Naturopathic Medicine
Our Naturopathic Doctors practice on Salt Spring Island and in the Cowichan Valley.
Our naturopathic doctors (NDs) practice holistic primary care medicine. Each physician takes an integrative approach to address all layers of their patients' well-being, and incorporates both conventional and alternative strategies into their treatment protocols.
Time is taken during appointments to listen and understand all aspects of your health, as well as to build a trusting and collaborative relationship as a foundation for working together. Their goal is to work together with you to understand the imbalances in your system, and to address them by treating the root cause(s) to build a foundation of good health (though sometimes symptomatic treatment is important too!).
Tools used by our doctors vary widely. They are trained in a diverse set of holistic treatment modalities, and, similar to a regular family doctor, have the ability to do physical exams, prescribe, and write lab requisitions or refer for imaging (labs & imaging are private pay). See more details in “Our Tools” below.
Our Tools
With our ND team’s diverse approach to medicine and healing, we utilize many tools. Read more here
Naturopathic Medicine Helps with
Digestive issues:
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, diarrhea, heartburn and acid reflux, leaky gut, chronic bloating and gas, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, candida, parasites, food intolerances
Pain:
pain management, chronic pain
Sexual health:
yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, vaginal dryness
Cardiovascular health:
atherosclerosis, heart attack prevention and recovery
Blood sugar issues:
diabetes, prediabetes, hypoglycemia and blood sugar swings
Immune:
allergies, asthma, autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis and many others)
Muscles & joints:
joint pain, injuries, strains/sprains, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis
Skin & hair:
acne, rashes, eczema, psoriasis, hair loss
Detox:
toxic mold exposures, heavy metal exposures
Weight management:
Weight loss or gain
Infectious:
urinary tract infections, chronic infections including chronic Lyme
Energy & mood:
insomnia, fatigue or low energy, anxiety, depression or low mood, irritability, brain fog, stress management, burnout, low libido
Hormonal:
PMS, heavy painful periods, PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid, perimenopause, menopause, puberty support
Fertility & pregnancy:
female and male factor infertility, pregnancy support, nausea of pregnancy, miscarriage support, post-partum care, medical abortion (up to 9 weeks)
The Process
Optional Complimentary Meet & Greet
This is a 15-minute visit to meet the doctor, share your health goals with them, and learn more about naturopathic care and the particular doctor. The intention of this visit is to decide together if you and the practitioner are a mutual good fit, and if not, who they can refer you to who can better support your goals.
Initial visit
Our initial visits are a 75 minute consult. During this visit we take the time to explore all the different aspects of your health, from your main concerns to all the other factors in your health such as your sleep, digestion, primary sources of stress, hormones, and so on. You will explore together with the doctor an understanding of how the different elements of your health may be related and where any imbalances in your system come from. By the end of the visit you will co-create an integrative treatment plan with the doctor, with strategies involving lab work if necessary, and dietary changes, lifestyle strategies, specific remedies, or other recommendations.
Paediatric initial visits (for patients 12 and under) are 60 minutes rather than 75.
Follow-up visits
Follow up visits are typically 30 minutes, though they can range from 15-60 minutes as needed. During your follow up visits you can check in, evolve and troubleshoot your treatment plan, and review any lab work. Frequency of visits will depend entirely on your needs, health goals, and health budget. You will work with your practitioner to determine what is best for you.
As a very general rule of thumb, we recommend you expect a series of 5-6 visits with your doctor for best results. This will vary based on the nature of your health condition and your need for support. And of course, very often we see patients will have a long term relationship with their doctor over the years.
Telemedicine
All consults with your naturopathic doctor can be booked as telemedicine if preferred, unless a physical exam is indicated.
Ongoing care
Once we have addressed your primary concerns, we typically see patients for a check in once a year or so. Over the long term patients may evolve their relationship with their doctor as they work on different health goals or focus on healthy aging and preventative medicine.
Acute visitS
As an alternative to our regular initial visit, an acute visit is up to 25 minutes long and is focussed on a single specific concern. This is for patients who do not need a comprehensive intake visit.
FAQ
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Appointments with a naturopathic doctor are covered by MSP only if you qualify for MSP premium assistance. Naturopathic appointments are typically covered by extended health insurance - check with your specific provider for details about your coverage for appointments, supplements, and labs.
If we are not able to direct bill to your provider we will provide you with a paper or emailed copy of your receipt after your visit so you can submit your claim. All receipts indicate the practitioner’s license number.
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There is a serious shortage of GPs on Salt Spring Island (and elsewhere). Naturopathic doctors are trained to do primary care and can refill your regular medications including asthma puffers etc. Our preference of course would be that you would have a GP as well as an ND to collaborate and offer different perspectives on your care, but we recognize many do not have this choice. We often take time in our visits with patients to discuss how to access necessary services through MSP alongside what we can do together with naturopathic medicine.
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Supplements:
Patients requiring refills are welcome to drop by during office hours to pick up supplement refills. Feel free to let us know ahead of time so we can put aside your products for you.
Custom Tinctures:
Please request tincture refills with 24-hours notice so we have time to blend the tincture in advance of your arrivals.
Prescriptions:
Your naturopathic physician will provide you enough refills until your next anticipated follow-up visit. If you require a refill outside of a regular appointment, there will be a $30 prescription refill fee to honour the time it takes to review your medical history and process the refill. Prescription renewal requests can be requested at the pharmacy and faxed to us at: 855-956-3953. As always, please allow for at least 3 business days for refills to be processed.
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Naturopath is not a protected title, which means that anyone can call themselves a naturopath. This is very different from a Naturopathic Doctor or Naturopathic Physician who is required to meet all licensing requirements with the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC, including 4 years of undergraduate pre-med training, 4 years of naturopathic medical school, board licensing exams, continuing education requirements, and so on.
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Yes you certainly can. Our priority is that you work with the practitioner that is the best fit for you - if you are interested in switching doctors please call the clinic.
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Your ND can refer for private pay imaging. At this time NDs cannot refer to specialists.
Our Naturopathic Doctors
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Dr. Hannah Webb, ND
Naturopathic Physician,
Clinic Director & Owner -
Dr. Kate Schertzer, DC, ND
Naturopathic Physician & Chiropractor
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Dr. Nicole van Poelgeest, ND
Naturopathic Physician
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Dr. Patrick Callas, ND
Naturopathic Physician