My Story
I’m an Orthomolecular Nutritionist and published health writer with a clinic and apothecary (HOPE Health) in Bradford, ON, where I provide science-based, holistic healthcare for body and mind. My training includes holistic nutrition, orthomolecular medicine, functional medicine, herbal medicine, and classical homeopathy - which I am studying at the Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine at present. Because of family experiences, I have a special interest in holistic therapies for mental and behavioural health, and many of my clients seek me out for this reason. I am passionate about a child’s right to try safe, holistic dietary and behaviour interventions before pharmacology is applied for difficult behaviour, and about the need for a national overhaul of our current mental healthcare model, where the most vulnerable in our society are forcibly drugged and released without adequate community or familial supports or even safe housing. They are left, not in their right mind, to fend for themselves in shelters and on the streets, then demonized in the media when they lash out in desperation. Surely we can do better! To this end I have spent years researching the holistic therapies families can use to help such individuals overcome the trauma they have experienced and address the underlying bodily dysfunction that so alters their perceptions.
I see clients in person and by video chat and can take emergency calls online for more urgent issues where holistic therapies can augment the benefit of medical interventions by addressing the underlying cause or tendency, or by helping to soothe or boost the body’s healing of the affected organs or system. These include emergencies like migraines, the pain of an ear infection until antibiotic kicks in, screaming babies, performance anxiety, fright and grief, colds/ flus, recovery after surgery, difficult labour, and holistic aid for injuries or physical or emotional trauma. My philosophy is that holistic healthcare is best used in combination with appropriate medical interventions, for truly integrative care that not only addresses the symptoms of illness, but also the underlying causes. Health isn’t just the absence of illness, but the resiliency of the body and mind to withstand the traumas of life and “bounce back,” without losing function or peace. I offer personal consultations and direction, as well as educational workshops, cooking classes in the community, and weekend reboots for caregivers. I also provide an easy access online menu planning tool, complete with recipes, to help clients with every step of dietary changes. My approach is to address health issues from the roots, drawing from the various disciplines I practice, alongside any medical interventions the client needs, to improve resiliency and create truly integrative, holistic healthcare.