Dr. Amber McKinnon ND

02/03/2023

Feeling trapped in a diagnosis that has a number of risk factors that you cannot change can feel very overwhelming. This is compounded when you are coping with pregnancy loss.

Below are a list of risk factors for pregnancy loss that you CAN change. I do want to preface this by saying that these changes may not be easy and you may need help along the way.

Modifiable risk factors for pregnancy loss:
👉🏻 Nutritional deficiencies
👉🏻 Caffeine intake (over 300mg/ day)
👉🏻 Alcohol intake
👉🏻 Smoking
👉🏻 Drug use
👉🏻 Working nightshift
👉🏻 Obesity (BMI over 30)
👉🏻 Low Weight (BMI under 18.5)
👉🏻 High stress
👉🏻 Industrial pollution and pesticide exposure

Reach out if you feel you could benefit from more support or clarity.

01/28/2023

What is a Naturopathic Doctor?

01/16/2023

A conversation I have with patients all the time is around building habits.

I almost never concerned about the things you do on occasion. I am very interested in what you do all of the time!

Building healthy habits that you do REGULARILY (i.e. daily or near to daily) WILL help you to reach your goals.

Exercising once will not help you reach your fitness goal, eating ice cream once will also not derail this same goal.

Aim to build a regular habit and take occasional breaks without the guilt.

01/13/2023

It is interesting however that the next major hormone shift that LITERALLY 1/2 OF THE HUMAN POPULATION will transition through is not nearly as well supported. Is it expected that women should just suffer through this stage of life?

My answer is NO.

Know your options. Menopause is an amazing time when women really come into their power.

Let's not continue this pattern. Women deserve better.

Let's talk.

12/23/2022

Did you know that following breast cancer can be protective for you!
When breast cancer survivors who did and did not conceive following treatment it was found that those who had a post treatment pregnancy had a 66% better rate of disease free survival and 56% overall survival rate!

Reference:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.21.00535

12/16/2022

‼️ This is a difficult to read, but so important! We all need to be aware of this and looking out for it...

Death by su***de is the #1 leading cause of death in women during pregnancy and for the year following delivery.

If there is a woman in your life that is struggling, here is what you need to know:
🤲🏻 Reaching out will not make it worse
🤲🏻 Do not judge
🤲🏻 Let the person know you care
🤲🏻 It is not your responsibility to save them
🤲🏻 There are supports and resources for help
🤲🏻 The mental health crisis line number is: 1-877-303-2642

Reference:
Reid HE, Pratt D, Edge D, Wittkowski A. Maternal Su***de Ideation and Behaviour During Pregnancy and the First Postpartum Year: A Systematic Review of Psychological and Psychosocial Risk Factors. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Mar 24;13:765118. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.765118. PMID: 35401283; PMCID: PMC8987004.

12/09/2022

If you are a breast cancer survivor and you have not had children or are considering more of course you have questions about getting pregnant after treatment.

Just last year Lambertini et. al did a systematic review and meta analysis of some key things you want to know.

Breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of the following pregnancy complications compared to non-breast cancer survivors:

🟠 caesarean section
🟡 low birth weight babies
🟢 small for gestational age babies
🔵 preterm birth
This was more apparent in women with a history of chemotherapy exposure.

They did not find any increase in risk of congenital abnormalities or reproductive complications in breast cancer survivors compared to the general public.

Reference:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.21.00535

12/03/2022

I get a lot of questions from women about post partum. When to start? What do we know about this?

The lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) can be used for those who breastfeed post partum - see my previous post for more information about this.

For women who are not breastfeeding or outside the LAM window they often look to hormonal options to prevent a pregnancy during this time. Unfortunately, we do not know a lot about contraceptive use in this period. To be clear this does not mean that it is not an option, but you should be aware of what we do and do not know when making your decision.... I feel a blog coming on, stay tuned.

In the mean time, do you have more questions about your post partum choices?

Lets talk 🤗

11/27/2022

Thank you to the AAND for the spotlight!

Meet our ND’s - Dr. Amber McKinnon, ND 🏔

Like many or even most medical professionals, from a young age, I knew I wanted to help people. This sent me on an academic mission that landed me with a specialized BSc degree in immunology and infection, an amazing research experience with the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, a publication in the academic journal “Virology”, and finally a degree in naturopathic medicine in 2010. I have been dedicated to my naturopathic medical practice since then and am incredibly grateful to all my patients and mentors for all that I have learned. 🙏

Giving back is very important to me. I have been quite involved in the naturopathic community in Alberta and abroad. I helped to found the Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors with a group of amazing and dedicated women and served on the board for a number of years. I have also consulted on other local community and health-related boards. I am currently working on a new project that I hope will be an asset to health professionals locally. I have had the privilege of lecturing at the U of A to dietetic and medical students and have volunteered at a number of job fairs promoting our wonderful vocation. I have spent time abroad helping less fortunate communities in Nicaragua and have planned a charity event locally in support of YESS. ❤️

