Awakened Heart Naturopathic

10/22/2025

Good day,

Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle - Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin and Chippewas of Rama First Nations invites you to a homemade cold & flu remedies Workshop. Join us for a hands-on experience led by Heather McIntyre, where you'll learn how to make traditional and natural remedies to support your wellness during cold and flu season. We will be meeting in the lower level kitchen of the building.

Making = Fire Cider Honey, Ginger Tussin and Cold Muscle Balm

When: November 17th
Location: 6036 Rama Road, Rama
(lower level kitchen of the Mnoyaawgmig building)
Time: 1pm to 3pm and 5pm to 7pm
(pick the one that works best for you)

Please find more details here to register:
https://mamaway.ca/event/natural-remedies-to-support-healthy-living/

For more information contact Bawd at belliott@banca.on.ca or Julie at julies@ramafirstnation.ca

We hope to see you t

08/18/2025

Too Much Sugar May Be Worse for Your Heart Than High Cholesterol, Study Finds

A large-scale 15-year study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has revealed that consuming high amounts of added sugar dramatically raises the risk of dying from heart disease—even for people who aren’t overweight.

Researchers found that individuals who got 25% or more of their daily calories from added sugar were over twice as likely to die from heart-related conditions compared to those who consumed less than 10%. This heightened risk was consistent regardless of weight, age, s*x, physical activity level, or cholesterol readings.

The primary source of added sugar? Sugar-sweetened beverages—including sodas and fruit drinks—which make up more than one-third of the added sugar in the average American diet. Other major contributors include desserts, candy, and sweetened cereals.

Scientists believe excess sugar may elevate blood pressure and cause the liver to release harmful fats into the bloodstream—both key contributors to cardiovascular disease.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to 6 teaspoons (100 calories) per day for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. But just one can of soda can hit—or exceed—those limits.

Experts suggest making small, sustainable swaps: opt for fruit-infused sparkling water instead of soda, and reach for naturally sweet options like whole fruit to reduce your risk of heart disease.

REFERENCE 📄
Yang Q, Zhang Z, Gregg EW, Flanders WD, Merritt R, Hu FB. Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516–524.

06/28/2025

Wet Sheet Wrap to Stimulate Whole Body Circulation

Also known as "Spanish Mantel" or "Magic Carpet", Wet Sheet Wrap is a form of hydrotherapy that has many uses in natural medicine: it can reduce fever in adults and children, help elevate the body's natural detoxification process, and increase in circulation throughout the body.

Via increased circulation, many health benefits are achieved:

Induce sweating which flushes out toxins through the skin,
facilitates movement of nutrients into cells and tissues, and
stimulates an immune response that can last 24-36 hours.

Additionally, increased circulation and the dilation of blood vessels help reduce inflammation in tissues (which research shows is an underlying factor in many illnesses).

Wet Sheet Wrap may be also useful during a flare of certain chronic illnesses, after an injury, or following surgery. Consult with your holistic physician to determine whether this treatment is suitable for your unique conditions.

Resources:

Mooventhan, A., and L. Nivethitha. "Scientific Evidence-Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body." North American Journal of Medical Sciences 6, no. 5 (May 2014): 199–209. https://doi.org/10.4103/1947-2714.132935

Medicine Talk Professional. Clinical Resources and Patient Handout. Eli Camp, ND.

