Dr. Christa Reed Kruger, ND

10/30/2025

I won’t hide the fact that I dislike daylight savings and get excited every time I hear rumblings that we’re going to do away with the time change.

There’s plenty of studies that show it is bad for our health: increases in heart attacks, strokes, and car accidents. But I don’t need a study to tell me that it just feels gross!

Fortunately there are things we can do to move through the time change and make it a little easier on ourselves. (These strategies apply in both the spring & fall).

⏰ Go to bed earlier - get enough sleep and you won’t be dragging as much.
⏰ You can start adjusting to the new time now by shifting your bed time by 15 minutes every night
⏰ Morning sunlight as soon as you can, windows down and sunroofs open in the car totally count
⏰ Daytime light exposure sets circadian rhythm
⏰ Eat your last meal while it’s still daylight, or at least 2 hours before bedtime
⏰ Grounding - also helps recalibrate circadian rhythm to the earth
⏰ Limit natural light disruption - esp phones before bed
⏰ Carbohydrates (the healthy ones) are helpful for serotonin production and can help sleep quality, while fats & proteins keep blood sugar regulated and hormones balanced to help too
⏰ Improve overall sleep quality: exercise, nervous system healing, less caffeine & alcohol, mouth taping, and minerals like magnesium
⏰ Sugar & Caffeine can become an energy crutch, be cautious with these
⏰ Melatonin can help in some cases

If you really struggle with the time change, it can also be an indication that your adrenal glands, nervous system and circadian rhythms/light systems are taxed and not as able to make adaptations to our environment.
-> if this is you, we should chat

As we head into a weekend of Halloween, Time change, and then a full moon next week, there will be a lot for our bodies to process! Anything we can do to move through more easily is welcome.

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Information, not advice.

10/03/2025

We are fortunate to have many opportunities for having a deeper look into our health status. Bloodwork, saliva, urine, hair, and stool testing can all provide valuable insights into our patterns and imbalances.

Functional tests and scans are a way to check-in on how our bodies are functioning, in the context of how we feel and what symptoms we’re experiencing.

On Friday, November 7th, 2025 we’ll be hosting a Thermography Clinic.

(Link in Bio to Book)

Thermography uses a specialized digital camera that captures heat patterns in the tissue. It is most known to be used for breast tissue, but whole body scans are also possible.

There are several ways to monitor tissue changes in the breasts, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages: self-exam, thermography, ultrasound, mammogram, and biopsy - which provides the only definitive diagnosis.

Since we are all unique, there may be reasons that some women choose not to or are not candidates for mammograms. Thermography can be helpful for indicating early changes to blood flow in the area scanned.

Link in my Bio to book your Thermography Appointment with Julie.

If you’d like more information, check out www.somatherm.ca

Read more about Thermography here:
www.orangevillenaturopath.com/blog/get-deeper-insights-into-your-health

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Information only, not medical advice

10/01/2025

Autumn is a transition time. Each season brings specific health opportunities and challenges to the surface, which is why I suggest seasonal check-ins to prepare and address each of them uniquely.

There are wonderful advantages to the fall:

🍂 plentiful harvest of local produce
🍂 cooler temps making it easier to be outdoors (it was a hot and sweaty summer in Ontario!) and sleep at night
🍂 sunrises and sunsets at times that allow us to capture those infrared rays
🍂 connecting with family time & gratitude at Thanksgiving

The main things I am thinking about in the fall when it comes to your health and keeping you well in the months and years to come:

🍂 immune support
🍂 breast health (October is breast cancer awareness month)
🍂 designing strategies for staying active, eating well, and avoiding too much blue light (screens) in the winter months
🍂 supporting your nervous system and adrenal glands through change of season, routine, and what is typically a marathon from now until January
🍂 keeping detox pathways open - liver, kidneys, gut, breathing, skin, lymph all benefit from extra care & attention

It was a chilly morning today, which makes me start thinking about transitioning to warm & cooked foods. 🍲 (Are you a soup person?)

We’ve also been rocking the sauna on the weekends.

Stay tuned, by request I’ll be launching details about my annual Fall Reset in the coming days.

For anyone looking to nourish their bodies and inspire their routines between Thanksgiving and Halloween, this is a great way to reconnect with healthy living.

Have the best day,
Dr Christa

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Information not advice

09/04/2025

08/26/2025

After a hot summer, sauna season has started! The water in this cold plunge is about 8-10 oC. The first time was challenging, the next time I enjoyed it.

Years ago, I used to be able to do the cold pools at the spa no problem, until my nervous system and adrenals got fried. I had to take a step back to nourish and rebuild, but now I’m able to do it again.

Sometimes we get caught up in what we “should” be doing for our health, and we forget to tune into what our body is telling us. When I was burnt out, my inner voice screamed “no way!” to the cold water, so I opted for a gentler routine. Now I am ready and able to accept the benefits of this wonderful hydrotherapy treatment.

Remember that just because something is labeled as “good for you”, does not mean that it is good for you right now.

This is the nuance of individualized health care, the stuff that your search engine or AI is not picking up on.

So yes, cold plunges can improve mood & stress, recovery, focus, sleep, immune function, and circulation. But they can also send alarm bells to your system and put too much pressure on an already depleted body.

If you’d like support decoding your health story, let me know, I’d love to help.

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Information not advice

08/18/2025

I spent Saturday on the shore of Lake Huron, visiting with old friends from university. What a way to fill up - through laughter, hugs, and sunshine.

It’s also so thrilling to spend time with healthy families, kids eating cucumbers & trail mix and swimming all day without a screen in sight, while using tallow balm sunscreen. (My people!)

Waves & sunshine recalibrated my nervous system, and helped rebalance cortisol levels. Walking barefoot in the sand for extra grounding.

This morning was cooler, giving the first hints of fall. Have you thought about how your routine will be shifting soon?

- earlier bedtime
- busier schedules
- more time indoors

This is a great time to plan your next steps, to find ways to support your health all year long.

There’s an abundance of fresh, local, vibrant food available now, I passed about a million food stands on the drive to the lake. Enjoy it while it’s here! 🥒🌶️🫑🥬🍅🍑

Find simple joys wherever you can.

See you soon!
Dr Christa

07/26/2025

Did you know that there are dietary recommendations to go alongside GLP-1 medications? I imagine this could improve outcomes and potentially limit side effects.

From JAMA Internal Medicine: This JAMA patient page covers weight-loss medications, focusing on food craving reduction, blood glucose control, dietary strategies, exercise for muscle retention, and lifestyle changes to prevent weight regain.

https://ja.ma/4o1DPIT