at nàdarra, each patient is treated as unique and therefore no assumptions are made. After we meet you, we will conduct an interview to derive a snapshot of your overall health. Depending on your concerns and information provided, your ND may want to conduct some assessments such as physical examinations and/or laboratory testing to gain a scientific understanding of your condition. A follow-up appointment will be scheduled and you may receive some recommendations for supplements or dietary protocols depending on your symptoms, if any.

nàdarra is scottish gaelic for the word “natural”. It is an ode to the scottish & Irish heritage of our founder (Dr. Christilynn Aycho, ND), and a reminder of the cultural influence the medical community there has had on her pivot to natural-yet-scientific, and integrative medicine mindset.

naturopathy is the practice of naturopathic medicine under a regulated board. The governing board in Ontario is the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (CONO); they are responsible for ensuring that each doctor is properly educated, licensed, and trained in all medical sciences and treatments.

Naturopathy is effectively one study of various alternative medicines, with a focus on understanding fundamental sciences like physiology, anatomy, the nervous system and endocrinology. The focus for a good ND is to understand WHY a patient may be experiencing their problem (chronic or acute) and address that rather than just addressing the symptom.

Example: an individual may take a particular medication for an extended period of time for an issue such as pain. They may feel like it has been a resolution for their chronic pain, but depending on their underlying physiology, that medication could be causing a more severe problem over time, all the while never actually solving the issue causing the pain. If the problem is identifiable and treatable, the ideal course of action is to treat it with little or no impact to the rest of the body’s systems. Therefore, we like to take a full and extensive patient history to try and better understand what the root cause(s) of the pain might be in order to formulate a treatment protocol that takes into account the whole person. We want to understand where the symptoms are coming from opposed to treating just the symptom itself, while keeping the body’s overall health in mind.

an ND is a doctor of naturopathy licensed to conduct examinations, diagnoses and medical treatments for the purpose of relieving and healing acute and chronic symptoms and disease in the body.

Naturopathic doctors receive extensive training and a formal specialized medical education that is a minimum of three years in addition to a fundamental bachelor of science education (or the prerequisite science education courses to enter a doctor of naturopathy degree program).

an ND can perform a large array of services that can be similar to the scope of care a general practioner can provide. They can conduct physical tests, draw blood, and even prescribe medications as outlined by the Controlled Acts outlined in the Naturopathy Act.

Treatments often include botanical medicine, manual therapy like massage and chiropractic, acupuncture, certain medicinal prescriptions & dosing, physical therapy, and more.

Forms of care practiced at nàdarra can be found on our modalities page.

A comprehensive list of Controlled Acts is available at: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/07n10

in Ontario, all forms of alternative medicine are excluded from OHIP coverage. Therefore, when you see some conventional healthcare providers, you are not being charged for your visit and treatment because it is covered under OHIP.

Some medical insurance companies provide naturopathic coverage; we utilize direct billing to be sure you don’t miss out on any coverage under your benefits plan, if applicable.

no, Ontario regulated naturopaths are only allowed to provide care to patients who are located in Ontario during the time of their appointment.

at nàdarra, we keep some of our most commonly prescribed supplements in office for your convenience. We also use fullscript for any supplements that we don’t have. Fullscript allows us to create a prescription, email it you with the supplements all ready to be ordered through their online store. You can also find some supplements at local health food stores and other online health stores.