Before you decide what’s right for your health, you deserve to understand what all your options actually are. That’s why education is always part of how I work. When you understand your options, you make more empowered decisions.

In a society absolutely riddled in mis-education, I felt that having a space for you to understand this side of healthcare can be invaluable in your decision making and how you may choose to incorporate some of these practices into your life.

When you hear holistic healthcare, what comes to mind? In my experience, this is what I’ve learned from people: A lot of people know it as unconventional methods to health and wellness. “Natural health”.

Others… quackery.

Untested, unregulated hocus pocus. And you know what? I can understand both perspectives, and that is why I have this section dedicated in my space to explain why.

It’s important to understand, that these views are my own, based on lived experience both personally and in practice, and even so- I recognize that all modalities of healthcare can be valuable and purposeful to each unique person. My advice is to do your research before working with any practitioner.

To understand what Natural healthcare is, we first need to be clear about what it is not.

And that is conventional medicine. THIS is where it becomes confusing for patients, infuriating for conventional practitioners who have done decades of training and education, and paints a poor picture of holistic practitioners. There is no comparison.

What is Conventional Medicine? A system in which medical doctors and other health care professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists,) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery. Also called allopathic medicine, biomedicine, mainstream medicine, orthodox medicine, and Western medicine. -source

It needs to be understood that it is a system of healthcare that focuses on diagnosing and treating symptoms and diseases primarily through pharmaceuticals, surgery, and other medically approved interventions. Rooted in pathology and evidence-based science, this model is practiced by medical doctors, specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals, and is a regulated and licensed practice in Canada. While it excels in acute care, emergency medicine, and disease management, it often operates separately from preventative, lifestyle-based, or traditional healing systems, creating a gap many patients feel when navigating chronic symptoms, overall wellness, or the mind-body connection.

Now that we know what is isn’t, let’s talk about what it is:

Health modalities like nutrition, naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, integrative medicine, functional medicine, and First Nations healing can all be categorized within four main approaches to care: natural health, which uses remedies found in nature like herbs and whole foods; holistic health, which looks at the whole person including mind, body, and spirit; integrative health, which blends conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary therapies; and functional health, which focuses on identifying and treating the root cause of illness through personalized, lab-informed care.

Some systems, like Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and First Nations healing are considered traditional holistic systems, grounded in culture and ancestral knowledge that support the body through nature, energy, and spiritual practices.

What is Holistic health? It is about caring for the whole person, providing for your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs. It's rooted in the understanding that all of these aspects affect your overall health, and being unwell in one aspect affects you in others.- Source

What is Holistic Nutrition? The philosophy of holistic nutrition is that one’s health is an expression of the complex interplay between the physical and chemical, mental and emotional, as well as spiritual and environmental aspects of one’s life and being. As such, professionals who are trained in holistic nutrition approach health and well-being from a whole-person perspective. Using nutritional education as a primary tool, holistic nutrition professionals emphasize the building of health by approaching each person as a unique individual. This requires fully engaging the individual in their Journey to a healthier lifestyle and honoring their innate wisdom by working in an empowering and cooperative manner to chart a course to optimal health.- source

Often known as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N.) in Ontario, BC, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, and as a Holistic Nutrition Counsellor in regulated provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Quebec

What is Dietetics? A health profession that studies diet and nutrition. Dietitians offer advice on nutrition and healthy eating habits to help people improve their health and well-being. Dietitians also help people who are recovering from illness or surgery or who have medical conditions, such as food allergies, eating disorders, swallowing problems, diabetes, heart or kidney disease, or cancer, meet their nutritional needs. Dietitians may provide nutritional counseling, meal planning, medical nutrition therapy (such as a special diet, dietary supplements, or intravenous or tube feedings), and nutrition education programs. Also called registered dietitian.- source

I’ve included dietetics only because it often wildly confused with Nutritionists. It’s confusing, because really, holistic nutritionists should not be called nutritionists at all, but more holistic practitioners. It is not just food we incorporate in holistic health, where dietetics is the complex science of nutrition and the correlation between disease and disorder on the human body. The word should be protected across Canada, and Holistic Nutritionist training should become Holistic health practitioner training- but that’s another story.

What is a Nutritionist? In some provinces in Canada, anyone can call themselves a Nutritionist, that is why Dietitians across Canada have protected the term in some provinces, As a Holistic nutritionist myself, I understand their reasoning. Taking a weekend course or a fitness course, should not allow someone to offer nutritional advice. A personal trainer sometimes receives a sufficient amount of training to understand how macro and micronutrients work in the body, and how it relates to fitness. I think a less confusing term for this style of education and understanding should be a Healthy Eating Coach or Food and Fitness Coach.

What is functional nutrition and medicine? It is the advance practice of personalized nutrition assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring, with the goal of promoting optimal health and preventing diet- and lifestyle-related illness using a functional medicine approach.

Functional nutrition and medicine address the underlying causes of disease using a systems-oriented, individualized approach which engages both patient and practitioners in a therapeutic relationship. It includes assessment through personalized lifestyle, health timeline and systems-based approach to organize the patient's story. Functional medicine investigates the root causes of disease and determines the appropriate interventions for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. - source

Integrative medicine IM focuses on you as a whole person and not just your illness or disease. While it seeks to understand the underlying cause of your symptoms or condition, it does so by looking at your complete mind, body and spirit. Integrative medicine uses an evidence-based approach to improve your health and wellness. In Canada, we see this as more conventional medicine paired with psychotherapy and manual therapy integrations. Sometimes acupuncture. Providing a slightly more elevated umbrella patient experience. A patient can see their MD and also be able to receive mental health counselling, for example in the same clinic. It is often confused with functional or holistic healthcare, but it is not. -source

What is Naturopathy? It is a distinct type of primary care medicine that blends age-old healing traditions with scientific advances and current research. It is guided by a unique set of principles that recognize the body's innate healing capacity, emphasize disease prevention, and encourage individual responsibility to obtain optimal health. - source A naturopath receives the same intro level of training as an allopathic doctor, and then they branch out into natural treatment options. Naturopathic doctors receive the same core biomedical training in their first years as MDs, but then diverge into natural, holistic, and preventative care models, with a focus on treating the root cause and supporting the body’s natural ability to heal.

