Dr. Joel Guillemin discoursed over health issues and answered questions from the public about topics related to naturopathic medicine, integrative cancer care, weight issues, pain management and other relative subjects at the Assiniboia 55 Club on Sunday, March 15. Guillemin currently practises naturopathic medicine at the Moose Jaw Naturopathic Clinic.
Guillemin defined naturopathic medicine as “Everything that’s not pharmaceutical-based.” Naturopathy is a classification of alternative medicine where attempts are made to either treat or avert the growth of diseases without using chemically-based pharmaceuticals – essentially an alternative path to medicine. Some naturopathic treatments incorporate ideas from Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and herbal remedies. Other techniques in naturopathy involve diet control, exercise and massage.
Guillemin began his talk by discussing the foundations of health. One of these primary foundations of naturopathy comes from understanding the diets of their patients – so much of naturopathy is designed around individual needs. He elaborated over bacteria’s functions in the human body. “We are covered in bacteria from head to toe. Bacteria plays a huge role in gut science.”
In naturopathy, diet and bacteria are interrelated, because as Guillemin noted, good bacteria aides us in digesting foods. The human body also contains neutral bacteria and bad bacteria. However, a solid diet foundation supports a person’s immune system when the proper nutrients are digested. Gut bacteria are helpful as these microscopic organisms assist the body by producing serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine. Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter and performs complex biological functions in the body, such as modulating cognition, giving one a sense of wellbeing, assisting with learning, memory and other physiological progressions.
“More than 80 per cent of our serotonin comes from gut bacteria,” Guillemin explained. “And if we’re not getting enough good bacteria, we’re not producing enough serotonin.”
Exercise is yet another principle foundation of good health. “There’s many forms of exercise,” Guillemin said. “There’s yoga, meditating, stretching, gardening – anything that involves moving. We’re finding out how much exercise plays a role here. Exercise is good for breaking down the body and getting rid of the debris,” he added.
Stress management is a lynchpin for an individual’s healthy lifestyle, according to Guillemin. Although stress itself wasn’t necessarily a negative aspect, he emphasized. “We want to have stress in our lives – it gets our heartbeat going.” Yet, monitoring stress levels is a vital aspect of good health, since overwelhming amounts of stress can institute profoundly negative consequences on the body. “Stress is always a physical manifestation that comes from our emotions,” Guillemin further outlined.
In an effort to control negative stress, he recommended his audience to engage in word or number puzzles for mental relaxation. Also, journaling and regular five-minute writing exercises can reduce stress levels according Guillemin. In explaining these writing exercises, Guillemin told his listeners to write down some of the good things happening during the day to accentuate the positive aspects of daily living.
Attaining regular sleeping hours is also crucial for good health. “How many hours of sleep do you think you should get?” the doctor asked. “Usually, seven to eight hours allows for adequate time for the body to repair itself,” he answered. “Sleep is important. When we’re stressed, we don’t sleep. When we don’t sleep, we get stressed.”
Guillemin talked about melatonin – a hormone regulating the sleep–wake cycles, predominantly discharged by the pineal gland. Melatonin is usually released during the early part of the evening when cortisol secretion is decreased. Cortisol is useful, because this hormone controls blood sugar levels and regulates metabolism, but the overproduction of cortisol leads to stress and anxiety. Guillemin believed the key to managing stress and achieving better sleep patterns necessitated better management of the body’s cortisol production.
Guillemin portrayed some of the procedures used at the naturopathic clinic, such as injecting cocktails of vitamins and minerals. The introduction of individualized diet plans with specified supplements also play critical functions in naturopathy.
Guillemin conversed over the westernized approach to acupuncture - the version he uses. Acupuncture assists healing by increasing the blood flow to areas of the body with injuries. Aside from injuries, Guillemin said acupuncture can be used for a range of issues, from hiccups to indigestion. The needles are small – they’re pliable and set inside tubes. The needles aren’t jabbed into limbs – they’re quickly tapped into the skin. “It feels like a mosquito bite,” Guillemin confirmed.
