Dr. Tonia's Archived Blog Posts
natural Healing and Mind-Body Medicine.
Tonia Winchester Coaching
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Here is an alphabetical list. In case you want that. 😉
It's Not What You Know, But What You Do.
It's not what you know, it's what you do. I heard that quote from Todd Henry. I'm not sure if he said it first. When I google it all I get is people who said, "It's not what you know but who you know... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
June 22, 2016•7 min read
How Far Is What You Choose From What You Really Want?
You know when you read a line or a paragraph over and over again with out actually taking in what you're reading? Sometimes this happens when you're tired. The other day my eyes kept scrolling over ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 19, 2016•5 min read
How to Create a Healing Goal
Gawd I don't love running. For a number of reasons. It hurts. It's not in my blood. My short, stalky limbs just aren't designed for it. When I was in elementary school we had to run around the block ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 06, 2016•6 min read
One Stroke at a Time
Anything is Possible One Stroke at a Time - Zentangle. Hold the phone. I need to back up. About a year ago I rediscovered colouring. Or you could say I discovered adult colouring. I like to think... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 20, 2016•4 min read
Get Rid of Your Headaches Naturally.
A few weeks back I had a headache. I rarely get them and certainly feel for those who suffer for them on the regular. I have a number of patients who come to me for this very reason. And there are c... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 15, 2016•4 min read
How To Find Rest
I overheard an awesome conversation last weekend. While hugging her hello, he said, "I haven't seen you in so long." She said, "Yes, I've been in Mexico for five weeks." He said, "You don't do thin... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 08, 2016•3 min read
10 Reasons Why You Should Pray
My husband wasn't picking up so when she answered the phone, between sobs I was able to say, "CRISIS! HELP!" My mother-in-law said, "Who is this?" "Tonia." Breathe. Sob. "I can do this." Breathe. So... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 24, 2016•4 min read
Two Magic Little Words That Can Change Everything
Do you like Day Light Savings? Gah. I don't like time change day. It started a few years ago when I began to recognize that everything seem to be about 10° weird for the few days after time change da... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 18, 2016•6 min read
Are You Suffering from an Upper Limit Problem?
I can't believe I haven't written about this before. Wait. Let me back up. On the weekend my husband and I traipsed from the exotic rain forest where we live on an island in the Pacific to a differe... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 09, 2016•5 min read
3 Ways to Ward off that Nagging Cough
I just went for a walk to help my brain come up with a new article to write for you. While I was out tromping about with my dawgy, one of my besties texted, "Hey Dr. T! Do you have any recommendations... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
February 17, 2016•3 min read
A 5 Minute Practice to Increase Your Life Satisfaction
Gosh, I do envy the ability of my dog to shake off stress and move into the next present moment, wagging her tail and loving life. ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 28, 2016•5 min read
SNEAK PEEK: Behind the Scenes of my Morning Routine
My sister was visiting recently and she was staying in my sacred studio space. It's the space that I go to as soon as I get up to do my morning routine - before opening my email, checking my phone, go... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 20, 2016•7 min read
7 Steps to Cultivate Happiness
Early December I drove for 2 hours to see Gabrielle Bernstein speak. If you're not familiar with her, I do recommend checking her out. She is a certified Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher, best-s... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 07, 2016•6 min read
What's Really Behind Bone Loss
In my head, I've been constructing a revamp of an article I wrote for the Plan Facebook page a few weeks back. I wrote it at the time because that week 3 patients asked me about calcium supplementati... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
November 13, 2015•6 min read
Repairing Relationships - Connecting Through Touch
I spent Sunday at a workshop all about touch, pleasure, giving, and receiving - topics I felt I had a pretty good handle on (yep, pun intended). I know how important touch is, so I was eager to go dee... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
October 30, 2015•6 min read
Make Art. Define Your Own Perfection. Lessons from Col. Chris Hadfield.
I had the pleasure of hearing Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield speak this week. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that have been rolling around in my brain formulating themselves into this ar... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
October 23, 2015•5 min read
Why I RARELY Recommend Fancy Allergy Testing
I get a lot of patients ask me about allergy testing. They say, "I just want to know what I'm allergic to." I hear that. Why wouldn't you want to know about the foods that are essentially poison to ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
October 14, 2015•5 min read
Are You Eating Reactive Foods? 14 Ways to Tell.
