Over the last several months we have seen a global attention shift to healthcare. At the end of the day, all we have is our health – a fact that is often overlooked when everything is going well. ‘ Being healthy’ is often one of those things that are only appreciated when it is challenged. Sort of like how the song ‘you don’t know what you got until it's gone’. There is a shift that we are seeing in this attitude. People are starting to see that there are aspects of their health that they can improve. Yes, some factors like age, sex, and genetics can’t be modified but there are volumes of things that can shift with some guidance.
The field of Naturopathic Medicine fits perfectly into this new vision for healthcare. One that emphasized health maintenance and disease prevention. It is not meant to be an area that ‘replaces’ allopathic medicine but one that is complementary to it.
There are several key factors that make Naturopathic Doctors critical to the future of medicine:
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Time
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Telemedicine
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Prevention emphasis
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Root cause
Time:
It may sound strange but in a world where resources are limited – time is perhaps the most valuable resource. Having enough time with a patient to take a proper intake and not only fully understand their case history but also allow them to feel fully heard is a luxury. Fortunately, NDs have this luxury in their practice.
An average initial intake with a patient in an ND office is usually an hour – and there are no limits in the number of concerns that can be discussed.
Making a significant lifestyle and or diet changes takes effort. We have found that one of the biggest motivators for people to make these changes is understanding why they are making the changes and what processes will change in their bodies from these changes. In order to be able to have these conversations we must have enough time with each patient.
Telemedicine:
Telehealth overcomes barriers to help provide the needed essential healthcare services when it is not possible for a patient to come into the healthcare provider’s clinic. A few months ago, many of us would have always preferred to go to a clinic in-person. But now, in the era of COVID-19, using Telehealthcare services may help save lives by helping to reduce transmission of the virus and helping to flatten the curve. If you or someone that you live with are at high-risk, then this is especially true.
Since this is Naturopathic Medicine Week it is important to recognize the changes our healthcare providers have made at NutriChem to continue serving patients with the safest method possible. While your social activities may have paused for the past couple of months, your life and health did not. You required essential healthcare services and while everyone was concerned for your safety and about you leaving your house, the NutriChem Team quickly adapted to these changes to continue providing the continued high-quality care you are used to through telemedicine. Rather than leaving patients on their own for weeks or months, we were happy to meet you at home, from the comfort of a secure video consultation.
Our priority has always been and will continue to be, YOU. And we look forward to continuing to be able to help you in the best way possible.
Prevention
Preventative medicine is focussed on reducing risk. As Naturopathic Doctors, we use a functional medicine approach to investigate subtle changes occurring in our patient’s bodies. Our comprehensive assessments use markers that help us to see trends that will alert us to the potential onset of a chronic illness.
Our bodies have an innate need to achieve balance - a physical state called homeostasis. A healthy body can function in harmony and has the ability to adapt to change. However when our body falls out of balance, the tell-tale signs of illness begin to appear. If these conditions are allowed to progress, the body struggles to regain balance, and the onset of chronic illness begins.
Prevention starts with a thorough review of your family and personal medical history, as well as a physical exam, which allows your ND to evaluate for risk and possible exposure. We also conduct laboratory testing to evaluate your body's individual biochemical processes enabling us to assess for any underlying imbalance that could potentially cause you to not feel well.
Root Cause
Everyone wants to know why something is happening – in life, when we know why, we can better understand situations and move forward in the right direction. Health is no different, when we know why a symptom is occurring, this not only provides empowerment but allows treatment to actually address the root of the issue. I love having a discussion with my patients about the root and the tree. If we think of a tree, we can see the trunk and the branches but not usually the roots, yet the roots are what hold the tree up, gives it the strength and steadiness. The root is really where the life of the tree comes from. We can think of symptoms (headache, bloating, etc) as the branches and the cause as the root. If we treat the branches so that symptoms get better, they will usually come back with the discontinuation of treatment or new branches will grow. Getting to the root, allows us to properly remove the tree at the roots and ensures there will be no more branches because the tree no longer exists. Naturopathic Doctors ask why and want to dig down to the root to be able to address the cause instead of just the symptoms.
This blog was written by the Naturopathic team at NutriChem Compounding Pharmacy and Clinic as apart of Naturopathic Medicine Week 2020. All of NutriChem’s Naturopathic Doctors have completed the additional training required in order to prescribe and administer additional therapeutics such as bio-identical hormones, desiccated thyroid, and IV Vitamin therapy. ⠀
Our Naturopathic Doctors all have undergraduate degrees and obtained their doctorates of Naturopathic Medicine from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto.
You can learn more about them, and how to book with them for a virtual telemedicine consult here.
You can learn more about Telemedicine Here
