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Dr. Erin Lush ND

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Ottawa, ON
Dr. Erin Lush ND

Dr. Erin Lush, ND has a women's health practice in Ottawa and Toronto, ON

03/25/2022

PART 3/3
Loss of libido or s*x drive can be caused by many things. Your s*xual wellness accompanies SO many different aspects of who you are and what is going on in your body. THAT is why it is ever elusive and challenging to treat.
The first step is outlining a comprehensive history to better understand what might be causing your lowered libido. The second step is completing lab testing to confirm those findings.
Working with a Naturopathic Doctor in the s*xual wellness space (Me💁‍♀️) can start getting you back to where you want to be.

03/19/2022

PART 2/3
Loss of libido or s*x drive can be caused by many things. Your s*xual wellness accompanies SO many different aspects of who you are and what is going on in your body. THAT is why it is ever elusive and challenging to treat.
The first step is outlining a comprehensive history to better understand what might be causing your lowered libido. The second step is completing lab testing to confirm those findings.
Working with a Naturopathic Doctor in the s*xual wellness space (Me💁‍♀️) can start getting you back to where you want to be. #

03/18/2022

PART 1/3
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Loss of libido or s*x drive can be caused by many things. Your s*xual wellness accompanies SO many different aspects of who you are and what is going on in your body. THAT is why it is ever elusive and challenging to treat.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The first step is outlining a comprehensive history to better understand what might be causing your lowered libido. The second step is completing lab testing to confirm those findings.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Working with a Naturopathic Doctor in the s*xual wellness space (Me💁‍♀️) can start getting you back to where you want to be.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
*xualhealth *xualwellness *xpositivefeminism ***as ***alution *xandintimacy *xdrive *xdrive ⁠ ⁠

06/07/2021

Your libido is a marker of your vitality.
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Pause for a second and think about it. When you are run down, tired, not eating right, not sleeping right, stressed and not putting yourself first - pleasure is the last thing on your mind.
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A lot of the time this is where I start. To feel good, you need to feel good about and in your body. You need to be getting enough sleep to feel refreshed in the morning, you need energy to do more than just make it through the day, you need to have a happy digestive system where you’re not worried about bloating. You need your skin to glow to give you that confidence you’re looking for.
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Your s*xual wellness starts with your overall health. I’m here to get you there.
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*xualhealth *xualwellness *xpositivefeminism ***as ***alution *xandintimacy *xdrive *xdrive ⁠

06/02/2021

Kegals are meant to strengthen a WEAK pelvic floor
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But why do you think your pelvic floor is weak in the first place? Are you using kegals to “tighten your va**na”?
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Your va**nal muscles are meant to stretch and then return to their shape. This can change when you’ve had a baby however va**nal tissue is meant for this.
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Most women already have a tight pelvic floor; in fact this is much more common. It does not need further tightening. When you hold in your belly or only breath into your chest, you are putting stress on and tightening your pelvic floor. This can cause pain with s*x, and urine leakage with laughing, jumping, or unexpected sneezing.
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Your pelvic floor needs to be FLEXIBLE.
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By learning to relax your pelvic floor and increasing its flexibility, it will be better able to contract when you want it to. This will lead to better s*x and less pain.
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Let’s start to rethink the conversation of why women do kegals in the first place.
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*xualhealth *xualwellness *xpositivefeminism ***as ***alution *xandintimacy *xdrive *xdrive ⁠ *x

05/10/2021

This was me.
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I had acne. More than average and for what seemed like so much longer than everyone else. I didn’t love it. I don’t think a single person does. It was unfair. There were days I wasn’t excited to see people.
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BUT here’s what I learned in becoming a Naturopath.
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Your skin is a reflection of what is happening inside your body. You might feel fine but your body is telling you it isn’t. It’s not because you don’t wash your face enough or with fancy enough products, that would be easy.
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When your skin is telling you something is wrong you need to consider:
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✨ Your diet (what you eat matters)
✨ Your hormones (what does your period look like)
✨ Your gut (how is your GI function)
✨ Your liver function (this is what breaks down and clears waste from your body)
✨ Your stress (high cortisol is a factor)
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Lab tests are SO useful in showing what is happening and where to start to fix it. It shows levels of inflammation, high and low levels of hormones, liver function and insulin regulation as a start. This takes out the guesswork. This is what we all want, just to know.
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If this is you, I can help, just reach out.
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04/26/2021

