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The Acacia Integrative Health Clinic
is a team of talented health care professionals
who provide individualized, complementary and alternative health care in a team setting.
The clinic is located in Victoria, BC.
WE ARE:
Dr. Pamela Hutchison, Naturopathic Physician
Clinic Director
Dr. Amy Gilchrist, Naturopathic Physician
Director of The Family Medicine Clinic
Graham Robertson, Registered Massage Therapist
Dr. Jaime de Melo, Naturopathic Physician
Christine Selder,
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Sarah Corrin,
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Victoria Spaurel
Registered Acupuncturist
Laura Warmington
Registered Nurse
IV therapy provider
Shandria Slade
Registered Massage Therapist
Allison Heath Registered Massage Therapist
Joanne Pady
Athletic Therapist and Osteopathic Manual Pracitioner (Student)
Will Bratt
Certified Canadian Counsellor
Staff
Kalee Geurts
Karrilynn Robinson
Natalie Langdon-Wilkins
Melissa Coles
Regan Copeland
WE OFFER:
Naturopathic Medicine,
Massage Therapy,
Acupuncture,
Osteopathic Techniques,
Counselling,
Athletic Therapy,
Allergy and Sensitivity testing,
Salivary Hormone testing,
Pap smears,
HPV testing,
Hair Mineral Analysis and Heavy Metal Analysis,
Detoxification,
Botanical Medicine,
Vitamin B12 injections
B Vitamin Complex injections,
Homeopathic injections,
Screening Physical Exams,
Sublingual Immunotherapy
IV Therapy
Infrared Sauna
And more...
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Are you looking for a hormone-free form of birth control?
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We offer FemCap fitting visits to both new and existing patients. The FemCap is an award winning barrier contraceptive device that is effective, hypoallergenic, easy to use and does not interfere with breastfeeding. A FemCap fitting visit includes education on best use, pelvic exam to rule out any contraindications, fitting, and time to answer any questions you have. To find out more, about the FemCap, click on the link below: www.femcap.comCall the clinic if you have any questions or to book your session: 250-475-1522 |
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Money doesn't grow on trees!
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Did you know that most of our health care services are covered by extended health benefits?
Your employer knows that it saves them money for you to be healthy. Check your benefit booklet to see if you can be doing more, while paying less, for your health
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Greetings!
Happy New Year to you! We have a few pieces of news for you to start off this month's newsletter, then some great articles by our clinicians on minimalist running and how eating eggs is actually just fine for your heart (no really, it is!). We also have a great acupuncture promotion going on this month with 25% off acupuncture with sauna combined! (See below for details)
Clinic updates
Dr. Amy Gilchrist ND - She's Back! If you have been waiting, now is the time to book an appointment with Dr. Amy, back from maternity leave as of January 15th. A big thank-you to Dr. Shannon Sarrasin for such a great job as Amy's locum! She will be missed.
RMT News - Allison Heath's Locum
Allison Heath RMT has taken a sabbatical of sorts for January, February and part of March. While she is away we have Angela Henderson RMT providing care for her patients. Like Allison, Angela has additional training in Craniosacral Therapy as well as being a RMT.
Take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Yours in Health,
Dr. E. Pamela Hutchison ND
Clinic Director
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Minimalist Running, More than Just a Fad
Graham Robertson, RMT
|  For recreational and competitive runners, winter is a great 'off-season' where we can allow our bodies some rest by easing back the training intensity and frequency. This also makes it the perfect time for any re-education and foundation training that we might have been avoiding or waiting to do.
In recent years, there has been a large shift in the running community from the traditionally supportive and slightly more rigid footwear to a flexible, unsupported and certainly lighter running shoe. If this change of footwear was as easy as lacing-up a new set of sneakers, then there wouldn't be so much attention and debate over it. In fact, to make the shift, we need to change the way we run, walk, and even stand in an effort to retrain what our feet have forgotten over the years.
The effort of changing running styles isn't just to keep with the trendy styles of the sport, but rather can prevent injury (Daoud et al) and even help improve running economy (Perl et al) -- the efficiency of the body's use of oxygen. The big difference in how you run comes from two major changes; the first is shortening your stride length. Traditional joggers have a slow but long stride; the torso is often leaning forward, each step has the leg stretched out in front, followed by a significant heel strike, and then carrying through a long stance phase before pushing off with your toes. By keeping the weight on one foot and leg for a longer period of time the body cannot take advantage of the elastic recoil properties of the lower extremity (specifically the Achilles tendon and arches of the foot) and it ends up relying mainly on the muscles to catch, stabilize, and push-off. It is a very inefficient way to exert energy and propel your body.
