Naturopathic Medicine

When a type of medicine dates over 5000 years, it builds a certain credibility that is unshakable. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (also known as TCM) is amongst one of the oldest systems of medicines still used today. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! The art and practice of TCM utilizes a number of modalities including acupuncture, herbalism, energy practices such as tai chi and Qi Gong, as well as nutrition and lifestyle. Dr. Marissa and Dr. Andrew have specific training in both acupuncture and herbalism and integrate this knowledge with the basic principles of TCM.

TCM holds the theory that there are five elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. These elements represent different organ systems, and when in harmony, are able to feed in to one another beautifully. When in disharmony, varying symptoms arise indicating dis-ease in our system. In order to bring the body back to a state of harmony, TCM uses the above mentioned modalities to address deficiencies and promote the smooth flow of Qi, also known as our vital energy, throughout the 12 meridians flowing through our body. It sounds more complicated than it really is. Once you take some time to really understand it, it ends up really simplifying how we look at the human body and our approach to treatment. We have a deep appreciation for TCM as it is a truly holistic system. In fact we like it so much we spent over a month learning more and receiving additional training at a TCM Hospital in China!

Our daily habits around diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management are the cornerstones of health.

We spend a significant amount of time helping you to optimize all of these areas because without the fundamentals of health, dis-ease is inevitable. We approach each patient as a unique individual with unique needs and ensure that we come up with a treatment plan that meets you where you are at. Unfortunately, there are no supplements that replace poor diet and lifestyle habits.

Our approach to wellness will most likely always start with dietary and lifestyle recommendations. These are not as daunting as they may seem. Come to your appointments with an open heart and open mind and be ready for action. Once you begin to implement the changes we recommend, the improvements you will feel are what will motivate you to continue forward. All you need to do is find that initial motivation to get you there! That comes from within, but we will be there with you every step of the way.

Got aches and pains? This is where physical medicine shines.

Physical medicine focuses on treating muscle and joint strains, arthritis and many other types of pain. In our private practice, we offer a wide range of modalities including therapeutic acupuncture, cupping, naturopathic spinal manipulations and guasha. Both Dr. Andrew and Dr. Marissa have backgrounds in Personal Training and can help to address physical dysfunction through corrective exercise and rehabilitation, mobility, strength training and much more.

As a former varsity volleyball player, Dr. Andrew is passionate about sports performance and has a special focus on Sports Medicine in his practice where he uses naturopathic treatments to help rehabilitate and address the causes of acute and chronic sports injuries, help patients maintain their exercise routines and achieve their fitness goals. Both Dr. Andrew and Dr. Marissa are well versed on various techniques to get your body back to feeling its best!

The mind and body are intricately related, some would say even inseparable.

If your mind is unwell, your body will follow and vice versa. We believe that nearly every health issue at some level is affected by your mental-emotional state. We use a variety of tools and techniques based around mindfulness to promote a healthy mind thus a healthy body.

As Sam Harris states in his Meditation App "Waking Up", "The level of psychological relief you can experience as a result of meditating is really hard to exaggerate. It is the antidote to almost everything that ails us in terms of our psychological suffering, our reactivity, our anger, our embarrassment, our worry. It is a kind of universal solvent. This practice gives us the freedom to do with our attention what seems the most useful at any given moment. The first days and weeks of this practice, even on intensive retreat, are really only the beginning. This is like learning a new instrument or a new sport, or a game like chess - you can’t expect to begin to know what mastery is like, or even competence is like this early. But, you may have seen glimmers of it. And as you continue to meditate, those glimmers can become more and more of the character of your daily experience." 

Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective form of treatment that seeks to remove physical, mental and emotional blockages to promote self-healing. 

Homeopathic Medicine uses minute amounts of natural substances to stimulate the self-healing abilities of the body. The goal of homeopathy is to see improvements on all levels of functioning. Disease is expressed through symptoms, and homeopathy uses these symtptoms to tell the story of which remedy will best suit your needs. It is based on the principle that like cures like, meaning your symptoms must match the symptom picture of the remedy. For instance, if you have watery eyes, the symptoms may match the remedy Allium aka onion, which as we all know, is great at making your eyes water! Homeopathy is safe for everyone, including pregnant women, infants, and the elderly.

We've got sunshine, on a cloudy day!

Red and Infrared (IR) Light Therapy fall under the category of an emerging area of research called photobiomodulation, a fancy word for how light affects our biology. Light has a profound impact on how our body functions and in today's world we are extremely deficient in natural sunlight and overexposed to harmful artificial lights. Red and IR therapy is an effective way to counteract these issues and deliver some of the most beneficial spectrums of light found naturally in sunlight. Additionally, red light stimulates collagen production, speeds wound healing, and is highly anti-inflammatory. It has been shown to bring great relief to people suffering from physical aches and pains, skin concerns, low mood, and speeds up healing after an injury. Treatments are quick, painless and very enjoyable if you can't already tell from Dr. Marissa's smile!