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Dr. Natasha Turner, ND: One of Canada's Leading Naturopathic Doctors
Dr. Natasha Turner, ND, is the Clinical Director and Owner of Clear Medicine.
She is one of Canada's leading naturopathic doctors and natural health consultants, focusing on hormonal issues, weight loss and digestive concerns. Her goal is to provide the guidance and tools necessary for wellness—for life to each and every patient. To achieve this goal, Dr. Turner has created The Clear Medicine Lifestyle System, a treatment process that involves working closely
with an ND, a medical doctor and a personal trainer.
Her clinical approach has lead to her recognition as one of the world's top thyroid doctors on
http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/canada.htm.
Her passion for promoting wellness, fitness and integrated medicine makes her a sought-after speaker in both corporate and educational settings. She was a master lecturer at Le Sport resort (www.thebodyholiday.com), a past presenter at the 2006 CPTN conference and frequently speaks to corporations such as Redcliff Realty Management, Labatt Inc., ADP, Mothercraft and Ray and Bernstein for the promotion of wellness. Shows like Canada AM, The Perfect Fit, Breakfast Television, CTV News, Balance Television, Rogers TV, The Right Fit, Bodies in Motion, Toronto 1, MOJO Radio, CBC, Mix 99 and more have used her expertise to educate audiences. Print publications include Elle Magazine, Glow Magazine, Today's Parent, Lush Magazine, Alive Magazine, Post City Magazine, The National Post, Metro Magazine, Tonic Magazine, Vista, Fit Life, Cocoa, VIVA, Two – The Magazine for Couples, Canadian Business Magazine, Get Outside and several websites.
Dr. Turner is currently a proud promoter of The Simply Bar. In the past, her experience has contributed to the creation of two commercial weight loss programs and top-rated supplement formulations. As a result of these consulting positions, she has successfully helped thousands of people achieve their optimal weight and wellness goals.
Her first book,The Hormone Diet, is based on her clinical approach to creating hormonal balance to gain strength, lose fat and enjoy lasting health.
Why Weight Loss Sometimes Just Won't Happen
By Dr. Natasha Turner ND
I can remember my experience as though it happened only yesterday. Just a few months had passed since I had graduated from university in 1993. I was 22. I arrived home one day from my summer job in tears. I couldn’t think. My head was buzzing with confusion. I felt weak and feverish. I couldn't drive the car anymore. I couldn't understand people when they spoke to me. I felt overwhelmed by everything and couldn't seem to process information fast enough to make sense of anything. I thought I was going crazy and was certain I had a serious neurological disease.
Later that day, I wound up in the emergency room, where the doctors found I indeed had a fever, along with severe anemia. They told me to take some iron and to go home and rest. Well, that was about all I was capable of. I stayed in my house for days. I would wake up feeling okay but within minutes the confusion and fogginess in my head would return. I couldn't interact with anyone or even watch TV.
I knew something had been off for a few months. I needed so much sleep – over 16 hours a day. And even though I was exhausted, I forced myself to exercise because I was so incredibly frustrated with the 25 pounds I had gained – even while watching my diet and staying active.
Thank heavens the emergency room doctor who treated me at the hospital that fateful day decided to investigate further why I was so anemic and tested my TSH to rule out hypothyroidism. Days later, I received a call letting me know my TSH was over 25. Just to put that alarming number in context, a normal level is considered to be less than 4.7 (but optimal is less than 2). I was so severely hypothyroid; between it, my extremely low iron and red blood cell count, confusion was overcoming me because the rate at which my brain was functioning was even slowing down! Finally, I found out why I had been experiencing so many issues for so long. I started taking thyroid medication immediately and within a week I felt like a completely different person.
My hypothyroidism had been misdiagnosed for over 12 years. Looking back, I know I had the telltale symptoms of hypothyroidism as early as age 13. I remember waking up with my pillow covered in my hair. I always had belly fat and would never wear a two-piece bathing suit. I hated my body.
Now, I know my disease was missed because I seemed petite, even though I did have a lot of body fat. Because my weight seemed "normal," my doctors did not think of looking into my thyroid, a condition commonly found in noticeably overweight people. This was my first experience with hormones and I quickly realized how these chemicals were truly running the show – especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy body composition and weight loss.
Hormones and Weight Loss
Until now, it's believed that weight loss happens when we have a calorie deficit. Yes, weight loss can happen when we burn more calories—via exercise and basic life functions such as breathing and digesting—than we take in. But there's another absolutely critical, routinely ignored variable that must be integrated into this equation: our hormones. In fact these powerful chemical messengers control every single aspect involved in weight loss – from our appetite and our cravings, to how well we burn fat and even where we store it.
Are your hormones balanced?
Since hormones control our appetite and stimulate metabolism, achieving and maintaining hormonal balance plays an essential role in achieving lasting fat loss. No matter how an imbalance manifests on the outside, the internal reality remains the same—any and all hormonal imbalance leads to difficulty losing weight and increased risk of obesity. Weight loss and wellness are next to impossible until you bring your hormones back into balance. There are actually over 16 major hormones that impact our success!
