NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. The naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the healing power of the body and treat the underlying cause of disease.
Symptoms of disease are seen as warning signals of improper functioning of the body, and unfavourable lifestyle habits. The goal is to uncover the cause of your symptoms rather than suppressing and palliating them. Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes disease as a process rather than as an entity. At any point in a disease process you can positively impact your health by making key changes in your habits and utilizing the right support.
Naturopathic Doctors guide you in the process of uncovering where changes need to be made and how to do so using a variety of tools including diet and lifestyle changes, botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, nutraceuticals, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
How and when these tools are used is discussed in detail with Dr. Bristow during your visit. You will leave your initial visit with a clear understanding of where your symptoms or conditions stem from and a concise plan for investigating the possible root causes. Dr. Bristow will provide specific laboratory tests and suggest dietary, lifestyle and supplemental recommendations to improve your health while necessary testing is collected. At your subsequent visit Dr. Bristow will lay out a detailed plan to get you back on track through a comprehensive holistic approach which is dictated by your chief concerns and lab test results. Dr. Bristow always aims to meet her patients where they are at.
Your plan has to be realistic, achievable and incremental in order to be successful. You are a key player in finessing your treatment plan at every visit.
About Dr. Bristow’s qualifications
In Canada, the naturopathic medical profession includes two accredited naturopathic medical programs, standardized North American Board Exams (NPLEX) and jurisdictional exams, national standards of practice and regulation in five provinces, including Alberta. Dr. Bristow has more than eight years full-time education along with 4100 hours of clinical practice and theory combined to become a safe and fully qualified Naturopathic Doctor.
In addition, Dr. Bristow supplements her knowledge with continuing education courses each year in order to stay equipped with the latest tools to best support her patients. Dr. Bristow is a member of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) and the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta (CNDA).
Prospective patients are welcome to book a complementary 15minute meet and greet session to learn more about Naturopathic Medicine as it relates to your health concerns and ensure that you feel comfortable and aligned with Dr. Bristow. For more information on Dr. Bristow please see her bio page here.