamin D and testing it diligently since it’s responsible for preventing osteoporosis, keeping our immune system healthy, our mood and several other aspects of our health.  

Thanks for reading!
I hope this article lessens the harsh effects of the winter for you.

Please share this article with your friends to spread the word, so we can all enjoy the winter!

If you live near Hamilton, Ontario and would like to book an appointment for my services and get your vitamin D levels tested please book here.

Dr. Justin Gallant ND
Naturopathic Doctor
Hamilton, ON
]]><![CDATA[Fatigue... There's a good chance you're not just being lazy]]>Tue, 26 Jul 2016 16:25:38 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/fatigue-theres-a-good-chance-youre-not-just-being-lazyFatigue... There's a good chance you're not just being lazy PictureFatigue by Dr Justin Gallant ND
​​Fatigue...

I hear it all of the time after running proper blood work for a patient, “I thought I was just really lazy, it’s so nice to see why I have no energy on paper.”
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There are many different causes of fatigue and in my practice I have so many patients claim that they are lazy, but once I run proper blood work, we realize what the true cause is.

Click read more if you'd like to read about the most common causes of fatigue, why they're often not diagnosed, and more. 

Fatigue: Iron deficiency, Anemia, Hypothyroidism, Vitamin D deficiency

The most common causes of fatigue in my practice are iron deficiency, anemia, hypothyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, improper meal timing and a lack of protein. The reason why most of these go undiagnosed is different for each condition.

Iron deficiencies are undiagnosed because the traditional minimum range is way too low. Traditional lab reference ranges say if your ferritin (iron storage) is an 11 you’re fine, but in my practice, when looking at ferritin levels functionally, most patients aren’t feeling their greatest until their ferritin is between 50-150. Sometimes ferritin just isn’t even tested. Check out my thorough article on iron deficiency here.  

​Anemias are usually undiagnosed because the symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, restlessness at night, feeling cold, etc.) are all blamed on being out of shape or considered the norm since it’s been happening for so long.
Hypothyroidism is commonly undiagnosed because it has a lot of overlap with other conditions and isn’t always properly tested for. Nowadays a test called TSH is run, and if it’s within range you’ll be told your thyroid is normal. Other tests should be done to prove that the thyroid is normal. These tests are an actual physical exam of the thyroid to ensure it’s not enlarged or any nodules are present,  as well as blood tests T3, T4 and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody.

Vitamin D deficiency is commonly undiagnosed because it’s rarely tested since OHIP stopped covering it. I test vitamin D in most patients and it is deficient in the majority of them. Check out my in-depth article on Vitamin D deficiency here. 

The tests mentioned above should be done for anyone experiencing fatigue to easily rule out these causes of the fatigue. These tests can be done through your MD or ND.
Meal-timing and proper protein are the next two important causes of fatigue. I do a week-long nutrition log with all patients and the most common patterns these days are skipping breakfast, replacing meals with coffee or leaving too much time between meals.

If there is too much time between meals, you’ll get low blood sugar and a bunch of negative symptoms can result due to low blood sugar causing you to secrete the stress hormone cortisol. Most people are eating too many carbs and sugars, and not enough protein and fat. Carbs and sugar will lead to low blood sugar quickly, while protein and fat will sustain your energy for much longer. I do a 1.5 hour talk on this and teach it to all of my patients.

’ve heard the same quote quite a few times, “I didn’t think I could ever have this much energy”. On top of the reasons mentioned above, there are other causes of fatigue like depression, anxiety, systemic conditions like cancer, viruses, sleep apnea, sinus issues, etc. It’s important to work with a healthcare professional to determine what the cause of your fatigue is rather than just attributing it to laziness or lack of motivation. Sometimes people do need a good kick in the butt to get into gear, but more often than not, there is an underlying cause of their fatigue or lack of motivation.

Life is a lot easier when you’re taking care of yourself. 

Thanks for reading! 
If you have any questions or would like to share your story about fatigue please comment below. 

Sincerely, 

Dr Justin Gallant ND 
​Hamilton, ON
]]><![CDATA[Palpitations: The Most Common Causes by Dr Justin Gallant ND]]>Tue, 14 Jun 2016 18:57:29 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/palpitations-the-most-common-causes-by-dr-justin-gallant-ndCommon causes of PalpitationsPicture
Palpitations can be a scary sensation. Most patients describe them as a fluttering, racing, painless throbbing or just an awareness of the heartbeat. While these may seem random, there is usually something causing them. I’m going to go through the most common causes that I see in my practice unrelated to actual heart issues. Palpitations should definitely be investigated if they are frequent, severe or getting worse and worse and this article by no means is replacing a proper work-up. These are just some of the common reasons I see in my clinic. 

  

Click on "Read More" to read the rest of the causes. 

Magnesium Deficiency and Palpitations

​Magnesium deficiency and palpitations: A magnesium deficiency is difficult to test through blood work. I find that even if the serum magnesium or RBC magnesium are within the reference range some patients still benefits from taking a magnesium supplement. If there are other magnesium deficiency symptoms occurring such as calf cramping and muscle spasms you should consult with your MD or ND to determine which type of magnesium you should take and what dose.

Iron Deficiency and Palpitations

​Iron deficiency and palpitations: It’s verrrrrry common in my practice to have patients experiencing frequent palpitations to have a ferritin below 15ug/L. Usually once their ferritin increases to >50ug/L, the palpitations subside. Check out my iron deficiency article to learn more about this topic. 

