NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of health care designed to assess, treat and prevent disease. It incorporates techniques that range from traditional to cutting edge and uses medicines that are energetic as well as those which are highly supported by scientific research. Naturopathic medicine basically looks at finding the root cause of your health problems. When you have a headache or high blood pressure: what is your body SAYING? What is it telling us that is actually wrong???                                                                                      Is it your liver that is not functioning optimally? Is it stress??? Is there some process in your body that is not RIGHT????                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Naturopathic medicine is the perfect compliment to traditional medicine. It finds the reason that you don't feel well. It analyses your symptoms as 'clues' to a bigger picture.  It isn't all about strange potions and things we should be afraid of. Naturopathic physicians are well trained in the basic sciences, just as a medical student would be. And then the focus is on HEALTH. And not just about one organ or one system. It is about you as a whole: body, mind, spirit; energy.... everything that makes you a complete person, and a human being.

The Naturopathic Philosophy

1.     Respect the healing power of nature. The body has the inherent ability to ward of disease and heal itself. The practitioners' role is identifying and removing obstacles that hinder health and to support an environment that facilitates healing. 
2.     Treat the whole person. The body is highly integrated and all systems must be considered when treating any dysfunction. 
3.     First, do no harm. The practitioner must be mindful of long term consequences of treatment and the danger of only suppressing symptoms. 
4.     Identify and treat the cause. Symptoms are not the cause of illness and should not be treated as such. Symptoms are a signal that the body is under stress. 
5.     Prevention is the best cure. It is the responsibility of both the practitioner and the patient to create an environment conducive to health. 
6.     Doctor as teacher. The original meaning of the word "doctor" was "teacher". One of the practitioners' primary responsibilities is to educate the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship brings inherent therapeutic value.
The Naturopathic Practice
a.     Assessment . Through appropriate symptom analysis, physical examination and laboratory testing the patients' concerns are thoroughly evaluated. 
b.     Clinical nutrition is the cornerstone of naturopathic medicine. Our diet provides the building blocks for the chemical reactions that occur in the body. Many medical conditions can be treated with diet changes and nutraceuticals alone and any treatment plan can be more effective when nutrition is addressed. 
c.     Homeopathic medicine as a support or alternative. In contrast to pharmaceutical treatment homeopathic remedies are based on the principle of "like cure like". While a substance given in large quantities can cause symptoms, homeopathy demonstrates that the same substance, given in minute quantities will strengthen the immune system and encourage the body to heal itself. 
d.     Botanical medicine. Plant substances are used to create a variety of natural medicines, which in many cases are more compatible with the bodies' own chemistry than synthetic drugs. 
e.     Physical medicine and hydrotherapy. Specialized exercises can be used to mobilize areas of restricted movement. Water is an excellent tool to increase the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid, helping the body to fight infection. 

f.      Counseling and lifestyle management. An opportunity to explore the endless possibilities there are to make life happier and healthier!                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      INFUSION THERAPY      

       

In this crazy world we live in, we are often 'running on empty'. The high stress puts a constant demand on your body's reserve of vital nutrients and building blocks to repair, restore and simply keep up.

ARE YOU FEELING WORN OUT? IS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TAKING LONGER TO PROTECT YOU?? DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE SHEDDING WEIGHT NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU JUST CAN'T SLEEP WELL? 

IInfusion therapy could be the perfect solution.

Vital nutrients are infused into your body, bypassing your digestive system. You get

* Optimised metabolism

*Energy restoration

*Improved endurance

* Restful sleep

* Improved immunity

*Protection against certain cancers

* Healthy estrogen balance...AND MORE

Infusion therapy is safe, more especially in a medical clinic with a medical doctor on staff.                                        

About Dr. Heald

Dr. Heald’s healthcare career began in 1979, when she trained as a registered nurse. Her area of specialty in nursing was focused primarily in Emergency Medicine but included several years in community based medicine as well. After 18 years she switched professions and worked as a financial consultant for 6 years. Having developed a full understanding of stress, she then pursued her lifelong dream of practicing medicine. She attended and graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, a fully accredited naturopathic medical school in Vancouver, BC.

She has an in-depth understanding and great respect for conventional medicine, but is passionate about integrative and functional medicine. Health and illness form a continuum. Understanding and teaching nutrition and healthy lifestyle and addressing concerns before they become illness is a niche naturopathic medicine fulfills.

Dr. Heald's special interests within the field of naturopathic medicine include environmental medicine and detoxification, hormone imbalances, as well as joint restoration using prolotherapy.

She is board certified in acupuncture and minor surgery, as well as being certified in intravenous therapy, advanced cardiac life support, chelation therapy (ACAM.org) neural therapy and prolotherapy.

She is a member of the Alberta Association of Naturopathic Practitioners, the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC, the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, the American College for the Advancement of Medicine and the Bio-Identical Hormone Society.

Dr. Heald has commenced advanced training for her fellowship in functional and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Heald raised three amazing children and now loves to travel with her husband.

She has one marathon to her credit but prefers Ashtanga yoga. (www.yogasantosha.ca)


Registered naturopathic doctors have attended an undergraduate program for a minimum of three years, a graduate program at an accredited college of naturopathic medicine for four years and have passed the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination. Naturopathic medical philosophy forms the foundation for its practice.

Learn more about how naturopathic medicine can complement your healthy lifestyle.