Dr. Talia Marcheggiani, ND

13/11/2025

“Lake surfing is hardcore,” a friend who now lives by the ocean. And I hate to admit it, but once it’s time to don the thick wetsuit, boots and mitts, I kind of hate it.

The winds, cold water, and unforgiving waves humble you. Some seasons I feel pretty good: light and fast, catching everything and noticing progress.

Other seasons, like the start of this one, I feel cold, weak, unfit, stiff, tired, and perpetually punished by the white water: Waves in the face, more wipeouts than rides. I struggle into the suit, only to have most of my sessions play like blooper reels. (One example on the last slide, lol).

But, many thanks to .weare for capturing what was probably my only wave of the day and reminding me of the tiny moment: the one wave that I caught, that connected, that I rode for a split second. Nature and me, in harmony.

So, it reminds me that, like so many things, the win is showing up. Getting in cold water that shocks your system, resets the stress response, and trains the nervous system to recover faster. Practicing presence. Mastering mindset.

So, even though I kind of hate it. I also really love it. And sometimes the pictures are a reminder of that.

So any potential Surfistas on the fence about getting wet: Who wants to join me?

08/11/2025

“Life is too exciting to be neutral!”

- Susanna Soberg, Winter Swimming.

I’ve always loved sauna but this season I’ve become obsessed with them, as well as the Roman and Scandinavian practice of alternation hot and cold: sauna and ice baths.

Hot and cold practices have such a profound effect on mood, metabolism, and longevity.

Heat and cold exposures activate systems in the body that are ancient and protective. When you move between sauna and cold water, you stimulate brown adipose tissue, the metabolically active fat that burns energy to create heat. Brown fat improves metabolic flexibility, supports blood sugar regulation, and influences healthy aging.

The contrast also trains the nervous system. Heat relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation. Cold triggers a controlled stress response that strengthens resilience and boosts norepinephrine. The transition between the two teaches your body how to shift states with more ease. Cold is one of the best ways to boost dopamine levels and keep them high all day. when we push on pain the body responds by releasing pleasure chemicals.

Many people notice better sleep, calmer mood, and improved focus after a consistent hot and cold practice.

A simple place to start:
1. Warm up fully in the sauna for 10 to 15 minutes. Leave before you feel lightheaded.
2. Step into cold water or an ice bath for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Keep breathing steady.
3. Return to heat for another short round if you feel comfortable.
4. End on cold to support brown fat activation.

Don’t forget to hydrate and replenish electrolytes.

Consistency matters more than intensity. Two to four sessions per week are enough to create measurable changes in circulation, metabolism, and stress tolerance.

Hot and cold therapy is not just a ritual. It is a way of teaching the body to adapt, recover, and thrive.

It builds community and creates a space of calm and presence. A place to chat with your friends or family, or a space to sit with your own thoughts.

Also: if you hate it you might actually be getting even more benefits from it. Just don’t push too long, give yourself grace and work up to feeling more comfortable over time.

05/11/2025

More November Fall magic 🪄

In a facebook learn-to-surf group for women I’m a part of, one member wrote about her frustration with her lack of surf skill. Surfing, like so many enjoyable and rewarding things in life, is really hard to learn. You can sometimes spend years surfing regularly without feeling like you’re making much progress. Two steps forward, a thousand back... or no steps at all.

Do you feel like that in any other areas of your life? Healing? Trauma recovery? Art? Work? Parenting?

And yet, we still plug on.

One member replied that she sets GOALS for herself whenever she gets out on the water and I think about this now every time I paddle out:

Gratitude: Did I express it?

Observe: Did I observe the Surf and someone Surfing? (In other words, was I present in my surroundings?) Did I witness nature? Sometimes the landscape is so beautiful that it’s worth getting wet and cold to witness the sunlight painting the bluffs pink and the lake bright red and orange, as it slips below the horizon. (First picture is )

Awe: Did I feel the Awe for something?

Learn: What is one thing that I learnt?

Smile: Did I smile?

What do we consider these goals every time we did something hard, felt hopeless or like we were slipping backwards in our abilities and skills? Time might be linear, or time might be circular, but really there is no going backwards.

01/11/2025

A photo dump to celebrate Fall.

I love Fall.

The colours, the cool air, the doggy hikes, the lake surfing. It feels like a time of renewal: new goals and projects. I feel a sense of energy and optimism that I rarely feel in the other seasons.

Is it all the colours? The invigorating nature of cold air and water? The back-to-school mindset that’s been programmed in for us perpetual students, teachers and parents?

I am a bit bummed about the impending time change and increased darkness, but hoping to change my thoughts and feelings around winter: it can be a beautiful and useful season when embraced right, I believe. Maybe I need to reread “Wintering” by Katherine May.

I checked a few books out of the library on cold water therapy… I’ve been doing so many sauna and cold plunge sessions at and can’t wait to share more about the benefits of cold and temperature contrast: it’s a fantastic winter health practice.