I'm going to tell you two stories about car trouble, which will segue into one of my favorite deserts, which will hopefully give you some giggles (because laughter is incredible medicine) and also sea... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
October 07, 2015•5 min read
What It Means To Really Heal
In the last two weeks I've had two people apologize to me for sexually inappropriate things they had said to me. Both men. One was four years ago, and the other was eight. I'm not talking yesterday. Y... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
October 04, 2015•5 min read
If It's Not Scheduled, It's Not Real
On the weekend I purchased a 2 week audio program to help me with an area that I've been struggling with. I almost didn't buy it because I knew it would take time each day to go through the program a... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
September 23, 2015•2 min read
What's Your Medicine?
A couple weeks ago, at a salsa dance event the organizer gave a little goodbye speech. He was leaving for some travels for several months. He said, "Dance is our medicine." ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
September 16, 2015•3 min read
I want to give this back to you
Recently I met a new patient, who has been struggling for a long time with some very serious health problems. When she came to me and said, "You're my last hope." And I bought into that. At first. F... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
September 01, 2015•3 min read
Listening to That Little Voice
I'm not sure if it's true where you are, but I've notice the air in the mornings has a hint of fall. There is more moisture, a sweeter smell, and chill that wasn't there last week or the one before. ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
September 01, 2015•2 min read
Everything You Need To Know Before Your First Acupuncture Appointment
If you're not getting any sustainable benefit from your medical doctor or other practitioner, read on. You've been investing a lot of time, energy and money but you're still in pain or you still haven... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
August 17, 2015•5 min read
A Hard Thing To Do
I've been thinking about favours a lot lately. As I've been moving clinics, I've been asking a lot of people - especially my giant husband for bucketfuls of help. I'm so grateful for everytime he or a... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
July 28, 2015•3 min read
Histamine: Your Body's Secret Frenemy - Part 2
A couple weeks ago I posted an article all about the effects of histamine in the body: Histamine: Your Body's Secret Frenemy - Part 1. I wrote about a certain type of histamine receptor and constrict... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
July 14, 2015•4 min read
Stomach Acid and Stress. It's Not What You Think.
A patient recently told me that her doctor, after prescribing a double dose of Nexium, said there is a connection between stress and stomach acid - and there definitely is one, but it's actually not w... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
July 07, 2015•3 min read
Histamine: Your Body's Secret Frenemy - Part 1
I spent the weekend at a naturopathic conference. It's always great to connect with my classmates and colleagues from all over Canada and be inspired by experienced mentors and teachers. My favourite... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
June 30, 2015•3 min read
Why You Can't Just Cleanse To Be Healthy
Several patients have asked me lately if they should "do a cleanse or something." My answer is yes. And no. From time to time we should give our bodies less stimulating circumstances, rest, and eat ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
June 16, 2015•4 min read
Is He The Right One? How to Know.
At a recent visit, a patient shared with me that she was experiencing a bit more emotional stress than normal. "What's going on?" She explained that her ex-boyfriend was interested in getting back t... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
June 09, 2015•3 min read
100 Reasons Why Your Healthy Living Plan Isn't Working Out
(And what to do instead) This post marks my 100th article published on my blog. I didn't set out to write 100 articles. I set out to write. More. Because I like it, and from what I gather people are ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 26, 2015•16 min read
The Massively Overlooked Thing You MUST Do to Truly Thrive in Life
My husband and I have needed a new mattress for a while. Since we've been together actually - seven years so far. I did a lot of research because, well, I'm the picky one of our pair when it comes to ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 19, 2015•5 min read
Why the Word Healthy Makes Me Cringe
I love getting people healthy, happy and doing what they love. But admittedly I have a love / hate relationship with the word healthy. I adore the definition of health according to the World Health O... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 12, 2015•3 min read
Using Nature's Wisdom to Heal From Injuries Faster
It's spring time where I live. When I drive parks on I see people out having a blast - playing tennis, shooting hoops, or chucking a ball around. Some of the people I see seem to be pretty seasoned. S... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
May 05, 2015•3 min read
Why ABSOLUTELY Nothing is Wrong with Your Body or Your Health
I see sick people. (Not like the little boy in the Sixth Sense who sees dead people - not like that at all.) What I mean is that in my naturopathic practice I see people who have physical, mental, an... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 28, 2015•4 min read
Supplements. Why You Need Them. When You Don't.