After several years as an associate at Le Soleil, the time came when I was ready for a change. I am grateful to Le Soleil for a great learning opportunity and especially grateful to Dr. Pearman and Dr. Marsden for their kindness and friendship. I started Naturally Inclined Health in 2019 with a vision to provide a space where patients and naturopathic doctors could thrive. I have infused a lot of myself into the clinic. I am so honored to have found the people that I have to work alongside me; our team really is an incredible group of caring, committed, and knowledgeable people. Together, they have helped me to create an environment that is warm, inviting, safe, inclusive, collaborative, respectful, and healing. Creating and managing Naturally Inclined Health has allowed me to really explore and play with true entrepreneurship. This is a challenge that is very different but has parallels to, our work as naturopathic doctors. I have really come to enjoy this work. 🩺

Clinically, I have kept a general practice but have had a prenatal/pregnancy/ fertility focus. It has been my absolute pleasure to walk the line of parenthood with so many women and couples. This has been my heart for many years; the extreme highs and lows of this work continue to leave me inspired and in awe. In the coming months, I plan to explore another focus that is also near to my heart. I look forward to sharing this with our community. 🍃

To balance my clinical and business life, I spend my free time in my garden, swimming in a lake, walking the amazing Edmonton river valley, doing yoga, and hiking the amazing backcountry of the Canadian Rockies. 🧘‍♀️

Connect with Dr. McKinnon today:

💻 www.naturallyinclinedhealth.com
📱Naturally Inclined Health Dr. Amber McKinnon ND

11/27/2022

Meet our ND’s - Dr. Amber McKinnon, ND 🏔

Like many or even most medical professionals, from a young age, I knew I wanted to help people. This sent me on an academic mission that landed me with a specialized BSc degree in immunology and infection, an amazing research experience with the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, a publication in the academic journal “Virology”, and finally a degree in naturopathic medicine in 2010. I have been dedicated to my naturopathic medical practice since then and am incredibly grateful to all my patients and mentors for all that I have learned. 🙏

Giving back is very important to me. I have been quite involved in the naturopathic community in Alberta and abroad. I helped to found the Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors with a group of amazing and dedicated women and served on the board for a number of years. I have also consulted on other local community and health-related boards. I am currently working on a new project that I hope will be an asset to health professionals locally. I have had the privilege of lecturing at the U of A to dietetic and medical students and have volunteered at a number of job fairs promoting our wonderful vocation. I have spent time abroad helping less fortunate communities in Nicaragua and have planned a charity event locally in support of YESS. ❤️

After several years as an associate at Le Soleil, the time came when I was ready for a change. I am grateful to Le Soleil for a great learning opportunity and especially grateful to Dr. Pearman and Dr. Marsden for their kindness and friendship. I started Naturally Inclined Health in 2019 with a vision to provide a space where patients and naturopathic doctors could thrive. I have infused a lot of myself into the clinic. I am so honored to have found the people that I have to work alongside me; our team really is an incredible group of caring, committed, and knowledgeable people. Together, they have helped me to create an environment that is warm, inviting, safe, inclusive, collaborative, respectful, and healing. Creating and managing Naturally Inclined Health has allowed me to really explore and play with true entrepreneurship. This is a challenge that is very different but has parallels to, our work as naturopathic doctors. I have really come to enjoy this work. 🩺

Clinically, I have kept a general practice but have had a prenatal/pregnancy/ fertility focus. It has been my absolute pleasure to walk the line of parenthood with so many women and couples. This has been my heart for many years; the extreme highs and lows of this work continue to leave me inspired and in awe. In the coming months, I plan to explore another focus that is also near to my heart. I look forward to sharing this with our community. 🍃

To balance my clinical and business life, I spend my free time in my garden, swimming in a lake, walking the amazing Edmonton river valley, doing yoga, and hiking the amazing backcountry of the Canadian Rockies. 🧘‍♀️

Connect with Dr. McKinnon today:

💻 www.naturallyinclinedhealth.com
📱Naturally Inclined Health Dr. Amber McKinnon ND

11/23/2022

It was such an awesome week. Thank you 😌✨

11/16/2022

This is a heart breaking reality I have to walk far too many of my patients through. I feel like I speak from my soap box all day.... prevention is key!!

Unfortunately, it is human nature... we put it off until we can't ignore it any more.

This is my gentle reminder (from my soap box) to have a good look at your lifestyle, assess your risk, let's make a plan to mitigate it, and aim for health that will inspire others to do the same!