If you’ve never been to one and don’t know how it will go, don’t worry! Naturopathic doctors are different, and your expectations should be as well! Not only are we friendly and caring, but we practice holistic primary health care, and appointments with your ND will be different from what you’re used to. Different is notable when everyone else is the same.
Your first visit
Your first visit with your ND can be an hour or more in length. We spend the time to get a thorough health history from you and as many details as we can about your current concern. We’ll ask about your emotional health and your current stress levels. We’ll ask how you’ve been sleeping and the foods you usually eat. We want to make sure we don’t miss anything!
The appointment is like a thorough exploration of your current state of health. Most patients leave feeling reassured knowing education is a huge part of ND treatment. We make sure you walk away with a deeper understanding of how your illness works, and how we’re going to treat it. You will be respected, listened to, and by the time you leave, inspired.
Before your first appointment
Before you come in, it helps if you can fill out a few forms and have some specific information ready. This saves time during the visit and helps give a better understanding of your current health challenges.
- Your intake form — This form is simple to fill out and asks some basic questions about your health history which takes 5-10 minutes to complete. You can either download it here, or come to the clinic early and fill it out in our waiting room!
- A list of medications you are currently taking — List all medications with dosages if you can.
- Any recent lab work or blood work you have — This will help us understand your body’s current state. You can call your doctor’s office for a copy or have one sent directly to our clinic.
- A diet journal — If you can, keep a detailed record of everything you eat for the 3-4 days leading up to your visit. This will help us create a treatment plan faster for quicker results!
Diagnosis & Assessment
Getting to the root cause of your condition is possible only through the right diagnosis, so to help us get there we use a number of assessment tools!
Physical Exam
Naturopathic doctors are trained with the same diagnostic and assessment skills as medical doctors. Your assessment will include a physical exam of any affected areas of your body and any areas that we think might be related. We might look inside your eyes and ears, listen to your lungs or heart, or feel your abdomen for tender spots. We will do orthopedic tests if you have joint or muscle pain, and we will use our best physical exam skills to get all the information we need to move forward with your treatment.
Laboratory testing
As primary healthcare providers, it’s important that we know what’s going on with your body at a biochemical level. We might do some blood tests to assess cellular function or determine what foods you’re sensitive to. Some tests are covered by insurance, and other tests are patient-pay- we only do the tests we think are necessary to get a clear picture. Gain a deeper understand of our lab testing!
You can expect a comprehensive treatment plan that will address all of your health goals including some combination of supplementation, botanical or herbal medicine, dietary changes, lifestyle counseling, acupuncture, and homeopathy. The treatment plans are developed for you individual and specific care.
Now that you know what to expect, take the next step toward your health and wellness! Call our clinic to book an appointment.
