Dr. Janet McKenzie, ND

Summit Natural Health Centre

Treating You As A Whole Person:

The Natural Alternative

A Little History

For as long as there have been people, there has been illness

For as long as there has been illness, people have used whatever was around them for treatments and cures

“Modern medicine” really is something new

Do You Remember…

…a time before socialized medicine?

…home remedies?

…culturally-based health practices?

Who do you know…

Who is frustrated because their condition is hard to diagnose, or difficult to treat or whose treatments result in unwanted side effects?

Who wants to have more energy and an improved sense of well-being?

Natural medicine can improve everyone’s quality of life.

What Is Natural Medicine?

Safe

Non-toxic

Your body is supported to heal itself

Naturopathic Medicine Defined

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care. It addresses the root cause(s) of illness and promotes health using natural forms of treatment.

Naturopathic doctors are highly trained primary care providers who integrate standard medical diagnostics with a broad range of natural therapies.

What Do Naturopathic Doctors Do?

Determine how, where and why your body began to malfunction

Provide education, treatment and other kinds of support to get you back on track

What is the approach to health care?

The approach to improving health and treating illness is comprehensive and integrative; naturopathic doctors work collaboratively with other health care practitioners to ensure the client’s needs are met.

Its primary goal is to address the cause.

The goal is accomplished by treating the whole person: mind, body and spirit.

What could I expect?

Free initial consults are offered and strongly encouraged.

The assessment visit lasts 90 - 120 minutes. It includes:

a very detailed health history

a physical examination

lab work

customized recommendations for care

Follow-up visits will be scheduled according to the nature of the condition(s) and treatment requirements.  

Most follow-up or treatment  visits will be about 30 minutes in length.

Major Forms Of Natural Treatment

Asian Medicine and Acupuncture

Botanical Medicine

Clinical Nutrition

Counseling

Homeopathy

Hydrotherapy

Physical Medicine

How Are NDs Trained?

University undergraduate degree

4 years of training at an accredited college of naturopathic medicine

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (Toronto, ON)

Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (New Westminster, BC)

More that 3,000 hours of classroom training and 1,200 hours of clinical experience

International Board Exams (NPLEX)

Regional/Provincial Board Exams

Is Naturopathic Medicine Safe?

YES, if you consult a properly credentialed practitioner, and use your own common sense

Safeguards include performance standards and scope of practice definitions regulated under provincial legislation (RHPA, 2007), administered by the profession’s licensing board (TCONO)

Is Naturopathic Medicine Effective?

The April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter states that these conditions can be effectively cared for without medication:

Arthritis

Cholesterol

Cognitive decline

Depression

Diabetes

High blood pressure

Osteoporosis

Consider The Conventional Alternative

You are working on a document.

Your computer malfunctions and an error message appears.

You call your IT Tech who says he can fix the problem.

He puts a piece of tape over the error message and… leaves.

Consider The Conventional Alternative

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

Now, think for a moment: how different is this from how you’ve treated your health in the past?

Consider The Conventional Alternative

Your body’s symptoms are like error messages.

How likely is it that your pain is the result of a low pain-killer intake?

Or that your high cholesterol is really caused by a statin deficiency?

Chronic disease of any type is not caused by the lack of a drug, so why would relying on a drug be a good solution?

Consider The Natural Alternative

What if you determined what your symptoms were caused by, and worked to remove the cause?

What if the way to remove the cause was to customize your diet and lifestyle, with targeted therapeutic support from other natural treatments?

What if the result was an improvement in your vitality?

Consider The Natural Alternative

By seeking the causes of symptoms and treating the whole person instead of the disease, naturopathic doctors help their clients to achieve a high rate of success with their health goals.

What does a care plan consist of?

Care plans stipulate the types of interventions recommended for your chief concerns.

They are developed according to an order of therapeutics:

Focus first on diet and lifestyle factors

Identify and manage obstacles to healing

Stimulate the healing power of the person’s body with energetic treatments like acupuncture, homeopathy and exercise

Correct structure problems with massage and manipulation

Address damaged organ systems and pathologies

Suppress pathology if no other course of treatment is available

Naturopathic Care In Action

A case history: “Tom” is a 59 year old father of two who was diagnosed by his MD with high blood pressure. He takes a combination medication that consists of a hypotensive agent and a diuretic. His blood pressure is still high – it ranges from 140/80 to 180/100. Tom wanted to know what could be done naturally to help normalize his blood pressure.

Key elements of his care: diet changes, stress management, botanical tincture

Result: BP consistently lower than 140/80, able to stop the medication

Don’t Forget To Prevent

Prevention is the best form of treatment.

Diet and a health-supporting lifestyle constitute major forms of preventative treatment.

Stay on track with periodic check-ups.

Modern Masters of Health Care?

Health Care Controversy

National Post

Health Care Controversy

TVO’s The Agenda, February 25, 2013

Want To Learn More?

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