Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues and improve their overall health.

Dr. Turner answers all your detox questions.

Beginning the fall with a cleanse or detox is a fantastic way to jump-start your weight loss process, clear your complexion, improve digestion and optimize wellness. Toxicity of the liver and the digestive system makes us feel bloated, tired and generally unwell, which makes it tough to begin an exercise program and to stay motivated.

Weight Loss and Toxicity
The majority of the toxins in our body are fat-soluble. This means they are stored in our fat cells and may be released into our system when we begin a weight loss and exercise program. Another important factor to consider is that being thin does not necessarily mean being healthy and that the steps used today to achieve your weight loss goals must be safe, well-planned and executed. Now, let's tackle a few questions you may have regarding detox so that you can get started and successfully complete your cleansing program.

How long should I stay on the detox?
A minimum of two weeks is best for a cleanse. However, individuals with chronic symptoms or conditions (arthritis, endometriosis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, etc.) may wish to continue for four to six weeks. Before beginning, and in order to avoid cheating or falling off the program, it is best to eat the foods currently in your fridge that will not be allowed in your detox program. Plan your meals to prepare for the detox, shop for specific foods and supplements and make sure all your social commitments are out of the way. Revisit The Hormone Diet for a detailed detox plan.

Which supplements should I take?

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues and improve their overall health.

Proper diet and nutritional supplements can benefit everyone suffering from allergies by boosting immunity and optimizing health. Allergies, ranging from sinus congestion and hay fever to asthma, dermatitis and hives are all symptoms of reduced immunity. Presented here are some recommended supplements and dietary advice to keep you sniffle-free!

Multivitamin/Mineral
A full-spectrum multivitamin and mineral product in a highly absorbable form is essential to ensure the foundation of health. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for proper growth, metabolism, digestion, immune system function, muscle and nerve function and detoxification processes in the liver. Scientific studies have shown that the majority of us are deficient in many essential nutrients because of poor dietary habits and other factors which may deplete nutrient levels such as caffeine, drugs, stress or pollution.

Acidophilus/Probiotics
Studies have proven that taking acidophilus helps to reduce the frequency and severity of infections. Acidophilus is the friendly bacteria that live in our digestive tract. This bacteria balance is affected by the use of antibiotics, the birth control pill or excess sugar and carbohydrate intake. Everyone can benefit from the use of probiotics for healthy digestion and immunity. Acidophilus has also been found useful in the treatment and prevention of skin conditions, allergies and thrush. Be sure to follow any course of antibiotics with supplements of acidophilus for double the length of time you took the antibiotics.

Trying to cut down on sugar but wondering how to indulge your sweet tooth? Holistic nutritionist Ricki Heller's cookbook, Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love Without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar, offers healthier options to fulfill all your dessert cravings.

Q: Can you explain the food philosophy behind your cookbook?

A: I eat and cook with foods that are whole, natural and as unprocessed as possible-that is, "real" foods. I find that food this way tastes the best, and it is definitely the healthiest way to eat. I try to use foods as close as possible to the state in which they occur in nature. In other words, a whole apple (with skin) is preferable to prepared apple sauce; cooked whole grain brown rice is preferable to white rice, which is preferable to rice flour, and so on. In baking, this principle translates to using whole grain flours (such as spelt, oat, barley) and natural sweeteners (such as pure maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, dates, and so on) along with other whole-foods ingredients. Many of my recipes include whole fruits for added sweetness and their vitamins, minerals and antioxidant properties; or perhaps some atypical ingredients such as avocado, tomato, or even spinach (hidden in muffins or cupcakes) because of the incredible health-promoting qualities they confer.

Wondering why food allergies seems so much more common now than they did 20 years ago? Jessica Snyder Sachs, author of Good Germs, Bad Germs, explains how our increasingly tidy lives can actually make us more vulnerable.

Q: What causes a food allergy?

A: There's a lot of mystery about why one person develops allergies and another doesn't, but I can tell you what immunologists understand about how allergies start. Our immune system doesn't just react to some things and ignore others; it turns out that it reacts to everything it's exposed to. In the gut, there's this whole system of recognizing harmless substances. Food is supposed to be in that category, but with a food allergy the immune system sees the substance as dangerous. In some ways, the resulting histamine reaction is like that triggered by a parasite. With a mild food allergy, that might involve cramping and diarrhea. But a severe food allergy can trigger life threatening anaphylaxis.

