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What to expect at your first appointment
Welcome to the Village Centre for Integrative Medicine. We look forward to working with you and your family. If you’re new to our clinic, here’s what to expect from your first appointment with us.
New to Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic Medicine is based on individualized care that focuses on the physiology of healing, repair, and prevention through the use of treatments that encourage self-healing. This process is different from taking medication to manage your symptoms. Medications are important and can be part of our plan for your ongoing care.
But, most times, medications do not heal or repair. They help your body, but they don’t heal your body. By pairing conventional medicine with a naturopathic approach, we are helping your body repair and recover from whatever disease or illness you’re experiencing to ensure the best possible outcome.
It’s also important to know that this process looks different for everyone. And, it feels different than medication management - which can be fairly instant. It takes time to repair your body. You may feel better in a few days, or a month, or it may take many months, depending on the depth of healing required.
Our goals for your healthcare:
To begin Naturopathic treatment
you will need 2 to 4 appointments
Taking the time to get to know our patients is part of what makes Naturopathic treatment different. Because there is a lot of information to get through, your initial intake will be split up into two appointments.
Here’s what they will look like:
Once you book your appointment…
Upon booking your first appointment with us, you’ll be emailed three forms. They are also available online or can be picked up at the clinic.
New Patient Intake Form (including a Food Log and Informed Consent Form)
A welcome letter with key information
Our Fee Schedule
It is critical that you:
Complete the forms BEFORE your appointment and bring them with you. They will take about 40 minutes to complete and the more time and information you put into them, the better we will be able to help you.
Read all of the information provided to you in your appointment confirmation email
Read and sign the Informed Consent Form
Appointment 1:
History and Assessment
(1-1.5 HOURS)
At your appointment:
This is an information-gathering appointment. During the first visit, your health concerns and intake form will be explored in detail. Our goal is to gain a full understanding of your concerns, your whole health, lifestyle, stresses, and all other factors that contribute to your current state of health. We will discuss diagnostic testing options during this appointment as well.
Please bring the following to your first appointment:
Filled out forms you received in your appointment confirmation email (New Patient Intake Form, Food Log, Informed Consent Form). We cannot proceed without the completed forms.
List of medications and supplements you are currently taking
Any previous medical records you may want to provide
Appointment 1.1:
Comprehensive Physical Exam (May Be Optional)
(45 MINUTES)
We find that most of our patients have not had a comprehensive physical exam in a long time and no longer have access to getting one. We think everyone should have this once per year. The physical exam includes a head-to-toe assessment of skin, hair, nails, eyes, ears, nose, throat, lymph node check, vitals, abdomen, heart, lungs, reflexes, pupil reflexes, circulation, neurological testing, and in-house testing such as blood type, urinalysis, and zinc deficiency. Of course, anything relevant and related to your concerns will be assessed.
Appointment 1.2:
Terrain Testing (Optional)
(45-60 MINUTES)
This test helps inform us on the “functional” status of your system. It is a basic test that helps us glean cellular deficiency, organ inefficiency or sluggishness, low-level inflammation and free radical stress, dysbiosis, toxic burden, and more. This will be discussed with you during your initial visit. Ideally, everyone would do this test as a baseline; however, because our care is not covered by OHIP, there may be other diagnostics that take priority, which we will suggest during your first visit.
Appointment 2:
Assessment and Treatment Plan
(1 HOUR)
At your appointment:
Our second appointment together will include your doctor's assessment and your treatment plan overview. Between your first and second appointments, your doctor spends time reviewing all the information gathered, any physical exam results, and any test results, historical or new. This can take up to an hour or sometimes more, depending on the complexity of your case.
Your ND will create your assessment and a treatment plan. Treatment starts at this visit, but will shift month to month, as your body heals and adapts. You will also receive a My Health Foundations and Nutrition Guidebook (personalized for you), as well as lots of foundation information on health and logistics.
This appointment includes a lot of information, but you’ll leave with a clear plan and understanding of what’s going on.
Ongoing Care
(30-45 minutes, every four weeks, as needed)
While further appointments will depend on the number and severity of your concerns, this is the general guideline for our follow-up appointments together. Each month, we focus on a different piece of repair that needs to be done, and then allow the body four weeks to respond. These appointments are also a chance for us to check in and make sure that you continue to have a complete understanding of what we are doing and why.
We are in this together. ❤️
Starting now, you and your doctor are a team. Our goal is to work together to help uncover the root cause of your health concerns so you can repair your body and heal.
Request an appointment with our clinic.
Fill out an appointment request form online and our staff will get in touch as soon as possible.