Dr. Amanda Milliquet, Naturopathic Doctor

02/19/2021

Hi Everyone! I am unable to change my last name on here, so I made a new business page :) Please 'like' it to keep receiving my posts! https://www.facebook.com/drswinden

Naturopathic doctor focusing in women's health and performance in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

12/14/2020

Trying to do as much of this as I possibly can the next seven days. ❤️
In the grand scheme of life, four weeks is really not that long. But I’m absolutely dreading not being able to pick up Apollo and play with him like this at such a fun age. 😔
There really was no “good” time to schedule shoulder surgery, so I went with the first available appointment...but now I’m feeling like I’m going to miss out on his last moments of truly being a baby. 😩
I’m posting about this because sometimes I’m guilty of only sharing the good things going on in my life. My problems are small, but I don’t want to give anyone the impression that my life is all rainbows and butterflies. I want my small army of followers to know that what I share is my REAL life. 🥰

12/10/2020

to graduating from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, five and a half years ago! 😧
Going through this program drastically changed the way I view the world and the way I make decisions. I not only practice according to the principles of naturopathic medicine, I LIVE by them. 😊
First, do no harm 🙅🏻‍♀️
Utilize the healing power of nature 🌱
Identify and treat the ROOT causes 🧐
Doctor as teacher 👩🏻‍🏫
Treat the WHOLE person 🧍🏻‍♀️
Practice and teach PREVENTION 👌
Lately I have been trying to apply these principles to our current situation. How can I, first and foremost, do no harm? 🤔
I’ve been struggling to answer this. I understand the goal of the recommendations being given to us, we need to protect the vulnerable. What I question is the lack of consideration for the long list of harm we are doing to everyone/everything else (mental health consequences, increased rates of su***de, increased domestic violence, loss of employment, detriments due to excessive hygiene, etc.) 😔
I find it very hard to believe that we are intelligent enough to send people to the moon, yet we cannot figure out a better solution than the ones we’re currently being forced to use. 😏
These are just some of my thoughts and concerns and questions - I would love to know yours! 👇🏻

12/09/2020

As I prepare for my upcoming surgery, and as some of my patients are waiting and preparing for theirs, I am reminded of the fact that WE are responsible for our OWN health. Surgery could be helpful, a pill could be helpful, a vaccine could be helpful, but that doesn't mean you don't have to put in the work to get the most our of these therapies. 😏
For mine and my patients’ surgery to be the most effectIve, we need to be diligent with pre-hab and re-hab. We need to support our bodies with adequate micro and macronutrients, we need to prioritize sleep, we need to have patience, and we need to recognize our limitations and ask for help. 😑
For my patients I see in-office, they are the seekers. They are the ones looking for answers and alternatives. They are the ones who recognize the work they need to do and do it. I may be there to guide them in the right direction, but they are the ones in the driver's seat, and I want you all to know that YOU are too! 🤗

12/07/2020

My shoulder surgery is two weeks from today and I am super excited! Being in a sling, and not being able to work or pick up Apollo for a month will suck, and I know the recovery process is going to take a lot of time and dedication, but it will all be worth it 😊
I don’t “need” to be able to do muscle ups again, but I really want to! They’re fun and challenging and allow me to participate in the occasional competition. 🙂
I was looking back at some old videos today, using them as motivation to be more diligent with pre-hab, so that I set myself up for as speedy of a recovery as possible! I can’t rely on the surgeon to do my healing for me, obtaining proper biomechanics and making sure my terrain is optimal is just as important! 😉

12/04/2020

Thinking about this maple leaf and what it represents. I've always been very proud to be Canadian, and I still am, but with everything going on in the world, I've started to question the systems I've always assumed were "the best”. 🧐
An article written by one of my professors from naturopathic medical school, summarized and explained so well what I haven't been able to put into words. Comparing 'square' and 'circular' systems. I'll try to summarize some main points:
The term square is used to describe the economic, environmental and social organization established by dominant Eurocentric world-views. Square systems follow linear principles and display linear patterns and can only function through principles of competition and oppression. 😔
Circular systems are more complex and relationship-based, characterized by reinforcing and balancing loops where an action in one part will result in changes throughout the entire system. Other words to describe circular systems are self-organized, decentralized, and interconnected. 🔗
When we consider the fact that Indigenous ways of living have always been circular, it becomes more apparent how much the Eurocentric world-views are far from superior, and colonial imperialism was maybe one of the worst things to happen to planet earth. 🌎
What does this have to do with our current situation? Well...everything. If we dig deep enough, we can see how reductionist ways of thinking got us where we are now, but is not going to get us out. We've separated human health from everything else, and the consequences have been devastating. 😐
I know we are extremely far off from changing the systems this country and many others operate on, but we can at least start having conversations. Doing more of the same is only going to get us the same results. 😏

