Doc Rabbit

10/14/2019

I’m presenting! Join me for a weekend get-away in scenic New Hampshire November 1-2 as I present my lecture, titled "Break Up with Your Sleeping Pill: Treating Insomnia with and without Pharmaceuticals". Comment below if I can save you a seat at my table. https://www.nhand.org/annual-conference/

01/22/2019

A specialty in natural approaches to sleep problems has taught me that 90% of treating chronic insomnia is done by treating the psyche. Psychology and sleep are inseparable topics, and most of the patients I treat for insomnia return to healthy sleep patterns using changes in behavior and thinking.

Something within us, you might call it an inner guardian or conscience, prefers that we should stop...

01/03/2019

I have to say, one of the comforts of winter for me is treating a bunch of people for colds/flu/bronchitis/sinusitis. It provides a great opportunity for teaching home remedies, and it takes weight off my shoulders to have people taking the time to call the clinic saying they feel better and thank you. Humidifiers with essential oils, respiratory tinctures, and IVs have all earned praise and "ah-ha!" moments!

12/21/2018

DID YOU KNOW: In Washington state (and many others) NDs are licensed as Primary Care Providers (PCPs) so you can visit an ND for anything you would see your regular family doctor for! Colds, rashes, hypertension, annual PAP smears, birth control, back pain...you name it.

12/14/2018

DO NOT FEAR THE FEVER! There's a nasty bronchitis going around that's got folks feeling feverish. Remember fever is the body's natural defense and creates an environment where pathogens can't survive. Fever is your friend! A productive fever tends to be in the 100-102 range for adults, and 101-103 for kiddos. So instead of reaching for the Tylenol, bundle up and ride out your good fever. If you temp seems to be hovering below this (99 or so), ask your ND about how to increase it to the range where it is killing those bugs!

12/11/2018

"Get-Well Gear" is available at Lakeview! Supplements, tincture, tea, and essential oils for battling your cold/flu/bronchitus/sinus infection/plague...all in one little refillable package :) PLUS, get 10% off when you book a Hot Toddy IV treatment!

10/31/2018

Hyar! Pirates need IVs too to keep the scurvy away! Come to Lakeview Family Wellness for a Vitamin C IV, so you can get back to swashbuckling in fine form!

10/07/2017

Are your pills just passing right through your body, literally money down the drain? Many tablets and capsules are coated with wax to ensure they glide smoothly along the chutes in the factory that manufactures them. Good for factories...bad for absorption. Put one of your pills in a glass of room temp water and leave if for 30 minutes. If you come back to find it dissolving and mushy, you're good to go! If it still looks the same as when you put it in there, chances are these pills are not dissolving in your stomach and you should either crush them or switch brands! In the picture provided, notice how the two pills in the top left corner are still mostly intact (bad), while others have become "fuzzy" (good).

10/03/2017

When you take your thyroid medications, they spike your levels temporarily, then reduce down over the course of the day. This means that labs will be falsely elevated if your blood was drawn within 4 hours of having taken your medication, and that could lead to med adjustments you didn't really need. Schedule thyroid checks for the morning, and take your meds AFTER the blood draw!

09/30/2017

Supplements and many medications are not cheap, and a lot of patients tell me they have either reduced their dose, or reduced their frequency of their pills in order to make it last longer and save money. I totally sympathize with the hardship that buying medicine poses, AND I want patients to remember that many of these substances need to be taken at a certain dose or frequency to be effective. By taking your meds every 3 days instead of daily you may be far below the dose that is useful for your problem, in which case you're just wasting your money rather than saving it! If money is an obstacle to getting your refill, please communicate this to your doctor before reducing your dosage. Some supplements are OK to reduce or stretch out, others MUST be at a certain dosage to be useful. Your ND can help you figure out which ones you can cut back on if the budget is tight.

03/30/2017

Public Service Announcement: If you've been holding back on talking to your doctor about a health concern because you think it's too gross or TMI (your weird rash, your s*x life, your p**p), let me tell you this: you have to try pretty hard to gross out a doctor, especially this one. After all I've been through in med school, years of practice, and 2 kids...your p**p or gnarly toes do not phase me one bit. There is hardly such thing as TMI with your naturopath, so don't be shy. Your doctor can't help you with it if they don't know about it :)

03/09/2017

http://epmonthly.com/article/fever-phobia-helicopter-parents-blame-excessive-ed-visits/

The title of this article doesn't really reflect the message, but this is an important read (if a bit long-winded). Surveys done around the world show that a very high % of the general public have misconceptions about the benefits or dangers of fever, and of how high of a fever warrants a trip to the emergency room or urgent care. I would turn this question around and ask, "Are misconceptions about fever creating helicopter parents?". I totally agree that urgent care is overused for situations that are not urgent (but ARE stressful for parents), and I'd just like mention that NDs make a point of teaching their patients how to manage stuff like this at home, and recognizing when symptoms are truly concerning. Not that MDs don't, but "Docere" (latin for "teacher") is a core principle of naturopathic medicine. Also, UW has a "nurse consult hotline" that parents can call 24-hours to determine whether an urgent care visit is needed.