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Dr. Tanya McEachern

Naturopathic Doctor

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Peak Performance Health Centre - Located in Cambridge Medical Imaging

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Read More From Tanya

  • Your Kidneys & Detoxification
  • Detoxing & The Importance of Your Liver
  • Rhodiola Rosea & Adaptogens for Stress
  • Iron Deficiency
  • Hypothyroidism: Symptoms, Testing, and How I Can Help

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Tanya McEachern, Naturopathic Doctor

Tanya McEachern, Naturopathic Doctor

Dr.Tanya.ND on Instagram

The kidney’s role in detoxification is a vital one. It’s the job of the kidneys to flush toxins from your blood by turning them into urine. They rid the body of waste products of our body’s natural metabolism, & directly excrete industrial toxins that we ingest daily, such as heavy metals (cadmium in cigarette smoke, aluminum in vaccines, mercury & lead in tap water, etc.), pesticides, non-stick coating in cookware, flame retardants, etc. These toxins can accumulate in our tissues & kidneys, contributing to poor health. Symptoms of kidney dysfunction are: -infertility & difficulty conceiving -hearing issues (ex. tinnitus) -chronic complaining -premature greying of the hair or hair loss -soreness & weakness of the lower back or knees -fluid retention -urinary or sexual dysfunction -anxiety & worry The kidneys are very powerful organs in Chinese medicine. Their season is winter (making now the perfect time to help them), their element is water, & their sense is hearing. Emotionally, the kidneys are damaged by fear. Therefore any anxiety condition or chronic worrying will cause the kidneys to need more support & will worsen the physical symptoms listed above. Pain relievers also wreck havoc here. A very common test for kidney function is eGFR. This tests how well the kidneys are filtering toxins out of the body. We know that a woman’s eGFR should be at least 115 until age 45, with an approximate 13-point decline every decade being “normal”. Men have a starting point of 125. So if your eGFR is 80 but you’re only age 50, you essentially have a kidney age of 70 – that’s 20 years older than you! This means a significant decrease in ability to rid the body of many toxins & helps explain why almost everyone becomes sicker with aging. We can do better. What can be done? Courage, faith, & rest strengthen the kidneys. Some of my favorite kidney tonifying herbs: nettle, juniper & dandelion leaf. Cranberry is very restorative. Sometimes a low protein diet is recommended. I frequently use acupuncture to tonify the kidneys. And I always teach patients what to watch out for & how to reduce their exposure to toxins. Lasting kidney health & overall vitality can be achieved.
Are you considering doing a detox/cleanse, or doing one now? Our primary organs of detoxification are the liver, kidneys, lymphatics, and the colon. Any program that you’re on should be targeting these primary emunctories, especially the liver. Think of the liver as the body’s filter. It has a huge job, performing around 500 detox reactions per second. And even in the healthiest of people, it gets bogged down really easily in today’s environment. Think about it; the liver has to detox EVERYTHING we’re exposed to. This means all the air pollution that we breathe, all the chemicals in our skin care products, all the processing of our foods, all the chemicals in our water, etc. It also detoxes the natural waste products of our regular metabolism, breaking down all of our hormones when we’re done with them. Add in things like coffee, alcohol, drugs, and a not so healthy diet (the liver needs vitamins and minerals to do its job), and you’ve got problems. In Chinese medicine, the liver’s emotion is anger. If you find yourself feeling frustrated and irritable a lot of the time, this can be a sign that your liver may need some help. Another sign is acne. When the liver and other primary detox organs aren’t working as well as they should, the secondary detox organs pick up the slack. The skin is one of those organs; it should really only be detoxing a small amount of waste in your sweat. Acne is a sign that your skin is detoxing a lot more than it should be. In TCM the liver also controls our periods and breasts, so if you’ve got a clotty and/or stringy flow, lots of PMS, and tender (even fibrocystic) breasts, these are all signs that we need to do some work on your liver. On the face, each feature represents a different organ. The liver opens into the eye, so any eye conditions (even simple chronic dryness) can represent liver issues. Spiritually, a well functioning liver helps us to have a sense of direction and purpose in life. It has a very intimate relationship with the Gallbladder, so if you have stones or if you’ve had this removed, this can be detrimental to the liver. Watch for my next few posts where I’ll share some specific things to do and avoid
Rhodiola Rosea, commonly known as Roseroot, is known as an “adaptogenic” herb, meaning it helps us process the negative health effects of stress (physical, emotional, spiritual). I would say that I use it most commonly in practice to help normalize adrenal and thyroid hormones. But, it’s so much more than that. It’s said that the Vikings would chew Roseroot for extra strength on their long, arduous journeys. Today, Roseroot is known to enhance athletic performance and stamina. So in addition to recommending it to my athletes, I recommend often to my new Moms - safe to use while breastfeeding, it’s a great supporter of that postpartum exhaustion. It’s also a booster of academic performance - in a study of mental fatigue, 128 students were given either Rhodiola or placebo. The Rhodiola group had a 56% decrease in errors after four hours, where the placebo group had an increase of 37%. This makes me think of all those kids who struggle in school, as well as university students, especially during exam periods. Roseroot has the ability to change the structure of the brain - influencing “neuroplasticity” - making it very useful in mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. In 2008 a group of people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder were given Rhodiola for 10 weeks, and experienced a reduction in symptoms similar to people given benzodiazepines. A similar study in 2015 was done comparing Rhodiola and Sertraline (an SSRI antidepressant medication) in those with Major Depression. Similar benefits were seen, with the exception that rhodiola carries a far lower risk of side effects, dependance, and adverse events. The beneficial effects of rhodiola have also been studied, showing positive results as an herb to help fight cancer, treat erectile dysfunction, boost fertility, fight viruses, and as a treatment for opioid withdrawal & smoking cessation If fresh Rhodiola is hung on the walls of the home to dry, it’ll emit the smell of roses, and repel insects. As a flower essence, it is used for issues surrounding ego, forgiveness, and acceptance. It helps one heal from years of harsh criticism. Do you have any experiences of healing with Rhodiola?
I love this quote because it reminds us that positive change is always possible and very much within our reach. Just by paying attention to an issue or something that you would like to make better begins the process of improvement. This is true right down to the molecular and even the “quark” level (smallest particles in the universe known to man). Einstein first discovered this law many years ago and it still holds true today 🆒
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