Take the mini-hormone quiz:
| Symptom |
Y/N? |
| Sugar, starch or salt cravings |
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| Hair loss |
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| PMS (breast tenderness, bloating, mood swings, etc) |
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| Difficulty falling or staying asleep |
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| Hypoglycemia |
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| Abdominal fat |
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| Hot flashes or night sweats |
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| Memory loss |
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| Anxiety or depression |
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| Skin that has lost its lustre or tone |
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| Low libido |
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| Water retention |
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| Difficulty losing weight even with diet and exercise |
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| Fatigue |
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| Loss of motivation or drive |
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If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, hormonal imbalance is slowing or preventing your weight loss.
Restoring Hormonal Balance through The Hormone Diet Approach
The first necessary step towards hormonal balance and weight loss is to focus on the liver. Your liver influences the production of certain hormones, such as your fat-burning friend, thyroid hormone, and the breakdown of others, such as the fat-burning foe, cortisol. Your liver is also a major player in achieving hormonal balance because it controls the removal of toxins. Toxins affect many of the hormones that influence our body composition and ability to lose weight, including thyroid hormone, testosterone, estrogen, insulin, cortisol and the appetite controlling hormone leptin. A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastroenterology and Liver Physiology reported that toxins, including drugs and alcohol, can also cause abnormalities in the fat-burning pathways of the liver. This causes less fat burning, and leads to increased storage of fat in the body and possibly in our liver cells, too.
For all of these reasons and more, I have included an anti-inflammatory detox as part of the first step of The Hormone Diet. By following my simple guidelines listed here, you can successfully complete your liver detox and begin to "reset" your hormonal balance and metabolism - in just two weeks:
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Remove the foods that upset your hormones and increase fiber intake. Eliminate all inflammatory and allergenic foods including gluten containing grains, dairy, corn, red meats, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, citrus, harmful oils and peanuts. Include organic chicken, fish, cruciferous and green vegetables, berries, apples, olive oil, oats, rice, millet, eggs and herbal teas.
- Improve digestion and nutrient absorption. Sufficient stomach acid, enzymes and bile secretion are essential to prevent bloating and to aid digestion and absorption of food. If you typically wake with a flat stomach but are bloated by end of the day, include digestive enzymes with your meals to reduce these uncomfortable symptoms.
- Restore healthy bacterial balance with a high potency probiotic supplement. Bacteria in the digestive tract play a hugely important role in the breakdown of excess estrogen. Using a probiotic supplement may, therefore, help to avoid the unfavourable symptoms of excess estrogen including weight gain especially around the hips and thighs.
- Give your liver a boost. Take a herbal cleansing formula that contains milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric, artichoke and/or beet leaf each morning and evening. These herbs improve the flow of bile, aid liver function, reduce inflammation, improve estrogen and cortisol metabolism and reduce fatty liver, a factor known to accelerate aging.
Until now, the prevailing approach to conquering fat loss has been somewhat like putting a broken arm in a sling without first resetting the bone. Yes, diet and exercise are important, but the solution to enduring fat loss success influences our hormones — because these are the complex chemicals truly running the show! I encourage you to discover the rest of my complete 3-step program to restore metabolism and hormonal balance for men and women in my new book, The Hormone Diet (Random House, 2009) available through your book club. Visit www.thehormonediet.com.
Suncare with Dr. Amy Tung
Dr. Amy Tung, HBSc, ND
Dr. Amy Tung, HBSc, ND has an undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology from the University of Waterloo in 2000. Following which, she attended the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, where she completed her four years of Naturopathic Medicine and 1 year clinical internship. Dr. Tung began her private practice in 2005 in integrative medical clinics in Mississauga and Toronto. She has completed advanced studies in homotoxiocology, bowen therapy, facial acupuncture and rejuvenation, parenteral and intravenous (IV) therapy, St. John's Ambulance First Aid Health Care provider Level C and is a certified First Line Therapy (FLT) Health care practitioner. Dr. Amy Tung has been a presenter and guest speaker for corporations on the importance of health and wellness and continues to educate the public in various speaking engagements.
She is an active member of the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND), the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND), the provincial and national associations for licensed Naturopathic Doctors (ND). Dr. Tung writes monthly for this book club and looks forward to walking with you on your journey to health and wellness!
She can be contacted at: dr.amytungND@gmail.com
Sun safety – not all sunscreens are created equal
By Dr. Amy Tung, HBSc, ND
After a long Canadian winter, the warmer temperatures are a welcome sign of summer being right around the corner. With the warmer weather comes tank tops and shorts, and more time spent outdoors. Sunscreen is key to protecting our skin from the harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, not all sunscreens are created equal. Unfortunately, many sunscreens also contain undesirable chemicals like oxybenzone. Scientists from the CDC tested 2,500 people aged 6 and up and found the sunscreen component oxybenzone highly absorbable and present in the urine tests of 97% of subjects. This is a concern, because oxybenzone has been related to allergies, hormone imbalance, cellular damage and low birth weight. Oxybenzone is also a penetration enhancer, a chemical that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin. An American non-profit public health organization, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found oxybenzone in 526 sunscreens.
