toxins Archives - Dr. Ashley Damm

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Category: toxins

Environmental toxins impact your hormones

July 26, 2019

Hormones, Lifestyle, toxins

10 steps to reduce your environmental toxin...

I am a naturopathic doctor with a holistic approach and a special interest in the intricacies of the human body. I strive
to understand the why behind symptom patterns as a key to understanding the best solutions and support for my patients.

(c) Dr. Ashley Damm, ND. All Rights Reserved.

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#208-888 W. 8th Ave, Vancouver BC.
V5Z 3Y1

Hours:
Sun: 8-3pm
Mon: 2-8pm
Tues: 8-12pm
Wed: 7-1pm
Thur: 2-8pm

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drashleydamm

Naturopathic doctor @acubalancewellnesscentre
📍Vancouver, BC
👩🏾‍⚕️Hormones, Digestion, IV’s and more.
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Do you feel restored after a nights sleep? . . Sle

Do you feel restored after a nights sleep? .
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Sleep is when your body repairs itself, hormones are reset, the immune system is re-balanced, our energy is restored and much more.
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It is estimated that 25% of Canadians are dissatisfied with their sleep, and between 10-15% report insomnia impacting their daily life.
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Good quality sleep should be a priority. You are not healing if you’re not sleeping.
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Some strategies to consider when optimizing sleep:
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😴Set a consistent SLEEP & WAKE schedule. Your circadian rhythm loves routine. Both bedtime and wake time should stay consistent. Ideally, be in bed before midnight. Numerous times I see patients who go to sleep between 10pm-6am (vs midnight-8am), feel MUCH more refreshed, despite both getting 8 hours.
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😴Cut caffeine 12 hours before bedtime. The half-life of caffeine is roughly 6 hours. That means 6 hours after your first cup, ½ the caffeine is still floating around in your system. If you struggle with insomnia, cut your coffee completely, OR at leave a 12-hour window. (i.e. if you’re in bed by 10 pm, no more coffee after 10 am).
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😴Cut the blue light (you know this one!). It makes a major difference. Blue light blocks melatonin production, a hormone required to initiate sleep. And consider blue-light blocking glasses throughout the day.
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😴Reflect on your day, BEFORE bed. Write it down, talk it out, but do it at some point before your head hits the pillow. .
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😴I highly encourage a either a guided meditation or deep belly breathing ritual before bed. I love @insighttimer . Meditation is a fantastic way to lower your cortisol levels, which needs to happen to have a good quality sleep.
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😴Reduce alcohol consumption. This prevents your core body temperature from becoming nice and low; which we need to get into a deep restorative sleep. .
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👩🏾‍⚕️If you’ve tried all these, might time to get some additional support.
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#sleep #insomnia #productivity #fatigue #burnout #healthandwellness #health #naturopathicmedicine #functionalmedicine #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

Allergy season prep. 🌸🤧 . Spring is just aro

Allergy season prep. 🌸🤧
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Spring is just around the corner. That means it’s time to get ahead of your allergies. .
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I personally don’t love taking antihistamines throughout the allergy season. I find they dry out my skin, and give me nose bleeds. And the natural treatments work well. .
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These are my top 5 allergy supporting strategies:
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🌸Custom herbal tincture: Herbs are fantastic for calming down histamine, supporting the immune system and encouraging healthy lymph flow. My fav blend includes stinging nettle, reishi, cleavers, pokeroot, and Schisandra. .
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🌸NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) -this is a potent antioxidant and wonderful at breaking up nasal congestion. .
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🌸Vitamin C, magnesium and Vitamin B6 - cofactors used in histamine clearance.
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🌸Avoid inflammatory foods: wheat and dairy. If you suffer from allergies, your immune is ON. And you want to do everything you can to limit its activation. Gut inflammation is a major source of generalized inflammation. I see wheat and dairy be major sources of aggravation when it comes to allergies.
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🌸Hepa Filters - to minimize airborne pollutants in your living space. This one was a major game-changer for me.
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These strategies work best if you start 4-6 weeks LEADING up to peak allergy season, so nows the perfect time to get started.
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👩🏾‍⚕️: Info for education only, always consult your health care provider.
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#allergies #allergyseason #natural #healthandwellness #spring #vitaminc #inflammation #antihistamines #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

