My Blog has moved

I now have my own WordPress Blog on my site.

Come by and check it out.

http://kcbateman.ca/blog

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds - Lowering Your Risk of Dementia

I am really looking forward to speaking at "Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds - Lowering Your Risk of Dementia" presented by the Oakville Community Foundation.  I will speaking about natural ways to reduce your risk of developing Dementia.
The event is free and open to all.
Where: YMCA Oakville 410 Rebecca Street MAP
When: Wednesday, March 31st, 12:00 - 2:30 (speakers start at 12:30)

K.C. Bateman, Naturopathic Doctor on TV

Halloween Strategy

So tonight is Halloween, which is very fun for our little ones of course. With all the concern about H1N1 we want keep our children's immune systems strong. Since sugar can drastically suppress immune function. How do we have fun tonight and not go crazy on the sugar?

Well this is my plan and it has worked in the past:

I have been talking to my son about going trick or treating and getting lots of candy and having lots of fun. However, we have also talked about when we get back from trick or treating, we will go through the treats and take out the "bad ones" i.e. the junk that I never want him eating, and of course the questionable treats with damaged wrappers. This helps reduce the overall amount of candy for later consumption. Then he will be able to choose two treats to have tonight...that is all. The rest of the treats will go away, out of reach and will be brought out once or twice per week.

You may have already thought of something similar to this, and you are wondering if it will work...it does.

Happy Halloween.

How to boost your child's immune system

I have been bombarded with questions this week about H1N1. Parents are especially concerned about how they can boost their children's immune systems to naturally prevent the H1N1 flu. Up until yesterday one of my main recommendations was Deep Immune for kids by St. Francis. Well now St. Francis is out of Deep Immune liquid for kids (and for adults too). So I put together a short list of alternative recommendations, please click the attached image to view.

These recommendations are not intended to diagnose or treat.

Cleansing Workshop

Thursday, October 1st, 2009 - 7:30 - 9:00 PM
426 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON (Adelaide and Spadina)

My good friend and colleague, Dr. Allison Barriscale, D.C. asked me to do a workshop on cleansing for her practice members.

In this workshop, I will be talking about why it is important to help the body eliminate toxins and will be providing practical approaches to get started.

If you are interested in attending please call Lifesource @ 416-977-8165 to reserve your spot (space is limited).

Cheerios and Cholesterol

We have all seen the TV ads claiming that Cheerios help to lower cholesterol. Have you ever wondered how this works?

Most people know that Cheeios are made from oats. Some people are aware that oats are a good source of soluble fibre. What most do not know, is how soluble fibre lowers blood cholesterol.

The liver eliminates cholesterol via bile, which is excreted into the small intestine. Bile serves a few purposes, it aids in breaking down fat and is a vehicle for eliminating toxins and cholesterol. Bile is also considered a lubricant to the digestive tract, helping move things along. In order to get cholesterol out of the body it must not be reabsorbed while makes its journey through the digestive tract. The common misconception is that the soluble fibre in oats fibre somehow binds to the cholesterol. However, this is not true.

Here is what happens: healthy bacteria in the large intestine ferment the soluble fibre from oats and other foods in to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This creates a slightly acidic environment in the large intestine. This acidic environment is what prevents the cholesterol from being reabsorbed into the blood. In addition, the SCFAs produced provide the majority of energy for the cells of the large intestine and prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria and fungi.

So, Cheerios do lower your cholesterol levels. However, you do need to have healthy bacteria present in the digestive system in order to have the cholesterol lowering effect. Also keep in mind, there are many source of soluble fibre, not just Cheerios.

See this link for sources of soluble fibre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber#Plant_sources_of_fiber