Okay, let’s face it, no one enjoys UTIs, but it’s even worse when your UTI is not a UTI and you're told it’s all in your head.
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So, what else can it be?
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Have you heard of Interstitial Cystitis? This is the inflammation of the bladder walls that causes irritation, and it looks A LOT like a UTI. It causes frequent urination (in small amounts), pelvic pain and low back pain. It makes you feel like you have to go to the bathroom urgently. It is uncomfortable, it causes tenderness, it can interfere with the enjoyment of s*x and it can also cause scarring in your bladder.
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Do I have it?
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It is commonly confused with a UTI because that is what is most commonly known and talked about. The important distinction is that all your urine cultures are NEGATIVE. This rules out a UTI. If these symptoms happen frequently with no answers it might be time for a cystoscopy. This is a procedure where a camera is inserted into the bladder to look for scarring and inflammation. This is how it is typically diagnosed.
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Why does it happen?
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Right now there are a few theories. The first is a defect in the bladder mucin layer (the bladder lining protection) allowing irritants in the urine through to cause injury to the bladder wall. The second is an abnormal amount of mast cells increasing the levels of histamine that cause inflammation.
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Now what?
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The first thing you should do is stop eating and drinking bladder irritants. These include coffee, tea, chocolate, citrus fruits and nightshade vegetables. Next, you can reduce your stress and work on relaxation.
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If that’s not enough, reach out and we can talk about Naturopathic Treatments that will help!
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*xualhealth

04/14/2021

I absolutely LOVE my cup.
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There was a time when I thought that menstrual cups were gross or inconvenient. That is long since gone and I do not know I survived without it before.
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There are a few reasons why I love it so much:
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It’s incredibly easy to use. You insert the cup once your period begins and then you only need to empty it when it fills. Yes, this will take a little trial and error to figure out for you but it's worth it. Think 2-3 times per day.
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You don’t have to carry tampons. This right here sold me. No worrying about having tampons, changing tampons, leaking through or finding a washroom in time. This makes them great for trips and long days out.
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You save SO much money. Have you ever thought about how much money you spend each month on tampons? It adds up. This is a one-time purchase (I usually find my cup will last a few years) and I’m not ruining underwear either.
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It’s healthy for your va**na. Tampons are not naturally white; they are bleached that way. Every time you put a tampon in your body you are getting a small dose of those chemicals unless you are choosing organic.
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It causes no irritation. Pads and tampons can irritate the v***a and va**na. They can be drying as they remove moisture and cause inflammation due to the friction.
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Want to learn more?
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is amazing at breaking down all the different brands and helping you find the right cup for you!
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03/23/2021

The answer is NO
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Yes, they sell many different types of female v***ar care, even having a dedicated section at some pharmacies, but I promise you shouldn’t need it.
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The v***a has evolved over time to be very good at taking care of itself. The bacteria that populate your va**nal canal are specific (mostly Lactobacillus spp.) and help maintain your va**nal pH through the production of lactic acid. Your va**nal pH sits around a 3.5 and this makes it less friendly for the bad bacteria to call home.
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By introducing new products, washes or sprays, you can effectively throw this off and cause an infection. Worse, you can become dependent on them by not allowing your va**nal flora to populate your va**nal canal and do its job, now requiring an outside source to help.
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What do you need to do?
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It’s simple, wash your v***a with water or a mild irritant-free soap when you shower or after you are extra sweaty and pat dry. That’s it. You should also practice good hygiene including wiping from front to back and peeing after s*x to name a few.
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When your v***a is healthy there should be no smell, irritation, excessive discharge or other things going on.
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If you are experiencing anything that doesn’t seem quite right, or you feel the need to use a wash you may want to investigate if there’s a reason for it. Book an appointment to see how I can help.
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*xualhealth *xualwellness *xpositivefeminism ***as ***alution *xandintimacy *xdrive ⁠

03/12/2021

The answer is no.
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Can it be used? It’s not recommended, there are definitely some things you need to know first.
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Coconut oil has been touted as a superfood and health hack to fix everything and be used everywhere. And while it does have health benefits, these benefits do not pertain to your skin.
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What makes it less than ideal?
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Coconut oil has a pH of 7 – 8. This makes it an alkaline substance (which is anything registering over neutral water at a pH of 7). The pH of our skin is around a 5 (being on the acidic side) BUT the pH of the va**nal canal is actually in the range of 3.8 – 4.5. This makes the va**na quite acidic and it’s for a good reason.
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This acidity helps your va**na to keep itself clean. This works by ensuring the ideal environment for your va**nal flora (primarily lactobacillus) which produce lactic acid to keep the harmful bacteria away. When we disrupt this pH balance by introducing a more alkaline substance (coconut oil here) we are stopping our va**na from doing its job and we become at risk of yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis and UTIs.
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The second big thing here is coconut oil can actually breakdown the integrity of a condom. The oil weakens the latex in condoms which leaves you unprotected from the STIs and pregnancy you were initially using them for.
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Know the facts so that you can have safe and enjoyable s*x. Let me know your favourite lubricants below!
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*xualhealth *xualwellness *xpositivefeminism ***as ***alution *xandintimacy *xdrive *xdrive ⁠ ⁠

Address

376 Churchill Avenue N Suite 305
Ottawa, ON
K1Z5C3

Opening Hours

Monday	2pm - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 7pm
Friday	9am - 7pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://drerinlush.com/

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