Low Blood Sugar and Palpitations

If palpitations are mainly happening in the middle of the night or if you haven’t eaten for more than 4 hours there’s a good chance that your palpitations are being caused by hypoglycemia. When your blood sugar gets too low you secrete cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones provoke palpitations just as they would if someone just cut you off on the highway. If you have really low blood sugar you’re basically already at an 8/10 and it’s not going to take much to put you to 10/10 and palpitations will start occurring. For more on this topic check out my article on insomnia. 

Anxiety, Panic and Palpitations

​Any stressful emotions can trigger palpitations due to the increased production of cortisol and adrenaline. Most patients who experience palpitations and anxiety will get palpitations when feeling their most anxious and especially during panic attacks. Sometimes these palpitations improve when supplementing with magnesium but then we have the chicken or the egg paradox. It’s difficult to say if they had a magnesium deficiency causing anxiety or if magnesium just helped soothe their tension and anxiety. 

Stress and Palpitations

If palpitations occur infrequently and only when you are stressed to the max, there is a good chance that it’s is solely stress that is causing your palpitations. If the small stressors are causing palpitations, there is a good chance that there are other contributors present. If you drink 3 large coffees per day or skip meals, there’s a good chance smaller stressors are going to provoke palpitations. 

Caffeine and Palpitations

Palpitations are usually the number one sign I use to tell if patients are consuming too much caffeine. There are so many different factors with caffeine intake which determine how you’ll respond to it. Some of these factors are: 1) amount of caffeine consumed, 2) how quickly the caffeine was consumed, 3) if the caffeine was consumed on an empty stomach, 4) if the person is hypoglycemic, 5) the size of the person, 6) how well your liver metabolizes caffeine.  Some people can drink 3 Large cups each days and be completely fine, and others can’t even drink 1 small or they’ll start getting palpitations and anxiety. I have some patients who think they are better off because they’re drinking a small espresso, but espressos pack a lot of caffeine and they’re consumed much faster than a large coffee. It’s much safer to drag the caffeine consumption out over a couple of hours rather than a couple minutes. Check out myarticle on caffeine and arginine to see why preworkouts are dangerous. 

Calcium Deficiency and Palpitations

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Clinically, magnesium seems to be a more common cause of palpitations but I have had some patients whose palpitations didn’t go away until they started taking a calcium supplement. These patients seem to have their palpitations mainly at night and they usually have other calcium deficiency symptoms like tingling of the face, muscle spasms or cramps, and brittle nails. Too much calcium can also cause palpitations since calcium depletes magnesium. 

Vitamin D Deficiency and Palpitations

​Vitamin D influences calcium and magnesium levels so it only makes sense that a deficiency in this vitamin can also contribute to palpitations. 

Hyperthyroidism and Palpitations

The thyroid controls your metabolism. If it’s overactive it’s going to speed everything up including your heart rate. Anxiety and panic attacks are also a common symptom of hyperthyroidism. I’ve had many anxiety/panic attack patients who were undiagnosed for a good part of their life but once we tested their TSH and anti-thyroglobulin, they were diagnosed with Graves disease. Once their Graves disease was controlled the palpitations went away. 

Too Much Iodine and Palpitations

​Iodine stimulates the thyroid. Too much of anything can be a bad thing. If you’re consuming too much iodine, kelp, seafood, etc… you could temporarily put your thyroid into a hyperthyroid state and cause palpitations to occur. This is rare but I have seen it clinically. 

Stimulants and Palpitations

Any stimulants you consume have the potential to cause palpitations. These stimulants are synthetic stressors and put us into fight or flight mode. Some examples of stimulants are caffeine, anti-depressants, Ephedrine, nicotine, amphetamines, ADHD drugs like Ritalin and Adderall, MDMA. Most people know if they’re taking a stimulant but others are surprised to hear that pre-workouts, cough syrups, decongestants, anti-depressants, ADHD medications and weight-loss supplements are all likely to contain stimulants.

High Blood Pressure and Palpitations

​If blood pressure gets very high or if it’s been fairly high for an extended amount of time you can start to experience palpitations. Sometimes magnesium is used to bring the blood pressure down and subsequently reduce palpitations. 

Low Blood Pressure and Palpitations

In my experience once blood pressure gets below 90/60mmHg, palpitations happen frequently. These patients who have such low blood pressure tend to have low iron status as well, so once iron status improves the blood pressure comes up a little bit and the palpitations sometimes resolve. 

Medications and Palpitations

​Different medications can cause palpitations for various reasons. Stimulants will cause them by stimulating the nervous system. Thyroid medications, GERD medications (acid blockers), blood pressure meds, steroids, any many other drugs can deplete magnesium and/or calcium which can eventually lead to palpitations as well.

Alcohol and Palpitations

Binge-drinking and long-term use of alcohol can deplete several different nutrients which can lead to palpitations, especially if these nutrients are not being replaced via supplementation. If alcohol is combined with energy drinks they can also cause palpitations due to their stimulant effect. 

Heart Issues and Palpitations

As you may have noticed, there are several less-serious causes of palpitations. There are many different heart conditions like atrial fibrillation, murmurs, abnormal rhythms, heart defects, etc… that will also cause palpitations. This is why it is important to consult with your doctor and work with a professional. Most patients who come in don’t think anything of their palpitations, but it can either give me a hint about what is going on or warrant further investigation. Usually patients will tell their MD about their palpitations and I work with them while they’re waiting for the cardiologist appointment to rule out the causes listed above. 


​Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hopefully this article helped!
Please help raise awareness by sharing this article with your friends facebook and comment below.
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Sincerely, Dr Justin Gallant ND
Hamilton, Ontario 

]]><![CDATA[Why am I so cold and tired all the time? All about iron deficiency by Dr Justin Gallant ND]]>Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:01:10 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/why-am-i-so-cold-and-tired-all-the-time-all-about-iron-deficiency-by-dr-justin-gallant-nd
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Iron deficiency can cause you to feel cold, tired and weak. Dr Justin Gallant ND

Iron deficiency: The most common reason for fatigue and feeling cold

Iron deficiency is one of the most common conditions I see in practice and also one of the most misdiagnosed. These patients are told their iron is fine by either their doctor or the receptionist but this is far from the truth. 

Iron deficiency symptoms: 

These symptoms can vary based on your iron levels. Some will just have one extreme version of a symptom and others will have a bunch of these symptoms.
PictureIron deficiency causes pale nailbeds as illustrated in the picture above.
  1. Feeling tired all of the time
  2. Feeling cold all of the time
  3. Restless sleep
  4. Weak nails
  5. Pale nailbeds (refer to picture) 
  6. Restless leg syndrome
  7. Muscles spasms
  8. Shortness of breath when trying to exercise
  9. Palpitations
  10. Pale skin
  11. Hair loss
  12. Low blood pressure
  13. Depression and post-partum depression
  14. Chronic fatigue
  15. Brain fog
  16. Random sharp stabbing left-sided chest pain
  17. Poor blood sugar control
  18. Dark bags under eyes (pale skin reveals the dark veins in that area)
  19. Heavy periods
  20. painful periods
  21. Easy bleeding
  22. Easy bruising
  23. Low motivation 
  24. Constipation 
There's much more juicy information below, please click on "Read More" if you'd like to learn more information about iron deficiency. I discuss why it's so commonly undiagnosed, proper reference ranges, why certain iron supplements are terrible and others are amazing, causes of iron deficiency, why you feel cold when you have low iron and who should get their iron tested. 

Why do I have low iron symptoms but my doctor says I'm fine?

I can tell within seconds of seeing these patients that they have low iron but they’ve been told that they are fine. There are a couple of different reasons for this. We use ferritin to test your iron and it measures iron storage. They used to test free iron but it was influenced by what you ate in the past 24 hours so it wasn’t accurate. The reference range for ferritin for most labs is terrible! Most labs will give a range from around 11-291ug/L, which is way too broad. To most docs, if your ferritin is a 12 you’re “fine” but if it’s a 10 you need to be on an iron supplement. This is ridiculous! By the time you get anywhere near 11 you have been severely deficient in iron for over 4 months! In my experience most iron deficiency symptoms don’t go away until you’re around 80ug/L. This is widely variable depending on each individual though. The reference range mentioned above has to cover 95% of the population so we have to look at it functionally. If your hair is falling out, your cold and tired all of the time there’s a good chance your iron is low. We’re all different, I've had some patients who were losing hair and their ferritin was around 50ug/L. Once I got their ferritin up to 80-100ug/L the hair loss went away. On the other hand I’ve had patients who had a ferritin of 40ug/L and had no symptoms at all. We all have different requirements and metabolisms. Another reason why iron deficiency goes undiagnosed is because it's not tested. Quite a few doctors think if your hemoglobin is at a healthy level your ferritin is as well. This isn't always true. I see iron deficiency symptoms resolve as ferritin increases, regardless of hemoglobin levels.

Proper ferritin reference ranges

​Ferritin (ug/L)
Interpretation
<12
Iron deficiency 
12-29
Depleted iron stores
30-79
Reduced iron stores
80-150
Adequate iron stores

CBC (complete blood count) and iron levels

The Complete Blood Count (CBC) is a great indicator which is ignored as well. Your hemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to your tissues. If the reference range is 120-160 and yours is at 122 there’s a good chance that you’re anemic. My patients’ doctors always say, “I’m not concerned if the CBC is only off by a little bit” but they should be. If the patient has signs of anemia and their CBC isn’t up to par, we need to normalize it to get rid of those symptoms. The CBC can tell you about the oxygenation of the tissues (hemoglobin), how many cells versus fluid (hematocrit), how big the cells are (MCV), distribution of red blood cells (RDW) and if your white blood cells or immune cells are increased or decreased. White blood cells are usually decreased in people with anemia. Sometimes you can tell iron is low just by looking at the CBC. If MCV or MCH are low and RDW is high it’s a good indicator of iron deficiency. CBC is ran almost every time a patient gets blood work done. I usually just test ferritin to confirm. Sometimes an iron panel is necessary to do as well which I'll discuss another time. Briefly, ferritin can be elevated due to inflammation, so there are people who have an elevated ferritin but still have an iron deficiency. An iron panel will give you more information on this and inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP and ESR can be tested as well.  

Why low iron causes you to feel cold

Iron deficiency usually comes with low blood pressure since the blood is thinner and this form of poor circulation can contribute to a feeling of coldness. If you’re not pushing blood to your extremities well because of low blood pressure you’re going to have cold hands and feet. 

Conditions which have similar symptoms to iron deficiency

Feeling cold, tired and weak can also be a result of hypothyroidism, hashimoto’s thyroiditis, chronic fatigue syndrome and low blood pressure. Brain fog can be a result of any of these conditions as well as candidiasis and a plethora of other conditions. It’s also common to have a combination of these conditions. I have quite a few patients with low iron, low blood pressure and hypothyroidism. You have to think if hypothyroidism slows your digestion down, you won’t secrete proper stomach acid so you won’t be able to extract iron from your food, which will lead to low iron and low blood pressure.

