How do you know if you are taking a good multivitamin?

This can be as complicated or as simple as you make it. One of the easiest ways to decide if your multivitamin is good for you is to ask yourself if you feel better when you take it? If you are actually absorbing the nutrients that it proclaims to have in it, you should be able to notice a difference in your energy level and sense of well-being.

Now, if you want to get a little more technical, you might want to ask the manufacturer if they have done bioavailability studies on their products. This is how they determine if the people that take the vitamin are actually absorbing the ‘stuff’ in it. You could also ask how they do their quality control. Do they test every batch? Do they test once a month? Once a year? Ever? A good company will not only do this testing, but also be more than happy to make it available to you.

If that seems like too much work, think about the basics. It is very difficult to stuff every nutrient you need for an entire day into one tiny pill. So typically a good multivitamin will be one that you take a few of to get the full dose. And, typically, something in a capsule is better absorbed than a tablet simply because the ingredient haven’t been compressed as much.

Next, you need to really look at the ingredients, especially the ones at the bottom listed as “other ingredients”. How many things are on that list? Are there more preservatives than nutrients in the vitamin? Exactly which types of nutrients are best is an entirely different discussion for another day, but hopefully this helps you get started.

The short answer is:

* Because you want to lose weight, not your health!!!
* It is actually a hormone and you need to be experienced in maintaining hormone balance to use it effectively
* If used improperly it can slow your metabolism causing you to gain the weight back very quickly, plus a few pounds.
* HOWEVER, if used properly, with adequate monitoring, can ensure long-lasting weight loss and improved metabolism.

Click here to read more about one way to use HCG.

HCG is a popular hormone used for its benefits with weight loss. We believe that weight loss should be available to everyone, and we believe it should be safe and effective. The problem with using HCG is that it is a hormone. I’m sure you can imagine that if you use a hormone without knowing what you’re doing, you could end up causing more harm than good. So, HCG is illegal if you buy it “over-the-counter”. If used in conjunction with proper monitoring, proper nutrition and support for a healthy metabolism, HCG can be an amazing partner in your weight loss program. You should know that it has not been approved by the FDA for weight loss, just as so many other drugs that have “off-label” use. What it does have is 40 years of use to show its effectiveness. Are there other ways to lose weight? Of course! And if you’re struggling, consider looking into the use of HCG to see if it would be appropriate for you.

Click here to read more about one way to use HCG.

It will cost you nothing to do and everything not to. 

1. Drink water.
Try to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure, filtered water that tastes good. For example, a 150 lb person would drink 75 ounces a day. This is like taking a shower on the inside by helping your body eliminate toxins through your kidneys.

2. Eliminate the offenders.
Start with eliminating sugar, processed and refined foods, alcohol, and coffee. If you want to bump it up you can also eliminate all animal products and gluten. This lightens the load of toxins that your gut and liver have to deal with.

3. Sweat
Aim to sweat for at least 30 minutes a day. This can come in the form of exercise, but know that with regards to a Cleanse, you’ll get just as much benefit from a sauna or steam. This helps to eliminate toxins though the skin.

4. 2 and 2
Eat a minimum of 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables everyday. Of course 3 servings of fruit and 5-6 servings of vegetables a day would be most beneficial, but be realistic for your lifestyle. Take baby steps and do what you can. This gives the body nutrients it needs to run more efficiently.

5. Breathe
Simply be conscious about breathing deeply. Breathing slowly and deeply into the abdomen actually stimulates your body to relax. Not only will you release toxins through your breath, but relaxation also promotes detoxification. Being conscious about what you think is just as important as breathing deeply. Find a word or phrase that inspires you. A few examples are love, joy, trust, courage, and truth. Spend a few minutes each day, or multiple times during a day, thinking of that word or phrase and just breathing.

6. Support healthy bowel movements
It is healthy and helpful to have 1-3 complete and formed bowel movements a day. To help you reach this goal, increase your fiber intake by consuming 1-2 Tablespoons of oat bran and 1-2 Tablespoons of flax meal each day. You can mix these into smoothies or sprinkle them on cereals and salads. You eliminate a majority of your toxins through your bowels, so having regular bowel movements is the foundation for good health and one of the most important parts of any cleanse.

Try these simple steps for 1, 2 or 3 weeks as an easy and effective way to get your health back on track in the New Year.
And, if you would prefer a cleanse with more support, click here  to see if any of our options suit your needs.

We’re already in the middle of the holiday season. With parties and baking and cookie exchanges, how is it possible to survive without gaining an extra 5-10 pounds? Here are a few helpful hints to get you through.

1. Drink an extra glass of water before you eat anything at a holiday party.

Drinking water rehydrates tissues that are bound to be dehydrated by festive alcoholic beverages and salty, dense foods. Well hydrated tissues function more efficiently which can help prevent weight gain. Drinking that extra glass of water also gives you a sense of feeling a little more full, so you’ll tend to eat less.

2. Take a Walk

We all know that when we eat more, we should exercise more. I also know that during the holidays, sometimes the last thing I want to do is head to the gym. So after you’ve eaten, put on your hat and scarf and take a stroll around the neighborhood to look at the Christmas Lights. The simple act of not sitting down or going to bed right after you eat will help keep your metabolism up.

3. Consider which drink to have

While that creamy, pepperminty holiday libation looks delicious, consider the fact that it may have 3 times the number of calories in it as a glass of wine. And remember that each glass of an alcoholic beverage dehydrates you so you need an extra glass of water!

