Healthy and Inspired Living
Dr. Aaron Christopher Hoo graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. Prior to this, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Aaron has a private medical practice in downtown Vancouver and travels across North America as a keynote speaker, educating doctors on functional medicine and clinical nutrition. In addition, he is a clinical supervisor and faculty member at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Hoo is also a medical writer for a Canadian health sciences corporation and past contributing writer with the Canadian Disability Magazine; he currently serves as a board member at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. In his spare time, he maintains a balance of spirituality and wellness through travel, regular exercise, yoga and meditation.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine investigated the possible link between the consumption of energy drinks and heart attacks. I found this article interesting as we often hear of “that young marathoner just dropped dead doing the New York marathon….” When we consider how many endurance athletes consume energy drinks to [...]
While pumpkin seeds have many beneficial functions in the body, they have gained popularity for being a good source of zinc- an important mineral to prostate health and fertility. Zinc is needed to produce sufficient and healthy sperm making it necessary for conception. Zinc is also one of the antioxidant minerals that is said to [...]
Stress is the root of many illnesses and bothersome symptoms. Everyone has stress, but it affects us differently. Stimuli (called stressors) cause the stress response to spring into action. Momentary stress can cause temporary tension or nervous energy, such as feeling wired, anxious, or hot. But a prolonged stress response can offset normal body maintenance [...]
The vegan diet is a subset of the vegetarian diet whereby any animal byproducts are avoided completely. Strict vegans extend this ideology to a philosophy and lifestyle which excludes the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Recently, investigators from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm found that a gluten free vegan diet [...]
Neural therapy is a gentle healing technique that was originally developed in Germany over 100 years ago. It involves the injection of local anesthetics into autonomic ganglia, peripheral nerves, scars, glands, acupuncture points, trigger points and other tissues. Neural therapy is based on the scientific understanding that injury and illness results in long-lasting dysfunction of [...]
Numerous articles in print and media have identified inflammation as the common denominator in today’s chronic degenerative diseases, ranging from cancer, to osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. For example, the February 23, 2004 cover of Time magazine was entitled “The Secret Killer – The Surprising Link Between Inflammation and Heart Attacks, Cancer [and] Alzheimer’s”. Furthermore, numerous [...]
Ongoing stress results in the production of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced from the adrenal glands. Cortisol mainly functions to regulate energy production and mobilization; it does so by selecting the right type and amount of macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat or protein) that is needed by the body to meet the physiological demands (eg. stress) that is [...]
In 2009, a human trial compared the effects of turmeric (Curcuma domestica) versus a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for osteoarthritis of the knee joint. This randomized controlled study examined the safety profile and clinical efficacy of Curcuma domestica extracts for pain reduction and overall functional improvement in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Subjects with a pain [...]
A recent article published in the Globe & Mail’s Health and Fitness section espoused a series of “relaxation drinks” such as ‘Slow Cow’ and ‘iChill’. For today’s fast paced environment where lunches are engulfed within minutes while driving or during a phone conversation, it would seem that the developers behind these new drinks should be [...]
Optimum nutritional habits are essential during your marathon training. Fundamental components include hydration status, carbohydrate and protein intake as well as electrolyte repletion, and joint health. To ensure proper muscle recovery post-exercise and to reduce your risk of injury, consider the following points: Restore electrolytes and water (essential electrolytes being: sodium, potassium, magnesium) in the [...]