A 7-day experiment. . This year one of our new yea

A 7-day experiment.
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This year one of our new years resolutions was to cut back on mindless Netflix time. We were guilty of coming home after work, making dinner and then flopping and watching various shows. It was easy, it was mindless. .
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I craved more purpose and I knew this wasn’t adding any value to my life.
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So I proposed, starting Jan, the first 7 days of each month we go Netlfix-free. (We don’t have cable, so what this really meant was no TV).
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The first 7 days were incredibly difficult, more so than I imagined. I felt restless, I could not shut my mind off. I felt anxious, which was a new feeling for me. And this was very surprising.
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I took to journaling, much more frequently than I normally do. In those 7 days we learned to slow down, and we accomplished so much more (new books, walks, new recipes, paintings), Additionally, my sleep and energy improved dramatically. .
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And then the 7 days were up, and we turned on Netflix, and couldn’t find anything to watch and turned it off. And since then our Netflix time has dramatically decreased. And when the next 7 days at the start of February began, it was easy. We still enjoy Netflix, but now we’re more mindful; only watching what we find interesting.
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There are so many distractions around us. So many devices, apps etc keeping us from being present in our day. And distracting us from processing deeper things that may be going on. .
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It’s also having a physical impact on our body - impacting our stress system, circadian rhythm and so much more. Sometimes you gotta go cold turkey to recognize the impact these crutches are having 🦃
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How much does screen time influence your day-to-day? .
📷: evenings with my fur baby 😺
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#sleep #health #healthandwellness #bluelight #bluelightexposure #stress #cortisol #stress #screentime #dailydistractions #wellness #selfcare #naturopthicmedicine #functionalmedicine #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouer

Are you in tune with your stress? How does it pres

Are you in tune with your stress? How does it present in you? .
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Shoulder tension? Worry? Irritability? Insomnia? Cold or flu? Loose stools? .
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And what do you do about it? Do you allow yourself to take a break?
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I see a lot of busy people in my practice. Work extends hours longer than the typical day, lunch breaks are either shortened or non-existent and “coffee breaks” are unheard of. .
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While I admire the hustle and passion, your body needs rest. It needs time to decompress and heal. .
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It can be difficult to recognize stress. And it can be a difficult thing to change our behaviors around stress. .
For tonight, I invite you to reflect on two things:
1️⃣Think about how stress presents in you physically. I find this is the easiest place to start.
2️⃣Make note of what you’re doing for YOURSELF this week which helps ease your stress.
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📷: nature time - my fav way to ease my stress. .
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#stress #vancity #selfcare #productivity #corporatelife #corporaterwellness #naturecure #boundaries #functionalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #yvr #vancity #explorebc #naturopathvancouver

Happy Love Day. . Whether it’s self-love, love f

Happy Love Day.
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Whether it’s self-love, love for others, love for your furbabies, love for the earth - spread a little extra today 🧡
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#loveday #valentines #self-love #earthlove #catlove #yvr

This grey weather has me dreaming of the sun ☀️ .
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Speaking of sun, I’ve been seeing some really low levels of Vitamin D! Have you had your levels tested? .
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Health Canada recommends between 400-800IUs per day of Vitamin D supplementation. I have seen very low levels of Vitamin despite supplementation at this dose, which is why I recommend testing.
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Vitamin D testing allows us to determine the correct dose for YOU and allows you to reach the optimal levels quicker.
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Some people have a poor time ABSORBING their oral Vitamin D supplement. That means they’re taking their daily Vitamin D, but not increasing their levels. .
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In this case, monitoring Vitamin D levels not only tells us if you’re at the right dose but also if you’re administering Vitamin D the best way for you. Perhaps Vitamin D injections are a better route for you.
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Vitamin D is important for: ☀️Bone & teeth health
☀️Fertility
☀️Hormone health
☀️Immune health
☀️Pregnancy
☀️Mental health
☀️And SO much more.
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#vitamind #sunshine #SAD #seasonalaffectivedisorder #functionaltesting #fertiltiy #womanshealth #pregnancy #osteoporosis #nutrition #functionalmedicine #integrativemedicine #naturopathicmedicine #naturopathvancouver

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