One of the key tenants of naturopathic medicine is education. In fact, one of the guiding principles of Naturopathic Medicine is Doctor as Teacher . This principle highlights the empowering nature of naturopathic medicine. A naturopathic doctor simply provides the tools, education, and resources for each patient to work on their own healing.

May 22 was the International Day for Biological Diversity. Plants in nature always serve a purpose, and when plants pop up in the garden that were not intentionally planted by the gardener, some people can see it as a nuisance.

Acupuncture is a traditional therapy that has been used for thousands of years for the treatment of various ailments such as pain, fertility concerns, low energy, mood swings, and even colds and flu. It involves the insertion of very fine needles at specific points on the body to promote healing through the stimulation and circulation of “Qi.”

The kidneys are one of the body’s most important filtration systems and are sometimes overlooked until there is an issue. In traditional Chinese medicine, the kidneys are often referred to as the “root of life,” and they play an important role in overall vitality, especially as we age.

As the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to shut down the world, grocery stores, or at least what was left on the shelves at grocery stores, became an indicator of where people were at in their experience of the stressful event.

Growing up with both parents in the teaching profession, over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to hearing commentary on “kids these days.” Lately, the conversation seems to centre around “anxious kids” or childhood anxiety. Not only do my parents see this in schools, but I hear about it all the time in my naturopathic practice from parents and even children themselves. The stats also seem to be in agreement.

Botanical medicine, or the study and use of plants as medicine, is one of my favourite healing modalities as a naturopathic doctor. I especially love using plants that are widely available and that people are familiar with. I find that knowing and feeling connected with and excited about any medicine I am taking seems to make it that much more effective.

In light of its legalization in Canada, cannabis has been receiving a lot more attention lately, especially when it comes to its medicinal use and ability to help with pain management. While cannabis does seem to show promise in the area of pain management, what’s even more noteworthy is that all this hype can help increase awareness into the power of plants in general and the important role they can play in healing. Many plants have been used for centuries for concerns like pain management and now even have the research to back them up.

It is one of the first flowers to pop up in the spring. It can, quite quickly, become the bright, cheerful yellow that takes over a neatly manicured lawn. It is abundantly available and is usually easily recognized. Once it has planted itself, it can be very hard to remove.