05/25/2025

In this study, the biological functions of D. rotundifolia were explored in vitro following the treatment of bronchial epithelial cells, which are the potential targets of the pharmacological effects.
This study shows that Drosera can induce a change in mRNA expression that can be measured reliably and reproducibly. Low doses and homeopathic dilutions are now being investigated by means of molecular biology techniques for differential gene expression analysis and bioinformatics.
Screening in bronchial cells with RNA-seq analysis showed that low amounts of D. rotundifolia at a 3x dilution, which represents a dose commonly used in homeopathic and phytotherapeutic syrups, changed the expression of dozens of genes after 3h, and this effect was amplified after 6 h of treatment. Validation with RT-qPCR confirmed the differential expression of the genes of interest and showed that after 6 h of D. rotundifolia 3x treatment, there was an increase in mRNA expression. Since RT-qPCR sensitivity is higher than that of RNA-seq, such results support the findings of the RNA-seq analysis, suggesting that treatment with D. rotundifolia x can be followed-up by the investigation of the expression of these genes.
In our experiments, D. rotundifolia 3x did not impair cell viability or adherence, suggesting that this dilution is safe when tested directly in cell culture. The same dilution exerted a stimulatory effect on the expression of several genes,. D. rotundifolia 3x works mainly as a stimulant and not as an inhibitor of cell functions.

https://go.nature.com/3rmsN2t

05/17/2025

After 12 years of working with mothers/children, it never ceases to amaze me what a child may say during a session.

It's not a coincidence that there was a show called 😀

In sitting with a new patient yesterday, I asked a variety of questions to go beyond his chief concern to know him and his life more - one of the key principles of is to treat the whole person.

In asking about a recent experience, he shared something that may seem insignificant to others but was very meaningful to him. So meaningful that it made him weep, which leads to the topic of this post...

I'm grateful to have received the benefits of therapy over the years, where I learned the concept of INTENTION vs. IMPACT.

While we can have a certain intention when we say or do something it doesn't always mean that it will be received in alignment with the intention - ie the impact is different than the intention.

In GNM the psyche is a key factor that determines how things impact us. Each person's psyche may interpret the exact same event in a different way, which means different impacts. What you feel should be meaningful to your child may be totally different than how their psyche assesses something they hear, see or experience.

The wisdom of GNM is that even if your child has not verbalized or is even aware that some event has affected them, when symptoms arise after surprising events that is a good sign that they must have experienced some sort of emotional/biological conflict.

Having knowledge of GNM themes underlying their symptom helps bring awareness and understanding of what may have been otherwise a mystery. With the knowledge/tools of GNM you can then speak to your child and make changes in their environment to bring more safety around the type of conflict they are experiencing.

Join us May 24th to learn more about how to apply GNM tools as a caregiver to support your children.

DM to register.

04/26/2025

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12889-025-21413-3.pdf

03/13/2025

Happy Wednesday 🌟
Thanks to everyone who attended the Midland Women’s Wellness and Self-care Expo on March 1st!

Aside from connecting with old and new colleagues/friends, the highlight for me was definitely the sold out workshop I offered on ! A lively audience, many insightful questions and an eagerness to soak in the wisdom of GNM 🧽

If you are studying GNM you might agree that it is quite a bit different than any other healing system out there.  

One clear difference is that when you have symptoms it is usually a sign of HEALING not disease - there are exceptions but for the most part this generally holds true in GNM.

Another clear difference is that GNM is a natural healing system that often can be self-directed i.e. once you know your symptom, you can learn about how the science of GNM explains why THAT organ of the body was affected and what type of shock you may have experienced that you can often work with on your own.

I’m not saying to never seek advice from the health professionals in your life - that could be dangerous in some cases.

But many symptoms can be safely addressed by oneself or GNM-savvy parents.

So, I invite you to join my 4 week GNM study group series beginning March 19th in Moonstone. This series will only be offered in-person and not virtually.

Key topics we’ll cover (there will probably be others that come up through discussion):

• The scientific foundation of GNM - the 5 Biological Laws
• How to Identify Conflicts
• How to Manage Conflicts
• What are some common conflicts?
• Using GNM with Children

And most importantly, some GNM practice cases!

You have been officially invited!

Pre-registeration required.  Please DM or email to register: peterdourosnd@gmail.com

02/15/2025

Food Additives and ADHD in children

Food is a good place to start before other treatments that may carry significant risks or unknown long term risks

Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.

01/26/2025