When you've got a headache, all you want to do is make it go away. The general advice is to pop an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID, like asprin or ibuprofen). But research lately has uncovered that this may not be such a good idea. NSAIDS are very hard of the digestive tract leading to ulcers and intestinal bleeding; not to mention fluid retention, blood clots, heart attacks, hypertension and heart failure, as possible side effects. So what can one do for a headache?

There are many different types of headaches and, as such, many different root causes. Tension headaches found in the temples, the back of your head, forehead, or neck - often accompanied by other symptoms like aching neck muscles - could be caused by stress, dehydration or exhaustion. Migraines, which can completely debilitate sufferers, can be caused by magnesium deficiency, food sensitivities or allergies, hormonal imbalance and aspartame or MSG poisoning. Sinus headaches can be caused by allergy or illness.

Whatever the type of headache, getting to and eliminating the root cause is always the best advice. If you are chronically suffering from headaches, you'll probably want to do some research or see a holistic practitioner. This being said, when you're actually suffering from a headache, the last thing you want to do is go hunting for root causes. So here are five natural interventions that may help with your headache without the side effects.

Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This week's client: Cindy, 30, a corporate trainer.

The Problem: Cindy had struggled with skin breakouts her whole life and she can't recall a time throughout her teen years when she had totally clear skin. These days she experiences pimple outbreaks about five times a year.

When Cindy came to me, her skin was really dry from all the washing and scrubbing she put it through in an effort to remove any excess oil. The outbreaks focused around her chin and mouth and as her career often had her presenting and training large groups, she understandably found her pimples an embarrassment. She told me the situation was affecting her self-esteem and that she would even call in sick when a breakout was particularly bad.

Cindy had tried everything from expensive potions and lotions to pharmaceutical drugs, but with no success. As a teen she used to eat a lot of fast food, but had cut this out about 10 years ago. She almost entirely avoids refined sugar.

To start, I evaluated her two-week diet diary. These were the most common foods she ate:

• Cow's milk, every morning on her breakfast cereal.
• A smoothie with soy protein powder and soy milk after every workout at the gym.
• Thai food take-out at least three times per week.
• Tofu, veggie-burgers

Solution after the jump.

The last time you suffered through a sinus infection, sprained an ankle or felt the irritating itch of a mosquito bite, you experienced the effects of inflammation first hand. Infections or injuries trigger a chain of events called the inflammatory cascade. The normal, familiar signs of inflammation such as redness, pain, swelling and fever are the first signals that our immune system is being called into combat.

Behind the scenes, the body strives to maintain a critical balance between the signals that enable and sustain this protective response and the signals that announce the battle has been won. Eventually, the inflammatory response stands down and the body's powerful, natural anti-inflammatory compounds move in to initiate healing.

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Before the weekend hits, consider this: Your unhealthy habits can age you by as much as 12 years. Ouch.

So does the amount of shut-eye you get really affect your weight? Here's some important info on the sleep-weight connection.

Getting married? Here are some savvy skin tips from experts to help you achieve a glowing, luminous look on the big day.

Suffering from seasonal allergies? Here's are some tips on how to out-smart them before they start creating havoc on your life.

You may be flossing, but are your flossing correctly? Here's what you should be doing to take proper care of your teeth.

Each morning, we dish out a few links we love.

Tired of yo-yo dieting? Here's some savvy advice on how to lose it and finally keep it off for good.

It may not seem like it while you're waiting to see the doctor, but research shows that Canada has one of the top healthcare systems in the world, beating out the USA by a longshot.

Are you ruining your teeth by brushing too much? Here's the scoop on some oral hygiene habits that could be harming you.

Suffering from spring allergies? Your hygiene habits may be to blame -- excessive cleanliness has been proven to lead to the sniffles.

No break-up is easy, but according to recent studies, women find it harder to break up with a friend than they do a romantic partner.

Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This Week's Client: Jenna, a small-business boutique owner and lover of all things dairy (especially cheese and milk).

The Problem: Winter, spring, summer or fall, Jenna has a stuffy nose. After a workout or a shower, she has to blow her nose right away. She has been congested for years and can't remember the last time she slept comfortably, with her mouth closed, breathing clearly through her nose.

If Jenna's problem sounds familiar, then you know all too well what it's like to wake up with a dry, scratchy throat because you slept with your mouth open.

There are various reasons -- from allergies and food intolerance, to indoor air pollution and the common cold -- for having a chronically congested nasal passageway. But I can assure you that taking antibiotic after antibiotic like Jenna has been doing for years is not going to do anything good for your body, other than strip your gut of good bacteria, which are essential for keeping your immune system strong.

