The pandemic blues affect our everyday lives, but there are ways to feel better in these lockdowns. There are ways that naturopathic medicine can help individuals feel more like themselves during this time. We talked to our Toronto naturopathic doctors at Greystones Health, our naturopathic clinic, who explained how naturopathic medicine can help during this time.
Lifestyle
Dr. Tabrizi: Naturopaths can help you create a structured lifestyle when we feel like we’ve lost that structure. Lack of structure causes people to burn out. They would really benefit from a naturopath who could align their needs during this time. This could include planning morning routines, planning exercises, planning diets and recommending supplements. These would all be very beneficial to someone’s mental health..
Mental Health Screen
Dr. Reis: If you find yourself struggling with the pandemic blues, try the suggestions listed in the previous post. Making these changes should help most people start to make progress in overcoming the blues. However, some people may find that they need further support regarding stress management, or mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression. In these cases, a more thorough investigation may be required to rule out hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies or other underlying illnesses. Naturopathic medicine can help with these concerns by investigating and treating the root cause of illness, and not just treating symptoms alone.
In practice, during my initial assessment, I start by taking a detailed medical history, perform a physical exam if indicated, and order lab work to assess for any deficiencies or imbalances which could be contributing factors. With the information garnered from this initial assessment, I create an individualized treatment plan which involves a combination of diet and lifestyle changes, herbs and supplements, patient education and counselling, and acupuncture if needed. The main goal of treatment is to support the body’s natural ability to heal itself using natural therapies.
Looking at the big picture
Dr. Steyr: Naturopaths are the best lifestyle coaches out there. They look at your biology, personality, and see the big picture.
If you’re having lockdown blues, is that biological? Or do you need some kind of natural or herbal remedy to get some energy if you’re burned out?
Naturopaths can coach you through lifestyle changes. If you’re thinking now is the time to make changes in my life and change my diet, we can look at the whole picture and find out what are the best places for you to begin whether that is mind or body.