naturopathic news

Happy Spring! It's the time of year for new beginnings. As many of you already know, there's been a wonderful new beginning in our household. Steve and I are happy to announce that Ewan Brian Dennison was born on February 6, 2009, weighing 8 lbs 4 oz. We are having lots of fun watching him grow, and are loving every minute, even the ones that are sleep deprived! I would like to thank everyone for all of the generous gifts and well wishes we have received. It's been wonderful!

There are new beginnings happening in the clinic as well. My husband Steve's company, Dennison Homes (www.dennisonhomes.ca), has been busy expanding the Maple Shores Health Centre into part of the adjacent building space. When it is completed, we will have two additional clinic rooms in the new space. Tony Kaake has expanded his massage and osteopathic services, and will be using a second office for laser treatments. Naturopathic Doctor, Stephanie Jennings will be moving into her own office when I return from maternity leave in September. In addition, we will have an infrared sauna room for patients to use.

We also have a new member to welcome to the Maple Shores team. Nancy McDonald has joined us at the reception desk. We are sad to say good bye to Barb VanMoorsel after over two years of helping us out. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all of her hard work.

In this edition of naturopathic news, Stephanie Jennings, has contributed an article on the importance of healthy body composition to good health. There's also an article on the top ten pesticide containing foods. To close it out, I've included a delicious recipe for Power Balls  which was given to me by Betty Conlin. If anyone has any topics that they would be interested in learning more about, or a recipe they would like to share, please send it to jennifer@haesslernaturopathic.com .

So, make sure you get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather! I will definitely be out on lots of walks with Ewan, and our labradoodle, Cooper.

Jennifer Haessler
Naturopathic Doctor

Healthy Body Composition...
Essential to Good Health
By: Stephanie Jennings, ND

It is becoming increasingly evident that achieving a healthier body composition is critical to optimal health. Greater than 60% of the North American adult population is overweight and 25% are considered obese. In addition, it may be surprising to learn that people with a "healthy" weight can still have an unhealthy body composition. Excess body fat, especially if it is deposited around the abdomen, can increase disease risk at a rate similar to being overweight. An unhealthy body composition can contribute to many health problems, including metabolic syndrome, hormonal imbalance and toxicity.

Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance) affects 46% of North Americans and is characterized by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood insulin and glucose levels, waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women, waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.80 and sleep apnea. Individuals with metabolic syndrome are more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

Hormone balance is also impacted by unhealthy body composition because estrogen is produced in fat tissue. This leads to increased PMS, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breast disease, endometriosis, uterine and ovarian cancers.

Excess body fat can also lead to increased toxicity in the body, as environmental toxins are primarily fat soluble. Environmental toxins are thought to contribute to causing cancer, therefore reducing excess fat may help to lower cancer risk overall.

A healthy body composition program can reduce disease risk by targeting fat, preserving muscle mass and monitoring cellular health and fluid balance during periods of weight loss. Research has shown that healthier body composition can be achieved through regular exercise, reduced caloric intake and the use of nutritional supplementation designed to enhance insulin signalling pathways and sugar regulation.

Several simple, non-invasive methods can estimate body composition, including waist-to-hip ratio, skin-fold thickness and bioimpedance analysis (computerized analysis of body composition). For more information on bioimpedance analysis and our healthy body composition program, FirstLine Therapy, refer to the last issue of "naturopathic news" at www.haesslernaturopathic.com .

While many people are motivated to lose weight in order to look better, it's even more important to lose weight in order to be healthier. You have the power to shape your body for optimal health. Take the first step to achieving healthy body composition and have your risk factors and body composition tested regularly.


Top 10 Pesticide Containing Foods

When possible, it's a good idea to buy organic for the following foods, in order to limit your exposure to pesticides.

Strawberries
Bell peppers (green, red)
Spinach
Cherries (US)
Peaches
Cantaloupe (Mexico)
Celery
Apples
Apricots
Green Beans

Power Balls Recipe Contributed by: Betty Conlin These are so good that a 3 year old said they taste like timbits... so true, but they're much healthier! Grind each of the following separately in a coffee grinder: ½ cup Flax Seed ½ cup Sunflower Seed ½ cup Pumpkin Seed Add: 1 cup Hemp Hearts 1 cup Organic Cocoa 1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruits chopped 1 cup chopped pecans or other nuts Add to above and stir until blended: 1 cup Crunchy Almond Butter 1 cup Honey 1 tsp. Vanilla Blend and form into a large ball. Allow to rest in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before making into balls. Then roll in finely chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, etc.), if desired.

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