A few things:

I’m open for booking for both naturopathic medicine and therapy. We’re talking a lot about burnout, perimenopause and menopause and hormone therapy, these days.

Like the change in seasons, patient concerns come in waves and this is causing me to brush up on my hormone knowledge, review the research and inspired me pick back up a hormone educational course I’ve been working on for years.

After a few months’ hiatus I’ve published a new Substack article on dopamine and social media. You can read it by clicking on the link in my bio.

Hope you’re well!
- Dr. Talia, ND (and RP)

31/10/2025

https://drtaliand.substack.com/p/dopamine-burnout-and-the-modern-mind

"Since starting private practice, I’ve often noticed that particular types of clinical cases tend to come in waves, and, for the last two weeks, the theme among my psychotherapy and naturopathic patients has been burnout.

This week alone, ten clients described feeling trapped on a treadmill of constant doing that feels both meaningless and incredibly demanding. Even vacations and downtime no longer feel restorative. Virtually all of them confessed to fantasizing about escaping it all: moving to a sleepy beach town or buying land to garden and raise chickens on. Does this sound good to you, too?

Then, you’re not alone.

The central question is an existential one: why don’t I feel satisfied with my life?

It may be due to global and economic uncertainty, the side effects of late-stage capitalism, or the psychological and emotional aftermath of the pandemic. But the fact of the matter is, we’re running without an end, with a lost sense of purpose, and we’re exhausted.

This pattern in my practice feels bigger than individual moral exhaustion: it’s a kind of collective depletion of dopamine."

How a Social Media "Dopamine Fast" Can Bring Rest and Restore Meaning to Stressed Out Systems

28/10/2025

I took Toby to Rattlesnake Point, the closest stretch of the Bruce Trail to Toronto.

The forest was pure magic, as it always is this time of year.

The canopy of magical maples and their firey bursts of bright yellow, orange, and red: the air fresh and chilly smelling of leaves and earth. The forest was quiet as soft breezes sprinkled the ground with colourful confetti of leaves.

Toby was in heaven.

This is one of the first places Coco and I ever hiked, years ago, before our Bruce Trail adventures became a thing. I remembered my friend (who has since passed) once laughed that I was obsessed with nature hikes. (“Do you go to the forest everyday?”).

Well, he was right: they were my therapy.

The forest doesn’t fix everything, but for me, it helped. It steadies us with the negative ions that improve mood and reduce inflammation. It lowers cortisol and enhances creativity. The sense of awe... and peace.

the fresh air, the cardio benefits...This caption space isn’t long enough to go into all the benefits, so let’s go for a hike, and I’ll tell you all about it.

My number one treat-everything foundational health tip? I’ll always say: go outside.

Start there and see what shifts.

You can even derive some mental health benefits from looking at nature.

So, why don’t we make our social feeds feel more like a forest.

🌳 🌲 🍁 🍄 🍂 🍃

Some of my favourite friends posting gorgeous nature-inspired content are:

.elkoury

Which nature worshippers do you follow?

Paste them in the comment section below! Let’s scroll through the leaves and trees.

24/10/2025

I recently took a break from having social media on my phone to reset my brain’s relationship with dopamine.

Like many of us, I’d fallen into the loop of mindless scrolling, those tiny hits of stimulation that keep the nervous system buzzing. Once I took that constant stream of novelty away, I started to notice subtle but powerful shifts:

🌿 More clarity and focus
🌿 Greater patience
🌿 Renewed interest in reading and walking in silence
🌿 More awareness of the world around me
🌿 Even a decrease in appetite and craving

Dopamine isn’t just the “pleasure” chemical. It’s what drives motivation and focus. When we’re constantly triggering it through notifications and quick hits of content, our reward system becomes desensitized. Taking a break helps those pathways reset, so natural pleasures like movement, conversation, and creativity start to feel satisfying again (1,2).

The summer was full: family, nature, remembering Coco, music, laughter and silliness, and in September, I spent time in Italy reconnecting with family and exploring my roots. A time of Real rest. A much-needed break.

Now I’m back, trying to manage the scroll and be intentional of what I share and post, and what side of myself and my work I bring to this platform. I’m paying attention to the traps of dopamine as I engage and noticing my emotions: anger? Envy? FOMO? Comparison? And being mindful about shifting my follows, putting it away, contributing to positivity and connection on the platform.

A few things to promote:
🎸 .369 is recording! Follow them on Spotify, Instagram and YouTube.

💪🏽 my cuz got signed to the and won her debut fight! Congrats Mel. She’s one to follow.

👩‍⚕️ And finally I have something big in the works that I will share once live.
A lot of love, years and passion went into this and I’m very excited about it.

Can’t wait to let y’all in on it! Stay tuned.

1) Volkow et al., Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2011 – Dopamine reward and addiction pathways

2) Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology, 2017

14/07/2025

“The whole of life. The whole of life is already framed. Right there.”

- Maud Lewis

Next year I’m staying all summer. 🌊