News

Alberta doctor finds relief from respiratory symptoms with naturally sourced supplement

As a busy physician, Dr. Krista Leicht is exposed to numerous respiratory bugs daily

Original Author of the article: Johanne Carner

Dr. Krista Leicht never thought twice about working 12-hour days. The 53-year-old physician, who specializes in psychiatry, neurology and internal medicine, has daily clinic hours and treats inpatients at Alberta Hospital Edmonton.

“I go into the clinic, see patients from all over the province remotely, and go into the hospital at least once a day,” she says. “Typically, I’m out the door by 6:30 in the morning and don’t usually get home until 8:30 at night.”

So, earlier this year, when she began feeling run-down and exhausted, Dr. Leicht just assumed it would pass. But her symptoms only increased. “I really felt I was dragging myself through the day,” she says. “I was zoned out cognitively and really fatigued.”

Dr. Krista Leicht is a physician at Alberta Hospital Edmonton.
Dr. Krista Leicht is a physician at Alberta Hospital Edmonton.

Dr. Leicht ended up moving her clinic hours to her home, so she could rest on the couch or even lie down on the floor between patients. “I’d never had to do that before,” she says. “I had some days when I couldn’t even fathom going into the hospital, and I would phone in instead of going in person.”

When she started experiencing occasional shortness of breath, she knew she needed to find a solution.

That’s when she discovered Cordyva, a naturally sourced formula aimed at relieving respiratory symptoms. Cordyva contains extracts from Cordyceps militaris, a fungus with a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and an increasing body of evidence supporting its potential health benefits. A core tenet of TCM is that a person’s health relies on having balanced energy flow in the body, known as qi.

Cordyceps militaris has been traditionally used to improve respiratory function, particularly in Nepal, Tibet, India and China where people have been using it for centuries to help them adapt to high altitudes with low oxygen and high atmospheric pressure. It is also used therapeutically to help tonify and replenish the lungs and kidneys — a process that is thought to balance qi — and resolve phlegm.

Cordyva is produced by Edmonton-based pharmaceutical research company Sinoveda, whose mission is to use modern pharmaceutical development technology to optimize naturally derived therapeutic compounds that have been in use for centuries. Using its proprietary AI-Pharmaceutical Platform Technology, Sinoveda identified the most significant bioactive compounds in Cordyceps and optimized them to create an effective, standardized formula for Cordyva.

By the time Dr. Leicht tried Cordyva, she had stopped going out and socializing with friends and family. What’s more, she had a lingering cough and was no longer exercising daily because working out made her short of breath.

“It was a Friday afternoon, and I was exhausted,” recalls Dr. Leicht about her first experience with the formula. “But by Monday, I felt bright again, much more like myself.” She took the recommended two doses a day, and by the end of seven days, her symptoms had disappeared.

Dr. Leicht says she now recommends Cordyva to patients. “I suggest it to anyone who is immunocompromised or at risk for respiratory issues.” She cautions, however, that if you take blood thinners to talk to your physician before taking Cordyva, as Cordyceps might enhance the effects of blood thinner medications. Also, Cordyva is not recommended for anyone allergic to mushrooms.

Dr. Leicht says she’s pleased with the results she’s seen among her patients. “If people use it to resolve respiratory difficulties and get some energy back — which is what happened to me — that’s amazing,” she says.

Today, Dr. Leicht has happily returned to her busy schedule. “I got my mojo back,” she says.

“I can tackle anything again.”

Visit Sinoveda’s website to learn more about Cordyva.

This story was created by Healthing Content Works, Healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of Sinoveda.