21st Birthday! IHC just had its 21st birthday. Founded by Dr’s Gurdev and Karen Parmar, IHC opened its doors on October 1st, 2000. Beginning with 1000 ft2 and only one staff member, Drs Parmar opened the Fort Langley location 21 years ago. It has grown steadily since becoming Canada’s largest naturopathic health clinic. Now 21 years later we have opened our 2nd location in another special location, White Rock/South Surrey. IHC is a trusted destination for exceptional integrative care. Happy 21st birthday Integrated Health Clinic!!! | From the General Health Centre | Integrated Health Clinic’s Dr. Karen Parmar, ND is supporting the Fertility Matters 6K inaugural run to raise awareness around the lack of provincial funding across Canada for fertility treatments, and to raise money for those families needing support. Insert map showing province funding Only five Canadian provinces currently provide some level of funding for fertility care. In every Canadian province, patients must cover significant costs out of pocket. Fertility Matters Canada believes everyone should have adequate access to fertility care, and have begun working with stakeholders across Canada to advocate for equitable opportunities for fertility treatments. If this is an important cause for you, or someone you know undergoing fertility treatments, donate below to help raise awareness and create change. Click here for more information | Featured Service: All Aesthetic Laser Procedures 10% Off in November & December After a super sunny summer, it feels good to tune up our skin with anti-aging collagen boosting procedures, with very little down time. If you are in the mood to invest in yourself, here are some options: Face & Neck Tightenting; 3D Smoothlifting: Entire face and neck tightening, wrinkle reduction & rejuvenation (my personal favorite) Neck Tightening: Skin Tight Neck: from the jawline to the collarbone - helps tighten, build collagen and reduce wrinkles. Hair Growth: Hair Restore - helps stimulate hair growth Rosacea: Rosacea lase - lessens rosacea Acne: Acnelase - helps decrease inflammation, settles down active acne & down regulates sebaceous glands Skin tightening with Fat Reduction: Tightsculpting: subtly reduces fat while tightening the skin on any area of the body Skin tightening without fat reduction: Skin Tight: for tightening the skin without decreasing the fat: for example its perfect for stretched tummies from bearing children Toenail fungus: ClearSteps: Helps the body rid itself of the fungal infection through high pulse heat VeinLase: for spider veins or cherry angiomas (the bright red freckles) Vaginal Rejuvenation: tightens and rejuvenates the vaginal canal Dr. Michelle Willis ND | IV Therapy Women of child-bearing age are at the highest risk for iron deficiency. The risk increases during pregnancy, and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) commonly manifests postpartum. A Canadian study found that 91% of pregnant women were iron deficient (ferritin <50µg/L) and 26% of pregnant women had iron deficiency anemia (IDA) over the course of their care. While oral iron supplements are first-line treatment, their limitations include low systemic absorption, and a high rate of gastrointestinal (GI) intolerance. Between 40-70% of patients will have GI symptoms severe enough to stop taking oral iron. IV iron therapy is indicated when oral iron has been inadequate or not tolerated. Dr. Adam Davidson MD and Mainline Wellness offers IV iron in both Integrated Health Clinic infusion suites (both locations), several times monthly. He provides IV iron to patients suffering from iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemias. Call 604-888-8325 to inquire about iron infusions at IHC. More information available on our website, www.integratedhealthclinic.com | From the Cancer Care Centre | Excerpts from Dr. Gurdev Parmar’s new book, pending publication: Arming the Immune System: The Incredible Power of Your Fever Response “In this book, you will learn that we should let our bodies’ natural systems get to work because they are more effective at eliminating invaders than any military on earth. You’ll discover that fever is an essential part of the immune system. We’ll see how fever is found throughout the animal kingdom because that most powerful mechanism of the immune system is vital for survival. A fever is not just something to be endured; it’s an ancient, beautiful, beneficial action integral to our bodies.” “As I write, the world is in the midst of a pandemic, and it’s vital we understand the immune response inherent in our bodies. I want us to have a healthier future. I want you to enjoy a healthier life. We start by honouring our bodies because they are incredibly intelligent, and they’re working extremely hard for us. In the next chapter, we’ll see how hard our bodies