While naturopathic medicine offers valuable, whole-person care, one area I personally approach with caution is the over reliance on food allergy or sensitivity testing. Many of these tests, especially IgG panels are not well-supported by evidence and can lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions, confusion, or fear around food. Not to mention they are incredibly expensive. In my practice, I believe symptoms, patterns, and clinical context are often more reliable than listing dozens of "intolerances." Food is not the enemy and removing half your diet isn’t always healing. It’s about understanding why the body is reacting, not just what it’s reacting to.

What is Ayurveda is a whole-body (holistic) system of medicine that began in India more than 3,000 years ago. Ayurveda means the study of life. It takes a natural approach to all aspects of health and well-being. It is currently practiced in India the same way conventional medicine is practiced in the west. Ayurveda is based on the idea that each person has certain life forces (doshas) and everything in the universe is connected. An imbalance in one area can affect another. When the imbalance is not fixed, disease and illness can occur. Ayurveda mostly uses nutrition, lifestyle changes, and natural treatments. These are used to support balance and a return to health. Ayurveda is very focused on overall health. But it may use specific treatments for some diseases. -source

What is Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)? It is thousands of years old and has changed little over the centuries. Its basic concept is that a vital force of life, called Qi, surges through the body.  Any imbalance to Qi can cause disease and illness. This imbalance is most commonly thought to be caused by an alteration in the opposite and complementary forces that make up the Qi. These are called yin and yang.

Ancient Chinese believed that humans are microcosms of the larger surrounding universe, and are interconnected with nature and subject to its forces. Balance between health and disease is a key concept. TCM treatment seeks to restore this balance through treatment specific to the individual. 

It is believed that to regain balance, you must achieve the balance between the internal body organs and the external elements of earth, fire, water, wood, and metal.- source

What is Indigenous Traditional Healing? It is a holistic practice that aims to treat imbalances in a person’s body, mind, emotions, and spirit together. These imbalances are thought to be the cause of illness and to result from ignoring sacred, natural laws.  Tradition healing practices are distinct and culturally specific to the people who are practicing them. In Canada, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis view health as a balance of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual elements. These four elements can be impacted by the individual, their family, their community and the environment. For example, connection to the land is an important aspect of healing for the Inuit. Being out on the land and away from one’s community can bring calmness to the body and mind by removing outside influences and in turn promote personal well-being. -source

As you read through- it can be confusing as a patient can’t it? There’s conventional medicine, and then a whole, often overwhelming, spectrum of what’s considered natural health. Much of this space is unregulated, which can be both a strength and a drawback.

Holistic healthcare will always face challenges. Mainly because society tries to approach it the same way as Western medicine, when it fundamentally (and legally) isn’t the same. Holistic care isn’t about treatment; it’s about prevention, and identifying where the body’s systems have fallen out of sync.

There’s a delicate balance between the two, and knowing when each is needed has never been more important. Western medicine saves lives, it’s essential, deeply valuable, and built on decades of research and training in human pathology. But it isn’t the be-all and end-all. The practices above have been used by humans for thousands of years and that alone speaks volumes to their validity.

The real challenge is this: who decides what type of care is needed and when? Right now, that responsibility falls entirely on you. We’re taught that when we’re sick, we go to the doctor- a medical doctor. And in Canada, that path is covered by our universal, tax-funded healthcare system. But imagine if we had a model where emergency and conventional medicine were used for exactly what they’re designed for and where alternative healthcare had its rightful place in supporting the body when Western medicine isn’t necessary.

This kind of mindset should be taught in schools just like the outdated four food groups were drilled into us in grade school. It should be reflected in public health messaging, in government campaigns, in the way wellness is marketed. But it’s not. What we’re shown, over and over, is only Western medicine. Real change can only come from the top. Until then, practitioners like me are doing everything we can within our legal and ethical boundaries, to fill the growing gap in our healthcare system. If this work reaches you, and it helps improve your quality of life in any meaningful way, then we’ve done our job.

My Approach

So what do I offer? With a background in advanced holistic nutrition, I draw from all of the healthcare modalities listed above because they each hold value. Every client I work with is biochemically unique, which means what works for one person might not work for the next. Recognizing that isn’t optional—it’s essential. And I believe this is something that should be deeply understood by practitioners in every field.

I am however more aligned with functional nutrition and healthcare, therefore one of the first tools I rely on is diagnostics.

In Canada, we’re fortunate to have access to universal healthcare, which means my approach often involves working with my client’s medical team to advocate for relevant lab work- at no cost to the client. While diagnostics are always at the discretion of a licensed medical doctor and nurse practitioner (the only professional legally able to order them), the results give me valuable insight into how internal systems may be out of sync with the symptoms a client is experiencing. Sometimes lab work isn’t necessary, but I always encourage clients to bring recent test results or request them from their physician. From there, I use that insight to guide personalized recommendations involving clinical-grade supplements, herbs, nutrition, movement, and lifestyle changes all tailored to that individual’s unique needs.

I truly enjoy the work I do and the role I play in my clients’ health. It’s a supportive, collaborative relationship, and my client’s well-being will always come first. If you’re ready for a more personalized, whole-person approach to your health, I’d love to work with you.