Dr Cynthia Hnatko, ND

12/03/2021

The holiday season often brings stress related to navigating family gatherings when there has been conflict or complicated family dynamics and issues with boundaries in the past. The last 3 episodes (47, 48 & 49) of Glennon Doyle's "We can do hard things" podcast may have some helpful tips. Plus Brene Brown and who doesn't love Brene! FYI - There is some swearing, so you are aware before playing when others are around.

‎Show We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, Ep Dr. Brené Brown: On Holding Boundaries & Facing Our Fear - Dec 1, 2021

12/02/2021

11/26/2021

Interesting article about measles. If it's too long to read - the basic idea is that measles infection attacks our immune cells and erases immune memory of any illnesses that came before it - meaning you lose your antibodies to the illnesses you have experienced in the past. Your body then has to start over making antibodies as you become exposed to illnesses again. Measles vaccine doesn't cause this issue.

Scientists have known for years that measles can alter the immune system – but the latest evidence suggests it's less of a mild tweaking, and more of a total reset.

07/11/2021

I found this article super interesting and I’m looking forward to more research in this area. Weight gain and difficulty losing weight are way more complex issues than just needing to eat less and exercise more. Obesity is often seen as a moral failing or a lack of willpower and this needs to change. https://www.wired.com/2016/12/mysterious-virus-cause-obesity/?fbclid=IwAR2-40dtGl7vS3NRzznWknsoynRz9xqqFOnOem0fLucFkeokNey-eraBJZo

Randy had always been the skinniest kid among his friends. And then he got cut by that chicken.

02/23/2021

Anyone who has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism may be interested in this podcast (or any other recent podcast by Dr Christianson on this topic). He offers a compelling argument for too much iodine being the cause of hashimoto's and other thyroid issues and reports good success with a low iodine diet in improving and often reversing thyroid conditions. Opposite to what is usually suggested! I'll be interested to see how this works with my own patients in practice and also how improvements last over the long term - whether this is just a new fad or actually a huge leap in our understanding of thyroid conditions. It's worth a listen :)

‎Show The Entrepology Podcast, Ep Body: The Biggest Breakthrough in Thyroid Science in the Last Fifty Years with Dr. Alan Christianson - Feb 1, 2021

02/10/2021

I often hear comments/see posts questioning whether the reason there have been no flu cases this year is because they are only testing for covid, not the flu. Or suggesting people with covid really just have the flu and it is causing false positive covid tests.

Between Aug 23/20 and Feb 2/21 there were 91,401 respiratory swabs tested for influenza in Alberta. That is more swabs tested per week than ever before and a 300% increase in testing compared to a typical year. Personally I feel it is far more likely that all the handwashing, distancing, masking AND very limited international travel are responsible for the lack of flu cases so far this year.

The PCR tests for covid are also testing for a genetic sequence that is specific to Covid-19, not a sequence it would have in common with influenza. False positives can happen, but they are more likely due to contamination or human errors during testing - rarely from the test itself. At the moment in Alberta, because cases are relatively low, they are actually screening nearly every sample for the variant strains and are performing full genome sequencing on many tests - which makes it even more reliable a test.

Just thought I would pass along this info for those of you who were curious about the details :)

11/06/2020

UofA is running a Covid-19 antibody study in kids ages 8-13. If anyone is interested in participating, they are still looking for more kids. They take 4 blood samples 6 months apart and ask you to complete a questionnaire each time. Kids are given $100 in gift cards as compensation. Only one child per household can participate.

04/17/2020

I don't know about you, but lately I've been feeling like the number of conspiracy theories about COVID19 are overwhelming! This blog post is more in line with my own thinking about some of what I have been seeing and includes some fact checking - mostly addressing the idea that COVID is a hoax in one way or another. Part of my perspective is informed by my past work as a nurse in hospitals and public health (which included working during SARS in Ontario, assessing people in quarantine). I don't believe my co-workers were involved in conspiracy theories and cover-ups (I certainly wasn't) - they were good people, doing the best they can with the information they had at the time - not making up numbers, falsifying data or unable to use critical thinking.

It's not meant to be a discussion of the impacts of the current approach to this virus or whether a different approach may have also been effective or less damaging, but I feel that is a deeper & more complex conversation about our values and priorities.

Long time no blog, fam! So, I had this hope that the next thing I posted here would be a grand explanation about my extended absence, all the weird stuff that’s happened over the past few yea…

04/03/2020

More on the grief so many of us are feeling. I haven’t listened to this podcast yet, but generally everything Brene Brown puts out is great :)

Grief expert David Kessler takes us by the hand and walks us into what he’s learned about love, loss, and finding meaning in personal and collective grief.

As someone who has a lot of fear about grief and grieving, this conversation is NOT what I expected. The only word I can use to describe what I learned from David is “beautiful.”

Listen to the full podcast episode and read about David's new book "Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief" at https://bit.ly/2R0qdzJ

04/03/2020

So many people are feeling the heaviness of what we are going through this week - we are grieving the loss of so many things as a result of the lockdowns and restrictions, as well as the fear of the unknown.. https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief?fbclid=IwAR1HRM99wuXPqhiQazYyc0owLPI690BmpxE4wk2Mv5QxGI5BkVrjddryXzg

03/19/2020

Dear Community,

While you read this, we hope you are finding a way to feel peaceful.

Our clinic team has made a difficult, but necessary, decision to temporarily suspend in clinic treatments due to the current COVID-19 situation. It is a quickly evolving situation and we must do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

We will not be seeing patients in person at the clinic effective Thursday afternoon, March 19, 2020. We will be closed until April 6th. We will contact you if this changes and continue to assess the situation.

To our patients that have upcoming appointments, we will be calling you directly to inform you of this change and discuss your options. Phone and video conferencing appointments are available with Dr Lena Kim, ND and Dr Cynthia Hnatko, ND.

Supplements can be provided to you through an online service, drop shipped to you or for now if you are willing to pay over the phone, have supplements given to you at the door when you come to the clinic for pickup . Please email or call True Nature Health Clinic to arrange this.

If you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out via email reception@truenaturehealth.ca. We are here for you if you need us.

Take care, stay healthy and we look forward to seeing you soon.

True Nature Health Team

03/18/2020

I am offering telemedicine visits (video or phone) in the meantime, for anyone who does not require an in person physical assessment.

CLINIC CLOSURE & FREE OFFERING - covid19 response update - https://mailchi.mp/739a5d419b06/clinic-closure-covid19-response-update