After running a marathon, Iron Man, or any other long, strenuous event, athletes are encouraged to take some down time, also called rest. Rest is a critical part of training, allowing athletes to recover properly so they can get back to doing what they love and stay strong and competitive.
A lack of energy is one of the most common complaints among my nutrition clients.
People are struggling to meet the demands of the day, and turning to a variety of
energy drinks and others stimulants to improve their energy.
Its officially the Fall season! Kids are back to school, most people are getting back on track at work and in the home. Now is the time many of us are thinking of getting back on track with an exercise program or healthy eating plan.
Personalized medicine is the future of healthcare. More and more people are turning to genomic testing for a customized approach in addressing health concerns. We all have genetic differences, making the one size fits all model a thing of the past.Your genes are the blue print to your health.However, gene expression is influenced by your epigenetics, which includes your diet, lifestyle and the environment you live in.Establishing a nutritional supplement plan should be specific to the individual, taking into account the whole person, including their lifestyle, and genetic makeup.
It’s that time of year again… kids are preparing to return to school, and our summer energy is winding down as is the sun. We’re ready to put away our party spirit and get back onto a routine, which often involves reprioritizing our health goals!
There are trillions of bacteria living symbiotically within you, specifically within your colon — we call this the microbiome. Each person’s microbiome is unique to them; environment, genes, medication, and diet dictate what your microbiome looks like. With that in mind, it is important to curate the types and amounts of probiotics you take to suit your personalized health journey.
Summer is here in our beautiful city. This is definitely the time many of us indulge in patio drinks, sweet fruits and maybe a few more treats at summer BBQ’s. What you may not realize is these choices may increase the risk of having increased digestive problems such as gas, bloating, loose stools and constipation.
Sticking to a health plan isn’t always easy. To be perfectly honest, it doesn’t take much for me to skip a workout when I’m glued to my computer screen completing work assignments, or pick less healthy lunch items to shove down my mouth when I haven’t made the time to prep healthier ones. (Planning is key.)
Summer is finally almost here in Vancouver. Its been a cold tough winter. With the sunshine and warmer weather we can now start enjoying all the summer activities Vancouver is so well known for.
Summer is the time most people want energy! The #1 complaint of patients to their doctors is a lack of energy. There is so much we want to do, but some of us lack the energy to enjoy all these activities. In this article I will be discussing Vitamin B12 and all of its benefits, the first being increasing your energy!
Vitamin B12 performs many important functions in the body. The main source is animal foods such as beef, chicken and egg yolks. Vegetarians and Vegans are at a higher risk of becoming deficient in vitamin B12.
Stomach acid is also very important for the release of B12 from foods. People with problems of low stomach acid or those taking medications to prevent heartburn (such as antacids) may also be a higher risk of B12 deficiency. Lastly there are certain medications such as diabetes medications that can lower absorption of B12. Check with your doctor or pharmacist.
Vitamin B12 is needed for many different functions in your body. They are necessary for your body to make proteins, balance neurotransmitters in your brain, helps your body to use folic acid which is essential for proper development and for the formation of your red blood cells, reduces heart disease risk, needed for memory, helps in the breakdown of fats for energy, needed for your nerves to function properly and essential for DNA replication and repair. Vitamin B12 has a lot of very important functions!
Low energy, shortness of breath, numbness in your feet, swollen red tongue, canker sores, constipation, dizziness, irritability, memory loss, weakness, ringing in ears, floaters in the eyes, and insomnia.
If you experience some of these symptoms with fatigue have your B12 levels checked. It’s a simple blood test your doctor can order.
If you have low vitamin B12 levels there are different types of B12 to supplement with. I recommend either hydroxyB12 or methylB12 to my patients. I find these work better than cyanocobolamin.
HydroxyB12 works well for those that experience low blood pressure, dizziness on standing and feeling weak. Methyl B12 works well on those who have low energy but do not experience the other symptoms. MethylB12 is also the choice for those who have a “methylation” problem that they have discovered through genetic testing (MTHFR, MTRR).
Have your B12 levels tested. If you fall below the range or towards the lower half of the normal range consider taking B12. It may be exactly what you need to increase your energy and get ready for all summer has to offer us in this beautiful city.
For more information on B12 call us today!
Yours in health,
Dr Tasreen Alibhai, ND
The bout of heat and sunshine we’ve been enjoying is a much-welcomed sign that summer is on its way!
But with food truck festivals and craft beer markets popping up every weekend, and ice cream parlours and fish & chips stands extending their hours, there are many opportunities to indulge a little too often, and we may end up unintentionally compromising our health goals.