What Does an Appointment Look Like?
If you have never visited the office of a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), or had a friend/family member who has described in detail what their appointment was like, it can be difficult to wrap your head around what exactly we do.
To complicate matters, not every ND works the exact same. We have a course we generally follow but it can vary from office to office. So I suppose the easiest thing to do is explain what happens in my office when you come in for an appointment and you can decide for yourself if that is something you would like to try.
Firstly, you will likely find me in jeans, a blouse and socks. barring that, maybe dress pants and a t-shirt but rarely shoes. I seem to struggle to dress business causal head to toe - I reserve it for one section of my person or another. (I will explain sometime my views on personal dress in the workplace , but this is not that blog article)
Secondly, you can expect to sit down in a chair opposite me at a desk. I have not swayed from this traditional set up, but am open to suggestions.
After that we chat. I let you quite literally take it away so you can provide to me your current and past medical history; your goals for the future; your fears; your allergies; your medications and supplements; you diet and how your poop looks; you recent blood work history; and anything you feel is relevant about what brought you to the office (even if your reply is - my partner sent me)!
People often say “I’m sorry that is so much to put on you”. I then will explain that it is my job to listen to it all and do the job of sifting through the information. And if you have been in my office you know that I say everyone has baggage. rarely does someone step foot in my office with one-hand-bag-solitary-health-issue. More often than not, it is a suitcase-sized-water-logged-and-wheels-falling-off-multitude-of-health-issues. Again, it is my job to sift through the information to help you.
So that is what happens, we sift through the information and figure out the most likely path for you to start on. That path generally includes suggestions on diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, mindfulness, nutrition, supplements, and herbs. Now I don’t do it all at once. This is overwhelming. We work step wise to get to a goal. (remember the tortoise and the hare?)
I also make sure you understand the path by providing education and insight into your health. I want you to learn when you are here. I want you to know why you are doing something in the plan. I want you to be a part of the plan making so that you are more likely to follow through with it. The more you understand, the more you can visualize the steps you need to take.
The key there is that we do not do everything at once. Which means, that appointment we just finished, it will not be the last. One and done is good for the solitary issues, but it is hard pressed to address more complicated ones. Now don’t get me wrong, once you are feeling better and you have all your health goals pinned down and you know what you need to do, I don’t want to see you. I don’t need to see you, if you don’t need to see me. BUT until then, seeing each other for check-ins every 2-4 weeks is a likely possibility.
A few important points to add about how I do things:
I work from addition more often than subtraction
I will not yank medications out from under you (they were probably prescribed for a reason)
I work with other health care providers because I am only a small part of your health care team
I will tell you if I don’t know an answer - I would rather consult the research than blindly give you something
I do consult the research to understand available guidelines on treatment
SO there you have it. An overview of what to expect in an appointment. If this sounds like something you have been looking for, then you can follow the links on this site to book. If this sounds like you need more info, then you can follow the links on this site to book a consultation. If this sounds Ludacris to you, then you can follow the links on this site to book a consultation and I would love to hear more - OR maybe another ND is better suited to you.
I hope this explains the process to you and I hope you stick around for other blog posts that explain other aspects of what I do!
TL;DR - I wear jeans in office. We chat about EVERYTHING in your like and health. We make a step by step plan. I see you for follow up’s to monitor the plan and change it if needed. Then I say goodbye as you spread your wings and fly away in better health.