Dr. Amber Knott, ND – Naturopathic Doctor

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Whole Food Pad Thai

Comprehensive Hormone Testing – What test is best for you?

The Gut-Brain Connection

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For everyone I have not had an opportunity to tell

For everyone I have not had an opportunity to tell in person, I will be taking a 3 month maternity leave starting Dec 24 and I expect to be back in April. If you would like to fit in an appointment in November or December I recommend calling in soon for us to create a long-term plan before my leave. If you have any difficulties finding a time that will work for both of us please send me an email for us to work something out.

While I am away, Scott Dainty, ND will be covering all patient care at Action Health, to book please call 403-243-8114.

I would like to thank all patients I have been able to discuss my leave with recently in office, you have all been so wonderful and supportive toward this transition.

I am so grateful for all of you that share your health journey with me, I am looking forward to seeing as many patients as I can before my leave!

Amber

Digestive concerns, constipation, diarrhea, bloati

Digestive concerns, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, IBS, IBD, resistant inflammatory skin conditions, resistant mood disorders, difficulties with weight loss, autoimmune diseases, resistant hormonal concerns. These are some of the reasons a naturopathic doctor may recommend comprehensive stool analysis.

As promised, here is a testing option that I like to offer patients to assess gut and microbiome function, GI-MAP by @dxsolutionslab

The opening list outlines some instances where a GI-MAP test may be indicated. In the future, I will address each of these individually to share why proper gut health can be so important in treating skin, mood, stress, weight, hormones, autoimmunity and of course digestive conditions.

GI-MAP uses a stool sample to asses for:
- Pathogens (bacterial, viral and parasitic) causing GI inflammation and damage
- Dysbiosis of microbiome, we want to ensure adequate amounts of beneficial gut microbes and that no overgrowth is present (bacteria, yeast, fungi)
- Markers of proper digestion
- Immune response markers
- Inflammation markers

Soon I will share a full article on how all of these markers interact and why they are important for guiding treatment.

Understanding the root cause of your digestive concerns guides a personalized treatment plan! GI-MAP may be offered by your ND, but there are other tests that may be better indicated for you. Always work with an ND to know what testing options may be best to guide your care.

Have you used GI-MAP testing?! I would love to hear your experience ⤵⤵

#naturopathicmedicine #naturopath #integrativemedicine #naturalhealth #wellness #mindbodymedicine #preventativemedicine #yycliving #calgaryhealth #yychealth #calgarynaturopath #yycnaturopath #mindbodygreen #mindsetmedicine #lifestylemedicine #guthealth #nutrition #guthealing #leakygut #ibsdiet #ibd #digestivehealth #eliminationdiet #gimap #ulcerativecolitis #crohnsdisease

The microbiome also influences your hormone health

The microbiome also influences your hormone health, mental health, immune system, nutrition status, skin conditions, autoimmune diseases, digestion and more.

What is the microbiome you may be asking? It is the community of microbes: bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses, that live on our skin, mucous membranes and mainly in our gut. Each persons microbiome is unique to them based on their genetics and lifestyle factors. These microbes are found to influence many different body processes.

Research is finding that there are 2 important factors when it comes to the microbiome:
1. The microbes that are present
2. The amount of each microbe present
There are differences being found between the microbiome in healthy individuals and those with disease states.

From this research, we are finding that some microbes are beneficial to health when found in the right quantities (not too little and not too much), while others can cause disturbances, especially if found in high amounts.

Microbiome testing (GI MAP Stool Testing is one example, which will have it's own post this week) can help us understand if your microbiome is helping or hindering your health and guides treatments to optimize your gut function.

Later this week, I will also talk about what unexpected lifestyle habits affect your microbiome and what you can do to protect it. Let me know if you have any other questions about the microbiome and I will add those answers into posts this week!

If you experience digestive concerns in combination with any of the concerns outlined above, it may interest you to start a conversation with your naturopath to better understand if your microbiome is affecting your health.

#naturopathicmedicine #naturopath #integrativemedicine #naturalhealth #wellness #mindbodymedicine #preventativemedicine #yycliving #calgaryhealth #yychealth #calgarynaturopath #yycnaturopath #mindbodygreen #mindsetmedicine #lifestylemedicine #guthealth #nutrition #guthealing #leakygut #ibsdiet #ibd #digestivehealth #eliminationdiet #gimap #ulcerativecolitis #crohnsdisease

If you tried meditation & stopped because you felt

If you tried meditation & stopped because you felt bad at it, this is for you:

☝️ For starters, you're not ‘bad’ at meditation, you may just need a little mindset shifting to see how meditation can serve you.