Everyone's increasingly concerned about what we're eating and where it comes from, but even some seemingly healthy choices are filled with toxins. Dr. Janine Bowring, ND, explains how to avoid dangerous food.

Q: What commonly makes foods toxic?

A: Foods can be deemed toxic if they contain things such as pesticides, heavy metals and other environmental toxins such as PCB's and dioxins found within them. Unfortunately, our food is more toxic than we think. Even seemingly non-toxic organic food can be high in heavy metals, causing a number of health concerns.

Foods can also be considered toxic if they are difficult to digest by an individual. A common culprit is wheat products. Most people now have difficulty digesting wheat because this grain has been altered over the years to become more pest-resistant. For this reason, it can cause digestive ailments for many of people. Packaged food containing a number of preservatives is also toxic. We should focus on eating whole foods as much as possible to stay healthy and prevent disease.

Q: What affect can eating toxic foods have on our health?

Admittedly, artichokes are a food I haven't explored much. I've had artichoke hearts fairly often in various salads, but I could count on one hand the number of times I've actually sat down to a whole, steamed artichoke. I was served it once along with a delicious butter sauce when I went to dinner at a friend's house and really enjoyed it. Since we're smack dab in the middle of the second artichoke season right now (the biggest one being in the spring), I may just have a chance to give it another try -- and so do you.

Artichokes grow mainly in warmer climates, and their season begins in the fall, continuing through to the spring, unless interrupted by frost. While peak production happens in spring, when markets are filled with them and their prices drop, there is often a mini-season in the fall, depending on the weather.

Artichoke has traditionally been used as a treatment for digestive health disorders. They have also been found to lower blood cholesterol levels, have a preventative effect on heart disease and atherosclerosis, and a protective effect on the liver, enhancing its detoxification reactions.

More artichoke benefits after the jump...

Do you have a list of nagging symptoms that don't really seem to be helped by the over-the-counter (OTC) medications that are meant to clear them up? Is that list seemingly getting bigger by the day? Heartburn, indigestion, nausea, gas and bloating, frequent loose or watery stools -- these are all signs that our system is not as healthy as it could be. Yet we tend to overlook these symptoms as more nuisances than anything else -- certainly not an indication that something requires attention. But really these nagging symptoms aren't just something we need to live with. They point to a wearing down of the body and could all be the result of chronic exposure to food allergens.

What are the symptoms?
Headaches and migraines, chronic blood sugar imbalance, stuffy-nose or post nasal drip, asthma, skin rashes and joint pain are all common food allergy symptoms. Even more serious conditions like irritable bowel, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease can be traced back to unknowingly ingesting foods you are allergic to on a regular basis.

When people think of food allergies, they generally tend to think of the acute response. Acute responses include deadly reactions to foods -- like peanuts, shellfish or eggs for example -- where immediate medical attention is vitally necessary. These reactions, called anaphylactic reactions, are often life-and-death situations which can cause inflammation of the breathing passage and cut off air supply.

Food sensitivities can be the culprit in all kinds of health problems -- from headaches to chronic tummy problems -- and they're more common than you might think. Naturopath Sara Celik explains what causes food sensitivities and how you can figure out if you're affected.

Q: What are food sensitivities?

A: Food sensitivities are conditions that can cause the individual suffering from them to have an immune reaction in response to eating certain foods. Your body's immune system, which is meant to protect you from pathogens and other harmful elements, ends up being activated by the particular food that you have a sensitivity to.

If you experience a severe allergic reaction immediately after being exposed to an allergen (offending food), you have experienced a Type I hypersensitivity reaction (IgE). However, if you feel subtle, uncomfortable symptoms hours or days after exposure, this may be a delayed hypersensitivity reaction, a Type III reaction (IgG), also referred to as a food sensitivity.

Q: Are they common?

Is your diet responsible for low or sporadic libido? Sex-pert Sue McGarvie says that food is a key factor when it comes to revving up your desire for sex.

Q: What impact can food have on libido?

A: Food (mainly "bad" foods) can have a huge impact on libido. Many of the patients I see have food allergies or sensitivities and it is one of the top characteristics of my low-libido women. Other factors include percentage of belly fat (size 6 or smaller, or size 18 or larger), use of birth control pills, and having a fair complexion. Foods that inflame your cells and stress out your body (i.e. junk food) can seriously decrease your libido health.