Dr. Arezou Babri, ND

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Dr. Arezou Babri, ND

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dr. Arezou Babri, ND, Doctor, Victoria, BC.

I am a Naturopathic Doctor, passionate about getting to the root cause of your health concerns through in-depth consultations, functional lab testing and treatment plans unique to your biology.

10/31/2025

Traditionally, bitter foods were a big component of any standard diet. These foods were believed to help support digestion by supporting the natural function of the stomach, liver and gallbladder.

Overtime, these foods were consumed less and less. To the point where many have lost the acquired taste for bitters.

Foods like dandelion greens, artichoke and chicory have many health benefits including bitter properties.

As always when it comes to food, supplements or herbs they need to fit with your personal constitution. So these foods are not recommended in active ulcers, sever gallbladder dysfunction or sensitive stomachs.

If you like what you're reading, you will love ✨.arezoubabri✨ join my community for weekly education that helps you understand your body & live your best life.

10/28/2025

The core feature of acne is increased sebum production and keratinocyte proliferation.

One of the key driving forces of this overactivity on the skin is often inflammation, which in most cases can be rooted back to gut health.

The most commonly seen GI infections in those struggling with acne include:

⚡H. pylori, Candida & parasitic infections.

A dysbiotic GI tract can contribute to acne in many different ways which all come back to increased inflammatory pathways (cytokines, Th17 etc.), decreased anti-inflammatory activity by the beneficial microbiome, and impacts on glucose/insulin metabolism, which can further exacerbate androgenic acne as well.

As with any other condition, the absolute best place to start is always with the digestive tract.

You Want To:
⚡Address the source of inflammation
✨GI infections
✨Food sensitivities,
✨Leaky gut
✨Toxins
✨Blood sugar dysregulation
⚡Address Diet & Lifestyle
⚡Address Hormones if indicated
⚡Implement Topical Treatments

10/27/2025

Given that histamine-driven symptoms mimic many psychiatric & neurological conditions including:

🧠anxiety, depression, attention problems, insomnia, panic, cognitive impairment

They are often mis-diagnosed.

Histamine intolerance occurs when histamine intake or production exceeds the body’s ability to break it down.

Majority of cases involving histamine intolerance/overload can be rooted back to gut health.

This can include:
🌿impaired DAO enzyme activity due to inflammation or impaired gut lining
🌿higher levels of histamine-producing bacteria (Staph, Proteus, Enterococcus etc.)
🌿diet high in histamine which can't be modulated due to poor digestive function

Other common factors include:
⚡poor methylation - MTHFR, COMT polymorphism
⚡toxin overload & burdened liver
⚡nutritional deficiencies (vitamin C, B6, B12, folate, mg, cu, zn, SAMe, choline etc.)

If you are curious, TEST, don't guess, through functional testing you can assess digestive function, methylation, homocysteine, nutrient status, oxidative stress markers & toxic burden.

If you are interested in learning more, follow along as we uncover the root cause of some of the most overlooked health conditions.

10/25/2025

The body's "fight or flight" response, also known as the sympathetic nervous response, can be continually activated with chronic stress.

When this happens your body's natural default will be to fall into the stress response to protect you from danger even if there is no threat present.

Depending on how long you have been operating from fight or fight your signs and symptoms can differ vastly.

As time progresses more and more body systems will be involved and your symptoms may switch from constant nervousness and tension to complete hopelessness and cyclical negative thoughts.

There are many ways to help support your body to naturally shift out of the stress response which is a completely individualized process.

The first step is to recognize where you are at and start implementing some practices to help you step into a more relaxed state of being.

There is a lot of nervous system re-training and nutritional support that is also required to allow your system to ease into balance and harmony.

Know someone struggling with this? Share this post with them.

10/22/2025

Out of all the hormonal testing I have run for women, only a handful have come back as true estrogen dominance.

Majority of the test results actually show low levels of estrogen. So the last thing you want to do is implement a protocol to further reduce these levels.

When it comes to hormones it's all about RELATIVITY. You want to see their values in relation to one another.

I explained in detail the relationship between the gut and estrogen dominance in my post titled "The Gut & Breast Cancer Link." If you haven't seen that post, I have some nice graphics illustrating the mechanism behind this.

To Summarize:

The β-glucuronidase enzyme, expressed by certain gut bacteria reactivates estrogens.

This reactivation allows “free” estrogens to be recirculated back into the bloodstream, possibly contributing to a variety of hormonal disorders including endometriosis & PCOS.

Many studies now show that high systemic estrogen & high ratio of circulating estrogen metabolites is considered a strong risk factor for estrogen-related diseases.

Reduced gut microbiota diversity may be related to higher abundance of bacterial species that express β-glucoronidase which speeds up estrogen becoming free estrogen.

If your test results are coming back "normal" but you still feel off, starting with digestive health may not be a bad idea as it could be revealing in regards to your health concerns.

