natural health products
Q: Will I have to take a lot of supplements?
A: It all depends. Often, natural health products (vitamins, minerals, nutrient extracts, herbs) are part of your customized naturopathic medical treatment plan. While diet is emphasized and all efforts are made to get your nutrients through diet, often it is not possible to get everything through diet at optimal levels, especially if you are coming from a place of significant imbalance.
Typically, patients take more supplements in the beginning, when larger efforts are needed to make significant shifts in overall nutrient and health status, and as things come back into balance, many patients maintain on zero to a few key supplements. It is truly different for everyone, though, and we are completely open to working with you at any level. If you feel you can only handle a certain number of treatments, please note this in your intake form. If you don't want to take natural health products, also please make this clear to us. While it is our duty to recommend what we feel you require most, it is ultimately up to you to decide what you are willing to do, and we can come to a consensus regarding what is best for you and your unique circumstances at this time.
Q: If you recommend that I take natural health products, do I have to purchase them from you?
A: No, you can purchase natural health products from wherever you'd like! While we do have an in-office dispensary of herbal teas for our patients' convenience as well as an online store, you are under no obligation to purchase from us. Some clients choose to purchase their products from health food stores in the community or online. We are fully behind whichever method works best for you, with one condition: Please don't change the brand, product, or dosage recommended. These products were chosen for a reason and are important to the success of your treatment. Changing them can drastically decrease the effectiveness of your treatment. As long as you stick to the recommendations, please obtain your products in whichever way is easiest for you!
Q: Why don't you generally recommend multivitamins?
A: We are not against multivitamins - there is a time and place for them, and we do use them occasionally. However, multivitamins are so generic. When you see a Naturopathic Doctor, you can do so much more - you can actually discern which vitamins and minerals you truly need, and in what amounts. You can actually have a completely unique, customized, vitamin and mineral protocol created just for you. How awesome is that? Why would you want to take something generic when you could be getting something so much more optimal? Yes, it would likely mean that you have to take multiple pills instead of just one, but that slight inconvenience is so worth the trade off.
If your ND is simply recommending a multivitamin, be sure to have a conversation about why it was recommended, as you should typically be getting much more customized treatment than that from someone so skilled in clinical nutrition.
Lastly, some multivitamins have nutrients that some people shouldn't be taking, which could be doing more harm than good. By taking single nutrients, you are eliminating those that you shouldn't have, thus eliminating any harmful components.
A: It all depends. Often, natural health products (vitamins, minerals, nutrient extracts, herbs) are part of your customized naturopathic medical treatment plan. While diet is emphasized and all efforts are made to get your nutrients through diet, often it is not possible to get everything through diet at optimal levels, especially if you are coming from a place of significant imbalance.
Typically, patients take more supplements in the beginning, when larger efforts are needed to make significant shifts in overall nutrient and health status, and as things come back into balance, many patients maintain on zero to a few key supplements. It is truly different for everyone, though, and we are completely open to working with you at any level. If you feel you can only handle a certain number of treatments, please note this in your intake form. If you don't want to take natural health products, also please make this clear to us. While it is our duty to recommend what we feel you require most, it is ultimately up to you to decide what you are willing to do, and we can come to a consensus regarding what is best for you and your unique circumstances at this time.
Q: If you recommend that I take natural health products, do I have to purchase them from you?
A: No, you can purchase natural health products from wherever you'd like! While we do have an in-office dispensary of herbal teas for our patients' convenience as well as an online store, you are under no obligation to purchase from us. Some clients choose to purchase their products from health food stores in the community or online. We are fully behind whichever method works best for you, with one condition: Please don't change the brand, product, or dosage recommended. These products were chosen for a reason and are important to the success of your treatment. Changing them can drastically decrease the effectiveness of your treatment. As long as you stick to the recommendations, please obtain your products in whichever way is easiest for you!
Q: Why don't you generally recommend multivitamins?
A: We are not against multivitamins - there is a time and place for them, and we do use them occasionally. However, multivitamins are so generic. When you see a Naturopathic Doctor, you can do so much more - you can actually discern which vitamins and minerals you truly need, and in what amounts. You can actually have a completely unique, customized, vitamin and mineral protocol created just for you. How awesome is that? Why would you want to take something generic when you could be getting something so much more optimal? Yes, it would likely mean that you have to take multiple pills instead of just one, but that slight inconvenience is so worth the trade off.
If your ND is simply recommending a multivitamin, be sure to have a conversation about why it was recommended, as you should typically be getting much more customized treatment than that from someone so skilled in clinical nutrition.
Lastly, some multivitamins have nutrients that some people shouldn't be taking, which could be doing more harm than good. By taking single nutrients, you are eliminating those that you shouldn't have, thus eliminating any harmful components.
