What’s in a Naturopathic Doctor’s Medicine Chest?

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I am often asked questions by my patients about my personal habits and preferences. What do I eat? Where do I shop? What do I give my kids when they get sick?

I have run into patients at the grocery store, and they sneak a peek into my shopping cart. I've caught friends rummaging through my medicine cabinet. And I always get asked what we did about vaccinating our children.

It is time to share. In the next few blog entries I will highlight some of the things that my family uses to keep us healthy—naturally.

The foundation of health is the digestive system. We are what we eat! Unfortunately in modern society our diet includes thousands of chemicals that have been added to food as preservatives, additives, and coloring agents. Even the purest diet cannot avoid these ubiquitous chemicals that have been introduced into the food supply. So realistically, we are what we eat and do not excrete.

To maintain optimal health, it is extremely important to excrete unwanted toxins regularly and efficiently. How do we optimize excretion of unwanted toxins? It is simple—the most important detoxification mechanism in the human body is regular and complete bowel movements.

This brings me to two critical items that keep my family healthy: one is a fiber supplement and the second a poop stool. Let me explain.

Fiber is key to staying regular. The recommended amount of fiber is 20 to 35 grams a day. On average most people consume only 12 to 15 grams on a daily basis. I recommend a high-quality fiber supplement that combines soluble and insoluble fiber (e.g., psyllium seed husks, apple pectin, and guar gum) to make up the difference. When you get enough fiber, bowel movements are a wonderful experience. So if you are one of the many millions of people who experience constipation, remember that you are not detoxifying efficiently and need to add a fiber supplement.

Let me explain the poop stool. The proper position for a bowel movement is to have your knees above your hips. This position straightens the anal canal and eliminates straining. Every toilet in my house has a stool for raising the knees; this is especially key for small children whose legs do not reach the ground. Believe it or not, there is actually a medical device known as the HealthStep that is approved to assist in complete elimination to reduce bloating and relieve constipation and hemorrhoids. In my house we just use the stools the kids once used to wash at the sink when they were not tall enough.

There you have it, two simple yet profound items in my house that are used regularly to keep the digestive system healthy and functioning. Stay tuned for more!

Douglas “Duffy” MacKay, ND