Elixir Naturopathy Blog

What Is Sleep Hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is the term given to the habits, behaviours and environment we set in order to obtain a regular quality night's sleep. If you are someone that struggles with poor sleep quality, insomnia, fatigue, hormone imbalance, weight regulation, inflammation or chronic disease then focusing on your sleep hygiene is a great way to set yourself up for a great night's sleep.

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gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs

The Gluten, Leaky Gut & Thyroid Connection

There is a strong connection between the thyroid and gut health. Studies have shown that low thyroid hormone production can lead to leaky gut and impaired digestive health can impair thyroid function. Optimal digestion supports a reduction in the antibodies associated with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto's and Graves.

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gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs

5 Ways You Can Reduce Your Environmental Toxin Exposure

We’re all trying our best to live clean, green lives. It’s one thing that we know is beneficial for our overall health. Only, these days the world we live in makes it harder to escape them. Environmental toxin exposure is concerning; from the food we eat and the water we drink to the products we clean our bodies and homes with. More often than not they’re laden with high doses of toxins that have devastating effects on our health in the long-run.

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gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs

10 Signs You Have Might Have A Thyroid Problem & What To Do About It

The thyroid gland is a powerhouse in the human body. But because a lot of it’s magic happens behind the scenes in the endocrine (hormonal) system, when things go wrong they can be hard to pick up on. There are a few telltale signs that we tend to think nothing of, but when they begin to arise collectively (or sometimes on their own), they begin to point to a thyroid problem.

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fertility, health, hormones, nutrition, naturopathy Melissa Briggs fertility, health, hormones, nutrition, naturopathy Melissa Briggs

Seed Cycling for Hormones

You may have heard of a particular nutritional “fad” at present called seed cycling to promote healthy hormones. This is certainly something I get asked about often in my practice.

So I thought I would share with you exactly what seed cycling is, what the research says, how to implement seed cycling and what to expect when you do. 

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gut health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs gut health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs

Why We All Need Magnesium

Magnesium is one of my favourite nutrients.

I fist became acquainted with magnesium back when I was a first year naturopath student. 

I used to consume coffee like it was going out of fashion in order to get me through assignments, deadlines and full time work. Until that is, I learned about magnesium.

You see coffee consumption actually works against the body when we are stressed, not only does it increase the excretion of B vitamins required to help combat stress, but it also triggers cortisol release.

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gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs gut health, thyroid health, digestion, nutrition Melissa Briggs

Selenium & Thyroid health

The essential trace mineral, selenium, is of crucial importance to human health. It is a necessary component of several major metabolic pathways including thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense and immune regulation.

While the body requires selenium, it does not produce this mineral, therefore selenium must be obtained through the diet or supplementation. 

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