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Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Medicine Treatment RoomNaturopathic Medicine is a natural and proactive form of health care that enhances the natural intelligence of the body.

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Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) use the tools of nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal medicine to create an environment of balance and strength in all systems of the body.

The core principles of Naturopathic Medicine are:

  1. First, do no harm
  2. Encourage the healing power of Nature
  3. Identify and Treat the root cause of the disease
  4. Treat the whole person (not just the symptom)
  5. Doctor as Teacher; Educating our patients is part of the treatment
  6. Emphasize disease prevention and health promotion

Why would you want to work with a Naturopathic Doctor?

Naturopathic Doctors know that health is more than the absence of disease. Health exists on a spectrum, ranging from optimal at one end, dysfunction in the middle, and disease on the other end. Optimal health is experienced when our energy levels are great, digestion is smooth, and discomfort is low. Dysfunction is where your body is adapting, but struggling. If these concerns are left without addressing, it can progress into the disease stage and cause more problems and further systemic imbalance.

A core aspect of Naturopathic Medicine is identifying the root causes of symptoms and health issues. For example, five people can have fatigue for five different reasons, so treating them all with the same thing is not going to work for all of them. Dr. Shannon aims to treat the symptom while also treating the reason it happened in the first place, which will result in greater and more sustainable long term changes.

By taking a thorough history and utilizing relevant lab work, our Naturopathic Doctor identifies the systems that are struggling to uplevel your health in areas that are often under appreciated before they cause further problems, such as nutrient deficiencies, hormonal changes, the impacts of stress, and subtle reactions to food that are silently sabotaging your health.

Dr. Ferguson’s goal is to create a health partnership that puts you back in the driver’s seat. When we prioritize a nutrient dense diet, creating a lifestyle that maximizes your health, and addressing underlying root causes of dysfunction, then you get effective and sustainable changes to your health and wellbeing.

Which laboratory tests inform the evaluation of our Naturopathic Doctor?

Here at Core Health Centre, Dr. Shannon Ferguson, ND is happy to work with you and your medical doctor (MD) to ensure your standard labs and screening tests are up to date. If you do not have a family doctor, Dr. Ferguson can refer you for many common laboratory tests which may be covered by your health benefits package. Dr. Ferguson always takes the time to ensure you understand your results, and she looks for trends to try to prevent any abnormal results in the future.

In addition to basic screening tests, Dr. Ferguson offers the following integrative tests:

  • Food Sensitivity Testing – identification of 120+ IgG food reactions that have been linked to IBS, allergies, skin concerns, headaches, insomnia, chronic fatigue, etc.
  • Allergy Testing – identification of common IgE reactions to cat, dog, grasses, trees, moulds, dust, weeds, ragweed, eggs, wheat, milk, and soy.
  • Vitamin D Testing – a common nutrient deficiency in Alberta that is no longer routinely screened for by family doctors.
  • Organic Acids – a deep dive evaluating metabolism of neurotransmitters, mitochondrial function, gut microbes and essential nutrients.
  • Hormone Testing – providing comprehensive insight on estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, stress hormones, and detoxification.
  • GI Microbiome Testing – an advanced digestive assessment, evaluating the microbial balance that may be contributing to illness, as well as indicators of digestion, absorption, inflammation, and immune function. Includes H. Pylori testing.
  • Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Breath Test, SIBO – to diagnose the cause of bloating, abdominal pain, FODMAPS, constipation and/or diarrhea.

What is Prolotherapy?

Connective tissue like ligaments and tendons can tear or fray causing instability, dysfunction and pain. Additionally, muscles that are chronically tight no matter what you do can be a symptom of tendon and ligament dysfunction. Prolotherapy is an injection therapy that stimulates your body to grow new connective tissue like collagen and therefore results in thicker, stronger ligaments and tendons. Studies show that prolotherapy treatments can increase ligament thickness by up to 40% and significantly improve pain and function of a vast number of injuries and chronic conditions. Some examples of conditions that benefit from prolotherapy are:

  • tennis elbow
  • knee pain and injury
  • rotator cuff tears
  • chronic neck or low back pain
  • ankle sprains

Chronic pain didn’t develop overnight and it won’t go away overnight. But through a comprehensive and holistic treatment plan that includes healing the damaged tissue, reducing inflammation, calming the nerves and improving mobility – reducing your pain is totally possible. You just have to start finding the solutions that work for you.

If you are interested in prolotherapy and have questions, please schedule a free 15 minute meet and greet with Dr. Shannon.

 

Is Naturopathic Medicine covered by insurance?

Yes. Most extended health benefits include coverage for registered Naturopathic Doctors. Please consult your specific plan for full details.

To confirm that your ND is registered, or if you would like more information about Naturopathic Medicine in general, then please consult the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) at www.cand.ca or the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta (CNDA) at www.cnda.net.

What’s the next step?

If you’re ready to get started, the first step is to book an Initial Naturopathic Consultation. This is an in-depth, 105 minute appointment to kick start your new approach to better health.

CONTACT US


Naturopathic Medicine Calgary | (403) 237-6000

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