First inspired by the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Dominika has focused much of her career on helping her patients connect the dots between early adversity and trauma and their impact on lifelong health and well-being. She knows that the reversal of chronic illness involves the nervous system, and so she has dedicated her practice to helping patients master their own nervous system to positively influence their mind and body, behaviours and ultimately health outcomes.
Her explanation of disease doesn't pathologize or blame, but is nuanced, humanized and filled with hope.
She trained with various psychologists and experts in the field of psychological trauma. She incorporates the principles of neuroscience, attachment theory, mindfulness, Polyvagal Theory and compassionate inquiry in her approach with patients. Combining these with her naturopathic training, she likes to say that she works at the intersection of science and human experience.
Here we are, we do our very best to avoid foods with added hormones or genetic modification. And yet, without realizing it, we’ve become hormonally modified ourselves.
The combination of processed foods, chronic stress (causing stress hyperglycaemia), sedentary lifestyles and food consumption patterns (e.g. overeating, frequent snacking, eating late at night, lack of fibre) has left many of us perpetually bathed in insulin.
Our genetics have not caught up to the nutrition and lifestyle changes that have taken a place since the agricultural let alone industrial revolution.
To paint the picture, note the multiple large insulin spikes that follow the consumption of processed foods. The more often we eat, the more spikes we potentially generate.
Faruqui, Arif. (2017). Post Prandial Hyperglycemia: A Real Threat for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Advances in Diabetes and Metabolism. 5. 43-51.
The impact of too much insulin over time (leading to hyperinsulinemia leading to insulin resistance) is gradual and looks something like this:
Organs chronically exposed to insulin become inflamed, leading to:
sleep apnea
infertility in PCOS
metabolic syndrome
high cholesterol
pre-diabetes and diabetes
an inability to lose weight
high blood pressure
kidney disease
heart disease
increased cancer risk
You don’t have to wait for blood work to suspect insulin resistance. Your waist-to-hip ratio tells a story. A ratio greater than 0.85 (the classic “apple shape”) signals obesity driven by insulin.
But here’s the catch: you don’t have to be overweight to experience it. In slim individuals, insulin resistance often hides in plain sight as a fatty liver, high triglycerides and low HDL.
And then there’s stress. Every fight-or-flight surge releases cortisol, which dumps glucose from the liver into the bloodstream, while also blocking insulin’s action. It’s like pouring gasoline on the fire.
So now what? Fortunately for you, I won't tell you what to do.
Why Being Told What To Do Rarely Works
Have you ever noticed how being told what to do, even when it’s “right”, can make you want to do the opposite? Advice, no matter how well-meaning, often sparks resistance.
Activating motivation from within is way more effective. Instead of prescribing, I invite you to explore your own reasons for change. When you uncover your “why,” motivation becomes self-owned rather than imposed.
Research shows we’re far more likely to follow through on changes we arrive at ourselves. Change rooted in self-reflection is solid. Change dictated by others? Fragile. True transformation begins when the insight feels like it’s yours.
A Mindful Pause
So here are some questions for you:
If our environment has hormonally modified us, what would it take to step out of the “insulin bath”?
When do you notice yourself eating out of habit, boredom, stress or fatigue rather than hunger?
How does stress show up in your food choices or in how you move your body?
What daily routines keep you locked in autopilot, and which small shifts might break that cycle?
What signals is your body giving you (ie. fatigue, cravings, brain fog) that it’s time for a change?
First inspired by the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Dominika has focused much of her career on helping her patients connect the dots between early adversity and trauma and their impact on lifelong health and well-being. She knows that the reversal of chronic illness involves the nervous system, and so she has dedicated her practice to helping patients master their own nervous system to positively influence their mind and body, behaviours and ultimately health outcomes.
Her explanation of disease doesn't pathologize or blame, but is nuanced, humanized and filled with hope.
She trained with various psychologists and experts in the field of psychological trauma. She incorporates the principles of neuroscience, attachment theory, mindfulness, Polyvagal Theory and compassionate inquiry in her approach with patients. Combining these with her naturopathic training, she likes to say that she works at the intersection of science and human experience.
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