Dr. Alexandra Verge, ND - Kura Clinic

Dr. Alexandra Verge, ND - Kura Clinic Naturopathic Doctor serving Guelph for over 20 years - with a passion for integrative heart health.

Let’s bring women’s heart health home with a reframe …💪🏻 Prevention isn’t restriction. It’s protection.Here are 6 ways t...
02/27/2026

Let’s bring women’s heart health home with a reframe …

💪🏻 Prevention isn’t restriction. It’s protection.

Here are 6 ways to care for your heart today — beyond just “eating healthy”:
Move in ways that light you up (joy = sustainability)
Set boundaries (with people, screens, and stress)
Prioritize sleep like a prescription (time and quality)
Track your data (aka ) - lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, inflammatory markers
Ask for help - caregiving without support is a hidden burden on women’s hearts
Connect - community is good for the heart and soul

Centre yourself. Self-care is heart-care.

Which one speaks to you most right now? Or what would you add to this list?

These posts reflect cardiovascular health data specific to AFAB individuals. While I use the term “women” in line with current research, my care and content are for everyone who needs it.

🧡

When we think “heart disease,” most people picture blocked arteries and heart attacks. But for women, heart disease can ...
02/23/2026

When we think “heart disease,” most people picture blocked arteries and heart attacks. But for women, heart disease can look and act very differently.

Here are a few conditions more common in women than men:

💔 SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection): A tear in the artery wall - often in younger women with no classic risk factors.

💥 Coronary vasospasm: Sudden narrowing of arteries that can mimic a heart attack but is often missed since it often (but not always) leaves no sign behind

🩸 Microvascular dysfunction: Disease in the small vessels, not the big ones — which means it’s often invisible on standard tests.

💓 Stress cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo): A surge of stress hormones literally breaking the heart.

🤰 Peripartum cardiomyopathy: A rare but serious form of heart failure that can show up during or after pregnancy.

✨ These are real, under-recognized, and frequently underdiagnosed.

📌 If you’ve ever had chest symptoms dismissed, or been told your tests were “normal” while you still didn’t feel right — this is your reminder to keep asking.

❤️ Save this. Share it. You never know when it might come in handy.

These posts reflect cardiovascular health data specific to AFAB individuals. While I use the term “women” in line with current research, my care and content are for everyone who needs it.

As women, our personal risk for heart disease isn’t just about cholesterol, blood pressure, or genetics.Sex-specific ris...
02/20/2026

As women, our personal risk for heart disease isn’t just about cholesterol, blood pressure, or genetics.

Sex-specific risks might include:

⌛️Hormonal shifts (like early menopause)
🤰 Pregnancy complications (like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes)
🦋 Autoimmune conditions (like RA or lupus)
🌪️ Chronic stress or trauma

🌿 As a heart-health-focused clinician, I believe in risk assessments that consider your whole story.

If you’ve ever been told “everything looks fine” but no one has dug any deeper, you’re not alone. Let’s get curious, not dismissed.

🧡 What’s one thing you’d love to better understand about your heart health?

These posts reflect cardiovascular health data specific to AFAB individuals. While I use the term “women” in line with current research, my care and content are for everyone who needs it.

Heart attack symptoms are not recognized in over 50% of women despite commonly including chest pain. 🫠Women are more lik...
02/16/2026

Heart attack symptoms are not recognized in over 50% of women despite commonly including chest pain. 🫠

Women are more likely to have 3 or more symptoms (on top of chest pain)!

These can include:
✨ Unusual weakness or fatigue
✨ Nausea or stomach discomfort
✨ Dizziness, anxiety, sleep disruption
✨ Pain in the back, shoulder, or jaw

👉🏼 That’s why women’s heart symptoms are frequently dismissed even by themselves.

Too many times I’ve seen women ignore subtle signs because they “don’t want to be dramatic.” Your symptoms are valid.

📌 If you’re hesitating, that’s your sign to go.
You don’t need to be sure, you just need to be safe.

These posts reflect cardiovascular health data specific to AFAB individuals. While I use the term “women” in line with current research, my care and content are for everyone who needs it.