In 2008, the EWG updated its cosmetics database with a new investigation of nearly 1000 name-brand sunscreens available in North America. The results were disturbing. Only 14% of the 981 sunscreens reviewed, meet EWG's criteria for safe, effective protection.
The top ten sunscreens from the EWG:
- Blue Lizard (anything without oxybenzone)
- California Baby(anything with SPF 30+)
- CVS with zinc oxide
- Jason Natural Cosmetics Sunbrellas Mineral Based Sunblock
- Kiss My Face "Paraben Free" series
- NeutrogenaSensitive Skin Sunblock
- OlayDefense Daily UV Moisturizer (with zinc)
- SkinCeuticals Physical UV Defense
- Solar Sense Clear Zubc for Face
- Walgreens Zinc Oxide for Face, Nose, & Ears
Does a higher SPF mean better sun protection?
The simple answer is, no. The repeated application of sunscreen and sunblock is more important than the actual SPF number itself. Do not think that buying a higher SPF sunscreen will necessarily improve your chances of effective protection from the sun. In this in-depth study, EWG also learned that 7% of high SPF sunscreens (SPF 30 and above) protect from UVB rays (lead to sunburn) but not UVA rays (more damaging and lead to skin cell damage, aging, and potentially skin cancer).
To be an effective sunscreen, the label must state that it protects against both UVA and UVB. The key is to use a SPF of 30 and to reapply every few hours especially on areas where there is more exposure (i.e. face, ears, neck, arms, etc.) especially after coming out of the water, exercising or excessive sweating. You should look for sunscreens that contain a minimum of 7% zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Don’t forget to first apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outdoors.
Many people forget to reapply sunscreen or believe that they are using an SPF of 50 or more and therefore do not need to reapply. This is simply not wise.
How do UV rays damage the skin?
UV rays cause skin cancer by creating changes in the cells of the skin. In some cases, the UV rays cause direct damage to the cells. Tans and sunburns, for example, are both signs that UV rays have damaged the skin. In other cases, UV rays cause skin cancer indirectly, by weakening the immune mechanisms in skin and the rest of the body.
The occurrence of skin cancer has been increasing in Canada at a fairly constant rate over the past 30 years. In 2005, there were roughly 78,000 new cases of basal and squamous cell carcinomas reported in Canada, and about 4,400 new cases of malignant melanomas. The use of natural sunscreens on a regular basis is key to preventing cancers.
What is the difference between natural and chemical sunscreen?
The difference is vast. Natural sunscreens work by providing a physical barrier blocking UV rays from penetrating the skin and are made from natural ingredients (such as those containing zinc). Chemical sunscreens, such as those containing ingredients like oxybenzone, absorb UV rays and neutralize them in the skin.
There is growing concern of the harmful chemicals used in many brands of sunscreen. Chemical sunscreen agents (eg. octyl-dimethyl-PABA (OD-PABA), benzophenone-3, homosalate (HMS) and 4-Methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)) are known to disrupt hormones in the body like estrogen, as well as related to allergies, cancer, hormone disruption and low birth weight. Studies have even shown traces of these chemical sunscreens in mother’s breast milk, thus affecting babies and young children as well.
These chemical ingredients are intended to protect skin from UV rays, but the ingredients alone can be problematic. These chemicals are not readily processed or detoxified by the liver, which can mean they will store in fat tissue and accumulate in the body.
The EWG analysis found that 84 percent of 785 sunscreen products with an SPF rating of 15 or higher offer inadequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays, or contain ingredients with safety concerns. Ironically, some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals. Others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns.
Chemical sunscreens can also be irritating to the skin and toxic to the body. Natural sunscreens tend to be less irritating and less allergenic. They also have the added benefit of being made from natural ingredients such as zinc, green tea extract, olive oil or coconut oil – ingredients that are beneficial for the skin!
What about other forms of sun protection?
The most basic form of sun protection is protective clothing. Whether it's at the beach, at your children's sporting event or just going for a walk - long sleeved shirts, and broad brimmed hats, can help to avoid overexposure. Umbrellas, standing in the shade, and portable shelters are other natural ways to limit sun exposure.
Limit the amount of time that you are out in the sun, and take opportunities to stand in the shade whenever possible. Avoid the sun between 10am and 2pm when the sun rays are their highest.
Remember that 80% of UV rays can penetrate through the clouds, so you must wear protective clothing and sunscreen even when it is an overcast day.
For the safer option that is less toxic and better for our skin, the decision to use a natural sunscreen is a must. But the basics of sun safety can never be ignored. Contact your Naturopathic Doctor to find out more information and to discuss your specific health concerns.
Take a look at the EWG link and see if the sunscreen you use for your family is listed, you might be surprised to find what's inside.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/index.php
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