12/03/2020

Most people laughed at us when we said we were going to be using cloth diapers for Apollo. They said things like, “you’ll last one month”, “the beginning is really, really messy”, “that’s so much work”, “goooood luck”, “you’re crazy”, and “don’t do it!” 😏
Well, we’re five months in and still going strong with cloth diapers! 😃
I appreciated everyone’s concern, and would try to educate them on my reasons for choosing cloth:
✔️ save A LOT of money
✔️ much cuter looking than disposables
✔️ no weird toxic chemicals smothering my baby’s ge****ls
✔️ WAY better for the environment
The last two reasons are the most important, and are very in line with my values. 😊
My last post discussed the concept of One Health, (if you missed it check it out), and how our human health is connected to the health of the environment (and wildlife). There are a lot of modern conveniences available to us, many of which are affecting our health and the environment’s health in negative ways (eg. pre-packaged food). 🍬
There is a lot of work we need to do to reverse the damage we’ve done to Mother Earth. Cloth diapers is one small thing Jamie and I are doing to contribute. 💩
Here are some disposable diaper stats for anyone on the fence about cloth:
- an estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used every year in America, which end up in landfills 😔
- by the time a baby is two and half, parents will have spent roughly $2500 on disposable diapers 😳
- disposable diapers are made of a petroleum-based plastic shell, along with other endocrine-disrupting chemicals for the inner lining 😬
If you have questions about cloth diapers, let me know! I did a lot of research before making this decision 🤓

11/29/2020

If we think about this idea of One Health; that our human health is linked to wildlife and environmental health, then we can appreciate that this pandemic has not been all bad. 😊
In the words of ecologist Dan Salkeld, "As the lockdown has quashed travel and business, we have observed new trajectories of air quality (including pollution emissions), mass tourism, and wildlife behaviour. We have glimpsed the dramatic impacts on environmental health that are achievable if we modify our actions." 🤓
Air quality affects our health, the health of wildlife, and the health of the environment. This is just one example, but it's very impactful. 😏
Rather than constantly complaining about the pandemic, I have been trying to think deeply about it. How did we get here? What are the lessons we need to learn? What changes can I personally make to assist in the recovery?🤔
Perhaps we all needed something drastic such as a world-wide pandemic to open our eyes to major issues we have the ability to solve; disrespect for our environment and wildlife, injustice of BIPOC, and disproportionate wealth, to name a few. 😔
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I think we all need to start thinking differently. These are some of my thoughts to stir up some conversation! 🙃
What are you thoughts? What realizations have you made? I'd love to hear! 😀
PS. I've linked the article quoted in my bio if you want to read it (it's short). 😉

11/28/2020

Back in 2010 I travelled to Honduras with a group of people from Windsor, Ontario, (where I was living at the time), to build and install water filters in rural villages, as part of a mission called ‘Turn on the Tap’.
I looked back at these pictures today because I’ve been thinking about the people I met there, the villages I visited, and what I learned from this experience.
I’ve been having similar realizations now, as I did back then. I’m realizing that the problems we’re facing are so much deeper than a virus.
Just because I’m white and educated and taught to follow clear instructions made by other white, educated individuals, does not mean I, or the people in power that I’m obliged to follow, know it all or have the best solutions.
It’s hard to put it all into words, but I’m going to do my best over my next few posts!
I will start with what I learned from the communities in rural Honduras, and what I am re-learning during this seemingly never ending pandemic: we don’t need much, but we do need each other, because we share so much more than germs ❤️

11/26/2020

PROS and CONS of being a naturopathic doctor:
CONS:
- people will ask you if you're a 'real doctor'
- the public generally has no idea what you do
- the ones who think they know, consider you a glorified nutritionist
- you get asked if you are a vegetarian quite frequently
- after explaining what it is you do, questions such as, "what is a natural supplement I can take for XYZ?" will be asked
- many other health professionals believe you practice pseudoscience
- your medical degree gets confused with some sort of religious certification, as if naturopathic medicine is a belief system
- you will be in some serious student debt after graduating
- you will have to figure out how to run a business
- you will have to market yourself, but be very restricted in how you do so
PROS:
- you have the luxury of time with your patients
- your scope of practice is very large
- you can make your own schedule
- you can tell people you own a giant cauldron where you mix your potions, and they will believe you
- you are able to get to the root cause of your patient's symptoms
- you have the skills to help people, no matter where they are on the disease-health-fitness spectrum
- you can use your skills and knowledge on yourself to feel absolutely incredible (even while working full time 2 months after having a baby!)
- you learn about trendy treatments way before they become trendy
- you gain an incredible appreciation for the human body and it's ability to heal itself
- you use therapies that do not have weird side effects
- you catch minor health concerns before they become major health concerns
- you get to be part of the past and the future of medicine
- you can do fun things like lab tests, IV's, injections, ozone, acupuncture, and minor surgery
- you get to run your own business
- you get to market yourself
- you get to have the most rewarding and fulfilling career there is!

11/24/2020

I’ve been thinking a lot about immunology lately, and about how the solutions we are implementing do not make a lot of sense with how we know immunity works. 🧐
I encourage you to read the entire article this quote that I’ve posted is from. The link is in my bio. 🔗
We shouldn’t be afraid. We should respond rationally: protect the vulnerable and treat the people who get infected compassionately. But let’s also make sure the cure does not end up being worse than the disease. ✌️

11/19/2020

I just discovered last night while writing a blog article for that there is some evidence that suggests taking collagen just 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 a workout is helpful for tendon health. 😃
I'd like to say that this picture is me tossing back some collagen protein pre-workout, but I'd be lying. This picture is from two years ago and I honestly can't remember what I'm actually drinking...but it seemed like an appropriate photo for this post. 😜
It appears that it's beneficial to have higher levels of glycine (the main amino acid of collagen protein) in the blood stream, and 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 increase blood flow to the tissue via exercise! 🙂
I usually add collagen protein to my whey isolate protein post-workout, but after discovering this new information, I'm switching things up! My tendons and ligaments certainly need all the help they can get, and I can say the same for a lot of the patients and athletes I've coached/worked with over the years! 😉
PMID: 27852613