✌️ Secondly, meditation is one of those things that when you struggle to keep centred and focused, it just means there is even more value you can get from the practice.

🙌 Thirdly, we are all bad at new things the first time we try them. Meditation is no exception, it is a skill we build. New things are hard, and that is exactly why we choose to do them. To grow, to learn, to be better enjoy life.

So why should you give meditation another chance? Here are some of my favourite benefits to focus on when I start a meditation:
* Reduces sense of stress through reducing internal stress response
* Mental calm, calms racing thoughts
* Brings sense of peace and wellness
* Mental clarity
* Improves mental functioning, focus and concentration
* Gives space to allow a new perspective to let go of a difficult situation
* Helps process emotions
* Calms anxiety
* Improves sleep
* Boost mood and mental wellness
* Deeper sense of connection to life purpose
* Deeper sense of connection to spirituality, religion, higher beliefs

You can do hard things 🥰

What are you favourite benefits of meditation that motivate you to enjoy and stay committed to your practice?

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When it comes to acne, ND's take a inside-out appr

When it comes to acne, ND's take a inside-out approach, which means we want to treat what is going on inside, and not just outside. Since there are a multitude of causes, here are a few common areas of investigation:

- 🎢 Sex hormones: elevated testosterone (androgens), which causes excess sebum production, which clogs pores

- 🍬 Sugar: elevated insulin from unmanaged blood sugar drives more androgen production

- 🤯 Stress: chronically elevated cortisol can worsen acne, potentially by increasing sebum production, its role in inflammation may also play a role

- 💩 Gut health: food sensitivities and microbiome dysbiosis influence inflammation and immune response, it also plays a role in hormonal concerns.

- 💄 Proper skincare & makeup plays a role: products can contribute to over production of sebum, clogging pores, abbrasion and damage, etc.

- + other underlying conditions: PCOS, post-contraception, menopause, etc.

There are many other symptoms, in addition to acne, that can lead your ND to better understand what the root cause of your acne is. We may also recommend hormone testing, I offer @dutchtest or CHI, for more personalized and qualitative measures. Action Health also offers @eminenceorganics skin products, and we can see if one of their acne product lines may be right for you.

If you struggle with acne, working with your naturopath to determine which factors are contributing to your root cause and how to manage them may be helpful.

#naturopathicmedicine #naturopath #integrativemedicine #naturalhealth #wellness #mindbodymedicine #preventativemedicine #yycliving #calgaryhealth #yychealth #calgarynaturopath #yycnaturopath #mindbodygreen #mindsetmedicine #lifestylemedicine #functionalmedicine #acne #acnetreatment #acnenaturopath #acnenaturaltreatment #hormonehealth #dutchtest #guthealth #sugardysregulation #PCOS #menopause

Spaghetti Squash Tofu Pad Thai Recipe! I was on th

Spaghetti Squash Tofu Pad Thai Recipe! I was on the hunt for a completely whole foods pad thai recipe, one that skipped the traditional noodles but was still filling. And where I knew, and was comfortable with all of the ingredients in the sauce. Presenting, my version of a whole-foods pad thai, heavily inspired by a recipe from @lowcarbwithjennifer 

INGREDIENTS (for a really large batch!)
1 medium-large spaghetti squash
1 pack extra firm tofu
2-3 tbsp Sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 large head of bok choy or 1 crown of broccoli, chopped
1 bag bean sprouts, rinsed
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tbsp fish sauce (omit to make veg friendly)
1/2-1 tbsp sriracha
4 tbsp peanut butter
Optional toppings: juice of 1-2 limes, green onion, peanuts

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400F, cut squash in half, scoop out centre seeds, coat with oil both inside and outside of squash, place on a baking sheet.
2. Drain the tofu, cut into bite sized pieces, coat with oil and add to baking tray, place in oven once preheated
3. After 15 minutes, flip the tofu, bake for another 15 minutes then remove tofu from the oven. Allow squash to cook for another 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the squash. I prefer the squash slightly undercooked for a crunchier noodle. It is done when the flesh is soft enough to pull a fork through and create noodles.
4. In a large pot, soften the garlic in sesame oil, add the vegetables and bean sprouts
5. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce sriracha and peanut butter to the pan, mix to well combine
6. Once vegetables and bean sprouts are softened, add the squash and tofu, mix well
7. Serve topped with lime juice, green onion and peanuts

Let me know if you try this one! Scott and I are in love with it!

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