I have had several of patients ask lately, "Do you want me to keep taking these supplements?" It got me thinking. A lot. I realized something. That it's a complicated question. The bottom line is ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 21, 2015•4 min read
Why You're Not JUST What You Eat.
You've heard the old adage: "You are what you eat." While it's pure fun to picture people as giant, rainbow-sprinkled donuts and dancing hotdogs, the saying just isn't true. Well. It's not ENTIRELY ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 14, 2015•3 min read
If Laughter is the Best Medicine, Then Here. Have Some.
I don't have TOO many words for you today, but I do have an audio file for you. It's purpose? Solely to bring you joy and make you smile. It's just me laughing. For an entire minute. This post comes... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
April 07, 2015•2 min read
How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Your Diet Changes
I love this scene from Madagascar 2: King Julien : "My sacrifice goes in the volcano. Then, the friendly Gods eat up my sacrifice. 'Mmmm, very nice. Thank you for the sacrifice.' 'Please, have anothe... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 31, 2015•5 min read
The Truth Is... Reductionism Isn't Reality.
In an earlier article I mentioned (okay, ranted) about how I don't love labels including medical diagnoses even as a doctor. Hold on to your toques ladies and gents, I'm about to get ranty (again) up... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 17, 2015•4 min read
4 Mind-Altering Ways Food Can Affect Depression and Anxiety
I see a lot of patients in my practice with mood disorders, specifically depression and anxiety. While there may be a neurotransmitter imbalance in these conditions, it's not the whole story, nor in ... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 10, 2015•4 min read
Pour the Wax Out
Each morning I have a self-care routine - my Non-Negotiable-Tonia Time (my NNTT) which involves lighting some beeswax candles. One in particular is a tall pillar candle the diameter of a tea light. On... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
March 03, 2015•3 min read
Your Digital Permission Slip
I don't have anything particularly innovative to say. I just want to remind you that it's okay and safe to: ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
February 24, 2015•1 min read
Health Doesn't Really Matter. Here's What Does.
Health is a funny thing. It's not really that important. I know. That's an interesting claim for someone in my career. It's something we might work towards but may never actually see the benefits of... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
February 17, 2015•3 min read
Gratitude 201: Kicking Your Gratitude Practice Up a Notch
The power of gratitude. Boy oh Boy. I don't know of a more powerful power. I talked about just saying, "Thank you," here. But this article is different. I called it 201 because its a level up from th... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
February 10, 2015•2 min read
20 Ways to Attract More Joy into Your Life
I realized recently that no matter the title under which I am practicing, or the tool that I am using, or the condition I am treating, my work is all about reducing pain and suffering, and bringing mo... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
February 02, 2015•1 min read
I Want to Live in a World...
I happen to really love birthdays, especially mine, which is tomorrow. I'm turning thirty-five-ulous. In the spirit of birthday wishes I wanted to share... My Birthday Wish For The World: ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 20, 2015•2 min read
Are the stories you're telling yourself true?
I had an important breakthrough a couple months ago. I busted through a belief system that I've been carrying around for 8 years. At least. A belief system is a conscious (or more commonly unconscio... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 14, 2015•6 min read
It's Okay to Change Your Mind
Someone I love recently told me that she had been waking up in the middle of the night panicking. I asked her what she was panicking about. "Oh, the band." "The band? I thought you liked being in the... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 13, 2015•3 min read
You Gotta Ask For What You Want
The last time I was at my hair dresser's, I had an interesting conversation. As my stylist was finishing up with her client ahead of me, she saw I was waiting and came over for a quick hug and a hello... ...more
Dr. Tonia Archives
January 06, 2015•3 min read
I help every day folks
release the painful imprint of the past, Shift their perspectives, create healthy habits so they can Enjoy exceptional lives!
My clients are people stuck in their health or lives with burnout, insomnia , anxiety, or stress. After working with me they can calm their minds, sleep deeply, and find joy and energy again - all with out talk therapy or medications.
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