❤️

🫘 Happy World Pulse Day! 🥳⁠⁠Today, we’re celebrating these humble heroes of our plates!⁠⁠If you’re wondering what pulses...
02/10/2026

🫘 Happy World Pulse Day! 🥳⁠
⁠
Today, we’re celebrating these humble heroes of our plates!⁠
⁠
If you’re wondering what pulses are, think: dry beans, lentils, chickpeas, and split peas (aka pantry MVPs).⁠
⁠
💥 Why love pulses?⁠
⁠
They’re not just budget-friendly and shelf-stable… the nutrition is outstanding:⁠
⁠
💚 High in fibre – great for gut health & satiety⁠
💜 Rich in plant protein – helps support strong muscles & heart health⁠
🧡 Low glycemic index – keeps blood sugar stable⁠
💛 Loaded with minerals & phytochemicals –more heart & hormone support⁠
🤎 Low in sodium + high in potassium – naturally supports blood pressure⁠
⁠
Extra bonus? They’re good for the planet too. Pulses improve soil health, require less water, and reduce food waste. 🌍⁠
⁠
Need inspo? Here’s how I sneak them into my week:⁠
⚡️ Bean-centric: lentil soup, baked beans, chickpea curry⁠
⚡️ Bean-side: hummus on eggs or toast, beans tossed in salads or grain bowls⁠
⚡️ Bean-secret: black bean brownies, lentils in burgers, cannellinis in smoothies or oatmeal (yep!)⁠
⁠
🫘 Celebrate World Pulse Day by adding a scoop of these nourishing powerhouses to your plate this week. Your body (and the planet) will thank you.⁠
⁠

We often think of heart disease as something that happens to “other people.” But here’s what I want you to know:🫀 Heart ...
02/04/2026

We often think of heart disease as something that happens to “other people.” But here’s what I want you to know:

🫀 Heart disease is the #1 killer of women worldwide — and it doesn’t always look like what we expect.

Too many women are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or unaware of their personal risk until it’s too late.

Not because we don’t care — but because the system isn’t built to see us clearly.

💡 This month, I’m putting women’s heart health front and center. We’re talking prevention, power, and personalized care — starting now.

👂What have you been taught (or not taught) about your heart health? Comment below - I want to hear!

🧡

02/02/2026

Have high blood pressure? Exercise is your best friend.

But there are some things to know to make it work for you (like avoiding the post-exercise measurement panic).

Lifestyle tools are *so* powerful for blood pressure management but you need to know the details.

✅ Interested? Click the Better Blood Pressure link on my profile to learn about the program I’ve created for exactly that reason.

Cholesterol Concepts #1: Why “Good” Cholesterol Isn’t Always Good Think high HDL-C means your heart is protected? Let’s...
01/26/2026

Cholesterol Concepts #1: Why “Good” Cholesterol Isn’t Always Good

Think high HDL-C means your heart is protected? Let’s rethink that!

For years, HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was crowned the “good” cholesterol — the more, the better, right?

Not exactly. Here’s why that idea is outdated:

1️⃣ More isn’t always better: While low HDL-C is still a concern, very high HDL-C levels don’t add extra protection — and in men, may even slightly increase risk.

2️⃣ It’s complicated: HDL-C levels are shaped by your genetics, lifestyle, and other health factors, making it an unreliable marker on its own.

3️⃣ One doesn’t change the other: LDL-C remains the more consistent predictor of cardiovascular disease and that doesn’t change just because HDL-C is high.

🚫 Ratios are outdated: Using HDL-C in ratios like TC:HDL or LDL:HDL isn’t considered a reliable way to estimate overall risk anymore. These shortcuts don’t tell the whole story.

Don’t be fooled by ‘good cholesterol’ alone. High HDL-C doesn’t cancel out other risk factors and ratios won’t give you the full picture.

It’s January. The season of fresh starts, big goals... and an absolutely unhinged amount of pressure to “make it count.”...
01/21/2026

It’s January. The season of fresh starts, big goals... and an absolutely unhinged amount of pressure to “make it count.”

We’re living in an era of productivity creep, where even play has KPIs:

Read? Log it.
Run? Race it.
Relax? Monetize it.

But not everything has to lead somewhere.

That walk you took without a destination? That was enough.
The puzzle you did just for fun? Plenty.
The afternoon nap that didn’t “boost your productivity”? Perfect.

Our culture is great at turning everything into output (even rest). But not all rest is meant to refuel us to go harder.

Some rest exists to remind us we’re not machines.

