Vanessa Lee, BSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor in Yorkville Toronto (Bay & Bloor)
| 1235 Bay Street, Suite 432 (Yorkville: Bay & Bloor) Toronto, ON, M5R 3K4 (416) 969.7218 |
Vanessa completed a 4-year program in Cell & Molecular Biology at SFU (Burnaby, BC) to earn a Bachelors of Science. Afterwards, she attended CCNM (Toronto, ON) for 4-years to complete their intensive, full-time, post-graduate diploma program. As a registered Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine in Ontario, she is currently a member of the OAND and the CAND. (Click for more about naturopathic qualifications.)
Currently, Vanessa practices in downtown (Yorkville) Toronto . Every patient is treated as a unique individual with unique circumstances to consider in analyzing their case. As a doctor of naturopathic medicine, Vanessa really believes in treating the root cause of diseases instead of focusing on just the presenting symptoms. Patient education and a holistic approach are very important in working with the healing process.
Outside of her formal training at CCNM, Vanessa continually participates in seminars and programs to further her education. She has completed Levels I and II in Reiki (energy healing), Module A in Matrix Repatterning, and continues to attend seminars in Complex Homeopathy, Nutrition, Personal Development, and other topics.
On a more personal note, Vanessa comes from a family background of Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners. Her interests in holistic healing stem from a life-long desire to help others and explore the potential healing powers of the natural world.
Below are some of the modalities that are incorporated into Vanessa's naturopathic practice. For more information, visit www.NaturopathicHealth.info
What is Naturopathic Medicine?Acupuncture & Asian Medicine
Botanical Medicine
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
Lifestyle Counselling
Naturopathic Bodywork
Nutrition
Reiki
Stress Management
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic Medicine is the art and science of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease using natural therapies. Key to our philosophy is the focus on treating each patient as a unique individual, rather than treating just the disease.
Principles Of Naturopathic Medicine
1. First do no harm - effective health care with the least risk for all patients.
2. Promote the healing power of nature - respect and promote self-healing.
3. Treat the cause of illness - identify and remove causes, avoid suppression of symptoms.
4. Doctor as teacher - educate patients, inspire rational hope, encourage self-responsibility.
5. Treat the whole person - people are unique with their own factors affecting their health.
6. Health promotion is the best prevention - well-being includes health individually, in the community and globally.
Below are some of the modalities that are used by Vanessa in her naturopathic practice to implement these philosophies.
Asian Medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM) is a medical system that has diagnosed, treated, and prevented illness for over two thousand years. It can be very effective at treating diseases, and Chinese medicine can enhance your recuperative power, immunity, and the capacity for work and creativity. Treatments include the use of acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, scraping, and different herbal formulations to support the body's systems and correct the dynamics between all the organs. It is usually the stagnation/accumulation of Qi (life energy) and blood in different areas of the body that causes pain. Acupuncture itself is the insertion of very fine, sterile, steel acupuncture needles into specific points to move Qi and blood. Insertion of the needles goes unnoticed by some, and to others feels like a small pinch followed by a sensation of tingling, numbness, ache, warmth or heaviness. In her practice, Vanessa only uses disposable needles, which are discarded after one use.
Botanical medicine is the use of herbal preparations to treat different diseases and assist in strengthening the body against disease and illness. Plants can be used individually, or in combination, depending on the needs of each individual. The herbs are harvested and processed by different companies, and are usually prescribed as a tablet, capsule or tincture form. Tinctures are liquid preparations of herbs or herbal constituents, and are usually alcohol based. Dried or fresh herbs can also be prepared as teas or infusions by patients at home, depending on individual preference and convenience.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine developed in the eighteenth century that works with the body to help stimulate the body to heal itself. In medicine, there are two basic ways for treating ill health: 1) the way of opposites; and 2) the way of similars. Consider a patient with a cough: The way of opposites is to use anti-cough drugs that suppress the cough, while the way of similars (homeopathy) will help the body recover from the cough. In homeopathy, your uniqueness is very important - how you uniquely express something like a cough is important to your treatment, as are the other symptoms associated with your cough. All of the symptoms you experience are important to selecting the correct homeopathic medicine for you. Homeopathic medicines are made from plant, animal or mineral products that are so diluted that there is no chance of toxicity. After taking the homeopathic substance, your symptoms may become worse before they improve. The worsening is usually a good sign that the medicine is working and your body is "house cleaning" in order to restore your health.
