Laser Solutions - Toe Nail Fungus

Toenail Fungus

I know that as Christmas approaches and our feet are all warmly tucked away in cozy slippers and boots our toenails are the last things on our minds, but they shouldn’t be. In no time at all the first flowers of spring will bloom and, as Vancouverites, we will be back in shorts and flip-flops the moment the rain stops.

If your unsightly toenail fungus limited your footwear selection last summer, or if you spent your hard-earned money on pedicures and nail polish to camouflage your symptoms, then NOW is the time to start treating your nails so you can expose them fearlessly this summer.

Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is the most common and stubborn of all nail diseases. By the age of 50, one in four of us have this embarrassing nail disorder and are hiding its typical symptoms of discoloured and thickened nails. That small yellowed corner that you attempt to treat with over the counter medication or home remedies is highly contagious and destined to worsen. Without effective, early treatment the chance of one affected nail spreading to the others is 100%!

Both topical and oral medications are currently used to treat nail fungus. Topical medications are ineffective as they do not penetrate the nail to the required depth, and oral medications are associated with potential serious side effects and require regular blood tests to monitor for liver and kidney damage.

At Pure Health Centre, Halcyon Laser Solutions is now offering risk free, painless and effective laser treatments that take less than 15 minutes, have no down-time, and are over 80% effective at eliminating fungus when combined with a topical antifungal cream to prevent reinfection. Halcyon Laser Solutions has been using the Health Canada and FDA approved Cutera GenesisPlus laser since its debut in 2011 and have successfully eliminated nail fungus for hundreds of patients.



Call our Health Centre to book your consultation and/or treatment to ensure you are sporting those flip-flops this summer!

Fall Foods: Beans Beans the Magical Food!

Beans are a great source of nutrients and can be a warm and comforting Fall food! Beans are so nutritious that the latest dietary guidelines recommend we triple our current intake from 1 to 3 cups per week. What makes beans so good for us? Here's what the experts have to say:

 

Beans are comparable to meat when it comes to calories, but they really shine in terms of fiber and water content, two ingredients that make you feel fuller, faster. Adding beans to your diet helps cut calories without feeling deprived.

 

This difference in fiber content means that meat is digested fairly quickly, whereas beans are digested slowly, keeping you satisfied longer. Plus, beans are low in sugar, which prevents insulin in the bloodstream from spiking and causing hunger. When you substitute beans for meat in your diet, you get the added bonus of a decrease in saturated fat.

 

Our diets tend to be seriously skimpy when it comes to fiber, to the detriment of both our hearts and our waistlines. One cup of cooked beans (or two-thirds of a can) provides about 12 grams of fiber -- nearly half the recommended daily dose of 21 to 25 grams per day for adult women (30 to 38 grams for adult men). Meat, on the other hand, contains no fiber at all.

 

Beans are also high in antioxidants, a class of phytochemicals that incapacitate cell-damaging free

radicals in the body, which have been implicated in everything from cancer and aging to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

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In a recent study, bean eaters weighed, on average, 7 pounds less and had slimmer waists than their bean-avoiding counterparts -- yet they consumed 199 calories more per day if they were adults and an incredible 335 calories more if they were teenagers.

 

 

Try out this great recipe:

 

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Makes 12 small bowls of soup (or 6 large bowls)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (about 1 large)

1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

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3 teaspoons minced garlic

4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage

14.5-ounce can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

2 cups sliced celery

2 cups diced (1/2-inch pieces) carrots or baby carrots

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted)

3 cups diced (1/2-inch pieces) potato

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 cups zucchini, sliced into half-moons (cut zucchini in half, then cut into slices)

15-ounce can red kidney beans (white kidney beans can be substituted), rinsed and drained

Garnish: Shredded Parmesan cheese (about a tablespoon per serving)

1. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and garlic and sauté about 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in the cabbage, the canned, stewed tomatoes (including liquid), celery, and carrots, and sauté 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, potatoes, fresh basil, zucchini, and kidney beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover saucepan, and let simmer about an hour.
3. Spoon into soup bowls and top each serving with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving without Parmesan cheese (if 12 per recipe): 138 calories, 7 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0.9 g saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 113 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 17%.

Per serving with Parmesan cheese (if 12 per recipe): 168 calories, 10 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (2.4 g saturated