Dr. Meghan MacKinnon ND Women's Health Naturopathic Doctor | Newmarket, Aurora, King City, East Gwillimbury, Keswick, Sutton, Georgina, Bradford, Richmond Hill
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Mad About Matcha - My Favourite Superfood

19/10/2012

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Superpower Green Tea
By Meghan MacKinnon, BSc, ND
Markahm & Aurora Naturopathic Doctor

Those of you who see me as patients, know that I am a green tea 'pusher', having a  'more is always better' approach.  I wanted to share a few things about why I love green tea and my newest favourite - matcha!  Green tea has long been know for it's health promoting properties, having links to cancer and heart disease prevention, weight loss, as well as preventing diabetes and dementia and even has anti-aging properties due to it's high    anti-oxidant content.  Most of the benefit from green tea has been linked to a component in it called EGCG.  Matcha refers to green tea leaves that have been ground into a fine powder.  When prepared this way, the tea has more amino acids and increases the amount of EGCG and other nutritional ingredients in it dramatically, making it a superpower green tea!  

Does Green Tea Contain Caffeine?  Yes, all green tea (including matcha) contains a small amount of caffeine (roughly half that of coffee), so it can be used effectively as a caffeine substitute.  Green tea also has a component in it called l-theanine.  L-theanine creates a feeling of relaxation, improves focus and concentration without agitating the nervous system, meaning that you should feel calm and refreshed after drinking green tea, rather than the jittery feelings often associated with coffee.  

Where Can I Get Matcha?  Most health food stores should carry matcha products and believe it or not, this is actually what's used at Starbucks to make their Green Tea Lattes (although I can't comment on the quality or amount of EGCG in their matcha)!  Note:  Yes, it really is that expensive, but yes it really is that good.  Grinding the leaves is a slow and expensive process, taking up to one hour to produce one ounce of matcha.  

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The Truth About Sunscreen

18/6/2012

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Does Sunscreen Really Prevent Skin Cancer? 
                             Meghan MacKinnon, BSc, ND
                             Aurora | Markham Naturopathic Doctor
Summer is here folks.  The countdown to the end of the school year and summer holidays has officially begun as my patients who are teachers  work late finishing up report cards and parents prepare for holidays and trips to the cottage.  Recently, a patient asked me how to pick the best sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, which got me thinking – does sunscreen actually prevent skin cancer or just burns?   
There are a few different types of skin cancer, but the most deadly one is melanoma and with the changes in our atmosphere and the ozone, this cancer is on the rise. The current most accepted thought to prevent skin cancer is to block the sun and prevent sunburn which blocks the damage to your cells.  This will help with the observable damage that can happen with sun exposure, but what about the damage to your skin that we can’t see?  There are two main types of UV rays that can potentially cause harm, UV-A and UV-B.  Many sunscreens block only UV-B  which will prevent your burn and block natural vitamin D synthesis, while ignoring the more harmful, UV-A rays.  In addition, most sunscreens contain many chemicals, some which are considered to promote cancer.   A 2002 meta-analysis from the American Journal of Public Health has shown that there was no association with sunscreen use and melanoma, but some research has shown that the sunscreen we are using, may actually incease your risk of getting malignant melanoma, especially if you live at northern latitudes.

What to Do???
  1.    Check your sunscreen to see ensure that it covers against UV-A rays in addition to UV-B rays and to get a sunscreen that has fewest toxic chemicals.  You can check your sunscreen here on the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Database.

2.    Cover up and stay in the shade.  Like everything in life, sun in moderation is okay, but know your limits and hang out under a tree.

3.    Antioxidants!  We’ve heard this one before.  By increasing your dietary consumption of antioxidants from fruits and veggies you are protecting your skin from the inside-out. 

 


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What are Anti-oxidants and Why Are They Important?

15/5/2012

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What is An Antioxidant?  Antioxidants in your body will scavenge for free radicals which can cause damage to your body.  Picture ‘the good guys’ hunting out all of ‘the bad guys’ and disarming them so they will leave your body alone!  Free radical damage has been linked with the majority of diseases out there in some shape or form including, cancer, atherosclerosis and diseases associated with aging.

Some great anti-oxidants are: Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Vitamin A, but check with a naturopathic doctor to see which antioxidants are best to treat your health condition.  

See the video below for more information on how antioxidants work.
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    Dr. Meg MacKinnon Naturopathic Doctor
    Aurora
    Newmarket
    King City
    Richmond Hill
    Holland Landing
    Sharon/ Queensville
    Bradford
    Keswick/ Georgina

    Meghan has a passion for supporting others achieve their health goals.  She provides optimal care for her patients by applying a scientific approach to all treatments, while investigating all other factors that contribute to health and well-being.


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