We’ve come up with a few ideas that we think will make a difference and we welcome your feedback as well as any ideas you might have.
1. Weekend appointment times
I understand that life is busy and not everyone can take time away from family or work to get to appointments. We are now offering Saturday appointments to make scheduling a little bit easier.
2. Direct Billing
Did you know that most insurance carriers offer extended health care benefits that cover naturopathic services? We are now able to direct bill most of these companies. Depending on your coverage, the entire visit fee could be covered and most plans allow for several visits per year!
3. Practice makes perfect
Health care professionals require a certain number of patient contacts prior to graduating and licensing. We think it’s a perfect match to connect students with patients who could benefit from the services and are able to offer such services at reduced rates or sometimes even by donation. We are currently offering Healing Touch sessions, by donation, on Tuesdays. Please call to schedule an appointment or for more information.
*If you are a student who would like to benefit from this opportunity, please contact us.
4. Charitable Status
It’s a long process but we’ve begun working towards charitable status which would allow us to accept donations and provide tax receipts. These donations will go directly to patients in need of financial assistance for reoccurring naturopathic treatments. In the mean-time, we will keep you updated about our fundraising initiatives. It feels good to give!
5. Skype and email appointments
I will continue to offer free email check-ins and answers to questions for existing patients. I am also happy to offer Skype visits for those who are not well enough to travel or for whom the travel costs are prohibitive.
6. Pay What You Can (for those who qualify)
If you do not have insurance coverage and cannot afford to pay the full visit fee, please call the office to discuss our Pay-What-You-Can option. You will not be turned away.
More is naturally possible!
Dr. Melissa Blake, ND
]]>Acupuncture was first developed in China over 2,000 years ago and has been in use in Western countries, on and off, for around 400 years. This is a pretty significant history considering conventional medicine practices have been the dominant medical model in the Western world for a little over 200 years.
Acupuncture is based on energy flow thru channels in the body called meridians. The emphasis is always on balance, as it’s thought that too much or too little energy in one area can lead to disfunction and ultimately disease.
Consider an acute injury – like a sprained ankle – there is a ton of inflammation that leads to swelling, heat, redness, pain. These are signs of excess “energy” in the ankle. During an acupuncture session for such an injury I would choose points to help eliminate heat and improve blood flow.
Acupuncture was developed long before the modern tools we have available to us now but the tesearch is catching up. Advanced imaging techniques such as CT scans, MRIs, oxygen micro sensors, and thermography have been used to identify distinct structural differences and higher oxygen pressures of acupuncture points compared to surrounding tissues. These findings indicate acupuncture points and acupuncture channels are scientifically measurable phenomena. Super cool.
And the science is expanding from there. Acupuncture has been proven to benefit a wide range of conditions including asthma, lymphedema, surgery, pain (1, 2, 3), headaches, fertility (1, 2), anxiety, depression, cancer care, and more.
If you’re still not convinced, here are answers to a few common questions:
Is acupuncture painful?
No. Some points can be sensitive and you may experience a tingling sensation or a slight, dull ache as the needle is being adjusted. The most common experience is one of very little sensation and an intense feeling of relaxation.
I’m receiving other treatments, can I still get acupuncture?
Absolutely. Acupuncture does not interfere with any medications or supplements and is an effective, valuable tool as part of an integrative wellness plan. It combines well with physiotherapy, chiropractic medicine, and massage therapy.
I have chronic pain. Will acupuncture help?
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for many types of pain – pain related to acute injuries, chronic pain, headaches, bowel pain, pain in any part of the body – are all good reasons to explore acupuncture.
How big are the needles and where will they be?
Acupuncture needles are quite fine (most common is 36 gauge) and can range from 1/4″ to 2-3″ long. Needle placement is determined based on your concerns but can be anywhere from head to toe. Multiple needles are used during one treatment. I usually insert 10-15 needles per treatment but it always depends on the person.
How many sessions will I need?
Each session lasts 30 minutes. During this time you are comfortably seated or lying on a table. The number of sessions depends on the severity of your concerns but I often recommend weekly sessions for 6-8 treatments. Acute injuries may benefit from more frequent visits but may not require as many sessions.
We offer traditional acupuncture sessions at The Pear Tree. Call or email for more information.
]]>
]]>I honestly cannot remember the last time I’ve even heard someone mention pink eye but over the past week we’ve suddenly become very familiar.
The term “pink eye” is used to describe the red appearance of the white parts of the eyes that happens as a result of an infection that can be bacterial or viral. Both types often spread from one eye to the other and cause itchy, burning, and swelling of the eye and surrounding tissue.
The viral version is often associated with a cold and usually clears on its own without treatment after about a week. It’s very contagious, just like a cold, and does not require direct contact to spread.
Bacterial pink eye is usually accompanied by a yellow discharge that may cause the eyelids to stick together. It is spread through direct contact which, if you have ever been around sick kids, you know happens A LOT. Antibiotics is the standard treatment and it make take a week or longer to clear.
Unless, of course, you implement an integrative plan! We reduced our healing time to 3-4 days with very little discomfort.
Here are some suggestions to use as part of your pink eye plan:
- Frequent hand and washcloth washing.
