Naturopathic Medicine in Victoria

Food Sensitivities

You’ve likely heard of food allergies, which can be a life threatening condition leading to anaphylaxis. These are commonly peanuts or eggs, among other foods. Food sensitivity or intolerance is a bit different, and though it’s not life threatening, it can cause a lot of problems.

Food sensitivit symptoms may begin a few hours to 48 hours after consumption, and can last a few hours or days. This can make it really hard to pinpoint exactly which food is to blame. Symptoms will most often be related to the gut, skin and/or the respiratory system, including diarrhea, bloating, rashes, headaches, nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, runny nose, reflux and flushing of the skin. Other symptoms may include physical pain like back pain or joint pain, brain fog, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances or hormonal imbalances.

The most common, safest, and least expensive way to diagnose a food intolerance is an elimination diet. Remove the foods most likely to be causing the symptoms, for a period of about a month. Then gradually reintroduced in a controlled way, to determine which are causing symptoms. You can work with our Naturopathic Physician to come up with a plan that is right for you.

Learn more: About Food Sensitivities

Supplements

Should I be taking supplements or not? The short and not simple answer is, it depends. Not everyone needs to take everything in supplement form, but most people also aren’t getting enough of everything they need. A personalized plan put together by a professional is the best solution if you are experiencing symptoms.

Some of the things that should be considered include:

• Current and past health history
• Age and Gender
• Diet
• Sleep and exercise habits
• Work habits
• Energy levels
• Digestive health
• Mental health and wellness
• Skin health

All of these things are indicators to a naturopathic medical practitioner who understands the functioning of various systems (digestive, cardiovascular, hormones, lymphatic, etc.). Vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and enzyme deficiencies can show up as a wide variety of symptoms.

Learn More: Supplements & The Top 10 To Take

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a medical practiced, often used by Naturopathic Physicians that is based on the belief that the body can cure itself, under the right conditions. Homeopathic Tinctures and Tablets have very tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals, deliberately diluted, which are believed to stimulate the healing process. The concept is based on the idea that like cures like.

Developed in the 1700s in Germany, it is commonly used in many European countries.

How Does Homeopathy Work?
The concept behind homeopathy is that “like cures like.” A substance that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can, when diluted, treat an illness with similar symptoms by triggering the body’s natural defenses.

Learn more:  About Homeopathy

Weight Loss

“The equation calories in < calories out = weight loss is an oversimplification for some patients.”
A Naturopathic Physician approaches a weight loss plan as a highly individualized program that will be based a biopsychosocial model of care. Our ND will take a look at your health history, your goals, what you’ve tried already, what worked and what didn’t work for you. All of the factors that may be contributing to your overall health and your challenges with weight loss will be considered including:

• Psychological Stress Levels
• Exercise History
• Dietary History
• Hormone Balance
• Quality and Amount of Sleep
• Toxic Chemical Exposure (alcohol, tobacco, processed foods, caffeine and pharmaceuticals)

Learn More: Weight Loss, The Naturopathic Way

Genetic Testing

All you need is a 23andMe® or Ancestry® DNA Kit. If you’ve already done one, great! Once it’s completed, your raw DNA data can be very easily downloaded and then uploaded to your Pure Genomics Account. We can then provide you with individualized, actionable reports that make evidence-based nutritional and lifestyle recommendations that are customized for your unique genetic profile. It takes the guess work out of building you a highly personalized nutritional plan and gives you some really in depth information about what you should be eating and what you should not be eating.

​PureGenomics supports healthcare providers like our Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Lise Maltais, with the science to help translate genetic information into real-life health solutions, through tools and education in the fields of genomic testing and nutrigenomics.

Learn More: Genetic Testing