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: Angelina, 35, marketing director and mom of two
The Problem: Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Angelina wasn't unlike many women who feel completely burnt out from life: Juggling a full-time job, being a wife and mother, balancing an active social life and her volunteer work. But lately, Angelina said, she preferred sleeping to socializing. Her recurring exhaustion had been diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and she was tired of being tired.

The most common symptoms of CFS include recurrent fatigue, sore throat, low-grade fever, muscle and joint pain, depression and loss of concentration. Angelina had all those symptoms excluding muscle and joint pain. There are many causes of CFS ranging from having a lowered immune system, to depression, food allergies to stress.

As a holistic nutritionist, I will address the diet options that can help eliminate the causes and alleviate the symptoms of CFS. They benefitted Angelina immensely and also helped with her depression and boosted her immune system.

The immune system is said to have a very critical role in CFS. In fact, many people have chronic yeast infections as a result of a low immune system and Angelina was no different. My focus was to build her immune system first and foremost by cleaning up her diet.

Recommendations after the jump

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

Next time you take a trip to the beach, don't assume that flimsy umbrella has got your back -- studies show that beach umbrellas don't block a third of UV rays, so you'll need to wear sunscreen too.

Low energy got you down? Don't miss out on summer because you're feeling blah -- here are some surefire ways to beat fatigue.

Summer squash makes a delicious July dinner. Don't believe me? Try this stuffed squash recipe for yourself.

Recent research shows that relationship problems lead to heart problems so for your health's sake, you need to start working on your marriage.

Reach out and touch someone -- literally! Studies show that physical contact has amazing benefits for your emotional health.

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: Kate, 35-years old, passionate runner, HR manager and a "workaholic"

The Problem: Kate's been suffering from anemia. More specifically, she has low-red blood cell production from low iron levels. She's had extremely low energy levels and overwhelming fatigue which has been affecting not only her training for her first half-marathon but also her ability to stay alert at the office -- she's often unable to function without drinking three cups of coffee.

Anemia is a condition in which the blood is deficient in either the red blood cells (RBCs) or the iron-containing portion of the red blood cells. You RBCs are important because they transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body in exchange for carbon dioxide. When there's an issue with the RBCs, it's common for people to experience fatigue -- this is because of both the lack of oxygen being delivered to tissues and a build up of carbon dioxide. I see many female clients with this condition, especially in pregnant women.

Anemia occurs for various reasons, and it's important to rule out factors such as blood loss from a slow-bleeding ulcer, hemorrhoids or excessive menstruation, which could be the root cause. According to Dr. Michael Murray, the most common cause of Anemia is nutritional deficiency. People with low levels of iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid can develop Anemia. In Kate's case, we ruled out a B12 and folic acid deficiency by a blood test. Another test revealed that her serum ferritin (iron) was low.

Nutritional considerations after the jump.

Are you having a tough time winding down from your day when you hit the sack at night? Sleep expert Dr. Michael J. Breus offers some tips on how you can prepare both body and mind for a good night's sleep.

Q: Why do we need to power down before we go to bed?

A: The biggest thing people forget is that sleep is not an on/off switch. You don't just go in, turn off the lights and say, "I'm going to sleep now." You have to allow your body to slowly pull your foot off the gas and slowly put your foot on the brake. There's a process that has to occur. Naturally speaking, the body should take somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you fall asleep faster than that, it's a good sign that you're sleep deprived.

Q: What kinds of mental and physical activities commonly get in the way of our brain and body being ready for sleep?

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 as well as improve their overall health.

We are still working our way though the eight hormonal imbalances that cause weight loss resistance. This week the topic of discussion is low thyroid hormone.

So far we've covered: Do you have too much estrogen? And, Are you a hotbed of inflammation?

Like so many other hormones, thyroid hormones must be present in the appropriate balance to ensure optimal health. Thyroid hormones regulate our metabolism and organ function. They directly affect heart rate, cholesterol levels, body weight, energy, muscle contraction and relaxation, skin and hair texture, bowel function, fertility, menstrual regularity, memory, mood and other body processes.