- Bath the eyes, try not to rub as this causes more irritation. Use a hot washcloth and place over the eyes then gently clean the area. Once clean, especially at bedtime, I found a nice cool cloth over the eyes for a few minutes was very soothing.
- Use a dropper and apply colloidal silver often
- Take probiotics, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin D at doses recommended by your ND
- Use essential oils – on the soles of feet, rubbed into the lymph node channel that runs from behind the ears and down the neck, on the tummy to stimulate immune cells, and in diffusers. Some good options are Thieves, lavender, frankincense, and myrrh
- Visualize – the mind is a powerful thing and visualizing healing is a wonderful tool to use with adults and children! We like to image happy monsters going around the body eating up little bugs that are making us sick. We also imagine all of our remedies causing a boost in the number of the helpful guys every time we take a dose. Come up with an image that works for you!
]]>Anxiety can be a super scary place to be but there are many naturopathic options that can help. Nutrition, exercise, and rest are good places to start. Supplements can also be extremely helpful to get thru the tough times while addressing the underlying cause of the anxiety and working to improve coping strategies.
I am amazed on a regular basis at how effective meditation can be for soothing anxiety and helping to make the mind and body more resistant to everyday stress. It’s something anyone can do and if you’re not already using meditation, you should seriously consider finding a way to incorporate it into your life.
I’ve mentioned before that one of my favourite meditations is a three breath hug. It’s simple, quick, and deeply rewarding. I try to use the three breath hug at least once a day with each of my children and we also use the technique in our “family hugs”. These hugs are yummy moments and we all benefit from a feeling of connection and are left feeling more grounded and calm.
The link below outlines the benefits and details of this healing technique. I hope you choose to try it with your Valentines
Let the hugging and healing begin!!
Three Breath Hug
]]>
]]>The question we pulled out of the jar was “What is the most important job in the world?”. Admittedly, my instincts made me think about political leaders and healers as topping the list. My husband was very clear in his belief that being a daddy was the worlds most important job. Although these roles are valuable, it was our daughter’s answer that was undeniably, without a doubt, the answer we should all have in response to that question.With confidence and ease, she said:
“That’s simple. The most important job in the whole world is to take care of yourself.”
When I asked her ways to do that, she stated: “Eat healthy food, brush your teeth, play with your friends, and go to bed early.” Ahhh. A naturopathic mom’s dream.
And who can argue with it? I’ve spent the last few waking hours imagining a world in which everyone practices self-care. A world that values feeling good on every level and encourages positive self-worth and spiritual fulfilment. A world that emphasizes healthy food, play, and rest.
My daughter is 5 and she’s got it all figured out. Taking care of yourself is the most important job. Having fun, living “wholeheartedly”, making healthy choices because they make your FEEL GOOD.
My job is to show her that she’s right.
]]>“I am open and ready to attract abundance into my life!”
Attached are a few details about the abundance of amazing things we have planned for the next few months! Please contact us with any questions or for more information.
I hope you also take a few moments to enjoy this guided meditation about Abundance.
]]>Conventional Medicine is the term used to describe the system that most of us as familiar with. It includes such tools as pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, emergency care, radiation, and chemotherapy. There is no doubt that there have been major scientific breakthroughs in medicine and that we are lucky to be living in an era that can provide such developed skills.
The problem with the medical system as it exists is not the physicians, their training, nor the wonderful advancements in pharmaceuticals and surgery. The problem is that the system is exclusive, relying on a limited scope of tools. Although not all conventional physicians are “anti” complementary medicine, there does seem to be the assumption that natural medicine is not based on science and therefore holds less value.
Fortunately, the basics of natural medicine do not require studies to prove their benefits (do we really need a double-blind, multimillion dollar study to prove that eating fruits and vegetables is good for us, that exercise prevents disease, or that a healthy environment helps to create a healthy individual?). This evidence has been provided by our ancestors and is centuries old. History provides us with the largest pool of evidence we will ever need. However, when it comes to developing more modern natural approaches, such as potential interactions between drugs and herbs, high doses of vitamins and minerals, and chelation and IV therapy, studies are necessary and they do exist. In fact, a large part of naturopathic training focuses on the scientific evidence behind such strategies.
Medicine can be defined as “the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.” With that definition, there is really no need to define complementary versus conventional medicine. However, there has been a shift somewhat from that definition, particularly here in the Western world, to a system that relies almost exclusively on presented scientific evidence rather than patient experience and practitioner wisdom.
So where does that leave us?
Last fall I had the opportunity to attend a medical conference put on by the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). The defined vision of this organization is to educate physicians and other health care professionals on the latest findings and emerging procedures in complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. ACAM has been in existence for more than 25 years and focuses on educational programs based upon the most current, comprehensive and scientifically sound evidence available. Members of the College are highly educated professionals interested in one thing – patient focused care.
As individual systems, we can never be as great as we would be together. Integrated medicine combines the best of all worlds. Treatments are chosen based on patient-centered care, merging a variety of medical interventions to best suit the individual’s needs. Over 2000 years ago Aristotle said “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Two thousand years of wisdom.
Perhaps the most important medical breakthrough will occur when the two worlds embrace their differences and work together.
]]>free screening until Jan 14
]]>