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Treatments
What to expect during a Naturopathic Consult
The goal of the naturopathic doctor is to understand the patient and all the factors that impact on his/her
health. The ND will take an in-depth patient history. In addition, information from a physical exam and laboratory tests
may assist in making an assessment and diagnosis. A personal treatment plan will then be proposed to help facilitate the
patient's healing process. It is not unusual for the initial naturopathic consult to take 75-90 minutes, with subsequent
consults lasting from 30-45 minutes.
Treatment Modalities Naturopathic doctors are
trained as primary health care providers. Their scope of practice includes:
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Clinical Nutrition: This involves the diagnostic evaluation of
your nutritional status and the use of therapeutic diets and nutritional supplementation.
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Botanical (Herbal) Medicine: This is the use of plants for their
powerful yet gentle healing properties.
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Homeopathic Medicine: Based on the principle of "like cures
like" homeopathic medicine was developed in the 1695s. Minute amounts of natural substances are used to stimulate the
body's self-healing abilities.
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Physical Medicine: This includes a variety of hands-on techniques
for the spine, joints and soft tissues. Physical treatment such as hydrotherapy, ultrasound, naturopathic bodywork and manipulation
are used.
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Acupuncture and Asian Medicine: Based on balancing the flow of
Chi (energy) through meridian pathways, Asian medicine includes the use of acupuncture and herbs.
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Lifestyle Counseling: Physical, emotional, nutritional and environmental
factors affect health. NDs help patients to make effective lifestyle choices in accordance with the principles of prevention
and treating the patient on all levels.
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Advanced Diagnostic Testing There
are numerous diagnostic tests available through our clinic. These often go well beyond those tests that are traditionally
covered by Medicare and available through a conventional Medical Doctor. We do not have a lab on-site, but we can collect
hair, urine, and stool samples and send them off for analysis to various labs in Canada and the United States. Some of these
advanced tests include: - Food
Allergy Tests: Using a small drop of blood from a finger prick, the presence IgG antibodies to various foods, herbs,
and spices can be identified. This approach combines accurate identification of food allergies with in-office convenience.
- Male and Female Salivary Hormone Tests: These tests measure the availability of active
hormones in your body. As a result you are provided with information of hormonal function, not just the total levels of hormones
present in your body at a given time.
- Gastrointestinal Tract Tests:
A Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) can provide information on a patient's ability to digest, metabolize,
and absorb nutrients as well as report on all bacterial flora, all yeasts, and all intestinal parasites.
- Heavy Metal Hair Analysis: Toxic (heavy) metals may be found in our deodorant, canned foods, baked
goods, drinking water and other commonly consumed products. They may build up in the body and may be linked Alzheimer's,
multiple sclerosis, kidney damage, osteoporosis, heart disease and autism. These toxic elements may be up to several hundred
times more highly concentrated in hair than in blood or urine. Therefore, hair is the tissue of choice for detection of body
burden and past exposure to elements such as arsenic, aluminum, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
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