Too much thyroid hormone leads to hyperthyroidism, a condition that throws the metabolism into chronic high gear. Those with hyperthyroidism feel hot and experience a rapid heart rate, weight loss (or weight gain, if they eat a lot more due to increased appetite), irritability, insomnia, shakiness, and digestive troubles. Sufferers can also feel hyper, although fatigue is very common as well. Over time, hyperthyroidism can be extremely detrimental to bone density and muscle mass.

Have you been unable to lose weight even with a healthy diet and exercise? Our bodies are wired to send us signals when something isn't right, but often we're too busy to hear them. The symptoms of hormonal imbalance are experienced by many every day. Recognizing and treating these subtle warnings is essential to weight loss, yet so many of us have been imbalanced for so long, we don't even know what normal is anymore.

On March 9, 2010 I was wearing a suit and tie and sitting in a conference room in downtown Calgary while my BlackBerry buzzed with incoming photos from a colleague who had skipped the event in order to take advantage of a recent powder dump at Sunshine Village ski resort.

What a jerk.

Actually, I take that back, because it was his emails that prompted me to ditch my responsibilities the next day and take advantage of whatever snow was left on the hill, and I was determined to get my money's worth.

I don't get to ski nearly as often as I like, so I was determined to vaporize every muscle fibre in my body by getting an early start, staying late, and skiing as hard as I could during all the hours in between.

That was two days ago (as of writing), and I still hurt. In fact, I just sneezed (allergies) and it felt like my kidneys were going to explode. I'm not sure why my kidneys are in pain, but it might have had something to do with a run called "Ewe First."

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 as well as improve their overall health.

It's that time of day again or maybe that time of the month, when your craving for chocolate arises and nothing else will do. But with your New Year's resolution fresh in the works - what can you do about it?

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 as well as improve their overall health.

Have you ever been caught grabbing a bit of shut-eye at your desk? What was your excuse to your boss? New sleep research may be your best answer.

A 2002 study from Harvard University considered worker burnout over four days of training and the effect of napping. As the four days of training wore on, the workers began to experience burnout. But the good news is - the study found that workers who were allowed to take a 30-minute nap on the second day of a four-day training session experienced less decline in visual tasks. A one-hour nap was actually found to return performance back to normal in the last two sessions.

That is not to say that curling up for an hour or so at the office should be sanctioned, but keeping it to less than 30 minutes might not be so far-fetched. It seems that half-hour naps should not only be recognized as acceptable by companies, but also beneficial. This is old news to many European countries where afternoon siestas are standard practice and many shops close for an hour or so each afternoon.

Afternoon drowsiness is a major problem for many corporations: it is estimated that lost productivity costs billions of dollars every year. A possible solution is to allow 20 to 30 minutes of napping per day when it is deemed necessary, creating a work environment that may actually help boost workplace productivity rather than hinder it. In today's fast-paced society and tough economy, however, most companies frown on napping in the workplace rather than encourage it.

Can't squeeze in a nap? Use these nine tips to boost your energy and productivity during the day:

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

You probably don't think of your morning cuppa as high in calories, but if you buy yours on the way to work, your coffee is probably making you fat.

This has gotta suck -- One traveller thought he had a bad hangover, but it turned out to be Malaria!

Demi and Bruce's little girl Rumer Willis wants to be a role model for a healthier Hollywood.

Interested in boosting your heart health? Find out why a so-called 'tomato pill' can help.

Stop yawning -- here are six ways to fight fatigue this afternoon.

Many of us are experiencing the signs and symptoms of a hormonal imbalance right now and don't even know it.

By ignoring these symptoms, we could be affecting our ability to lose weight, aging faster and welcoming life-threatening diseases, according to naturopath Dr. Natasha Turner, author of The Hormone Diet.

Dr. Turner shares some key warning signs of a hormone imbalance and offers advice on how to tackle the problem head on.