Hi there! My name is Dr. Kate McLaird, and I am a licensed Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Toronto, Ontario. I have been given the honor of being your guide in navigating your health care from a naturopathic medical perspective within the Navigate publication. We will be exploring evidence-based natural therapies which you may not have realized were available to you. I thought I would start with answering a few of the most frequently asked questions I come across and encourage you to reach out to Navigate Magazine with any others you have.
What is Naturopathic medicine?
Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that has been practiced in North America for over 125 years. It is a form of primary health care that utilizes research supported natural therapeutic methods and substances that support the body’s natural ability to heal.
Naturopathic doctors have completed eight years of post secondary education with four years focused in Naturopathic medicine–so you are in very capable hands! Naturopathic medicine is a regulated profession under the Regulated Health Professionals Act (RHPA). This is the same governing body which regulates physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other allied health professionals. More specifically, the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (CONO) regulates the naturopathic doctors practicing in Ontario.
What should I expect when receiving naturopathic care?
Naturopathic Doctors have the luxury of time, with a first visit typically being an hour in length. This allows the practitioner to integrate several symptoms or conditions you may be experiencing to identify underlying causes and explain why you may be feeling the way you are. We see this as a privilege within the Ontario health care system since appointments with your family doctor are often time restricted.
I like to think of ourselves as the detectives for your health, always trying to get to the bottom of things instead of sweeping symptoms under a rug–eventually there won’t be any more space under that rug!
What do Naturopathic Doctors treat?
Naturopathic Doctors are primary health care practitioners. They are trained to treat virtually all health concerns from acute to chronic, pediatric to geriatric, and physical to psychological. Naturopathic Doctors work with three main groups of people:
- Patients who are looking for disease prevention and health promotion.
- Patients with a range of health concerns and no clear diagnosis.
- Patients with chronic and severe illnesses.
What are Naturopathic medical therapies?
Our treatments unfortunately do no come in a convenient compact form of a single pill. Because the tools in our toolbox are natural forms of medicine, it is common that we recommend a combination of therapeutic approaches individualized to your case. The goal is to treat the root causes of disease and address preventable risk factors to attain long term sustainable health.
- Clinical nutrition–You do not necessarily need to eat a ton of kale everyday!
- Botanical and Nutritional supplements–Not all are created equal! Working with an ND ensures you are taking quality products, at the correct dose for therapeutic benefit–or else it truly is just expensive urine.
- Acupuncture–ten to twenty acupuncture needles can fit into the syringe used to deliver a vaccine–you can barely feel the prick they are so tiny!
- Homeopathy–Commonly integrated within the medical field in Europe and safely administered alongside pharmaceuticals.
- IV therapy and B12 injections–Bypassing the gastrointestinal system is necessary to deliver certain vital nutrients at high concentrations and can really help people feel better, faster.
- Bioidentical hormones–Very effective and safe method to “stay cool” through menopause and decrease cardiovascular and osteoporosis risk in menopausal women.
- Counseling and Lifestyle medicine–I wish I could put exercise/movement, sleep, and stress management into a pill form!
Do you run testing to assess and monitor treatment?
We will recommend both standard blood work (like your family doctor) as well as specialized testing such as urinary or salivary hormone panels, SIBO breath testing, stool analyses, and food sensitivity panels, depending on what would be most helpful to fast-track and monitor treatment progress for each case.
Do I have to stop taking my medication or stop
seeing my medical doctor?
Unquestionably not! In fact our medicines complement each other! We are the only health care practitioners who are trained to safely and effectively combine prescription medication with natural health products and can help address and minimize possible side effects of medication, help decrease the dose of a medication, and correct nutrient depletions which can occur.
We encourage all patients to have and maintain a relationship with their own family doctor and/or specialists and value an integrative and collaborative care model in order to provide the best possible care. We are trained to recognize, respond, and refer in medical emergencies and to reach out to your medical team for therapies and diagnostic testing that fall outside our scope of practice.
How can I find my nearest Naturopathic Doctor in Ontario?
The Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors is the best place to start. At the top of the webpage, there is a dropdown menu labeled “Find an ND?” You can narrow your search to a city and postal code, and further with a medical area of focus, language preference and if you need a practitioner who offers home visits. www.OAND.org
If you are searching for a Naturopathic Doctor elsewhere in Canada, the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) is a great resource. www.CAND.ca
Dr. Kate McLaird is a registered Naturopathic Doctor who is eager to help you better understand how natural forms of medicine can help you reclaim your health and enjoy a symptom-free life. After completing an honours degree in Life Sciences at Queen’s University, her studies continued at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, where she achieved her 4-year post graduate doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND) and completed a 12-month clinical internship at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (RSNC) with focused training in pediatrics. In addition, she completed an internship at the Brampton Civic Naturopathic Clinic, the first Naturopathic Clinic within a hospital setting in Canada, and is well versed in herb-drug interactions and emphasizes the safety and importance of collaborative medical care.
She has since dedicated her practice to naturopathic family medicine, and holds areas of clinical interest in gastrointestinal conditions and hormonal health, as well as continues to foster her paediatric focus in ADHD and the Autism spectrum. She holds additional certifications in nutritional IV therapy, bio-identical hormone prescribing, as well as facial rejuvenation acupuncture. Dr. McLaird is known for her compassionate nature and persistent drive to help you feel your best and stay your best!