Causes of iron deficiency

  • Inadequate iron intake
    • If you’re not consuming iron you won’t be able to use it or store it.
  • Vegetarian or vegan diet
    • You absorb approximately 2-18% of iron from plant sources, but 50-80% from animal sources as long as your digestion is up to par.
  • Wheat and bran consumption
    • I’ve had numerous patients whose ferritin wouldn’t budge until I took them off of wheat. Most likely because wheat was causing inflammation of the intestines so they weren’t absorbing anything. A couple of other possible reasons are phytic acid and pesticide exposure.
  • Dairy consumption
    • Same deal as wheat. I’ve had quite a few patients whose ferritin would not increase until I got them to stop consuming all dairy.
  • Food sensitivities
    • If your abdomen is bloated you’re not going to be absorbing nutrients optimally
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
    • Your baby will take quite a bit of iron from you during your pregnancy and through breast milk. 
  • Diarrhea
    • If food is taking the fast lane through you, you won’t have time to absorb its goods.
  • Excess intake of black coffee or black tea
    • The tannins in black coffee or tea are used to turn cowhides into leather. If we are constantly exposed to them we’ll decrease absorption of all nutrients. In Hemochromatosis (iron overload), patients are instructed to consume black drinks liberally to prevent absorption of iron.
  • Donating blood
    • You’ll drop about 20-40 units of ferritin each time you donate blood. Just because your hemoglobin is fine doesn’t mean your ferritin is. Get your ferritin checked before you donate blood.
  • Heavy periods
    • If you’re bleeding out more iron than you’re consuming you’re going to get low iron stores.
  • Celiac disease
    • All nutrients are deficient in this condition
  • Acid blocker medications
    • Proton pump inhibitors like Nexium, Prevacid and Pantaloc are designed to prevent stomach acid secretion. We need stomach acid in order to break down food to absorb its nutrients. Long-term use of these medications will cause an iron deficiency, along with basically other nutrient deficiency.This is the most common reason why men usually have an iron deficiency.
  • Stress
    • If you’re in fight or flight mode, blood is shunted from your intestines to your muscles. As a result of this, your body will be prepared to run away from things rather than break down food and absorb nutrients from it.
  • Excess caffeine
    • Same reason as stress. Caffeine is basically synthetic stress so it has the same effect. The caffeine and tannins in coffee are a bad combo for causing an iron deficiency. 
  • Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)
    • if you can't break foods down properly you won't be able to get iron from it. This can be due to a high carbohydrate diet, zinc deficiency, stress, acid blockers, anxiety, eating on the go, and several other reasons. 
  • Colon cancer
    • Sometimes the first sign of colon cancer is an iron deficiency anemia. 

Proper iron supplementation

Most people avoid iron supplements because they constipate them or cause abdominal pain. This is because most iron supplements that are prescribed are in a terrible form. They use ferrous gluconate or ferrous fumarate which are not absorbed very well and they are harsh on our digestive system. The best form of iron to use is iron bisglycinate. It’s a lot easier on the intestines and absorbs a lot better. I’ve had patients come in who were on ferrous gluconate or fumarate for 3+ years and their ferritin didn’t budge, but after being on iron bisglycinate for 3 months their ferritin increased by over 40 units! Iron should also be taken with vitamin C to increase absorption. Iron should not be taken with calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, fiber, eggs, chamomile tea, peppermint tea, or milk thistle, since they all prevent absorption of iron. If you're unsure about taking proper iron supplements or need help interpreting your blood work contact your local licensed Naturopathic Doctor. 

Not testing ferritin can be irresponsible

It boggles my mind that ferritin is not a required test during and after pregnancy. Having adequate iron stores is important for the baby’s health, increasing survival rate if hemorrhaging occurs, preventing post-partum depression and so Mom isn’t extremely tired while trying to take care of her active baby. I’ve had so many patients tell me they never imagined that they could actually have energy throughout the day because they’ve lived with it for so long. Ferritin should be tested in anyone who has any of the symptoms I mentioned at the beginning of this article, pregnant women, post-partum women, vegetarians and vegans especially, but I would recommend everyone get their ferritin tested at least once to see where it's at. 

Thanks for reading! Please share this with any of your friends who have been diagnosed with an iron deficiency or who have the symptoms I mentioned. No one has to, or should live with this condition. Also if you learned from this and would like an update every time I post new stuff please sign up for my email list here. Also, check out my article on IBS if you have digestive issues that could be contributing towards iron deficiency. 

Please comment below if you have anything to add, or share on Facebook or Twitter. 

Thanks, 

Dr Justin Gallant ND
]]><![CDATA[IBS Treatment and Causes - Dr Justin Gallant ND]]>Mon, 29 Feb 2016 03:18:23 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/ibs-treatment-and-causes-dr-justin-gallant-ndPictureIBS causes and treatment by Dr Justin Gallant ND
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition that I see on a daily basis. Just like most conditions, there are several different possible causes and contributors. It takes a thorough, directed investigation to figure out what could be causing your symptoms. I hear so many patients tell me that their doctor told them it’s all due to stress but I disagree. Stress can definitely worsen the symptoms of IBS but it’s rarely ever the cause. Blaming stress for IBS frustrates me because it puts the blame on something that is not under your control and patients get upset with themselves thinking that stress is the cause. They can’t reduce their stress so they think it’s their fault they have IBS, which stresses them out even more. It’s obvious to me that stress isn’t the cause of IBS because I have so many patients who I’ve helped, and even though their stressors are still present, their digestive symptoms are gone. IBS is just a label given when the cause of digestive symptoms has yet to be identified. Click on "Read more" to read more juicy info about IBS.