Share this with someone who may be feeling frustrated about their health.

10/20/2025

❔"Do I need to run all of these tests?"
💬 NO

You only need to run tests that are pertinent to your case. This can be determined by having a conversation with your healthcare provider who can guide you towards which test is right for you based on your unique case history.

Your body isn't composed of one component
A single lab value doesn't give the full picture laboratory results are meant to be interpreted in relation to each other for accurate diagnosis.

Keep in mind the tests listed above give an indication that there is inflammation present. However, they do not tell you WHAT the ROOT CAUSE of that inflammation is.

Stay tuned for Part II where we will cover the hidden ways that inflammation can show up in your body and the most common root causes.

10/17/2025

For many, weight loss isn't just about cutting calories or increasing cardio.

If there is resistant weight loss it's often due to an underlying metabolic issue that has yet to be uncovered.

What most of the conditions mentioned in the above slides have in common is inflammation. When your body is constantly try to put out a "fire" it isn't going to simultaneously think about weight loss.

I find some of the most stubborn cases of weight loss are those where the weight was put on during a stressful period (ie. pandemic).

Once you find the right formula for your particular body then you should no longer be in this resistant state. Because you are supporting your body in the way that it needs.

Share this with a friend who may be struggling and looking for a sense of direction.

10/14/2025

There are so many different ways that the gut causes depression. Mainly this happens through toxin exposure via the presence of overgrowth of certain bacteria, fungi or parasites. The presence of harmful endotoxins combined with gastrointestinal inflammation leads to systemic inflammation and eventual neuroinflammation.

Inflammation has now become widely recognised as the undercurrent of many mental health conditions including depression.

Mental health conditions are not always rooted in emotional or traumatic experiences. In fact, the presence of harmful microbes in the gut can make seemingly manageable stressors seems insurmountable.

Always start with a through investigation of your health so that you can have a focused approach not just a one size fits all.

10/13/2025

Addressing the root cause of histamine intolerance can look very different for each person. Here are just a couple of examples

Patient #1:
We did comprehensive digestive test and found overgrowth of several histamine producing bacteria. In treating the gut alone all of his histamine related symptoms subsided. He still reminds me at every follow up how it's been a year that he hasn't reached for his antihistamine medication.

Patient #2:
We addressed gut health and in the first round of treatment her histamine symptoms still persisted and at times felt even worse. We continued with gut health and given her history of chronic stress and anxiety I added in some additional support to help the various biochemical pathways in the body. Her histamine symptoms completely resolved. She even referred to one of her supplements as "liquid gold."

These are just two examples of how to manage and address histamine intolerance. Every person is different and therefore every treatment plan will be completely unique to their case.

Send this to a friend who you think may benefit.

10/11/2025

✨When can Food Sensitivity testing be Useful:

🔺The only times I have run a food sensitivity test are when a patient has specifically asked for one.

🔺Or with really stubborn cases where we have addressed digestive function but certain symptoms, like a persistent rash still remain.

🔺In these cases the food sensitivity test often shows 2-3 reactive foods that are very specific compounds or additives hidden in foods that we couldn’t have guessed at.

🔺Some examples include: vanilla, certain gums, chickpeas, almonds, casein, soy, whey, etc.

✨Can I ever eat that food again?

🔺Yes, food sensitivities are not permanent, often you eliminate them for a short period until your main concern is addressed and then you slowly re-introduce it back into your diet.

🔺The key to remember is that for some reason your body is seeing a certain food antigen as a threat and mounting an immune response.

🔺We need to remove the insult, calm the immune system, address digestion and that should help reset the system.

10/08/2025

β-glucuronidase is an enzyme expressed by certain gut bacteria.

This enzyme reactivates estrogens by freeing them from their bound "ready to excrete" form.

This reactivation allows free estrogens to be recirculated back into the bloodstream, possibly contributing to a variety of hormonal disorders including breast cancer & endometriosis.

Many studies now show that high systemic estrogen & a high ratio of circulating estrogen metabolites is considered a strong risk factor for estrogen-related diseases.

Reduced gut microbiota diversity or dysbiosis may be related to higher abundance of bacterial species that express β-glucoronidase, which in turn speeds up estrogen becoming free estrogen.

Studies report that a dysbiotic gut microbiome & elevated β-glucuronidase activity have been observed in malignant tumours of breast, o***y and the GI tract.

For those of you interested in learning more here two of the studies.

Hu, S., Ding, Q., Zhang, W., Kang, M., Ma, J., & Zhao, L. (2023). Gut microbial beta-glucuronidase: a vital regulator in female estrogen metabolism. Gut Microbes, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2023.2236749

Parida S, Sharma D. The Microbiome-Estrogen Connection and Breast Cancer Risk. Cells. 2019 Dec 15;8(12):1642. doi: 10.3390/cells8121642. PMID: 31847455; PMCID: PMC6952974.

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Victoria, BC

Website

http://www.armaitiwellness.com/

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