Contact - Dr. Orna Izakson

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Empowerment vs blame in natural health. One of the

Empowerment vs blame in natural health. One of the unfortunate trends we’ve seen in the last two years is natural medicine solutions shifting from sources of empowerment to opportunities for blame and shame.Can we please stop that?The central epiphany that brought me to natural medicine was that healing was not something that existed only in a doctors office, but was available to us in our kitchens, our bathrooms, our gardens and our natural and wild spaces.It was so empowering to realize that a garden herb like thyme could help me from getting seriously and dangerously sick!I went into this field to share this knowledge with folks, to demystify medicine and help us take care of ourselves and each other.But in the past two years, these empowering concepts have been Weaponized against people. If you eat sugar, if you don’t lift your body weight in kettlebells, etc. you will get sick — and you somehow deserve it.Yes, improving our baseline health makes us more resilient in the face of stressors – whether those stressors are viral, emotional, environmental or what have you.But not every intervention is appropriate for or available to every person. So let’s stop using any of these things as a cudgel to beat people up.I’m not talking about abnegating responsibility for ourselves and to our communities. I absolutely believe that we all have obligations to each other that we should not shirk.I am talking about giving ourselves and each other a little leeway to be less than perfect. I am talking about being gentle with ourselves and each other in a profoundly ungentle time.So if you start giving yourself grief about not doing All The Things, please let it drop. And if someone starts giving you grief about that, don’t take it on.And if you’re trying to do all the things but buckling under the weight, you are not alone. Remember, it’s your doctor’s job to help prioritize what’s most important for you.

Some bright light from the garden.

Some bright light from the garden.

What’s the best way to care for your skin? Natur

What’s the best way to care for your skin? Naturally, of course.It’s a cliché to say that beauty comes from within, but clichés are clichés for a reason.Good food, clean water, sleeping at night and moving your body during the day — all of these are the main drivers of skin health.Poor digestion, an inflammatory diet and lifestyle (hello, sugar), hormone imbalances, and toxic exposures all cause skin to suffer.And often the products we use on our body — soap, shampoo, lotions, moisturizers and makeup — contribute to the toxic load.This photo is from my February road trip to the desert. It’s unretouched except for trying to reduce some shadow so you can actually see what my skin looks like.This is my 55-year-old, post-menopausal face, washed only with water and minimally moisturized, enhanced here with some homemade herbal antioxidant “sunscreen.” And a few miles of midday (=sweaty) hiking.Even though I keep it simple, I definitely have my vanity. That got me researching healthy, clean body-care products for myself, and now I’ve written it up to share with you.(It’s actually a five-part series with more pieces on the way.)In the series I cover both DIY options and specific brands and products. I offer some background on the companies I mention in terms of their ethics and values.The lists are entirely subjective, and I have by no means tried every option out there. If you know great companies focusing on clean body care, please definitely let me know in the comments👇🏼!Our skin and hair are often a reflection of our internal health. Choosing the cleanest, greenest products and reduces the burden on our bodies’ self-cleaning superpowers.Find the series through the link in my bio👆🏼.

You know how there’s that one moment in late sum

You know how there’s that one moment in late summer or early fall where you can smell winter in the air?Yesterday was like that, but in reverse: Even though we hopefully are far from done with snow for the year, you can tell that spring is coming.

Telemedicine appointments are now open for Alaskan

Telemedicine appointments are now open for Alaskans!Availability begins in mid January.Hopefully most of the tech gremlins have been appeased and this will go smoothly🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.If you are an Alaskan or know an Alaskan who could benefit from naturopathic care, let’s connect!

If you’ve gone a little overboard recently with

If you’ve gone a little overboard recently with sugar consumption — and between holidays and the pandemic, no judgement — bitter flavored plants are just what the doctor ordered.Bitters, like the snowy Oregon grape pictured here, are great for setting and resetting our digestion. That can help us get back on track after any edible excess.How can you add more bitters to your world? There are so many options!Bitter herbs include chamomile, lavender, dandelion leaf or root, Oregon grape, skullcap, gentian and many more.There are lots of great bitter veggies, too. Think here about radicchio, kale, dandelion greens, artichoke and even some of the heartier lettuces.Bitters are best used a little before meal times, to help jumpstart all of the complicated processes involved in digestion. But they’re also great for many cases of tummy aches, gas or acid reflux.If you asked me to pick my single favorite bitter herb, I would come back to you with three: dandelion, artichoke and Oregon grape.What’s your favorite bitter — or top three if you, like me, can’t pick just one? LMK 👇🏼.

Out in the woods a few weeks ago, some words poppe

Out in the woods a few weeks ago, some words popped into my mind, echoing on repeat with each step of my hike: First. Friday. Herbal. Hour.And I thought, hey, wouldn’t it be fun to create a regular plant-geek get together? Part learning, part hanging out, all about plants.I floated the idea here and got positive responses.So today I’m happy to officially announce the inaugural First Friday Herbal Hour!WHAT: First Friday Herbal Hour
WHEN: January 7, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. PST/4:30 p.m. AKST
WHERE: zooooooom
PRICE: Free
REGISTER: link in bioI will get each session rolling with a specific topic. These will be general enough for newbies, but with opportunities to geek deeply if folks are into it.My hope is to build these into interactive events rather than simple lectures — and offer a fun place for plant geeks to virtually commune.To tell you the truth, I’d initially planned to offer this as a paid series. But since the whole idea is an experiment, and I’m still struggling a bit with the tech, First Friday Herbal Hours will be free for at least the next few months.I’ve got sessions scheduled through March, at which point I’ll reevaluate. If these do switch to a subscription model, founding members absolutely will be grandparented into the best pricing.As always, your feedback is important! For now, I’m scheduling these at 5:30 p.m. PST/4:30 p.m. AKST, but let me know if you'd prefer a different time. We can always switch things around, or alternate, or whatever seems to work best. It’s up to us!Are you in?To register, go to the link in my bio. And if you’ve got friends who want to hang out and get their plant-geek on, please let them know!I look forward to plant geeking with you!

Cranberries are such a rockstar fruit.Fresh, coo

Cranberries are such a rockstar fruit.Fresh, cooked, dried, juiced, they are loaded with health-promoting antioxidants.Some of cranberries’ superpowers*:💥Normalize high blood pressure
💥Improve cholesterol
💥Reduce inflammation
💥Regulate blood sugar
💥Promote oral health
💥Help fight cancer
💥Support cardiovascular health
💥Prevent and treat urinary tract infectionsMedicinally, they are best known for their effects on UTIs. But bear in mind that sugar will obviate cranberries’ efficacy. So opt in favor of the unsweetened, prioritizing powder so you get a good dose.I love hot cranberry sauce this time of year, and it’s so simple to make. Just add cranberries and a cinnamon stick to water, simmer until the fruit get soft, and then add raw local honey to taste.Add fresh, unsweetened cranberry juice to fizzy water anytime for a refreshing and healthy alternative to soda.Also delicious for an occasional sweet fix: melt high-cacao-content/low-sugar chocolate on top of fresh cranberries and eat when solidified. @pinkrockcrystal turned me onto this a few weeks ago and it was just incredible!how do you love cranberries best? Let me know in the comments👇🏼!*Looking for citations? Plug these ID numbers into PubMed to read the studies: 27548236,
25180378, 31023488, 16352876.

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