Anti-aging Calgary

Anti-aging with Naturopathic Medicine

Anti-aging is a topic that the majority of my patients are interested in at my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice. It is natural for people to want to look their best for as long as possible, and age as gracefully as possible. There are so many options for anti-aging therapies, and a person can spend unlimited amounts of time and money on these therapies. However, it is very important to consider anti-aging from the inside out, and look at the aging process of the body. Naturopathic Medicine has an abundance of treatments to support the health of the body and to slow down the aging process. Keep reading to learn more!

Stress management and Lifestyle Counseling for Anti-aging

Of course, you have heard this before. Stress is probably one of the most significant contributors to the aging process, adding to facial wrinkles and greying hair. Stress can impact your sleep, your energy, your weight, as well as the quality of your skin and hair. Stress is unavoidable, but your perception of the stress, and how that stress impacts your body on a physical level, is where Naturopathic Medicine plays a significant role. I will dedicate an entire blog to this topic, so stay tuned! However lifestyle wise, it is important to find methods to manage your stress, whether that includes yoga, meditation, going for a walk, or even getting together with a good friend and talking (this conversation may or may not include a glass of wine…I’ll leave that up to you!). Find an activity that brings you joy and “fills your tank”. These activities play a role in balancing out your stress hormones, which absolutely have an impact on the aging process of the body. My next blog will be dedicated entirely to stress management which will go into greater detail on this topic.

 

Diet and Nutrition for Anti-aging

This is a very important part of aging gracefully. What you put into your body is vital, because you want to provide your body with all the nutrients and anti-oxidants that are required for health and repair of your tissues. It is very common for diet to be the first thing to be tossed aside for a diet of convenience and speed during our busy and stressful times. However, a couple of hours of meal preparation one or two nights a week can make a big difference in how your fuel your body the entire week.

It is very important to eat regularly, and avoid skipping meals or going long periods without eating. In addition, a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables is important because it is rich in anti-oxidants which slow down the aging process. The brighter and more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the better! A good rule is that half of your plate should be vegetables. Minimizing refined sugars (white rice, pasta, bread, pastries) and balancing each meal with lean protein and healthy fat is vital. All of these changes help to regulate stress hormones such as cortisol, and balance your blood sugar and insulin levels in your body, all of which contribute to the aging process. You can read more about Diet and Nutrition here.

 

Vitamins and Supplements for Anti-aging

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I prescribe Vitamins and Supplements to my patients on a regular basis. Once I have performed a complete intake and assess the patients health history and chief concerns I can get an idea of what vitamins would be good for them. Proper vitamins can play a role in the patients energy, sleep, stress levels, weight, and overall health and well being. These are important for anti-aging because they aid in the body’s nutritional requirements which can be easily depleted, thus helping the body’s repair of tissues. You can read more about professional grade vitamins and supplements here.

 

Botanical Medicines for Anti-aging

Herbs are very important in my practice, and play a huge role in anti-aging. Herbs can be used for hormone balancing, stress management, sleep quality, anxiety and depression, and so much more. Each herb is chosen according to the patients symptom picture and are used short-term. You can read more about Botanical Medicine here.

 

Acupuncture for Anti-aging

I do acupuncture from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, and it is a very important part of my practice. I cannot say enough about how powerful this treatment option is, and how significant of a role it can play in the anti-aging process. Not only can it aid sleep, stress, fatigue, hormones, and digestion, but energetically it supports the kidneys, which from a Chinese Medicine perspective, support the patients vitality, essence, and anti-aging. After performing a tongue and pulse analysis, I can chose points that will help the most with the patients symptom picture. You can read more about Acupuncture here.

 

Hormone balancing for Anti-aging

Balanced hormones play a very large role in healthy aging. Salivary hormone testing is very helpful not only in determining my patients levels of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEAS, and cortisol, but also in helping to determine if the ratios of each of these hormones to each other are in a health balance. In addition we can look at blood testing the patient has had done by their medical doctor. You can read more about Salivary Hormone Testing here.

 

Topical Therapies for Anti-aging

Now that I have spoken about internal therapies to support healthy aging, I can talk about external therapies for anti-aging. External therapies are important, but only as a secondary treatment to the internal therapies. Supporting the health of the body will help maintain these external therapies which I will describe below.

 

Microneedling for Anti-aging

I have been getting great results with Microneedling, which involves the use of a pen with multiple needles over the face and neck. This aids with reduction of wrinkles, under eye circles, acne scarring, and much more. By applying hyaluronic acid before needling we aid in the collagen production in the face, which “plumps”  up the tissue, contributing to a more youthful appearance. You can read more about Microneedling here.

 

Mesotherapy for Anti-aging

Mesotherapy involves injecting nutrients and homeopathics directly under the skin using tiny needles. Mesotherapy can address facial wrinkles, poor complexion, enlarged pores, cellulite, fat loss, and much more. You can read more about Mesotherapy here.

 

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture for Anti-aging

This treatment involves all of the body points which would be included in a regular acupuncture, as well as tiny needles inserted on the face into wrinkles and to treat and prevent sagging skin. Therefore we are treating the skin locally, as well as addressing anti-aging overall by supporting the kidneys energetically and allowing the proper flow of Qi to nourish the body. You can read more about Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture here.

 

As you can see, there are so many treatment options that Naturopathic Medicine has to offer for Anti-aging! Please do not hesitate to contact me at my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice if you have any questions about how Naturopathic Medicine can help you.

 

Dr. Ramona Charikar BScH, ND

Naturopathic Vitality Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic

#205-5403 Crowchild Trail N.W.

Calgary, AB T3B 4Z1

(403) 719-2594

 

 

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