Hydrotherapy is the application of water in order to aid your body fight disease and recuperate from ailments. You can also think of hydrotherapy as more the application of different water temperatures, instead of just the application of water. Many of the hydrotherapy techniques involve the alternation of hot and cold water to affected body parts to promote the movement of lymphatic fluid and blood. At the same time, we must keep in mind that our bodies consist of roughly 80% water, so it isn't a wonder that water can be used to help us heal ourselves.
This is a broad modality that covers many aspects of an individual's life. The patient and practitioner will explore together, the daily habits, exercises, and other behaviours of the patient to both assess for risk factors, and to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Programs for the integration of positive changes will help each individual discover aspects of their self that can be improved, and then begin to make beneficial modifications. The therapies can vary from working on unhealthy psychological and emotional routines to basing the changes on a more physical level. Changes all happen according to how the patient feels is appropriate, and at a rate that is suitable for their life style; ultimately every change is in the power of the patient's hands.
In all aspects of our daily lives, we encounter stressors and these accumulate in different muscle groups of our bodies. Through naturopathic bodywork, these tensions can be reduced and strains can be eased out of the tissues, leaving the person feeling much more refreshed and ready to face other things that they may encounter in life. Relaxation of both the mind and body can be very powerful together, in the acceleration of healing and reduction of disease risk. Naturopathic bodywork consists of different types of tissue work such as hand massage, facial massages, back massages, cupping, scraping, stretching, and many other physical modalities.
All aspects of our body tissues come from the foods that we eat. If we eat poorly, we cannot sustain a healthy body; this leads to the development of disease, and hinders the body's ability to heal if it is already afflicted with illness. Even on a day-to-day basis, poor nutrition is reflected in low energy levels, increased stress, decreased ability to think clearly, physical symptoms such as skin rashes or joint problems. Together we will analyse your diet and determine what types of foods do not agree with your body, and what types of supplements you may require to help your body function at a higher level.
Reiki is a form of energy healing that is not specific to the scope of naturopathic medicine, but is something that Vanessa feels is important to incorporate into her practice. Modalities such as acupuncture and homeopathy work on a very energetic level, as well as a physical level, and Reiki can be used to augment their roles in the healing processes of the body. Reiki is the channelling of energy through the practitioner's body into the patient; the patient's body will draw energy and distribute it to the organs and tissues that are in the highest demand for energy. To perform the therapy, the practitioner only places her hands on the patient's body, and concentrates on allowing the energy to flow into the patient. Some patients only feel a pleasant and calming warmth from the practitioner's hands, and some sensitive patients can feel the energy flowing through their bodies. Occasionally patients may experience an emotional release, which is very conducive to healing.
There are very few people in our society today who can say that they never feel stressed. It is thought that the body is built in such a way that it secretes hormones and chemicals when it experiences a sudden fear or stressor, such as an animal attack. These chemicals allow people to escape from danger, and gradually dwindle away as the stressor is removed. Today, we do not live in the same environment, and we experience stressors in very different forms - from paper work to family life. The same hormones and chemicals are released into the blood stream, but because many of us are constantly experiencing stress (even when the stressors are not immediately present), the hormones do not decrease, and we are forever in an excited state. This state inhibits our ability to sleep, relax, and even think properly. If we are in this state for too long, our organs (especially the adrenal glands) become exhausted, and we cannot sustain our health any longer. In extreme cases, diseases can accelerate and our bodies become too drained to deal with life.
The mind is very powerful. If we can harness the emotions and thoughts of the mind, and allow ourselves to become calm for extended periods of time, we can eventually learn to apply this feeling to the rest of our lives. In a relaxed state, the body can heal, and take care of itself much more easily, reducing the risk for disease development. Techniques used in stress reduction include meditation, guided imagery, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation and encouragement of positive thinking
For more information, visit www.NaturopathicHealth.info.