Date Published |April 20, 2007
Complementary health-care toolkit includes diet,
nutrition, herbs, acupuncture and homeopathy

Growing up in a family that has produced more than its share of physicians in Northern Ontario, Kelly Wallace always knew she wanted a career in the health-care field. Unlike her uncles and cousins, however, Wallace opted for a career as a naturopath.

“I wanted to do something a little different and the more I explored it, the more it seemed to fit with me and my lifestyle,” she explained.

Wallace earned an undergraduate degree in Human Biology from the University of Guelph, spent four years at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and returned to North Bay immediately after graduating in 2004 to hang up her shingle.

She went through school not knowing where she would end up, but family and the Northern lifestyle were powerful draws. A cross-country skier and triathlete, Wallace appreciates being able to walk out her door and be on the trails in five minutes.
She spent a few years working as an associate at an established naturopathic clinic, but started her own practice in association with a Reiki master and massage therapist in January.

Were she a medical doctor, she would have a full patient load within a week. As a naturopath, it will take her a little longer to build up a practice, but with the mainstream system unable to cope with demand and more and more people looking for a more natural approach to health care, business is bound to pick up.

Naturopaths, said Wallace, have a “very solid foundation in nutrition” and the beneficial properties of vitamins, minerals and supplements. “We also have very extensive training in pharmacology, so if someone comes in to see us and they’re on five or six prescription medications, we’re able to weed through that and find something that’s going to be safe for them.

Interactions
“The common perception is that if something is natural, it’s always going to be safe, but that unfortunately isn’t always the case. Medical doctors receive good training in the pharmaceuticals, but they don’t get much training in natural products and what the interactions are going to be.”

Pharmaceuticals aren’t the only option.

“Not everyone wants to be on a cholesterol medication for the rest of their lives,” said Wallace. “(Pharmaceuticals) can have some pretty wicked side-effects, so that’s something we can find alternatives to. Sometimes, someone needs to be on a certain medication and there’s no way around it, but they may want to address another problem by a more natural means, so we’re able to find things that aren’t going to interfere with it.”

Wallace sees a lot of patients suffering from depression and anxiety, and a lot of people with high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar issues combined with obesity.
An initial consultation with a patient usually takes an hour and a half.

“We sit down and do a complete health history, go over the patient’s current complaint, as well as past health issues. We talk to them about their family history, what their diet is like, their exercise routine, the stresses in their life, what medications they’re on and their allergies. I also do a complete physical exam, listen to their heart and lungs, take their blood pressure, ask for a urine sample and arrange for blood tests.

“It’s what you would expect from a medical doctor, just a bit longer and a little more in-depth.”

Treatment plan
Wallace then goes through everything, does some research and puts together a treatment plan which she presents to the patient during a second consultation. The treatments she recommends may include diet and nutrition, herbal remedies, acupuncture and homeopathy.

Acupuncture, she said, “can be very effective for anxiety and depression, pain relief and certain female hormonal conditions.”

OHIP doesn’t cover naturopathy, but many of the group insurance plans do, including those covering the employees of government and academia.

“In some ways, I don’t mind not being covered by OHIP, because that way they’re not telling me what to do. We all hear about how family doctors have five minutes to spend with a patient and how the system dictates how many patients they have to see in a day. This way, I can take as long as I want with patients and run my practice the way I want.”
Wallace works closely with some medical doctors, but others are less open to the contribution naturopathy can make to health care. She regularly refers patients back to their family doctors, clinics or even ER if need be, and sometimes receives referrals from MDs. In other cases, medical doctors come right out and tell their patients that seeing a naturopath is a waste of time.

There is an ongoing need to educate the health-care community and the general public about naturopathy, she said.

“Ideally, we should be working together. If a patient comes to see me, I should be able to work with their MD to provide the best possible care for them. Together, we can do a lot more than if we’re not communicating. It’s important for me to know the prescription medications they’re on and it’s important for the MD to know about anything I put them on, but I’m finding that quite a few of the people I see are afraid to tell their MD that they’re seeing me and that’s not good for patient care.”

North Bay is currently served by four naturopathic doctors. A total of 18 naturopaths practice in Northern Ontario, including four each in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, and three in both Timmins and Thunder Bay. Ontario as a whole has 773 naturopathic doctors.

www.wallacehealth.com

www.oand.org