So as we move into this new year … dream big and, yes, build beautifully.

But also:
✨ Let rest be the destination.
✨ Let joy be unmeasured.
✨ Let now be enough.

📌 Save this for the days you forget. Or better yet, don’t even save it! Just sit with it for a sec. That’s enough too.

TBH - I wrote this mostly to remind myself. The need to feel productive is a hard habit to kick.

Does It Matter When You Take Your Blood Pressure Meds?Sometime last year, I shared that timing likely doesn't matter and...
11/28/2025

Does It Matter When You Take Your Blood Pressure Meds?

Sometime last year, I shared that timing likely doesn't matter and that morning vs evening dosing showed no difference in outcomes like heart attack or stroke.

That’s still mostly true … but there’s new data worth discussing.

🔍 The OMAN trial (2025) has reignited the conversation by showing:
– Slightly better 24-hour blood pressure control with bedtime dosing
– No increase in side effects or hypotension
– BUT OMAN was short (12 weeks) and didn’t assess long-term outcomes

🧠 Prior trials (like TIME and BedMed) had thousands of participants and longer follow-ups and were considered to be the final word at the time. They found:
– No difference in heart attacks, strokes, or deaths
– Some modest BP reductions with night dosing BUT not enough to change clinical outcomes

What’s the bottom line?

👉 Compliance still wins.

Take your meds when you’re most likely to remember. For some, that’s morning. For others, night.

🌙 And if you’re a true night owl, there's emerging evidence that syncing meds with your personal rhythm might offer extra benefits — but that’s still being studied.

💬 As always, talk to your provider before making any changes. What matters most is consistency.

🏃‍♀️ Micro Workouts, Major Wins⁠⁠I’ve always said “some is better than none” and one of the best examples of that is exe...
11/23/2025

🏃‍♀️ Micro Workouts, Major Wins⁠
⁠
I’ve always said “some is better than none” and one of the best examples of that is exercise snacks!⁠
⁠
A new meta-analysis (BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 2025) shows that these short, structured bursts of movement ≤5 min can boost fitness even in inactive adults and older adults.⁠
⁠
Here’s why they work:⁠
✅ Convenient⁠
✅ Easy to start⁠
✅ High adherence (82.8%)⁠
✅ High compliance (91.1%)⁠
⁠
🔬 What they found:⁠
— ↑ Cardiorespiratory fitness in adults⁠
— ↑ Muscular endurance in older adults⁠
— No big shifts (yet) in BP, lipids, or body comp⁠
⁠
💡 What counts as an “exercise snack”?⁠
–

🫀 Heart Failure: Why It Matters More Than You Think ⁣“Heart failure” sounds like a dramatic diagnosis that happens to “o...
11/14/2025

🫀 Heart Failure: Why It Matters More Than You Think
⁣
“Heart failure” sounds like a dramatic diagnosis that happens to “other people,” right?
⁣
But here’s the truth: our understanding of heart failure has grown massively over the last decade - and so has our ability to prevent it.⁣
⁣
Many people don’t realize they’re at increased risk just by living with:
▫️ High blood pressure
▫️ Diabetes
▫️ Coronary artery disease
▫️ Obesity
▫️ Exposure to cardiotoxins like certain chemo drugs or illicit drug use
▫️ Genetic or acquired cardiomyopathies (1 in 500 people - more common than you think)⁣
⁣
This is why prevention is everything.

Treating high blood pressure isn’t just about avoiding the number 140/90 - it’s about lowering your risk of stroke and heart failure.
⁣
Managing cholesterol? It’s not just about heart attacks. It’s about preventing damage to your arteries that can silently lead to heart failure over time.⁣
⁣
➡️ If you’re managing any of these risk factors, your heart deserves more than reactive care. It deserves a plan.⁣
⁣
💡 Prevention isn’t boring - it’s powerful. And it’s never too early to start.

Address

15 Yarmouth Street
Guelph, ON
N1H4G2

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:15am - 12:30pm
2pm - 7:30pm
Wednesday 9:15am - 12:30pm
2pm - 6pm
Thursday 9:15am - 12:30pm
2pm - 6pm

Telephone

+15197669759

Website

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Naturopathic Care for Older Adults

Naturopathic Doctor serving Guelph for over 17 years - with a more recent focus on and passion for working with older adults. Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.