IBS symptoms

  • Abdominal bloating
  • Abdominal pain
  • Abdominal cramping
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • GERD (or acid reflux)
  • Loud gurgling (or Borborgymus)
  • Mucous or yellow bubbly slime
  • Blood on the toilet paper can be a symptom due to constipation causing hemorrhoids but if there is blood mixed within the stool or in the water, that usually means it’s something a bit more serious like Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis which are forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). 

IBS - How to figure out the cause of your symptoms

​I like to make the joke that they should rename IBS to IDK (I don't know). There usually is a cause, but since the healthcare system is so overburdened it’s difficult for doctors to spend the time needed to determine what the actual cause is. As a naturopathic doctor I have the precious liberty of time (visits are an hour long), which enables me to ask all of the right questions. Sometimes all it takes is getting the patient to track their symptoms, what time symptoms occur and what they’re eating. It’s common for patients to come in with the nutrition log I got them to do over the past week and tell me what’s causing their IBS. If you’ve lived with something for long enough it will just become a part of who you are. Having someone take a look from the outside, or tracking yourself, and taking a step back to look from the outside can give you a different perspective. Tracking symptoms has been by far one of the best ways to determine the cause of IBS in my practice. My favourite IBS-tracking story was when a patient came in after having 3 years of diarrhea. We realized that the only day she didn't have yogurt was the only day she had a formed bowel movement. I got her to cut yogurt out completely for 2 weeks and she got about 50% better. I then got her to cut dairy out completely and after about 2 weeks her diarrhea went away completely. She has not had diarrhea for over 2 years now. There are apps like IBS tracker that you can use or you can use excel to make your tracking sheet, or just use plain old paper. If tracking isn’t enough, after asking the proper questions based on clinical experience it’s usually pretty easy to figure out the cause. 

Common causes of IBS

  • Dairy: Removing dairy for 2 months and re-introducing it should give you a pretty sure sign of whether that was the cause or not. If you remove it for 2 months, start feeling much better and then reintroduce it and all of the sudden you have your digestive symptoms come back with a vengeance, we’ve found the culprit. It could be the lactose, whey, casein, not too sure, so you’re best off avoiding all dairy. The lactose-free stuff won't quite cut it if it's something aside from the lactose you're reacting to. I’ve seen removing dairy get rid of so many symptoms. Digestive-wise, it’s usually constipation, diarrhea, lower abdominal pain and GERD.
  • Wheat: Wheat is difficult to cut out for most but for some it changes their entire life.. I’ve seen wheat removal, in numerous cases, get rid of constipation and right lower quadrant or RLQ pain.  I’ve even seen it get rid of back pain that ended up being due to constipation. It’s tough to say if this is due to the gluey-like nature of gluten, other proteins in wheat like gliadin, the fact that wheat has been modified so much that our body doesn’t recognize it, the pesticides wheat is soaked in or the fluctuations in blood sugar it causes. Wheat has been the culprit for a large number of symptoms in my practice. 
  • Antibiotic use: Not very many people put it together until I ask them when the symptoms started and correlate it with their antibiotic history, but it seems very common that IBS comes on right after a course of antibiotics. There are several different reasons why this could be. It could be because the antibiotics killed off the bacteria that were responsible for breaking down certain foods or it could be because we killed off some of the good bacteria and the bad bacteria are starting to win the war now. A microbiology stool tests will show which good bacteria are thriving and which bad bacteria are thriving. Treatment differs with each case here. Some just need a good probiotic, others need to avoid foods that they are now sensitive to indefinitely. 
  • Caffeine: Caffeine puts us into that fight or flight mode where our blood is shunted to our muscles rather than our digestive system. If you’re not getting proper blood flow to the digestive system you’re not going to produce those digestive juices to break the food down and you won’t be absorbing nutrients very well. Also if you’re not getting adequate blood flow you’ll start getting cramping feelings since the intestines are muscular. 
  • Hypoglycemia: When our blood sugar gets low, we secrete the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol simulates stress. If we're stressed, digestion is not going to be a priority. I"ve had so many patients' digestive symptoms go away once we regulated their blood sugar. The top digestive issues caused by low blood sugar are lack of appetite, nausea and acid reflux. 
  • Constipation: if you have a mass of stool sitting in your intestines and you’re drawing fluid from it, it’s eventually going to become an unrecognizable mass. Our body will produce an inflammatory response and some mucous where this foreign object is. If the mass is blocking the intestine, all of the gas we produce will be redirected backwards and cause bloating.  It's difficult to get rid of this mass initially because we've been drawing fluid from it for a couple of days so it's all dry and not sliding out of the intestines very well. 
  • Magnesium deficiency: Although difficult to prove via blood tests, magnesium supplements sometimes work wonders. This could be either due to a magnesium deficiency, since magnesium relaxes muscles in the intestines, or it could be because magnesium brings some fluid into the bowels which can act as a mild laxative.  
  • Iron supplement: I’ve had so many patients come in on ferrous gluconate or ferrous fumarate for an iron deficiency anemia and they’re experiencing terrible digestive issues from it. I usually get these patients to switch to iron bisglycinate instead and it seems to be much less harsh on the digestive system. Their ferritin rises much quicker on it as well. You can’t expect to absorb a nutrient if it’s causing inflammation in the digestive tract.
  • Holding it in: This is most common in kids who are new to school and nurses. The awesome term for it is "psychogenic megacolon". These patients will hold in their poop because they either fear public washrooms or because they won’t take the time from work to go. The stools get larger and larger, stretch the sigmoid colon, which is right at the end of your digestive tract between your belly button and pubic bone and eventually you have a large mass that’s way too large for your rectum to pass. Once a bowel movement happens, it's very painful so future bowel movements are held in out of fear of pain. 
  • Food sensitivities: These are a bit more difficult to determine. There are food sensitivity tests that you can do but I find trials are the best. Food sensitivity tests on several occasions have came back negative but I'll guide my patients through cutting out common aggravating foods. I've seen certain foods cause any and every symptom of IBS. We all react differently to foods and I've seen people react to the most random foods that I never would've expected. Some common ones are dairy, wheat, eggs and tomato sauce. Some less common ones are melon, oatmeal, raw vegetables, but you could react to anything. These foods are difficult to identify but with my clinical experience and tracking, it becomes much easier. You can react to foods up to 3 weeks after eating it so it's important to avoid suspect foods for 1-2 months strictly to see if your symptoms improve. 
  • Eating on the go: If we don't even realize we're eating we're not going to produce our digestive juices to break the food down. If we don't produce digestive juices we're not going to break food down properly and it's going to cause a whole range of issues. This is a huge problem these days. People are always eating breakfast on the go or eating while working. I always get patients to sit down and take 10 deep breaths before eating to get them into rest and digest mode and our of fight or flight mode. 
  • Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria): This is also a very common symptom in my practice. We're all constantly in fight or flight mode because we're constantly hypoglycemic, consuming caffeine, physically stressed, mentally stressed and emotionally stressed. If we don't produce proper stomach acid we won't break food down properly. Low stomach acid also leads to acid reflux or GERD. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) which connects your esophagus to yours stomach stays open letting acid splash back up into the esophagus. It's a common misconception that we produce too much stomach acid. It is a lot more common to have low stomach acid compared to excess stomach acid. 

