The Art & Practice Blog
Gluten Sensitivity and Mental Health
Current research suggest that gluten can increase systemic inflammation, contributing to a worsening of mental health symptoms, as well as other inflammatory conditions, such as pain and autoimmune disease. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc8CH4KpW8I Transcript:...
Shinrin-Yoku: The Art of Forest Bathing
In this video I talk about the Japanese art of Shinrin-Yoku, or "forest bathing" and how incorporating this practice into your routine can set you up for improved mental health and stress management. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHs1P1zEx7s Hello, everybody, my...
Amino Acid Therapy for Mental Health
Certain amino acids, when taken therapeutically, can affect our body's ability to produce neurotransmitters that can greatly impact our mental and emotional health. These therapies can help treat depression, food addictions, alcoholism, psychosis and anxiety, among...
On Emotions and Eating
My mother tells a story about my childhood where she is standing in the kitchen, preparing dinner. I stand below her, tugging at her shirt, and begging for food. "I'm hungry", I say, according to her recollection of that moment and many others like it; she says that...
Estrogen Dominance, Hormone Balance and the Mirena IUD
In response to my very popular article about the Mirena IUD and how that can upset hormone balance, or further an existing imbalance, I talk about a condition called "estrogen dominance" can result in hormonal symptoms, such as PMS, infertility, weight gain and...
All About Naturopathic Medicine, An Educational Talk
In this video I give an education talk to a group of seniors at the Bernard Betel Centre about naturopathic medicine. I discuss our philosophy, education, what kinds of conditions we treat and answer some questions along the way....
Stress + Resilience: Building Your Wheel of Balance
I talk about how to manage stress and promote mental health and emotional wellness through assessing balance in the key areas of your life that promote a healthy mind and body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxBlgwEMCs4&t=2s Hello, everybody, my name is Dr. Talia...
On Healing Regret
Someone, I think it was Eckhart Tolle, once said that when it comes to mental illness, anxiety is about worry for the future, while depression is concerned with regret for the past. While, I'm not entirely (or even nearly) convinced that this is true, there is little...
Where There Is Mental Illness, There Is Poor Digestion
I'm tired of hearing mental health conditions blamed on a "chemical imbalance". Patients everywhere are being told that their mental health conditions are, literally, "all in their heads". With this diagnosis—often distributed insensitively, and without much attention...
The Gut-Brain Connection
The gut-brain connection has gotten the attention of researchers and functional medical practitioners. I discuss, briefly, what research has shown us in regards to the complex realm of the microbiome and how depression may be a result of inflammation in the brain,...
The Stress-Depression Connection
When our minds are stressed, how do our bodies react? We experience something called "adrenal fatigue" that can closely mimic the symptoms of depression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgl8PtcbAsk Hi, naturopathic doctor, Talia Marcheggiani, here. I'm a mental health...
Should I Go On Anti-Depressant Medication?
"I was born with an imbalance in my brain," my patient explains to me, "The medication corrects it—Since I started taking Cipralex, I wake up feeling like a normal person again." It is estimated that about 10% of adults in North America are taking a medication to help...
Healing the Healers, Activists and Artists
It seems like the world is falling apart. These days more than ever. Race wars, weapons, war, wealth concentrated into the hands of a few, and violence, Facebook is filled with videos that fill our heads and hearts with a complicated mixture of sadness, anger,...
Tired, Fat, Cold and Depressed: Treating Hypothyroidism Naturally
I have some amazing news—my patient is better. Whereas only a few short months ago, he was plagued by inexplicable weight gain, debilitating fatigue, depressed mood—convincing him he must be suffering from clinical depression—a sore throat and an inability to regulate...
A Whole Body Approach to Healing Anxiety
With 18% of the population suffering, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in North America. Through clinical practice, I've quickly come to learn that "anxiety" is a term that means many different things to different people. Its symptoms can range from...
“Fat” is not a Feeling
I'm tucking away at the cake again because the people who've invited me for dinner have dessert. Dessert: the gluten-y, sugar-y, dough-y sweetness of relief from deprivation, the dopamine and serotonin rush when the food smashes against my lips, teeth and tongue and...
An Exercise for Boosting Self-Worth (+ Why Positive Affirmations Only Make You Feel Worse)
We all have a critic inside of our heads. Through talking to people, I've been able to form more complete pictures of what these critics look like. I've found them to be as varied as the heads they inhabit, with personalities and characteristics of their own. Some...
De-Centred Naturopathic Practice
People seek out naturopathic doctors for expert advice. This immediately positions us as experts in the context of the therapeutic relationship, establishing a power imbalance right from the first encounter. If left unchecked, this power imbalance will result in the...
Is Wu Wei the Modern-Day Stress Solution?
When a successful person is asked to share the secrets of his or her success, the unanimous response is that success requires "effort" and "hard work". Other popular euphemisms are that success demands "sweat, blood and tears" or "1% inspiration, 99% perspiration". In...
30 Years, 30 Insights
Today, I'm 30, working on my career as a self-employed health professional and a small business owner and living on my own. I've moved through a lot of states, emotions and life experiences this year, which has been appropriate for closing the chapter on my 20's and...