are working just to maintain our body temperature, and what happens when our internal thermostat intelligently and purposefully shifts to up the heat.” “Fever is a wise, ancient, evolutionarily conserved, powerful, and safe immune response that should be left alone to do its job in almost every case. Fever is something that we are all hard wired with to help ensure our survival, allowing our bodies to deal with harmful microbes and even cancer cells. In fact, as history has proven, fevers have been repeatedly documented to overcome advanced cancers.” Look for it soon! Gurdev Parmar, ND, FABNO(USA) | "Could your heart benefit from some full-fat dairy?" It looks as though the trends in dietary advice regarding low-fat dairy products in regards to cardiovascular disease is turning around in study after study. New research from Sweden suggests that adults 60+ would have no additional cardiovascular risk by eating full-fat dairy products. Click for Options It turns out the fats have some benefits for the cardiovascular system. However, it's still worth reading labels to avoid dairy products with added sugar including some yogurts and yogurt drinks. And the same goes for kids: no added risk of cardiovascular disease when consuming full-fat dairy. Plus, kids show no increased risk of obesity. This echoes the idea that fats do not necessarily make you fat. But, it's still especially important to pay attention to added sugars in kids dairy products as it is often included for flavour. Click for Options-kids Dr. Nicole Duffee B.Sc., ND | Say No to Heartburn: strategies to prevent and manage GERD Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes involuntarily, allowing stomach acid to travel up into the esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter is the opening between the bottom of the esophagus and the stomach. Dr. Jess Hobson, ND Click to Read Full Blog Post | | Immune Stimulating Soup This great fall and winter soup is very nutrient dense and delicious. On top of that it contains many compounds and ingredients that can help build your immune system. The ingredients are somewhat interchangeable and many things already in our fridge and spice cabinet can be used for immune stimulation. Such as: garlic, ginger, thyme, oregano, certain mushrooms, etc. The following recipe is general and most favorite soup recipes could be adapted for immunity by adding herbs, etc. Immune building stock: - 2 L water or stock (organic veg, poultry or meat)
- 3-5 sticks of dried astragalus (or handful of cut/sift) (optional)
- 1 handful dandelion root (optional)
- 1 handful dried burdock root (optional)
- 1 slice dong quai (optional)
- 1-2 stock lovage or celery
Bring liquid to a boil, then simmer with herbs for 15-20 min covered. Strain out the herb particles. Basic soup recipe: - 2 L immune building stock
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6-10 shitake mushrooms
- 3-4 cups chopped seasonal vegetables
- 1-2 potatoes, or leftover grain
- 1 cup cooked legumes or other protein (optional)
- 2 cups chopped greens such as stinging nettles, spinach, chard, kale, beet/turnip/carrot tops
- 1/2 cup parsley or watercress chopped
- 4-10 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 inches fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried each or thyme, oregano and/or rosemary
- 1 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- black pepper
- cayenne
- salt to taste
- extra water or stock as needed
Sauté onion until transparent, and then add mushrooms, followed by the other slowest cooking veg such as cabbage, carrots, turnips, celery. Sauté/steam slightly. Add stock, bring to boil, and then turn down to simmer. Add herbs, seasonings, garlic and ginger (at this point make sure you keep the pot covered while cooking and afterwards to keep some of the medicinal oils in the pot and not released in the steam.) Gradually add quicker cooking veg as well as any leftovers. Add more stock or water if needed. Save greens until 5 min before serving. Although many of the herbs are interchangeable the shiitake mushrooms are an important ingredient in an immune building diet, as it contains a long chain polysaccharide called lentinan. It is a very strong antiviral. Dr. Alyssa Fruson, ND | Hours of Operation - Fort Langley Monday & Tuesday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday - 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Thursday & Friday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm NEW - Saturday - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Hours of Operation - White Rock Monday - Saturday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm | We care about you. We approach every patient as a unique individual with needs specific to your health. Expect a caring approach from us all. Visit our website to learn more. | | | | |