Less common causes of IBS

  • Hiatal hernia: A hiatal hernia can cause issues in the epigastrium or what we used to call the solar plexus, right under the sternum. Chiropractors and osteopaths are a great option for this condition as well. 
  • Taking zinc without food: I found this out  the hard way on the Toronto Subway
  • Drinking chamomile tea if you have a ragweed allergy: Both are in the asteracea family so it would be similar to soaking ragweed and drinking it.
  • Gallbladder disease: Gallstones and inflammation of the gallbladder can cause a whole range of symptoms similar to IBS.  
  • Physical abnormalities: Some patients have spinal alignment issues which will prevent blood and nerves from functioning properly in the part of the digestive system that part of the spine is responsible for. A chiropractor or osteopath would be the best option here. 
  • Candida: I have seen some cases of candida in stool tests where symptoms resolved after taking whatever that Candida was sensitive to.  
  • Diverticulitis: Mainly causes left lower quadrant pain, worsens with eating nuts and seeds (sharp stuff), and most have a family history positive for it. A colonoscopy will tell you if you have it or not.
  • Anxiety: if you’re constantly in fight or flight mode, blood is going to be shunted to the muscles and your digestive system will shut right off.
  • Antidepressant use: Uppers will active your sympathetic nervous system and cause a whole range of symptoms like dry mouth, constipation, lack of appetite, etc…  There are several other medications that can cause digestive symptoms as well. 

Stress and IBS

Stress is often blamed for IBS but like I said before it may be an aggravating factor but is rarely the cause. Stress worsens IBS because it puts you into fight or flight mode, just like caffeine and anxiety do. If your brain thinks you’re running away from something it’s not going to all of the sudden kick into rest and digest mode. Check out the book, “Why Zebras don’t get ulcers” by Robert Sapolsky. There’s some neat info in there about this phenomenon. In a brutal study during the war, they had two groups of prisoners. One group was tortured and the other one wasn’t. The group that was tortured had no blood flow in their intestines, while the other group had full blood flow. This confirmed the suspicion that blood is taken from the intestines and shunted to our muscles in order to escape whatever threat we’re in.  If we're not getting proper blood flow to our digestive system we're not going to turn on our amazing digestive system to break food down and absorb nutrients. 

IBS Triggers

There are quite a few different variables for each condition that can lead to determining its cause. Some examples are:
  • Timing: if symptoms come on about 15-60 minutes after eating it’s most likely due to a stomach acid issue or a specific food or ingredient. If you wake up feeling nauseous with no appetite it could be due to secreting cortisol for too long due to hypoglycemia. If you start getting digestive symptoms when it’s been longer than 4 hours since you ate it could also be due to hypoglycemia.
  • Location: Pain in the epigastrium (top of the abdomen, below your sternum) is most likely due to reflux, pain in the left upper quadrant is most likely due to gas or gastritis, pain in the lower left quadrant is due to diverticulitis or constipation, pain right above the pubic bone is usually due to dairy (quite a few hours after consuming), pain in the right lower quadrant is usually due to wheat, while pain in the Right upper quadrant is usually due to gallbladder issues.These are just common examples, there are several different conditions that cause symptoms in each of these regions. 
  • Stressful situations: if symptoms come on whenever you’re about to meet new people, anxiety could be the cause.
  • Certain foods: If you’re getting symptoms after eating yogurt, it’s most likely dairy. If you're having symptoms after eating spaghetti it could be due to wheat or tomato sauce. It just takes tracking and a proper trial elimination to figure out which food is causing your symptoms. 
  • Onset: if your symptoms came on after a course of antibiotics, you most like are having difficulty breaking certain foods down and might need to avoid them and take probiotics for a while. If symptoms came on after travel, you most likely picked up a foreign bug, virus, etc...
  • These are just some examples. I could go on forever. This is why it’s important to have someone who is experienced and educated in determining the root cause of issues. If you ask the right questions, the answer is easily attainable. 

