Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine combines modern scientific knowledge and standard medical diagnostics with a broad range of natural therapies to address the root cause of acute and chronic illness.

Naturopathic treatment can be effectively used on its own as a form of primary health care or as a complement to conventional medicine with your Naturopathic Doctor (ND) working alongside your other health care providers

By supporting the body’s own ability to heal, naturopathic medicine uses an integrated approach to disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention that includes:

  • Botanical Medicine
  • Diet and Lifestyle Changes
  • Clinical Nutrition Supplementation and Injections
  • Acupuncture/Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Homeopathic Medicine
  • Hydrotherapy
  • Physical Medicine

NDs are trained to do a complete physical exam as part of their medical assessment. In addition, your ND can request standard or specialized lab testing to confirm a suspected diagnosis. Lab testing, including urinalysis, blood work and saliva testing, may either be done in-house or samples may be sent out to relevant medical labs for testing. If required, NDs are qualified to conduct the blood draws needed to obtain blood samples for testing at a lab.

ND Credentials

In Canada, Naturopathic Doctors are highly educated primary care providers. To obtain a naturopathic medical credential (ND) that qualifies the recipient to sit for a provincial licensing examination, students must:

  • Hold a prerequisite Bachelor’s degree from an accredited University, including required courses in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, organic chemistry and psychology.
  • Successfully complete a 4-year-full time program at an accredited school of Naturopathic Medicine (2 schools in Canada, 5 schools in the US) that includes more than 4,500 hours of classroom training and 1,500 hours as a supervised Intern.
  • Pass NPLEX board exams that are written after the 2nd year and 4th year of study. NPLEX is the standard examination used by all licensing jurisdictions for Naturopathic Doctors in North America.
  • Meet the Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits as required by the provincial regulatory boards on an ongoing basis.

For more information, please visit www.cand.ca or www.oand.org

Conditions Treated

Naturopathic Doctors are trained to treat a wide variety of health issues, including, but not limited to the following:

Women’s Health

  • menopause & perimenopause
  • menstrual irregularities
  • PMS
  • urinary track infections
  • fertility
  • PCOS and hormonal imbalances
  • breast health
  • osteoporosis
  • thyroid disorders

Cardiovascular Health

  • high blood pressure
  • stroke and heart attack prevention
  • high cholesterol and triglycerides

Pain Management

  • arthritis
  • low back pain
  • migraines & tension headaches
  • muscle tension
  • fibromyalgia

Immune System Health

  • allergies
  • cold and flu treatment/prevention
  • frequent infections

Gastrointestinal Health

  • gastric reflux
  • gas and bloating
  • irritable bowel syndrome
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Celiac Disease
  • food sensitivities

Skin Health

  • acne
  • eczema
  • dermatitis
  • aging

Blood Sugar Management

  • diabetes
  • hypoglycemia

Stress Management

  • anxiety
  • panic attacks
  • depression
  • insomnia
  • chronic fatigue

Weight Management

  • weight loss
  • weight maintenance


NDs can also work with you to optimize your health and PREVENT disease. You do not need to be sick to see an ND.

Approach to Naturopathic Patient Visits

Your first visit will last 75 minutes and include a thorough intake of your health concerns and medical history, followed by a complaint oriented physical exam, urinalysis and random glucose blood test. Treatment begins on the first visit, allowing you to immediately begin addressing your specific health goals. Follow up visits lasting 30-45 minutes will be scheduled as required to monitor your progress and ensure that your health needs are being met.

Lab Tests

Naturopathic Doctors are extensively trained in lab diagnosis and interpretation. Depending on your particular health concerns, an ND may recommend that specific lab testing be conducted to better assess your condition and to help monitor your treatment progress.

1) Standard Lab Testing

Naturopathic Doctors are licensed to draw blood and order standard lab testing (blood, stool, urine, saliva) comparable to the testing your family physician would order. Lab testing requisitioned by an ND in Ontario, however, is not covered by OHIP. A separate fee structure is in place for ND requisitioned lab tests for patients who find it more convenient to use this option versus going through a family physician. Examples of these tests include: Iron Panel, Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides, Thyroid Panel, Complete Blood Count, Liver Enzyme Levels, Kidney Function Testing, Blood Glucose Testing, H Pylori Breath Test and Stool Ova & Parasite Testing. We use a lab called Gamma Dynacare for our standard lab testing requisitions.

*We recommend that patients bring copies of previous lab results to their initial appointment at our clinic.

2) In-House Lab Testing

We also offer a number of useful lab tests that are conducted in our clinic. These include:

  • Urinalysis
  • Random Blood Glucose
  • Indican Test for Bowel Toxicity
  • Zinc Tally Test for Zinc Deficiency
  • Strep A Test
  • Celiac Rapid Blood Test

3) Specialized Lab Testing

In addition to standard lab testing and in-house testing, we offer a broad selection of specialized tests to better assess digestion, hormonal imbalances and heavy metal toxicities.

These include:

  • IgG Food Allergy Panel – 96 Foods (finger prick, blood spot)
  • Comprehensive Stool Analysis (with or without Parasitology)
  • Celiac Panel (finger prick, blood spot)
  • Female Hormone Panel (saliva)
  • Estrogen Metabolism Ratio (urine)
  • Male Hormone Panel (saliva)
  • Urinary Thyroid Assessment
  • Adrenal Function Panel (saliva)
  • Hair Element Analysis (45 essential & toxic elements)
  • Yeast Culture
  • Diatest Breath Test for Insulin Resistence

Extended Health Insurance Coverage

Please note that naturopathic services are covered by most workplace health insurance plans (eg. Great West Life, Manulife, Liberty Health, etc). Contact your employer or your insurance agent to inquire about your coverage for naturopathic services.