Hello, my name is Dr. Tonia Mitchell and I’m a Naturopathic Physician.  I’m excited to join the team here at healthtopics.ca.  I will be writing articles, on an approximate weekly basis, on different health topics.  I would like to take some time to introduce Naturopathic Medicine, to those who may not be familiar, while I also hope to clear up some common misconceptions.

Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct form of primary health care that can treat and prevent acute and chronic illnesses.  It seeks to find the root cause of a person’s illness, remove the obstacles to health and allow the body to bring itself back into balance so it can heal naturally.   Let’s look at an example of a headache.  Instead of prescribing a painkiller to decrease the sensation of the headache (the symptom) the Naturopathic Physician attempts to figure out why that headache is there in the first place.  Once the root cause is addressed, the headache will disappear.  A descriptive analogy commonly used is the one of the oil light displayed in your car.  There are several things you can do so that the oil light is not on anymore:

• You can rip out the light;
• You can put a piece of tape over the light;
• You can stop the car, perform an oil check and potentially change the oil.

Only the last option treats the root cause of why the light was on in the first place.

Naturopathic Doctors treat the whole person on an individual basis.  Again, looking at the headache, if three people with headaches come in to my office, I will approach each patient differently depending on what they are experiencing and the reason for the headache.  One patient might need support for his blood vessels, the second patient might need support for stress while the third might have food allergies or a toxic metal load.  Naturopathic Doctors treat people, not diseases.

Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine teach the principals of healthy living and prevention to their patients so that they can get well and stay well.  They educate their patients on proper nutrition, hydration, stress management and other aspects to promote healthy living.

Above, I have discussed what Naturopathic Medicine is and what Naturopathic Doctors do.  You may ask; How do they do it?  One of the most exciting things about being a Naturopathic Doctor is the number of ways we are trained to help people.  We are trained in the following:

1. Nutrition;
2. Herbal medicine;
3. Asian medicine (including acupuncture);
4. Counseling;
5. Homeopathy;
6. Orthopedics;
7. Chiropractics;
8. Massage and hydrotherapy.

Every Naturopathic Doctor practices slightly differently while some receive further training in different energetic, intravenous or cosmetic therapies.  Consider a Naturopathic Doctor a general practitioner of the alternative medical world.

Your question may be: Who should see a Naturopathic Doctor?  The answer is: Anyone.  You can consult a Naturopathic Doctor for all of the same reasons that you would consult your family doctor, including but not limited to:

• skin problems;
• infections;
• reproductive problems;
• gastrointestinal problems;
• emotional concerns;
• musculoskeletal injuries;
• hormonal imbalances;
• cardiovascular problems;
• weight loss and detoxification.

Naturopathic Medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health.  Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease.  Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.

For thousands of years the human race has used herbs in various ways. These uses can be placed into three distinctive groups; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the article below we will discuss each of these categories in order focusing upon medical uses and essential oils.

Throughout history there have been many other uses of herbs which we will not be examining here and these include them being used instead of cash, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to mask sickening smells. Herbs come from various parts of the world and each culture usually had unusual uses for them. It is interesting to note that the Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greek and Sumerians, the Romans all wrote about them in detail and other writings exist from Ancient India and China. We shall be concentrating on modern uses.

Herbs And Religion

Herbs are still used in a multitude of around the globe.  A large number of Christians will recognize myrrh from the Nativity (myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora myrrha). Hindus will be extremely familiar with the Tulsi plant, which is a type of Basil, as it is cultivated by many and praised as a Goddess. In Wiccan and Pagan religions herbs are used widely in spells, rituals as well as for healing.

Kitchen Uses of Herbs

The leaves of various plants are used in cooking however there is a distinction between leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, and a herb, such as parsley, in that the latter are used in minute amounts due to their distinctive, and powerful flavor. Virtually every person in the world has benefited from the these amazing plants which are capable of lifting the plainest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.

Herbs And Medicine

As well as being powerful in flavor a herb can also have a profound effect upon the human body. Some types are used as recreational drugs, such as cannabis, which can cause legal problems as they can also have useful medical properties which are still being scientifically researched.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the oil extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are invariably produced by the method called distillation but some need a different process of extraction such as such as solvent extraction or expression.

Essential oils have a number of uses, such as perfumes, bath oils, flavorings, burning (for scent) and in cleaning products. However most people know of their use in medicine and especially in aromatherapy and other forms of alternative medicine. I use lavender oil in a number of ways, I add it to my mixture for my oil burner to make the room smell nice but I also use about three drops in a bath when I suffer from aching legs. When my legs are very painful I gently massage it into the muscles but only when it is mixed with a carrier oil. As well as helping to relax the muscles it also helps me sleep more soundly.

Herbs should be handled with immense care and attention as some can be extremely toxic to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are about to have a baby as something that seems safe could be dangerously problematic, such as peppermint oil which should be totally avoided in its raw form. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used but to avoid the risk of miscarriage I would avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you are one hundred percent certain they are safe.

The awesome thing about herbs is that growing your own is as hard as buying a herb kit and placing it near a window. To discover more visit http://store.landscapinginfo4u.com/