Natural treatments for IBS

The treatment for IBS will vary case by case. The most common treatment is to remove the offending foods but sometimes other treatments are necessary. Some treatments we use with success in naturopathic medicine are magnesium, bitters, stress reduction, probiotics, glutamine, encapsulated peppermint oil, fiber, DGL, antibiotics if pathogenic bacteria are present, referral for acupuncture, massage, osteopathy or chiropractic. There are so many options out there and unless you have someone directing you, you might waste a lot of time and money on trying to guess which treatments will work best.
​
I was originally asked to write an article on how to live with IBS but I don’t think anyone should have to live with it. Work with your local Naturopathic Doctor to figure out what the actual cause is so you can just get rid of it. It’s also important to work with a healthcare professional so they can identify if something more serious is going on. There are several different conditions out there that can present like IBS but are much more serious and need referral or immediate medical attention. A couple of examples of conditions that mimic IBS are IBD, gallstones, diverticulitis, ovarian cancer, gastric ulcers, pancreatitis, duodenal ulcers and Celiac disease. 
As you can see IBS can be simple or complex. I could probably write a whole book about this topic but I figure these days people will only read for about 2 minutes so hopefully you were able to pick up the information needed that will help you figure out what’s causing your IBS or at least guide you to find someone who can help you navigate your IBS.

Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions or comments please comment below.
Also please share this article on facebook so your friends with IBS can benefit as well.

Yours truly,

Dr Justin Gallant ND

]]><![CDATA[Relationship Advice: How To Be A Healthy Lover]]>Wed, 10 Feb 2016 03:14:21 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/relationship-advice
Relationship Advice: how to be a healthy lover by naturopathic Doctor Justin Gallant
Relationship Advice by Naturopathic Doctor Justin Gallant
With Valentine’s Day around the corner I figured I’d drop some knowledge on you guys with some of the things I work with to improve relationships with my patients. Here are some tips to improve the health of your relationship. ​

Listen to your partner

This one is especially for the men… Listen to your partner. I mean actively listen. If your partner has a hectic day all they want to do is vent about it. Having a bad day sucks but it sucks even more when no one cares. It’s actually pretty easy once you accept that you don’t have to fix anything. You just have to pay attention for 5-10 minutes and understand how crappy our partner is feeling, and then show that you care. Don’t try to help them fix it and don’t trump their story with yours.  If you don’t do this your partner will bottle everything up and eventually it’ll come out as a physical symptom like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or, headaches or a big juicy zit, or they’ll find someone who will listen.
​
Real life situation: Susie comes home after a long hard day of putting up with her passive aggressive coworkers and her boss gave her crap for not getting everything done. She’s been bottling her emotions up all day at work and wants to spill the beans when she gets home. She pours out everything that went on today without taking a breath.
What are the proper responses?
  1. Tell her you worked overtime today and Trevor got fired
  2. Give her a big hug and say, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
  3. Listen actively and show some concern
  4. Tell her she should find a new job. 
Click here for the answer

Love Languages

The way you express and receive love is most likely different than the way your partner does. You might build your partner a deck or buy them fancy jewelry but if their love language is words of affirmation, you could have just said they looked nice and it would’ve meant a heck of a lot more to them. For more information on this check out the book, “The 5 Love Languages” Here is a link to figure out what your love language is. Get your partner to do this test too and discuss your love languages with each other. Things will start to make a lot more sense and communication will improve big time.

Real life situation: Peggy has been feeling down lately so Robert tries to brainstorm things that he can do to make her feel better. He decides to clean the entire house but when Peggy gets home she’s still miserable and does not show her appreciation for all of the hard work he went through. Robert gives up after this and decides he’s not even going to try anymore because he feels like putting in the effort isn’t worth it. Peggy’s top 2 love languages are physical touch and quality time. If Robert knew this all he would have had to do is go for a walk holding Peggy’s hand, give her a hug and spend some 1-on-1 time with her. He thinks he’s done all he can but he was focusing his energy showing love in a language Peggy doesn’t understand. 

Transparency in relationships

Be open about what you want. Just be straight up. Instead of giving a multiple choice question and having the right answer in your head, just give them the answer. The ability to read minds is impossible and we hate being wrong.

Real life situation: George has been craving pizza all day. He gets home and asks Lisa, “What do you want to eat for dinner?” Lisa says, “Doesn’t matter to me, I was thinking we could get groceries.” Unsatisfied with this response, George starts to get moody and puts up a fuss about doing groceries. Lisa just thinks George is being a dick so she goes to get groceries herself and George stays at home, craving pizza and getting hangry. She brings home everything except for pizza, George is miserable the rest of the night and then says something he didn’t mean. Now Lisa is miserable. George should have just said he wanted pizza. Don’t be like George. 

