Therapies

Many people with chronic pain, whether it be due to an autoimmune disease, trauma, or fibromyalgia, feel like they are not getting the help they need with conventional medical interventions. By combining the different modalities that we offer, including acupuncture, manipulation therapy, and natural pain relievers, we support the body’s ability to heal, rather than just masking your pain with symptom relief. Our goal is to help diminish the severity of your pain as quickly as possible, while focusing on the longer-term goal of keeping you pain free. Even if you’re currently taking pain medications, our treatments can work in conjunction with what you’re doing, ideally leading to a faster recovery time.

Nutrition is the science that examines the relationship between diet and health. Clinical nutrition is the utilization of foods, nutrients, and supplements to restore health. Deficiencies, excesses, and imbalances in diet can produce negative impacts on health, leading to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, obesity, and more.

Nutrition is one of the key foundations of naturopathic medicine. naturopathic doctors believe that the foods we eat affect our everyday health and wellness. Food and supplementation with the proper nutrients (i.e. vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) can give the body the substrates it needs to function at it’s best. A growing body of scientific research validates the naturopathic approach to diet and nutrition. Many medical conditions can be effectively treated with food and nutritional supplements, without having to depend on medications that may have harmful side-effects. Naturopathic physicians receive more than 140 hours of training in diet and nutrition, compared to the 20 or fewer hours received by conventional doctors.

Acupuncture is based upon a simple premise: we experience symptoms because energy is not moving freely through our body. The type and severity of symptoms is determined by the amount and type of blockage of the flow of energy, or as it is called in Chinese medicine, “qi.”

Acupuncture is a central component of Chinese medicine, and has been studied extensively by the conventional medical establishment. Studies have found it to work significantly better than placebo – and often better than medications – for a wide range of conditions, including headaches, chronic pain, IBS, and allergies, among others.

We also utilize acupuncture to address trigger points and chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes that will respond much more quickly than with other treatments that are used to treat these issues.

Acupuncture visits typically last for 30-45 minutes. The treatments are commonly used in conjunction with other naturopathic therapies that might be used in a treatment plan. Acupuncture can be very effective in the treatment of a wide range of symptoms, including headaches, allergies, Lyme disease, pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, and many other issues.

A therapeutic system of medicine that is based on the principle of similars-like cures like – which means that a substance that can cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can cure similar symptoms in an unhealthy person. Homeopathy aims to aid and stimulate the body’s own defense and immune processes. Homeopathic medicines are derived from a variety of plants, animal materials and minerals. These medicines are prescribed to fit each individual’s needs, given in much smaller and in non-toxic doses as compared to pharmaceutical medications, and are used for both prevention and treatment. Established 200 years ago by German physician Samuel Hahneman, and is recognized by the World Health Organization as the second largest therapeutic system in the world. Naturopathic physicians and other trained homeopaths have led a resurgence of this therapy in the United States in the last decade, and is widely practiced throughout Europe. In the US, the manufacture and sale of homeopathic medicines are regulated by the FDA.

Botanical medicine is a rich and vital part of naturopathic medicine. It is also one of the most ancient modalities embraced by naturopathic physicians. Plants have been used as medicine for thousands of years, being the foundation of traditional medicine across the world. In fact, plants have been uncovered in ancient Egyptian tombs, and written about in historical texts dating as far back as 2800 B.C.

One of the major benefits of using plants is that they work with the body to promote wellness and stimulate healing. This is the exact opposite of our drug-based standard medicine, which seeks to suppress symptoms with drugs, working through just one specific biochemical pathway. Botanical medicines are also, in general, much safer to use, when prescribed by knowledgeable physicians.

Plants can be used to treat both acute and chronic diseases. There are plants for every part of the body and mind, either given singly or in more involved formulas to best cure the condition needing treatment. Botanical Medicine is commonly used in naturopathic medicine to fight infections, reduce pain and inflammation, tone and heal body organs, increase energy, and induce relaxation and sleep.

One of the best means of recovering your health is to reduce the buildup of toxins in your body. Environmental chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment, with the most problematic including pesticides, solvents and heavy metals. Once they enter the body, they accumulate in fat and nervous tissue, overwhelming our body’s natural ability to rid itself entirely of these toxins. Detoxification can start with identifying any current exposure sources so that you can avoid them, followed by the use of treatment methods to reduce your current load. These methods may include dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, fasting, and hydrotherapy.

Detoxification treatment has become one of the cornerstones of naturopathic medicine. Conventional medicine notes that environmental factors can play a significant role in many illnesses. Environmental medicine is a field that studies exactly how those environmental factors influence disease. Conditions such as asthma, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and many others are strongly influenced by exposure to toxic or allergenic substances in the environment. The United States Centers for Disease Control estimate that over 80% of all illnesses have environmental and lifestyle causes.

At our clinic, we are very experienced in dealing with environmental illness, and are well aware of the connection between chronic disease and exposure to environmental toxins. By trying to identify any source of exposure, combined with the appropriate laboratory testing, we can customize a detoxification protocol that’s specific to your needs.

Although the incidence of Lyme disease is highest in the northeast United States, it’s commonly misdiagnosed, mistreated, or both. Relying on conventional testing to diagnose Lyme disease is estimated to miss at least 35% of positive cases, not to mention the co-infections that go along with it. The bottom line is that Lyme disease is meant to be a clinical diagnosis, and should be treated when the appropriate signs and symptoms are present. We recognize that people are often told they don’t have Lyme disease by their specialists, yet continue to suffer. By utilizing natural anti-microbials, along with supporting immune function and tissue repair, our therapies can have a significant impact on Lyme disease, regardless of the response to treatment in the past.

Thyroid disease is very complex, and involves much more than just looking at TSH levels. The thyroid gland can be impacted by stress, environmental toxins, diet, and a host of other influences. Even if your doctors tell you that your thyroid function is “normal”, yet you still have all of the classic symptoms, chances are that much more can be done to optimize how your thyroid is working.

We see a number of patients with thyroid disorders, along with other hormonal imbalances, and are experienced with customizing plans that will help to restore balance to the endocrine system. Whether you’re approaching menopause and are in need of alternatives to conventional HRT, or are looking to complement your conventional thyroid replacement with other options, we can give you the support you need.