We would like to introduce you to Rob Ghorbani, our new Registered Masage Therapist at the Semiahmoo Wellness Center. Rob has great hands whether it is for relaxation for muscle tension, to treat a chronic condition, or help out with recovery of an athletic injury. As an introductory special to New Patients until the end of August he is offering $15.00 off an hour massage ($80.00).
Give our office a call today at 604-535-4003, as spots will fill up fast!
Next week is National Naturopathic Medicine Week. If you have been thinking about seeing a Naturopathic Physician about your condition or just want a check up to see that you are on the right track with your health next week the Semiahmoo Wellness Center in South Surrey/White Rock is offering complimentary 15 minute consultations with Dr. Bill Russell and Dr. Justyna Sommer to first time patients. Spots will fill up fast so phone the office to book your appointment!
Spring is here and with it comes allergies and hay fever. Hallmark symptoms are uncontrollable sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose,and a maddening itchiness. Hay fever can cause headaches,an irritating cough, and can even interfere with your sleep.
Although, it is good to be able to identify what triggers your allergy or hay fever so you can minimize your exposure, it is more important to find what is causing your immune system to react the way it is.
Conventional treatments include the use of cortisone nasal sprays and anti-histamines which may help with controlling the symptoms. Why not investigate further to see what is causing your body to be out of balance or integration with the immune system. It could be a nutrient deficiency,an acupuncture meridian imbalance, a stressful or emotional issue, or a structural fault that is contributing to an immune system imbalance.
At the Semiahmoo Wellness Center we are able to assess what factors may be causing your seasonal allergy or hay fever condition. Give our office a call to make an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Physicians, either Dr. Bill or Dr. Justyna.
We are no longer only what we eat, we are also what we absorb. As we know, healthy eating and lifestyle are key in keeping our body balanced and well. However, increased nutritional demand, reduced absorption, lack of nutrition and can drastically reduce our body’s nutritional status and overall health. Increased nutritional demand can be associated with conditions such as chronic stress, insomnia, travel, pregnancy, athletic performance, viral and bacterial infections, and chronic illness. On the other hand, reduced absorption can result from a variety of common issues including acute or chronic stress, ulcers, allergies, diarrhea, constipation, inflammation (IBS, IBD, Crohn’s) and excess or deficient stomach acid.
Intravenous (IV) Vitamin & Mineral therapy is an excellent way to increase your nutritional status. IV Vitamin therapies, such as Myers’ Cocktails developed by Dr. John Myers, MD, use highly concentrated vitamin and mineral infusions that are administered intravenously. This ensures maximum absorption and delivery of nutrients at the cellular level, bypassing the digestive limitations discussed above.
Common vitamins and minerals used in Vitamin IV therapy include: Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, B complex, Magnesium and Calcium.
Intravenous (IV) Vitamin & Mineral therapy is an excellent way to increase your nutritional status. IV Vitamin therapies, such as Myers’ Cocktails developed by Dr. John Myers, MD, use highly concentrated vitamin and mineral infusions that are administered intravenously. This ensures maximum absorption and delivery of nutrients at the cellular level, bypassing the digestive limitations discussed above.
Common vitamins and minerals used in Vitamin IV therapy include: Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, B complex, Magnesium and Calcium.
IV therapy is especially useful in improving and treating conditions such as:
-colds and flus
-fatigue and high levels of stress
-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-Fibromyalgia
-allergies and hayfever
-malabsorption and digestive problems
-migraine headaches
-cancer
-cardiovascular dis.
-athletic recovery and endurance
-anti-aging
There are many different types of headaches. Although not all headaches are the same, they all share at least one thing in common — they cause pain. But many headaches also cause other unwanted symptoms, including nausea and vomiting. A person’s medical history and the frequency and severity of the headache is important in distinguishing an uncomfortable but safe headache from a more serious one.
There are many types of headaches such as tension headaches, migraines, cluster, sinus headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, intracranial related, meningitis, and toxic headaches. The majority of headaches, however painful, are short-lived and not a cause of concern. Headaches of intracranial origin and/or meningitis require immediate emergency attention. It is important to ensure that your headache is not due to a serious illness before considering the use of any complementary therapy.
At the Semiahmoo Wellness Center most of the headaches seen by the Naturopathic Physicians are due to either structural misalignment of the cranium or neck as well as muscle tension, allergies, chemical toxicity, other digestive disturbances or EMF toxicity.
Tension headaches can be a result of hypoadrenia from stress. Low adrenal function from the effects of stress on the body can lead to low blood sugar headaches or can cause ligaments to be lax which can lead to instability in the neck leading to headaches. Providing support to the adrenal glands is paramount to resolution of these type of headaches as well as spinal and /or cranial manipulation.
If you suffer from migraine headaches your diet and digestion needs to assessed along with investigation into food sensitivities and allergies.
Certain supplements can also be beneficial to those affected by headaches. These include:
If you are looking to get off the pain medications and don’t want to suffer through the pain give us a call at the Semiahmoo Wellness Center.
