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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Are Hormonal Birth Control Pills Linked to Prostate Cancer?

15/11/2011

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A new research finding proposes a connection between birth control pills and prostate cancer, which has many people talking.  Birth control pills containing estrogen and progesterone have become a standard in North America- almost a birth right for teenage girls and a standard treatment for any hormone imbalance.  One thing rarely thought about when we take our medications and supplements is that by-products can be excreted to re-circulate through the environment after we take them.  This means that  as more people take the birth control pill, there is more synthetic estrogen  released into our environment.  This can be difficult to filter out of our water supply, meaning it can affect us on a daily basis.  

For men, one thing estrogen may affect is their prostate.  The prostate gland is a hormone producing gland of the male reproductive system that makes secretions.  Interestingly, this study found that prostate cancer is much more common in North America and developed countries where usage of the birth control pill is high.  While an interesting link has been made in this study, it is important to note that this is preliminary research and it doesn’t mean that birth control pills = prostate cancer.  In fact, this is highly unlikely, because there are many other chemicals in our environment that also act as hormone modulators or ‘xenoestrogens’, perhaps creating an additive effect.  Some examples of these are bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and phthalates which are used in most plastic compounds.  The Endocrine Society continues to provide up to date research on the health effects of these substances to identify the health effects that these chemicals have on animals and humans. They say that xenoestrogens have many connections to hormone health including adverse reproductive outcomes (infertility, cancers, malformations) with increasing evidence for effects on other hormone systems, including thyroid, weight and metabolism in addition to insulin and glucose homeostasis.

For more information on how to avoid environmental estrogen, hormone balance, prostate health or detoxification email me to set up an appointment or ask a question on my FAQ page. 

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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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