If you know me by now, you understand my belief in and commitment to the integrative healthcare model, one that encompasses conventional western medicine and traditional or holistic healing practices.
For the past decade, I’ve immersed myself in working on solving different pieces of the healthcare puzzle, from health data management to the commercialization or business of scientific research, to working directly with individuals seeking alternative healing methods, to help educate and empower them to re-design their lifestyles with a renewed focus on clean and conscious living.
My PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and specifically, molecular toxicology, nutritional biochemistry, and the toxicity of the Western Diet, has equipped me with deep knowledge on the impact of environmental toxins on the human body, and the potential for high doses of select nutrients (eg. antioxidants—quercetin, glutathione, resveratrol, green tea, vitamins B, C, and D) to not only lower but also reverse the damages associated with toxicity.
Truth be told, much of my nutrition and lifestyle medicine experience came from my own learning (I’m a nerd and I’m proud of it!), my deep investment into personal development, and my 15+ years healing journey recovering from chronic inflammatory disease, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, the emotional trauma of losing my dad to cancer, and the ancestral traumas that my lineages endured, both known and unknown.
However, my certification and training in integrative nutrition and holistic health did gift me with a giant library of diverse and up to date resources for me and my clients, and a community of health coaches and integrative health advocates to learn from and exchange questions and ideas with.
Finally, it also gave me the courage and confidence to build a practice as an integrative health coach, scientific wellness educator, and now, practitioner at Canada’s premier Functional and Integrative Medical Clinic: The Centre for Advanced Medicine (CAM); and its sister clinic, The Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine (CCIM).
Why am I so excited to announce my joining of this clinic?
I’ve shared this in a previous blog post, and I’ll share it again now: the future of healthcare is integrative and collaborative.
The ideal scenario is for practitioners spanning conventional and traditional healthcare to come together to discuss and deliberate on patient cases, and offer diagnoses and protocols from the position of whole-body medicine and care.
CAM and CCIM are 100% doing this!
It’s a true honor to be joining forces with the clinics and focusing on my specialty of Environmental Awareness and Lifestyle Management, and leaving it to other practitioners to share their expertise in functional medicine, herbalism, psychotherapy, hormone therapy, etc.
It’s become clear that my services fit nicely with the functional medicine root cause-driven model of care, and so my plan for now is to work very closely with my colleague and mentor, Dr. Leigh Arseneau, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Educator, Naturopathic Doctor, and the Founder of these clinics.
What differentiates CAM from other private integrative health clinics?
As mentioned, CAM uses the functional medicine model to integrate conventional and traditional healing modalities, to help patients both manage, prevent, and recover from the disease. The fact that the clinic has a strong focus on both modern evidence-based medicine and ancient healing methods already differentiates it from the majority of integrative health clinics, which typically have a stronger focus on holistic healing methods and often lack speciality services from medical doctors.
The functional medicine model of care considers the whole life of the patient, and in a disease context, it looks at the origin, onset, and development phases of the disease, rather than simply focussing on symptom-based treatment and therapy. For example, if you have diabetes, the clinic’s model of care will address the key causes of disease, which are generally lifestyle triggered, as well as the endpoint.
The practitioner-patient relationship is also unique in that the patient is encouraged to look inwards and share from the depths of their heart, which is often where much of the pain resides.
Through the functional medicine framework, the patient is invited to target their symptoms and situation from several different perspectives, with the intention of healing the roots of disease.
Clinic Services
The Centre for Advanced Medicine is an integrative medical clinic that uses the functional medical model to treat chronic and complicated health problems, as well as help healthy patients optimize performance and quality of life. CAM’s functional medical approach uses cutting-edge diagnostic tests, evidence-based nutritional interventions, and innovative treatments.
As a practitioner, I’m able to refer my patients to related supplemental services and therapies, such as intravenous therapy, lifestyle genomics, psychotherapy, and mental health support services, and both in-house and third-party diagnostic tests to help investigate the root causes of chronic conditions. I can also recommend nutritional protocols for my patients, as I currently do in my private practice, in this case working with the best in class nutraceutical companies across North America.
Intravenous Therapy:
CAM uses advanced IV nutrient therapy which delivers higher doses of and more bio-available nutrients to the body in order to speed up healing and recovery. IV therapy can be recommended for those living with existing chronic conditions, and can also be used to support longevity, energy, and recovery after a period of stress (related to travel, work, life).
Intravenous therapy delivers amino acids, micronutrients, plant extracts, and other useful biological agents directly into the bloodstream. This is proposed to be a more effective method of delivering nutrients to the body compared to oral forms of nutritional supplementation.
Personally, I’m an IV therapy enthusiast and use it to help me recover after traveling or periods of extreme stress, or as part of my quarterly biological tune-up.
Lifestyle Genomics:
Lifestyle genomics uses DNA testing to analyze one’s potential genetic limitations and susceptibilities. The practitioner will review and analyze one’s DNA data and make personalized recommendations on nutrition, exercise, and other self-care practices based on the patient’s unique genetic makeup.
Specialty Testing:
A simple blood test might not be that accurate when looking at the potential root cause indicators of chronic diseases, such as evidence of toxicity (heavy metals, mold, solvents, etc), nutritional inefficiencies or deficiencies, or evidence of other foreign invaders, such as parasites, viruses, and bacteria. These types of tests generally are not available through conventional medicine, which is not designed to address the root causes of chronic disease.
CAM stresses the use of the highest quality validated tests that measure one’s serum, urinary and salivary samples for more detailed information on one’s health status. Samples are collected and sent via CAM to reputable labs across North America who work with these speciality diagnostic testing companies.
CAM is also equipped to perform several in-house testing procedures, such as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or BIA (cellular health and metabolic rate), Heart Rate Variability or HRV (stress), Urine Indican (gut health), Zinc Tally (zinc status), Koenigsberg test (adrenal stress), and many more.
How to Get in Touch with CAM
If you’re based in Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area and you’re feeling underserved and exhausted by the one-size-fits-all conventional medical approach, do reach out. Now that services are mostly online, CAM can work with folks outside of the GTA, so if you’re Ontario based, don’t hesitate to give them a call.
Feel free to email me directly at [email protected] with your inquiries or contact the wonderful humans at CAM with your questions. Call them at +1-905-655-7100 or email them at [email protected]