Walking to blow off steam

If you had a bad day and you know you’re bound to take it out on your partner, walk it off. Either go for a walk on your own if you feel like you need alone time or ask your partner to join if you just need to release some tension. They say dogs are one of the best remedies for depression. Is it because dogs are awesome or because they force you to get out and walk? After about 20-30 minutes you'll feel the tension start to go away. This relates to our primal brain. We have so many factors that put us into fight or flight mode and if we never send a message to our brain telling it that we got away from a threat we're just going to be a tense ball of stress waiting to fight or run away from a threat that doesn't actually exist. Walking or going for jogs tells our brain we got away and we can relax now.

Email about sensitive issues

If emotions tend to get in the way of touchy subjects, email each other instead. This way you can look over what you’ve read and reflect on it before spouting it out and saying something you didn’t mean. Try to email rather than text since it’s difficult to get the tone and a lot of misunderstandings happen through text. It's common for an elephant to be in the room and both parties would rather just keep it tucked away because it could lead to an explosive argument. 

Loving and taking care of yourself 

Take care of yourself! If you don’t take care of yourself and love yourself it’s going to be difficult to take care of, and love your partner. If you feel like you don’t deserve to be loved, your partner’s efforts will be futile and they’ll eventually stop trying. It’s important to explore why you feel like you don’t deserve to be loved before your partner gives up on expressing love that is not being received. If you feel like you don't deserve to be loved try working with a psychotherapist, counselor or read the book Loveability by Robert Holden.

Maintain your identity and relationship

If you have kids, be sure to maintain your own identity and relationship. I see so many patients whose kids have finally moved out and they have no clue who they are or who their partner is. We can get so wrapped up in our kids’ lives that we abandon our own. Once those kids are gone you have another 60-80 years with yourself and your partner, a 20-year hiatus isn’t the best way to start the remaining 60-80 years of your life. 

Recommended readings

  1. You Just Don’t Understand – Deborah Tannen
  2. The 5 Love Languages – Gary Chapman
  3. Loveability: knowing how to love and how to be loved – Robert Holden
Thanks for reading!

Please share this with your partner or on facebook and comment below if you have anything to add.
​
Dr Justin Gallant ND
Naturopathic Doctor 
]]><![CDATA[Why Do I Get Itchy Dry Skin in the Winter?]]>Thu, 26 Nov 2015 22:37:29 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/why-do-i-get-itchy-dry-skin-in-the-winterPictureDry skin in the winter article - Naturopathic Doctor Justin Gallant.
Most of us dread the winter, partly due to being so itchy. Whatever heating mechanism we use, whether it’s a furnace, radiator, fire place or space heaters, they warm the air up by drying up the water molecules in the air. This means humidity is decreased. The reason we get so itchy is because the water molecules on our skin, in our eyes, our nasal passages and sinuses get dried up as well. This can lead to itchy skin, dandruff, dry eyes, raw bloody noses and sinus pain. Since the humidity is low and you don't drink liquids during your sleep, it's difficult to keep our skin moist. 

For information on what to do about dry itchy skin please click on the read more button below. 

What to do for dry skin in the winter

  1. The number one strategy I recommend is getting a misting humidifier in the bedroom. Once you do that, say goodbye to those itchy sides and night-time nosebleeds. Waking up will be much easier too since having dry eyes in the morning makes us feel much more tired. If you're looking for a great misting humidifier click on my affiliate links below according to your country. If you purchase through my link I will get a percentage with no extra cost to you!  
     2. Another strategy is to use coconut oil as moisturizer. I get my patients to stay away from synthetic moisturizers since                most of them contain xenoestrogens, carcinogens and other chemicals that our body can’t break down like benzene. We          absorb quite a bit through our skin so we have to watch what were slathering on.

      3. It’s also important to stay hydrated, something we do much more in the summer compared to the winter.

      4. We should also incorporate healthy oils like fish oil, coconut oil and olive oil into our everyday life. Just be sure to                       consult with a naturopath before you start taking oils daily since some of them may interact with medications or certain               health conditions.

      5. Lastly, be sure to avoid hand soaps and dish soaps with SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), or anything of the like. This is a                 foaming agent used in cleaning products which is also a chemical irritant. If your knuckles get extremely dry and red                   during the winter you're going to want to make this a priority. Some will say SLS-free soap right on them but otherwise                 just check the label. It's usually the 2nd ingredient in soaps. ​If you have chronic dry skin or itchy skin it’s important to                   consult with your medical or naturopathic doctor to ensure that you don’t have an underlying condition which could be                 causing your dry or itchy skin. Some conditions that can cause dry, itchy skin are hypothyroidism, liver disease, kidney                 disease, fungus, diabetes, nutrient deficiencies, estrogen deficiency, Sjogren’s syndrome, and many others. 

Medical terms you probably didn’t know:
1) Xeroderma = dry skin
2) Xerophthalmia = dry eyes
3) Pruritus = severe itching

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments feel free to write below!

Please share this if you feel like others will learn from it as well.

Dr. Justin Gallant ND

]]><![CDATA[Burdening Others With Your Problems]]>Tue, 29 Sep 2015 19:41:17 GMThttps://www.drjustingallantnd.com/blog/burdening-others-with-your-problems
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If you've never been burdened by listening to someone else's issues, they won't be burdened by listening to yours. 
#Dontbottleitup
​Dr. Justin Gallant ND
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