Newsletter July 2026: "I feel like I react to everything." (Sound familiar?)
- PCNM
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
Dr. Tapp's Thought's
If you’re reading this, you’ve been following along with my gardening adventures and my sad leggy seedlings.
The most recent new term added to my vocabulary is “hardening-off”.
I had never heard this term until the day I planned on relocating my green babies outside.
I was hoping this would make them happier, just to learn that they have to be acclimatized to the elements in increasing increments of time starting with an hour or so. I got so upset that I had spent a few months nourishing these little seeds for nothing. I didn’t have the time to harden them off, I’m at work all day!
So I chose to not follow that gardening guideline, trust that mother nature was warm enough for them, moved them outside as originally planned, and they’re now thriving in my garden, and enjoying all of this rain. I am pleasantly surprised and excited to report that I think my veggie garden will be a success this year.
Aside from my veggie garden forays, I also want to talk to you about something I’ve found myself discussing with several patients recently, and that’s guidelines. Guidelines are just that: guidelines. They are not laws or rules. And they are not a substitute for clinical judgment.
Healthcare guidelines exist for a reason. They help us to organize enormous amounts of research, improve safety, reduce variability in care, and give us a place to start… I rely on them every day. But what I think has been forgotten is that they were never meant to replace the person sitting in front of us. That person has a story, has a life they live in a certain way, and has goals they would like to achieve for themselves.
The 40 something-year-old mom who is exhausted, having migraines, gaining weight, and being told her bloodwork is “normal” may not fit neatly into a diagnostic algorithm.
The husband who doesn’t recover from surgery the way statistics say they should might need more support than a standard handout and a six-week follow-up.
The person with reactions to everything, unusual symptoms, complex histories, or conditions that don’t fit into clean little boxes often gets lost when healthcare becomes too rigid.
And this happens more often than you would think, actually this is why many people come to see us. Good healthcare doesn’t ignore guidelines. It understands them deeply enough to know when to pause and ask: does this actually make sense for the person in front of me? Sometimes the answer is yes, but sometimes the answer is “not entirely.”
That’s where listening matters. That’s where clinical experience matters. That’s where medicine becomes less about moving people through algorithms and more about helping people feel seen and being a little creative with their evidence-informed treatment plan, to help them reach their health goals.
This month’s newsletter is built around exactly that idea. We’re talking about preparing for surgery in ways that often don’t make it into the standard pre-op package. We’re talking about MCAS, a condition that can leave people feeling dismissed because their symptoms don’t always behave the way textbooks expect. And acne, why your typical topical regimes miss the boat in clearing up your skin.
Healthcare works best when we remember that evidence matters, but context matters too.
Clinic News
Acne: The Systems You Don’t Get Told About Webinar Replay
Acne is one of the most common skin concerns - yet one of the most misunderstood. If you’ve been told it’s simply about clogged pores, excess oil, or needing the “right” product, you’re not getting the full picture.
In this webinar recording, Dr. Kori Macarthur, ND takes you beyond the surface to explore internal systems that play a critical role in acne development, ones that often go unaddressed.
This session will break down how factors like gut health, hormone balance, blood sugar regulation, stress, and detoxification pathways influence inflammation, oil production, and skin healing. You will learn why adult acne is often more complex than teen acne, why conventional approaches can fall short, and how to start thinking about your skin through a more integrative, root-cause lens, and gain practical tips for how to support your skin.
Passcode: 3uBG#k@^
Exciting News From Dr. Nicole Edgar, ND
We’re so excited to share with you that Dr. Nicole Edgar's family is expanding with her first baby expected this August.
Her last day seeing patients is expected to be Friday, August 14, and she will be starting her return to practice on Wednesday, October 14 with phone appointments for follow ups and virtual appointments for new patient initial consultations.
Starting Friday, December 4, Dr. Edgar will begin a gradual return to seeing patients in-clinic with one in-clinic shift available per week and expanded in-person availability becoming available in January 2027.
Throughout her maternity leave, our team will be here to facilitate your continued care. Whether you need prescription refills, treatment plan clarifications or an urgent consultation, please reach out to our reception team directly for ongoing support. If you’d like to get in to see Dr. Edgar before August 14, please reach out to us right away to reserve your spot as her schedule is currently booking into mid-July for extended appointments.
Mast cells release many compounds, including histamine, that influence digestion, circulation, inflammation, pain signalling, and even how stimulated or calm your nervous system feels.
Usually, this system works beautifully. Something triggers the immune system, it responds, and then settles.
MCAS is the term we use when that response seems a little too enthusiastic. The reaction becomes bigger than expected, happens more easily, or takes longer to turn off.
In this post, we'll explore what that looks like and ways that naturopathic medicine can support mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance.
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