The general theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that bodily functions are regulated by an energy called “chi” or Qi (?) which flows through the body. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. This energy travels through meridians or channels. The use of acupuncture is an ancient traditional form of healing involving the stimulation of specific acupuncture points along these specific energy meridians or channels. These acupuncture points are likened to the circuit breakers in your house that flip when the circuit is overloaded. When the acupuncture meridians go out of balance due to diet, weather, or emotions they can short circuit and create imbalance in these acupuncture energy systems.
Using needles has been the traditional way to assist in balancing the energy meridians but there are other methods to accomplish this balancing. Cold laser is a more recent way, as well as using electro-acupuncture using micro-current technology.
In 1993, I was on a 3 week Physician Tour in China. The Tour included spending two weeks learning advanced acupuncture in a few of the hospitals of Beijing and Hangzhou. It really was an eye opener to see acupuncture in action. The response to individuals health after having acupuncture needles inserted for 30 minutes and then withdrawn was amazing. I remember on elderly man who had suffered a stroke, limping in with the use of a cane and unable to speak easily. After his 30 minute needling he walked out without the use of his cane and was conversing with his companion that had brought him. This was an amazing transition of his function that I had not experienced as a physician in North America.
One of my elderly patients ended up with a stroke several months ago when his daughter told me he was in the hospital and what more could be done for him. I mentioned that acupuncture could be very helpful for his recovery. We made arrangements with the hospital so that he could receive needle acupuncture in the hospital. The hospital staff was amazed how quickly he progressed with his post stroke recovery.
Acupuncture is not just used for pain relief. It can be used for fertility, insomnia, digestive problems, headaches, arthritis, and other health conditions. As Naturopathic Physicians both Dr. Justyna and I utilize acupuncture at the Semiahmoo Wellness Center.
The Semiahmoo Wellness Center is offering a Program for Alzheimer’s Disease prevention in White Rock.
It is with our greatest appreciation that we share this exciting news! Thank you to everyone in the community for the trust and confidence you have in our practice! 
I trust that you had a wonderful holiday season and have hit the ground running this year with new goals and fresh ambition!
January and February is the perfect time of year to clean up our diets and get back on track with our health. Christmas and New Years parties are a thing of the past and most of the cookies and chocolates are gone by now. For most of us, the holidays have left us with a few extra pounds and feeling a little slow and bloated.
It’s January 27th, How are you doing on your New Years Resolutions? Are you losing your momentum?
Whether I eat unhealthy, a little too much, or even if I eat very well, I like to begin the new year with a detox. I eat extra clean, take some probiotics and drink plenty of water.
Join me in making this year, the year that YOU, takes care of YOU! Of course anything that you do for your health is going to have a good effect on your body. More importantly, what you do for your health is going to help you be better for your family. Becoming healthier is not a physical challenge; its a mental one!
REMOVE – RESTORE – REPAIR – REPLENISH
Remove: toxins, parasites, infections and dietary allergens. They need to be safely eliminated.
Restore: the good bugs (bacteria) in your gut. They help remove toxins and help in restoration of the gut lining.
Repair: Heal the gut lining using key nutrients to repair the lining of the intestines and the mucosal cells
Replenish:enzymes to assist in digestion for optimal function of the digestive tract.
Eliminating refined foods, sugars, and alcohol are important. Eating healthy fresh organic foods. Consume at least 1/2 gallon of fresh, clean water. Eliminating artificial sweeteners and preservatives is another important step for gut health and healing.
Remember- Remove, Restore, Repair, Replenish!
INFRA-RED SAUNAS
Infra-Red Saunas are great to help in assisting the detox kick start. The rays penetrate into the tissues and stimulate the release of toxins that are stored deep within the body. Eliminating toxins from your body helps protect you from developing cancers and degenerative diseases. Once cleansed, you’ll have more energy to do the things you love to do. Saunas have shown to assist in getting rid of heavy metals in your system. Our bodies are continually interacting with heavy metals in our environment.
Your immune system also benefits from saunas. By raising your core temperature your body can fight off those nasty bacteria and viruses.
Lastly, the sauna is a good way to burn some of those calories while you relax and read or meditate.
Another year almost over! Lots of learning and a lot of changes as we move into the New Year. I was attending a seminar on ” Healthy Aging” last weekend and it sure drove home how the daily decisions we make about our food choices and health greatly impact our present and future health. One of the hot topics was Alzheimer’s Disease which is becoming quite a Global concern.
There presently are 750,000 Canadians suffering from Alzheimer’s or related conditions. Of the G 8 countries, Canada is the only country that does not have a prevention strategy. People with Alzheimer’s will double by 2033.Alzheimers is now considered to be Type 3 Diabetes. The key is to prevent it. There is a Prevention Protocol that has been developed with 14 items which we are starting to implement in our office starting December 18th. This is also a strategy that may help someone already dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. If you are interested in knowing more or want to start using this protocol phone our office to make an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Physicians.