Got some symptoms and want to know what the problem is? No worries, just use Dr. Google. Yes you can just Google everything yourself and yes you can find some supplements to take. You don’t need to see a naturopathic doctor for any of that. But here’s why it may be worth the investment in your health to see a qualified naturopathic doctor instead of trying to DIY your supplements:
- There is a LOT of misinformation online about what to take, how much, which product is best, and so on. What I do is apply my 20 years of experience to evaluate whether the product is the right one for you. That means knowing whether it contains the right amounts of the active ingredients, is produced by a reputable company, is in the right format (tincture, tablet, capsule, powder, liquid) and whether you are taking the right amount for you. I only recommend products that I have direct experience with and that I know will work.
- You may need testing outside of what your medical doctor offers. I can assess which tests are appropriate for you, access them for you, and then interpret them with an eye toward what is “optimal” or “ideal” for you specifically. Lab ranges for conventional testing are not based on what is optimal. These ranges are only averages of all of the healthy or unhealthy individuals that the lab has tested. You don’t want to aim for average when it comes to your health.
- I can distinguish excellence from ineffective when it comes to supplements. You may have already tried supplements based on recommendations from Dr. Google and found that they didn’t work. That doesn’t mean that all supplements don’t work. It just means that it may not have been the right dose, the right product, or the right quality. These may not seem that crucial but it really does make a difference for your health to have the right thing.
- I can implement the right plan for you and then reassess after the appropriate amount of time. Maybe you tried the right supplements, but when they didn’t work in a month, you gave up. The problem is that what you were trying to fix takes 3 months to see a difference. I can give you realistic expectations so that you know how long to commit yourself to the plan before deciding whether it’s effective or not. Sometimes reassessment involves repeating blood tests. Sometimes it’s just re-evaluating your symptoms to see what’s improved and what hasn’t and then tweaking your plan to tackle the remaining symptoms.
- Sometimes supplements alone aren’t enough. Sometimes we need to take a multi-disciplinary approach together with supplements. We need to address diet, exercise, stress, hormones, organ systems, biochemistry, genetics, and physiology to see improvement. While all that sounds complicated, I put together a reasonable, step-by-step program to get you where you want to be with your health.
by Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor
Dr. Pamela has practiced as a naturopathic doctor in Toronto since 1999. She has received numerous “Best Naturopath in Toronto” awards. She is registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario.
Dr. Pamela Frank uses a natural treatment approach that may include acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, diet, vitamins, supplements, and other natural remedies to restore balance and provide long-term resolution to almost any health problem.