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Dr Rebecca Zeff, ND

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Vancouver, WA
Dr Rebecca Zeff, ND

I am a Naturopathic physician working at the Salmon Creek Clinic in Vancouver, Washington USA. Currently, I teach classes in Longview, WA at the YMCA.

I've been teaching Zumba Fitness classes since August, 2012 and have never had a job that I love this much! I am a Certified Instructor and a member of the Zumba Instructor Network. In addition to Zumba, I am licensed to teach Tai Chi: Moving For Better Balance, and YogaFit classes. I am also available to teach at parties, fundraisers, corporate events and more. Zumba can be a small part of a fundraising event, or a fundraiser in itself through one of our "Zumbathon" charity events.

02/28/2026

The only time asthma can be called fun is when you’re treating it & watching it get better & need for inhalers go down. 💨 Grateful for my wonderful patients & getting to do the work that I do.

11/18/2025

Have I mentioned that I’m developing classes? To teach people about nutrition and natural medicine and empower them so they can live as healthfully as they want to? Super excited about it. Also struggling to find motivation on cloudy late-autumn days when my baby is napping… hence candles and chocolate.

What tricks do you use to keep your brain limping along?

08/06/2025

In pregnancy there are times when a nutrient is EXTRA important. In 3rd trimester that’s iron.
-Mom needs it to prepare for labor & delivery
-Baby needs it so they come into the world with iron-rich blood to sustain them until they’re ready to eat solid foods
-Baby is growing larger QUICKLY and needs it now to support that growth
-Several studies show that plenty of iron in 3rd trimester relates to greater intelligence & intellectual development even into school age (5-6 years old) for that child

So if a pregnant woman wants blood sausage (that was my mom) feed her blood sausage! Or steak, liverwurst, clams, etc! Feed that woman because you’re feeding the future. ❤️

I think that’s all I have to say on iron for now. Please spread the word & if your loved ones are looking pale give them a gentle nudge to have their iron checked. The labs aren’t expensive, insurance almost always covers the basics, and iron supplements (despite the expensive liquid one I showed) are affordable too!

May your blood be rich!
Best in Health!

08/05/2025

At 4-6 months old most babies are ready to start tasting solid foods. Why? Their iron stores are getting low & it’s time to find more!
Iron is one of the only nutrients that doesn’t transfer well through breast milk.

One of my favorite first foods for babies is raw egg yolk! It has iron as well as a host of fat soluble vitamins when the eggs are from pastured chickens. Simply cook the egg sunny side up or over easy, puncture the yolk with a spoon, feed baby what they’ll accept & you can eat the rest! My one caution is that not all people digest eggs well. I recommend food intolerances be evaluated before it’s time for solids so you can introduce foods with confidence.

08/03/2025

Gardening looks different this year - it happens in short bursts, with a baby on my hip, and chubby little hands always reaching.

My boy runs by like a whirlwind, playing in mock battles only he can see, berry juice staining lips & fingers.

I pull a few weeds, water a few beds, plant a few seeds before being called away to fix someone a snack (I should eat too!)

Then my husband comes & brings his tools & changes the landscape for me.

And the sun rises, and the sun sets, and the days start to feel a little like fall while my son’s pumpkin vine takes more territory and its yellow globes grow larger and larger….

🧡

08/02/2025

There are a lot of iron supplements out there. When it comes to liquids, these two are my favorites!

Just remember, if you’re supplementing iron you need to be tested about every 3 months because it is possible to get too much!

Once iron levels are replete (brought up to healthy levels), which should put ferritin (storage form of iron) around 50, I usually stop supplementing & switch to a focus on good dietary sources. Cooking in cast iron will help add iron to your food as well!

08/01/2025

When iron deficiency becomes extreme children can adopt a behavior called pica, where they will eat non-food objects habitually. Examples are cardboard or paper, soap, pulling bits off their diaper, crayons, dirt or rocks, ice. This may be an attempt to find the minerals they are lacking through their normal diet.

However, earlier on signs will be more subtle. More fussing, more crankiness, getting tired easily when playing, or not wanting to run & play - things not seeming quite right.

Children at higher risk for iron deficiency are those that eat a LOT of dairy (milk is a low iron food), and those that don’t digest meat well.

For a simple way to screen your children, consider making funny faces a regular part of play time, having the child pull down their eyelids so you can see if the conjunctiva (mucous membrane on the inside of the eye lid) is pale or robustly red. If it’s pale, take them to their healthcare provider and have them checked for anemia. (See my previous posts for an example of the conjunctiva check & the tests I recommend.)

Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world! Let’s stay aware of it so we can keep our families healthy! 🥩🍳🥓🍖🥦🥬🥛

07/31/2025

Counter intuitive though it may be, low iron can CAUSE heavy periods as well as be caused BY them. So it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on iron levels if your cycles are heavy. And in case Iron isn’t the cause of heavy bleeding (and because it’s so common) I also check thyroid levels when I run those first labs.

Quick recap from my last post:
🩸I like to check Ferritin, the storage form of iron & bring it up to at least 50 so you have plenty around if the body encounters stress.
🦋I always check at LEAST Free T4 & Free T3 as well as the standard TSH when evaluating thyroid function.

There are many period symptoms that are COMMON, but not NORMAL (I.e. healthy). That’s all for today. May your hormones be healthy & your heart full!

07/30/2025

If you DO suspect iron deficiency, how do you test for it and should you bother?
🩸 it’s tested via blood. Most commonly ordered is a CBC (complete blood count). This shows if your red blood cells are too few in number, too pale, if you have low hemoglobin, and a few other measures related to anemia.
🩸 Iron can be tested directly, or iron transporting proteins.
🩸 Ferritin is one of my personal favorite tests, I order it all the time because it’s the STORAGE form of iron. This allows me to catch low or sub-optimal iron stores before they turn into full blown anemia. ❤️ I direct my patients to supplement iron as needed until their Ferritin reaches ~50.

❓So do you NEED to test? Not necessarily, you CAN supplement (or increase dietary sources) with signs like pale skin, these physical exams, and symptoms like fatigue & hair loss, BUT iron is one of the nutrients that can be overdosed AND testing lets you guide supplementation so you know when you’re done. (Plus if you’re tired & losing hair for a different reason you won’t waste time & money on the wrong solution.)
❓HOW to test - tests can be ordered through a healthcare provider, OR self ordered through some lab services. Most providers are happy to order anemia screens & they’re usually well covered by insurance because iron deficiency is the MOST COMMON NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY worldwide & in the US.

Questions? Ask in the comments!

07/15/2025

Consequences of blocking stomach acid include poor mineral absorption. Because of this, acid-blocking drugs (like omeprazole for example) are meant to be prescribed for short durations. Omeprazole’s maximum approved time span is 8 weeks, and that’s when treating conditions like an active ulcer (a hole in the stomach). For acid reflux alone it’s not supposed to be taken for longer than 4 weeks, yet many people are on these drugs for months & years.

Be warned - they should NOT BE STOPPED ABRUPTLY. These meds need to be tapered down to prevent rebound symptoms (worsening of the original symptoms).

So how do we get off of them? I begin treatment to heal & support the stomach (see previous post) and then begin the taper, letting symptoms guide the speed.

Now I’m off to tend to my side kick… I maintained composure through our wrestling pretty well, but when she started eating the chair I lost it. 😅

07/14/2025

Weak stomach acid sends a weak signal to the muscles that keep the top of the stomach closed & the stomach contents from moving up into the vulnerable esophagus. When those muscles don’t close tightly, acid reflux & heartburn can occur. This is why, most of the time, when a patient has reflux/GERD/heartburn I work to strengthen their stomach acid rather than BLOCK their stomach acid production. (And part of why we need salt! See previous video.)

How do I do that?
- remove foods that are digested poorly to reduce stress on the digestive system
- give herbs that promote acid production (digestive bitters)
- recommend “hygienic” eating, I.e. slowing down, smelling your food as it cooks, eating in a peaceful environment, all to give your body time to “warm up” and prepare to take in food
- if NEEDED, give supplemental hydrochloric acid for a time

With these measures my patients usually see resolution of reflux/heartburn within a couple of weeks & at the most, several months (if acid blocking medications have been used for a very long time). We’ll talk about why that’s so important in the next video. 🤓

If this is you & you’d like to work with me I am accepting new patients & it’s easiest to get in to see me remotely.

🍎

07/03/2025

What can happen when your stomach acid is weak?
- Gerd/Reflux/Heartburn
- Poor digestion of proteins (leads to inflammation)
- inadequate elimination of bacteria &/or parasites on our food

Forgive the chuckles, baby was trying to self-serve some milk & made me laugh!

Some people may need a salt restricted diet, but not everyone does! This is intended for educational purposes and not meant to be medical advice. ✌🏻

Address

3606 Main Street Suite 201
Vancouver, WA
98663

Opening Hours

Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13608238121

Website

http://www.salmoncreekclinic.com/

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