When you are sick and looking for solutions, you are often more dazed than informed due to the amount of conflicting information available. For example, our famous Dr. Google will tell you in the same search that vitamin C is very useful AND that we should not take it because it is dangerous! It, therefore, becomes difficult to really take control of your health. Where to start? Which approach is best for my ailment?

This is where integrative health comes into play, which proposes to use the best of multiple health approaches to help you improve your quality of life. Indeed, why limit yourself to a single approach if a combination of various tools gives superior results?

Integrative health is all about your participation. In this view of health and disease, you cannot and should not want to “put your health in the hands of the doctor.” Far from there! Personally, I no longer want a “statistically significant” approach or a “one size fits all”. If you’re like me, you’re looking for tools you can control yourself. Tools, or ways of doing things that help you improve your own health. There is no single individual better than you to become the expert on your health. Thus, therapists, doctors, and pharmacists become advisers to guide you toward the right choices and tools. They are there to teach you much more than to direct you.

Some examples

Example #1: Menopause

If the women in your family have gone through a difficult menopause, you are more likely to experience the same thing. That’s true, but just because there’s a hereditary or familial component doesn’t mean it’s inevitable.

Several approaches work well to improve the quality of life during this period. For instance:

  • Taking bio-identical hormones;
  • Some dietary changes (more green vegetables, fewer carbohydrates, enough protein, etc.);
  • Stress reduction, a positive attitude;
  • Exercise, especially aerobics;
  • Several natural products such as black cohosh, sage, melatonin, and omega 3;
  • Acupuncture.

Of course, you also have to adapt everything to your symptoms; to your reality.

To find out how to improve your quality of life during menopause, you can visit:

Example #2: Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis should not exist. No, osteoporosis is not a disease. It is first and foremost a fracture risk factor, one amongst many others. Of course, you have to take care of the health of your bones if you don’t want to “break”, but other risk factors as well. By the way, did you know that 40% of fractures could be prevented with a simple question: Do you have balance problems?

Have you ever wondered why, after a bone density test revealing osteoporosis (see Osteoporosis: understanding the real meaning of the T score ), the only possible medical conclusion is to medicate? However, drugs are far from being the only solution, or not even the best option for the majority of cases. Our bones are alive! It has nothing to do with inert calcium pebbles. It is therefore possible at any age, with the right tools, to improve your bone capital and ward off the specter of fracture.

To put the odds in your favor:

  • Exercise (adapted to your condition);
  • Do not consume soft drinks (mineral thieves);
  • Eat green and colored foods;
  • Make sure you eat enough protein (building blocks for your bones);
  • Do not smoke;
  • If possible, reduce or stop taking certain medications, such as PPIs (stomach medications);
  • Several vitamins and minerals are essential for good bone health. It is even more important to take vitamins D and K than calcium!

To learn more about effective tools to have strong bones, you can visit:

Going further…

If these examples speak to you, it is because you are interested in health and want to get actively involved. This is what I try to promote and facilitate with my online training platform: l’Académie de l’Apothicaire.

I created the l’Académie de l’Apothicaire, with my team, in response to the inconsistency of the information disseminated in the world of health. In our Concentrés de santé (training for all), you will get the facts on subjects that affect you. We combine the best of different health approaches to offer you effective and accessible tools. Tools you can control and adapt to improve your quality of life.

To find out about our training topics, you can visit:

Wishing you good health! ☀️

Jean-Yves Dionne, Pharmacist