Recently in a retrospective study of 54 long-distance runners, rate of repetitive strain injury was approximately double in those who rear-foot strike over those who forefoot strike. Being a low powered study, it doesn't provide definitive proof in this subject area, but will hopefully be a first in a series of larger research projects.
If you are unhappy with how your body reacts to your favorite sport or even just curious, then you might be the perfect candidate for change. I can not fit enough information in this article to give you everything you need to make this change, but I can point you in the right direction. I myself am in the midst of transitioning into a forefoot/minimal running style, and it is certainly a learning process. Every body is different, every body reacts in different ways, and every body needs to be treated with a unique and different approach. Find yours.
This is a website put out by Harvard.edu on the topic, and is authored by some of the leading North American researchers in the field. It contains information, history, videos, and tips on your transition into minimal or barefoot running. However, this website only covers the basics, and so you may need extra coaching and assistance. Victoria is ripe with athletes, coaches, and information. I hope this is the first step in the right direction towards happy, pain-free running.
Graham Robertson, RMT
Acacia Integrative health Clinic
DAOUD A., et. al.: Significant decrease of repetitive stress injuries in fore-foot strikers than in rear-foot strikers.
PERL D., et. al.: Running economy is slightly better in minimally shod runners than in traditionally supportive running shoes.
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25% off Acupuncture with Sauna
Save on acupuncture sessions this month when booked with a sauna!
|  Normally after acupuncture treatment, the patient gets dressed, settles the bill and heads out of the clinic to continue on with the day. Even with instructions to 'get up slowly' and 'come out when you're ready' from the practitioner, clients often leave a bit dazed from the endorphin-induced forced mediation of an acupuncture treatment. How about staying for a 30-45 minute infrared sauna after your acupuncture treatment? It will allow you to rouse more gently from your treatment while giving you time to sip water in a cozy, warm environment. Shower off afterward and you'll feel like you had a spa day, only healthier! For a limited time, Victoria Spaurel (our acupuncturist) is offering 25% off of the combined purchase of an acupuncture session with sauna (a $90 value for $67.50!).
Space is limited and offer expires at the end of February 2013.
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Good news about eggs and heart health!
Dr. Pamela Hutchison ND
|  February is Heart Health Month!
And everyone knows that eating eggs increases cholesterol levels and is bad for your heart right? WRONG! This is common thinking but backed up by absolutely no data. In fact a meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal this January found absolutely no correlation between eating more eggs (up to 1 per day or 7 eggs per week) and an increase in coronary artery disease or ischemic stroke. In fact, people who eat more eggs have less hemorrhagic stroke (strokes caused by the breakage of a blood vessel in the brain)! (You can read the whole study here.) Diabetics were the exception, as they did have a small increase in risk for coronary artery disease and stroke with higher intakes. Contrary to popular belief, dietary cholesterol intake has not been found to affect the levels of cholesterol in the blood stream. Dietary sugar intake has been found to increase serum triglycerides and skew serum fats, and is probably more connected to elevated cholesterol levels in the population. AND, there is little evidence that lowering cholesterol in the average person is protective to the arteries at all (that is a whole other article!) Not only are eggs an excellent source of easily digested protein, the fats in eggs are great for your brain. Your brain is a very fatty organ, and we need to feed it fat to help it stay healthy. Healthy fats like those from fish, avocados, wild meats, flax seeds, coconut, nuts, hemp hearts, and yes eggs, help keep the nerve sheaths healthy. In honour of this finding, I am posting a great egg recipe below to inspire you to have some eggs. Get Cracking! 10-minute Huevos RancherosIngredients:
2 omega-3-rich organic free-range eggs
½ can black beans, drained and mashed
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
sea salt and pepper, to taste
¼ avocado, sliced
salsa from a jar, to taste
3 TBS grated low-fat cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro, to taste
Optional: cayenne pepper
Method:
Poach eggs.
Heat beans in a skillet while eggs are cooking.
Remove beans from heat and mix in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add a pinch of cayenne for spicy beans.
Place beans on plate, top with poached eggs, avocado, salsa, cheese and cilantro.
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