Do it yourself Archives - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

How to Help Picky Eaters Pick Healthy Options

March 17, 2015 by elisha

Trying to encourage your child to try something new that is beneficial for their health can be a chore-some task that can lead to arguments and even tantrums. Here are some tips and tricks to help your picky eaters pick the right foods.

Plan Meals Together

Planning meals as a family can be a great way to help each member of your family to get the foods that they want, and encourage cooperation with the meals that are chosen. This does not mean your child gets to pick the meal every day and that you have to eat pizza every day. For example, maybe your child gets to choose what meal you guys make on Wednesdays. If your child chooses pizza, then they have to choose at least 3 vegetables that go on the pizza, or choose 2 veggies as sides for that meal. By giving your child choices, it may help with cooperation, as well as allow them to feel heard.

Make Meals Together

Though this is not always possible, having as many meals as possible where your child is helping prepare it gives them pride in what they are doing as well as encourages them to eat it because after all they did make it. This should be done with caution – for example – do not give a young child a knife to cut veggies. It can be something as simple as, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of corn, then let your child add it to the mixture.

Eat Together

Once again, this is not always possible with busy schedules, but whenever possible, eat together. By eating together, your child sees that everyone else is eating the same thing, and so, might be more willing to eat the food that is put in front of them.

Make Food Fun

Arranging meals on plates into fun shapes or designs can make meal – time fun. This does not take a lot of artistic capacity, but can be something as simple as making a smiley face on the plate.

Use Colourful Plates and Dishes

Using colourful plates and dishes can be effective in encourage children to eat the particular food in that dish.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Top 5 Herbal Teas to Keep at Home

December 16, 2014 by elisha

Herbal teas are great not only for their relaxing capacity, but also for their medicinal benefit. Having teas available at home for some common ailments provides a convenient way to have some home treatments, but also to save money and time. The following is a list of a few teas I have at home, that I have found to be beneficial with some common ailments.

Echinacea

Echinacea is a great tea to keep at home when you feel like you might be coming down with a cold, or just feel the need to “boost” your immune system. It has the most benefits when it is taken right when you start to feel like you might be coming down with something. A great addition to this tea when you are trying to fight that cold is honey for its bacterial fighting capabilities!

Chamomile

Chamomile is a nice tea to have at home for several reasons. Firstly, chamomile can be beneficial when you have an upset stomach, difficulty digesting food, constipation, or any other difficulties with your gastrointestinal tract. Its calming properties make it beneficial for soothing the gastrointestinal system as well as calming the mind. Specifically, chamomile can be beneficial if you are having a difficult time sleeping. Taking a cup of chamomile before bed might help to prepare your mind and body for sleep.

Green Tea

I am sure many of you were anticipating this tea being on the list due to all of the hype that this tea often gets. All hype aside, this tea is great for many different circumstances based on its components helping to fight infections, stimulate the mind, and promote health. Green tea helps to kill off infective agents that might be attacking the body, and so is also beneficial when you feel a cold coming on. Green tea also has the unique ability of helping one to regain focus and attention without being as stimulating as coffee. Finally, green tea has many antioxidants making it beneficial for overall health.

Raspberry

Raspberry Leaf is a great tea for females to have on hand, especially when Mother Nature makes her monthly visits. Raspberry leaf tea can be helpful when experiencing cramping from your menstrual period.

Nettle

Nettle is a great addition to your tea pantry for several reasons. Nettle is able to help “clean” the blood, making it beneficial for acne. For this reason, Nettle tea is also beneficial for helping those who suffer from allergies. As well, Nettle is a herb that has been promoted as a “male tonic”.

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Home – Made Roller For Muscle Pain

November 19, 2014November 18, 2014 by elisha

As most of you may know, I am one of those people that likes to be creative. What I mean by this is, if I can make it at home, why go buy it from the store. As a result, when it was recommended for me to use a roller for neck tension, I sought out another means to accomplish the task without having to purchase an expensive roller. I was able to make one at home using only a couple of materials, and have found that I have received benefit from my make-shift roller. But before I give you the instructions on how to make one from scratch, here is some back ground information on “Rollers”.

Background

Foam rolling is a form of “soft – tissue” or “myo-fasical” release. In short, it helps your muscles to relax. In some individuals who experience chronic pain, one of the sources of that pain can be due to tight muscles. Rollers can provide a way for muscles to relax (and thus reduce pain), and also is beneficial for:

Breaking up adhesions
Delaying onset of muscle soreness
Quicker post – workout recovery
Increased flexibility and range of motion
Improve arterial functioning
Decrease pain

If your health care provider has recommended a roller for you, you might also be able to make one at home (as these can sometimes be quite costly). As a result, the following presents how to make a roller at home.

Materials Needed

1 sock – preferably longer than an ankle sock and free of holes.
2 tennis balls of equal size

Instructions

Take the two tennis balls and place them in the sock so that they are side-by-side.
Tie a knot at the end of the sock that is open so the tennis balls stay in the sock.
Make sure that the balls cannot move around in the sock easily.

And that’s it! Based on your particular case, this may be enough or not enough to achieve the benefits of a roller. Therefore, you should discuss with your health care provider if this approach is enough to achieve the benefits of a roller.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Fighting the Cold

November 11, 2014 by elisha

It’s that time of year again. Time for increased Kleenex use, coughs, and colds. Though the common cold is minor in the grand scheme of conditions one can be affected by, it can be uncomfortable and frankly unwelcome. Here are some ideas on how you can arm your body to effectively fight the cold:

Wet Socks

“Wet socks” sound strange, but are a great way to help the body fight off the cold and to alleviate some of the symptoms of the cold. “Wet Socks” involve putting on a pair of socks that are run under cold water (and rung out), followed by putting on a pair of wool socks over top. It causes one’s circulation and lymphatics to get shocked into action, thus causing good nutrients to flow to the organs that need it, and eventually causing toxins to be released and disposed of. By morning, your socks will be dry, hence why some like to call “wet socks”, “magic socks” (which is a great way to convince children to try it). For instructions and rationale behind “wet socks” refer to my handouts page.

Castor Oil Rubs

Castor oil rubs are a great way to bring comfort to someone experiencing a cold, and bring down any inflammation. Castor oil can be applied to the chest, neck, and face, and heat can be applied by a hot water bottle to the chest over top to help bring some comfort during the cold.

Honey

Honey is a great addition to those warm teas that we tend to gravitate towards during colds. Honey has many properties in it that help fight infections and relieve coughing. You might be saying to yourself, I thought I was supposed to stay away from sugar during a cold? This is true, but honey’s cold fighting properties outweigh the negative impact that sugar tends to have on a cold. One concern that should be noted for parents is that honey should not be used in children under the age of 1.

Steam inhalation

Steam inhalations are a great way to relieve congestion, and can be a way to get beneficial nutrients and substances into the body in order to help with fighting off the cold. Steam inhalation can be as simple as having a warm shower. The heat from either a steam inhalation or a warm shower causes an opening of the airways, allowing ease in breathing. In addition, bacteria fighting herbs can be added to steam inhalations for added infection fighting capabilities! For instructions, rationale, and cautions on steam inhalation refer to my handouts page of my website.

Eat More Warming Foods and Spices

Not only do warming foods like soups and broths act as comfort food during a cold, but they are also helpful. Warming foods and spices can have the effect of keeping us comfortable, opening airways, and heating our bodies up so we can fight the cold.

Rest

Rest is one of the most important things we can do for our body. In order to heal, our bodies need rest, so energy can be focus its efforts on fighting off the cold. Some might even go on to argue that we have gotten sick because our body is telling us that we need rest and is thus forcing us to do so.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.