Confessions of a Naturopath

noun

a system or method of treating the body that employs no surgery or synthetic drugs but uses diet, herbs, vitamins, natural and non-toxic therapies to assist the natural healing process.

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Well there you have it. That’s pretty much what I do in practice. But what do I do when I’m at home and no one is watching? I mean, naturopaths are supposed to be health-freaks who eat only organic vegan diets, make all their own food from scratch, store their food in and only drink water out of glass containers, avoid sugar, gluten, dairy and soy at all costs, take tons of nutritional supplements, and only use natural beauty products from the health food store because the other stuff is too toxic and will kill you, right? Here’s the dirt. . .

1) Yes, I drink coffee.

Unless I’m doing a specific nutritional protocol to treat a condition, or especially during a Purification Program, I really really LOVE to enjoy a single cup of warm organic coffee in the morning. With so much controversy surrounding coffee, there’s enough data to support its benefits. There’s also not enough evidence to convince me that it’s hurting me, as long as I am healthy and feeling well and my labs look good.

2) I actually LIKE vegetables.

I do eat them for their nutritional content. Absolutely. But more importantly, I just really like them. They fascinate me. They come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. They grow from one teeny tiny little seed into an entire plant that produces “offspring” over and over again.

3) I probably don’t eat enough in general.

But that’s why I supplement. I’m always on-the-go, and I know it is best to eat frequently, but to be honest with you, sometimes I just don’t. Whole food supplementation works really well for me in that regard. So do whole-food shakes and smoothies containing both fruits and vegetables for a burst of nutrition.

4) I am terrible at sticking to supplement protocols.

I completely believe in and have proven their effectiveness over and over again. I strongly encourage my patients to stick to the protocols for best results. And yet I struggle to get in that 3rd dose every day. I can force myself to take them 2 times per day, but I have to be very diligent and this apparently requires quite a bit of energy for me. I used to be an excellent patient, taking my self-prescribed routine of pills and potions, but ever since I had my son (and life got a little more crazy), it just doesn’t come as easily as it once did.

5) I use beauty products that are NOT 100% natural and do come from department stores.

Why is this a big deal? Well, go to a seminar with a bunch of naturopaths, chiropractors and holistic health practitioners and when you eavesdrop on their conversations during breaks, you hear all about how this one is only using pure coconut oil on her skin and that one is washing her hair with honey and apple cider vinegar and some other one over there is now making her own lotion in order to avoid parabens and all these other chemicals. Kudos to these dedicated doctors. And I’m not being facetious. It’s actually a wise thing to do. You’d be surprised how toxic these things are that we nonchalantly slather on our bodies. I, however, have tried the “all natural” products on the market, the food-acting-as-beauty-products, and the homemade face masks, etc. But nothing works as well as some of these professional beauty product lines. I still dabble on the natural side of things, and will go au naturale when doing a Purification Program or specific protocol, but oh how I LOVE me some good alpha hydroxy acid!

6) I drink water out of plastic.

Yes, plastic leaches toxins (quite dangerous endocrine disrupting compounds) into your bottled water, especially when exposed to heat, like when you leave your bottled water in the car on a hot day. But after dropping and breaking every single glass bottle I’ve ever carried around with me, I decided it’s better to drink water out of plastic than run around all dehydrated. So that’s one of the many reasons I value my Purification Program so I can regularly cleanse as much of that out of my body as possible.

7) Gluten, dairy and sugar have been known to pass through my lips.

Naturally, I tend to feel better when I avoid this trio. There were days, long ago, when I kept an impeccably clean diet. I never cheated. Ever. And no one ever wanted to go anywhere with me or invite me over to their house because I was a huge pain and no one knew what to feed me. So again, after my son came along, it was harder and harder to keep that up. Now, I’m so much more relaxed about my diet. Not that I eat much junk, I still enjoy healthy choices. But I really can’t be bothered to make a big deal about the occasional piece of pizza or chocolate chip cookie. Soy, on the other hand, I still avoid like the plague.

And last but certainly not least. . .

8) Sometimes I HAVE to have chocolate.