I had an experience last weekend that stuck with me. I had to get a hair cut and because I speak a lot at Aveda (the hair cutting institute and much more), I decided to book at their school where I would be paired with a random student. The students ask you a lot of questions before they cut your hair so they know what would resonate with you in terms of personal style, interest, commitment, etc. So, the hair cut went fine and by the time she was done, I was satisfied with the job done.

When my student hairdresser asked me what I wanted in terms of personal style with my blow dry, I commented ‘lots of volume’. I inwardly laughed and thought ‘good luck’. I have always had a thing with my hair. It is the finest hair which I struggle with on a daily basis to add volume to. I put Aveda products in it to help volumize and then spend time blow-drying and putting velco rollers in it. Then I walk to work and by the time I get to work, it has no volume or style left in it.

So when the student promised me ‘I will give you lots of volume’, she seemed to take on the task with a measure of commitment that I have not seen in a while. First of all, she put three different products in to volumize it- one was put at the roots, one was put through out the hair and another was concentrated in various locations on my scalp. I believe the products were pure abundance, volumizing tonic and thickening tonic.  Then she sectioned my hair so she would concentrate on blowdrying a small section of my hair at a time. She took that small section and blew-dry it  very specifically. She blew the section up with the warm section and then she set it with the cool section. She would also twirl the hair off the brush so it had more texture.

I am sure I am not giving you any idea what she was doing. But the point I want to make is, she made it her mission to give me volume and every decision she made was aligned with that task. She was so immersed in the moment and gave her all to the task in a way that I have not witnessed before and therefore, brought a new level of appreciation of the moment to me by doing that- she inspired me. I truly have never had that much volume in my hair. I walked home, so grateful that she made me feel good about my hair; the next day, people were still commenting on how my hair looked better. I realized I could have more volume every day with her skill, attention, expertise and patience for the task at hand.

It is so easy to become bored with what you are doing or forget to bring your all to every moment. I certainly struggle with that at times. I think it is becoming lazy or complacent or forgetting to look at the world through a different lens- one that seeks to bring your all to every moment. It is after all a choice. Learning new things does bring more to the table, but also realizing the value you already have, and mining for the gold in that wealth of knowledge and experience, that you already have, is so important; drawing on that, to bless other people leads to a richer experience (pun intended).

If you take each moment, divide it into little sections (like my hair), and decide how you can bring and then ultimately, give each moment your all, the people around you, will be richly blessed, like I was at the salon. I am so grateful to speak at Aveda about naturopathic medicine. To book an appointment with me, please call Parallel Wellness in downtown Calgary. 4032321283 Until then, be well!

A chief complaint of fatigue is very common in patients and when you treat stressed out corporate workers, it often goes along with the territory. I have talked about treating adrenal fatigue before and that is a big reason for fatigue but today I am going to talk about another reason for fatigue. The organ involved is called your thyroid and more specifically,  it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s disease is the name of the disease and is one big reason for fatigue in patients. It is very common in women, especially in middle age, but it can also occur in men, less commonly.

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease, more specifically, include fatigue with extreme sluggishness in the am, poor stamina, dry skin, constipation, muscle weakness, depression, loss of libido, poor cognitive function, cold intolerance, heavy menstrual periods, weight gain, hair loss, and infertility. People can sometimes present with a ‘fullness feeling’ in the throat or an actual sore throat. Some patients, if left to the extreme, will present with a goiter. The reason I bring this topic up is that it is a very common autoimmune disorder so it is wise to have it ruled out if you have chronic, unrelenting fatigue.

When most people go to their doctor to get a screen of the their thyroid function, the first test that is done is of thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH. If TSH is high (>5.0 ), typically more tests are run. When I am evaluating and testing for thyroid gland function, I run a full panel that includes testing for antibodies against the thyroid gland- TPO or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Hashimoto’s is one big reason for fatigue that can be missed, so be sure and ask your medical doctor for some additional testing if you are concerned.

