Field Notes from Fifty-Five Fruit Street #6.  Context Dependent

Field Notes from Fifty-Five Fruit Street #6. Context Dependent

In our family’s work, each of us is involved with team building and creating unified efforts with articulated goals across our chosen areas of expertise — medicine and healing, the arts, technology, and sports. One thing we all appreciate is that most everything in...

Field Notes from Fifty-Five Fruit Street #5. Shower

Field Notes from Fifty-Five Fruit Street #5. Shower

In 1986 when Paul and I honeymoon in the North Cascades, neither of us is an experienced backpacker. On one leg of our journey, we arrive at Nancy Lake, at the far end of Lake Chelan at an exquisite campground along the water. After being in the woods and carrying...

How to Create a New Habit?

How to Create a New Habit?

How do you start a new habit? One idea is to connect to something you already do. This week I had a follow up visit with a patient I am treating for GERD and anxiety. One piece of my recommendations asked her to integrate 5 minutes of deep, focused, full-belly...

Allergies are Ruining My Life!

Allergies are Ruining My Life!

We have more and more patients in our practice who are suffering with seasonal allergies for longer and longer periods of time. It’s hard to know if global warming is impacting this or if the general state of people’s immune systems is getting more and more out of...

Emerging Well from COVID-19. Build Back Better

Emerging Well from COVID-19. Build Back Better

There are so many ways that COVID-19 made and is still making us sick. For those who did not start out healthy when the pandemic caught us all by surprise, now is the time to adopt life-long habits that lead to better health. To borrow a line from the current...

Hypertension Drugs Recalled Due to Possible Carcinogenic Contaminant

Hypertension Drugs Recalled Due to Possible Carcinogenic Contaminant

This week Pfizer Inc. recalled a blood pressure drug when elevated levels of nitrosamine, a potential carcinogen, was found in some of its products. Several lots of Accuretic, Quinapril and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets were found to be impure. While nitrosamines are...

Food Matters: Mental Health and Our Kids

Food Matters: Mental Health and Our Kids

As a doctor who likes to keep up on research, I am sometimes struck by the kinds of things we are studying. Before naturopathic medical school, I had a paid internship in a research lab. My job was in part, to walk pregnant pygmy goats on a treadmill, I kid you not,...

Ask Dr. Amy: Seasonal Allergies in Children

Ask Dr. Amy: Seasonal Allergies in Children

A parent, frustrated with her daughter’s seasonal allergies, asks Dr. Amy if there are natural solutions to reduce the risk of recurrence. Dr. Amy reviews household cleaning and prevention ideas, as well as how a licensed naturopathic physician might address seasonal...