4. Take a deep breath

The holidays are usually pretty stressful. And even if it’s the “good” stress of busily preparing your home, it’s still stress. When your stress is elevated, so is your cortisol level. It’s that darn cortisol that is linked to abdominal fat. So, take a minute multiple times throughout the day to breath. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just breathe in to the slow count of 4 and then breathe out to that same slow count of 4. Do this a few times and you’ll feel yourself relax as your cortisol levels fall.

5. Eat Breakfast

It may seem strange that I’m suggesting you need to eat in order to avoid gaining weight. Many times we eat so much at dinner time that we decide we’ll “make up for it” by skipping breakfast. If you don’t eat in the morning, you’re body will actually slow your metabolism down because it doesn’t know when you’re going to feed it next. You don’ t have to eat a lot, but make sure there is protein with your meal.

What is a Leaky Gut?

A healthy gut is the foundation of good health. The gut (small intestine and large intestine) is the organ that digests food and absorbs nutrients into the body. In a healthy gut, the cells should fit together nice and tightly so there is a good barrier between you and the food that you eat. After a meal, your body produces enzymes that break down food to the very smallest particles of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and nutrients that then get actively transported into the blood stream. That healthy gut is a good barrier between you and the food that you eat … a nice clean system.

When a person experiences excess stress (physical, emotional, chemical, etc.) two things happen. First, the digestive enzymes are not produced in the amount needed to appropriately break your food down to those smallest particles, thus leaving larger, less digested particles. Secondly, stress results in inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the gut causes the cells of the gut to swell. This results in microscopic holes in the wall of the gut that then allow those larger proteins to ‘leak’ into the blood stream. This leak can be the causative agent in many illnesses.

Since many more toxins are able to get through that “leaky” barrier, the body is then burdened with an excessive toxic load. This overworks the liver. And, since the nutrients haven’t been broken down into useable sized particles, the liver and body are not getting the appropriate nutrients they need to work optimally. The result is that liver is “overworked and underpaid”. This can result in hypoglycemia, hormonal imbalance, and toxic overburden on the body.

Another consequence of poor digestion is the development of food sensitivities or, as some people call them, “allergies”. When those larger proteins (improperly digested pieces of your food) leak into the blood they stimulate the body to mount an immune response against them. This means that the body manufactures an antibody to bind to the antigen (that protein that leaked through). Once those antigens have been formed, they will recognize that food any time it gets through the barrier. Now when you eat that food, your body is actually fighting against it which is why you may not feel too well.

Now, when that newly formed antigen/antibody complex is floating around in your bloodstream, eventually it will bump into and adhere to a mucous membrane in the body and cause more inflammation. Depending on where that happens, the result can be asthma, arthritis, constipation, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, headaches, or many others. If you think of a place where you have inflammation, you have to wonder if it has anything to do with the health of your gut.

It is important to know that your gut can seem healthy yet still be ‘leaky’. Luckily there is an easy way to test your gut to truly see how healthy it is. Food allergies and chronic inflammation should not exist. Your gut is your foundation. It should support your health and vitality. If it is leaky, it can be the reason why nothing works and why you have to work so hard to feel simply okay.

Homeopathy is a very specialized way of treating. It is one of the things that all Naturopathic Doctors are trained in. Some go on to specialize in homeopathy, focusing their practice on the use of this one modality. Other Naturopathic Doctors use it as just one of the options they have to treat with. However, you do not need to be a doctor to be a homeopath. Some of the best homeopaths in the world have spent their lives dedicated to learning this very complex system without going to medical school.

So, when you get down to it, homeopathy is a powerful, energetic type of medicine. It uses remedies that have been potentized by diluting them. You’d have to speak to a quantum physicist to really get an understanding of how that works. All I can tell you is that when it’s been explained to me, it makes sense, but there is no chance I could repeat it. What I do know is that by pairing up your symptoms with a remedy that has the same symptom picture, you can take the remedy and it’s as if they cancel each other out so that you no longer have the symptoms. It sounds simple, right? Not exactly. Every person is so different that finding the correct, matching remedy is quite challenging. This is why it can take years of study to be really good at homeopathy.

Naturopathy, on the other hand, is a medical practice that gives the body what it needs to heal. It is medicine that looks at each person as a whole, treating the person instead of the parts. It is medicine that looks to find the cause of ailments and fix it so the symptoms disappear.  Homeopathy, again, is just one of the tools that a Naturopathic Doctor can use to help people achieve optimal health.

Why is our Body Sculpting program so successful?

We have many reasons why we have the success we do. First is that

we really find the cause of why you gained weight in the first place.

This can be from a host of reasons that range from stress, insomnia,

low thyroid, hormone imbalance, toxicity, leaky gut and others.

Second, when the reason for weight gain has been balanced then

we make sure that the routes of detoxification are open and

functioning optimally. Most people are unaware that fat actually has a

purpose in that it holds excessive toxins that your body is unable to

deal with. So in a way it is actually helping you stay healthy! After our

body sculpting program, we then help you find the right foods and

lifestyle that sustain you long term. Don’t wait to lose weight!

At Bukovina we will:

* Actively promote healthy lifestyles for each individual patient as well as nourishing the community and environment that they live in.
* Maintain our knowledge of the latest medical research and discoveries.
* Always be at the forefront of naturopathic medicine, by continually uncovering novel healing methods and new approaches to maintaining health and preventing disease through our own research.
* Have a dedicated staff that shares an unwavering commitment to you, our patient.
* Be devoted to maintaining an environmentally-friendly workplace.

Here are 5 tips for healthy living:
1) Drink tons-o-water
2) Jog
3) Don’t Smoke
4) Don’t Drink alcohol
5) Take Vitamins