Causative agents are suspected to be environmental factors such as infectious agents, environmental chemicals and pesticides, not to mention a diet that may include a lot of gluten along with many other factors. Getting off gluten is very helpful if you have Hashimoto’s as most autoimmune diseases can be aggravated and made worse from gluten intake. Nutritional deficiencies can be part of the picture and could include Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Selenium, Zinc, iodine and/or omega 3 fatty acid deficits so additional testing to uncover these may be very helpful. Additional heavy metal testing to rule out mercury or lead toxicity can sometimes be necessary when approaching any thyroid imbalance.

I use Biotherapeutic drainage to support the physiology of the thyroid gland. Organotherapy can be useful to act as a decoy to get the antibodies to attack the supplemented medicine versus the thyroid. I refer out if it is a more complicated case but often the body will respond well to comprehensive support involving natural medicine. For additional information on the thyroid gland and imbalance, check out Mark Hyman’s book, The Ultra Thyroid Solution.  Please book an appointment to discuss if you are interested in thyroid testing at Parallel Wellness in Calgary, Alberta.

The end of the year is a great time to take inventory on your health on all four levels. I have talked about the physical, the mental, and the emotional levels of health so all that is left is the spiritual. Some people are wary of the spiritual because they may have had negative associations with organized religion in the past. I grew up in a religious home and I see the spiritual side of healing as absolutely sacred and necessary for me.

Most people do not even put an emphasis on the spiritual level of health unless they have dealt with a personal crisis in some way- it may be a health challenge that drives you to seek out the spiritual- my health challenge certainly led me back to living a spirit filled life and made me feel much happier and peaceful as a result. Some people may find a financial crisis leads them back to seek out the spiritual or it might be a divorce or the death of someone they love that throws them into a existential crisis. It is usually a situation that is overwhelming to the ego in some way and makes you feel very small and powerless in comparison. You surrender to a divine presence (some people call this God or the universe-use whatever term you are comfortable with) in hopes of coming to a better understanding of your circumstance; hopefully you will receive some guidance that will light your path moving forward and allow you to come back into balance.

God is intuition talking to you. We all have an inner voice that whispers to us. The journey of faith is trusting that voice and allowing that voice to guide you. How are you feeling about your connection to your inner voice? Are you connected to your intuition? Can you start listening more to that voice and follow its lead? The way you establish a stronger connection to the spiritual level of healing is very individual. Ask your intuition which way feels right for you? I started going back to church more consistently this year. It feels like a healthy ritual for me to have.  I have connected to other friends that make their spirituality more of a priority and it feels right. This is one side of healing that is very near and dear to my heart. For you, it may be getting out into nature more; perhaps, that is where you feel more of a spiritual connection. Whatever feels right is the right way.

Meditation is a great way to commune with your soul. I do morning and evening meditations to help me stay aligned with my core God self. There are plenty of ways to meditate whether it be basic breathwork, visualizations (candle flame, chakras, rose) or guided exercises (Doreen Virtue, heartmath). The consistent checking in with yourself and establishing that connection to a higher power keeps your day to day living on a more even keel and establishes that is an important value that you have. Consistency makes it a part of your everyday core self. We all need this with the chaos that is in the world today. It is a core foundation from which to operate from.

The spiritual level of healing is tremendously important in dealing with a health challenge. Establishing a strong connection to a power higher than yourself leads you on a journey where you will confront your shadow, see and re-establish your light and love and accept yourself far more than you ever would had you not had this challenge. It will reconnect you with you, your goals, your authentic self, your values, your heart centered intentions for your life and ultimately your life purpose. I call this living in alignment. It is connecting your own personal will with divine will. It is saying ‘how can I best serve in light and love?’-God please use me. in however way you can. to help others heal on their journey. To continue this discussion and set your intentions for living a health filled life on all four levels of your being-physical, mental, emotional and spiritual-please book an appointment with me at Parallel Wellness-4032321283. Be well and be happy! Dr. Robin Vinge, N.D.