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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, January 26, 2012 · 24 Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @OakvilleBeaver or @NewsHooked @DavidLea6 @DominikKurek @BeaverSports or @Halton_Photog Many of us are not aware that we have a "second brain" in our gut, influencing our mood, what we eat, decision making, and all kinds of diseases. Our "second brain" in the gut is also known as the `Enteric Nervous System' ­ it is capable of working all on its own, without any input from the brain to control the movement and absorption of food throughout the intestines. Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, to our feelings of depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, and stress. "Comfort foods" are a response to feelings instead of hunger, a form of self medication, and from a well-being standpoint; we are actively attempting to nourish our bodies and feel pleasure when feeling down, or alone. There was a study in "The Journal of Clinical Investigation" demonstrating how food directly affects our hormones in the gut that then signal the brain. In this study, volunteers agreed to bypass all the pleasurable aspects of eating by having a tube deliver nutrients directly to their stomach ­ while they underwent brain scanning. Through this tube, volunteers received either salt water or an infusion of fatty acids. Based on brain images, it was observed that the fatty acids reduced both sad feelings and sensations of hunger by about half, compared to the salt water. Within minutes after the fatty acids hit the stomach, MRI scans showed that brain regions known to moderate emotions were activated, with higher levels of blood flow in the brain stem and to most of the emotional parts of the brain, the limbic system. To stress the importance of the digestive system, the gut has more than 100 million neurons ­ more It's not all in your head! OUR 2ND BRAIN:THE GUT than in the spinal cord, but a lot fewer than in the brain. It is also responsible for manufacturing more than 30 neurotransmitters, including serotonin, "the happy hormone" identical to that in the brain. It is critical that we look at the health of our digestive system in any mental health issue ­ the connection is undeniable. It can be assumed that we all want to live happily, without pain and suffering, whether it be physical or emotional, and many of us underestimate how much control we have over our own well being. Even though our genetics determine what diseases we may be predisposed to, it is our GUT that influences how those predispositions function on a day-to-day basis. In other words; our diet and lifestyle powerfully influences our genetic make-up. Period. The average North American carries between five to fifteen pounds of old waste material in the body. When the bowel is underactive, toxic wastes are more likely to be re-absorbed through the bowel wall and into the bloodstream, and lymphatic system. As toxins accumulate in the tissues, alterations in cellular function take place. Colon hydrotherapy accelerates detoxification of the liver and bowel, leading to cleaner blood, cleaner tissues, effectively allowing our body to rebuild. I am very excited to grow my practice here in Oakville, I want everyone to understand how we can take health into our own hands, starting with the gut. Hering's law of cure states that: "Healing takes place from the inside out ", this is something as a Naturopath I truly believe in, and look forward to being a part of your upmost happiness and wellness in 2012. ADVERTORIAL STOP smoking program returns to Halton Region Smokers in Halton will once again have the chance to join others from across Ontario to enrol in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program and receive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) free of charge to help them kick the habit. "With the new year here, Halton Region is working to help smokers keep their resolutions and quit smoking," Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr said in a press release. "By working with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to implement the STOP Program in Halton, we can help prevent chronic disease in our community." The cost of nicotine replacement products can be a barrier to quitting for many smokers. The evidence-based STOP Program provides five weeks of free NRT. NRT is a practical support for alleviation of nicotine withdrawal symptoms and has been demonstrated to be effective in helping individuals stop smoking, stated the release. Anyone interested in participating in the program can attend an upcoming STOP workshop in Oakville on Thursday, Feb. 9 -- a workshop will also be held in Georgetown on the same day. For more information or to see if you are eligible to participate and register for a workshop, call the Halton Region Health Department by dialing 311 or calling 905-825-6000, toll-free 1-866-442-5866, or TTY 905827-9833. The STOP Program is conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada's leading addiction and mental health teaching hospital, and is funded by the Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care as part of its Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy. "To date, results from previous STOP Program participants have shown an improvement of at least two times the typical quit rates," Dr. Bob Nosal, the region's medical officer of health, said in the release. "Tobacco is a major cause or contributor to the five top causes of death in Halton Region and proven smoking cessation programs like STOP can help smokers lead healthier lives." Besides providing NRT, STOP will offer educational material to encourage program participants to make broader changes to improve their health. Often, smoking does not occur in isolation, but rather accompanies other risk factors for disease, such as poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Introduced in 2005, through a partnership between CAMH and the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport (now the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care), the STOP Program has already provided free-ofcharge nicotine replacement therapy and counselling support to an unprecedented 68,000 people from across Ontario. Health Oakville Beaver Have You Tried? Weight Management + Hypnotherapy 200% Success · Weight Management Programs for Adults & Adolescents · Hypnotherapy · Stress · Pain · Trauma · Self-Esteem · Virtual Gastric Band Dr. Tanouja RAMA Weight Management Consultant NHG Certified Hypnotherapist acorn family health and wellness centre 250 Wyecroft Rd., Unit 15 Oakville 905-844-9355 · www.thinner-u.ca · info@thinner-u.ca Specializes in: Helping Families Every Step of the Way! · Fertility Issues · Low Back/Neck Pain · Sciatica · Posture · Osteoarthritis · Pediatrics · Pre and Postnatal Care · Naturally Turning Breech Babies · Headaches/Migraines Dr. Lori Dickson, ND is located at 603 Argus Road, Suite 100, Oakville. She is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor, regulated under the Board of Directors of DruglessTherapy. Her clinic is located just south of QEW off Trafalgar, walking distance from Oakville GO. Contact: 905.842.6654 for more information, or visit www.DrLori.ca to see what services she has to offer. Naturopathic medicine is covered under most extended healthcare plans. Wellness care for the entire family! 250 Wyecroft Rd., Unit 15, Oakville, ON Family Chiropractor/Acupuncturist Dr. Jenna Davis 905.844.WELL (9355) www.acornhealth.ca drdavis@acornhealth.ca