Naturopathic Medicine is the first functional medical approach, examining each person’s overall health and looking for the root cause of any illness.  Naturopathic doctors know that people want to understand more about how they can establish and maintain their own health. The importance of treating all parts of the human body, physical, mental, and spiritual, is the basis for supportive therapies that treat the whole person. Our emphasis in naturopathy is not merely to fight disease once it has appeared, but to build health and keep disease, as much as possible, at bay. 

There will always be a place for conventional medicine, but I want more people to understand that the keys to their vibrant long lives are in their own hands. I tell my patients if you’re having a heart attack, head to the Emergency Room. If you want a healthy heart, look to the body’s building blocks of health with the help of a naturopathic physician. Each modality complements the other. 

We all make many choices every day. There is no more important choice you can make than the decision to live in a health-enhancing, instead of a health-depleting, way. At Shalva Clinic, we emphasize to our patients is that a great deal of how you feel, and how you heal, is within your control. You can choose a lifestyle that positively impacts your long-term health. We’re here to help you do that. 

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Click here for a list of some of the common conditions we treat.

When you partner with us, you’ll receive:

Comprehensive Medical & Functional Evaluations

Naturopathic physicians assess risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, perform physical exams and order standard and specialized lab work to evaluate illness.

Cutting Edge Diagnostic Tools

Diagnosis and evaluation of the individual’s state of health are accomplished by integrated modern and traditional, clinical and laboratory diagnostic methods, such as:

  • Standard Lab Panels
  • Micronutrient Testing
  • Food Allergy Testing
  • CardioMetabolic Risk Profiles
  • Telemere Testing
  • Adrenal Function Testing
  • Expanded Female and Male Hormone Panels
  • Heavy Metal Testing

Collaboration with other members of your healthcare team

Customized Treatment Protocols

  • Minimal side effects
  • Maximal effectiveness
  • Customized for you
Information about Naturopathic Education and Training:   

Naturopathic physicians are the nation’s leading experts in integrative natural medicine and natural healthcare.  All licensed naturopathic physicians attend 4-year post-bachelor accredited medical schools, are trained as primary care physicians, and receive the designation N.D. Their curriculum includes education in all of the basic sciences, conventional and naturopathic modalities, and rigorous clinical training.   Some NDs have advanced training in women’s health, homeopathy and intravenous therapy.

In addition, licensed naturopathic physicians take two national board certification exams and state licensure exams. As professional pioneers in science-based natural medicine, NDs advocate the development of professional standards, accountability and regulation of all forms of medicine to maintain safety and freedom of choice in healthcare. NDs are currently licensed in 17 states. Follow these links for more information about the naturopathic medical school curriculum or licensure for ND’s.

Therapeutic Methods:

Hippocrates said “let food be your medicine” and this position is still the guiding principle in the naturopathic approach to nutrition. The connection between diet, health, and disease is so well established and it is recognized that nutrition is a fundamental component of natural medicine. Through analysis of a patient’s current diet, functional testing to identify nutritional deficiencies, evaluation of individual responses to foods, and identification of associated nutritional imbalances with present symptoms, reasonable diet modifications are made as well as occasional directed nutritional therapy (ie. supplementation) in order for patients to optimize their health.

It should be no surprise that botanicals have the capability of producing profound healing results. After all, some of the most widely used drugs today are derived from plants themselves (ie. Morphine, Digoxin, etc.). Herbal preparations can be quite powerful and should be monitored by a physician knowledgeable in them, especially if you are taking other medications. Naturopathic physicians are skilled in crafting herbal formulas for patients. Every plant is a complex pharmacy with innate intelligence. A skillfully crafted herbal formula can be at least as effective as modern drugs, but without the side effects.

Hydrotherapy is the name for all therapeutic treatments with water. It is one of the oldest naturopathic treatments, having been first developed by Sabastian Kneipp in the early 1800’s. Hydrotherapy is commonly used to treat a variety of disorders including acute illness, skin conditions, inflammatory disorders, depression, weight loss, and chronic pain. During a hydrotherapy treatment the physician applies water that is either cold, warm, hot, or alternately warm and cold, depending on the therapeutic goal. Typical treatments include soaks, towel applications, wraps, brush massages, or steam saunas. The beneficial effects are based on the application used and the difference in temperature between the body and water that is achieved. This difference in temperature effects the human body in a very positive way: It stimulates blood circulation and detoxification, promotes relaxation, and stimulates the bodies own defenses. Ultimately, hydrotherapy can contribute to an improved immune system and thus milder course of the disease progression.

Homeopathy is an effective system of healing which assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognizes that all symptoms of illness are expressions of disharmony within the whole person. Different people react in different ways to the same stressors (emotional, work, illness, family, etc.) and this is unique to a particular remedy. Through comprehensive evaluation, observation, and analysis, a remedy is carefully selected for either the acute condition or a patient’s constitutional state. A properly selected homeopathic remedy will not only cure an earache, or cold, but it has the ability to treat the entire person. Homeopathic remedies are true holistic medicine, taking into account everything that is going on with a patient. They can be used either independently or in combination with other therapies. Homeopathic remedies are incredibly powerful and require a skilled clinician to prescribe them properly. They do not cause side effects because only a very minute amount of the active ingredient is used in a specially prepared form.

And more…

Bio-Therapeutic Drainage eliminates toxins from the body through gentle detoxification. We encounter toxins everyday through air and water pollution, processed foods, and pesticides. Chronic stress and medications also create toxic byproducts creating multiple negative side effects. All of these byproducts and toxins slowly accumulate in the body, changing physiologic function, and leading us to unwanted symptoms and disease. Drainage works on the body’s elimination pathways and allows the body to slowly detoxify. This gentle process of removing toxins allows normal physiologic function to return to the tissues affected. The remedies used are safe, non-toxic, do not interfere with medications, are safe during pregnancy and provide healing results for optimal health.

Physical medicine is manual therapy used to treat muscles and bones to relieve pain, immobility and mechanical dysfunction. Our bodies are meant for movement and manual therapy can help alleviate pain caused by hours of sitting which in turn creates muscle aches, neck, back and shoulder pain, sciatica, cold extremities and many other problems. By realigning the body, full movement is restored and pain is eliminated.

Emerging scientific studies show that the internal environment we create in our bodies through how we think, what we eat and drink, how we move our bodies, when we sleep and wake, and what drugs or supplements we take has an impact on whether we develop disease or maintain health. Lifestyle changes begin with the willingness to look at our existing patterns as well as through education in more supportive behaviors. Next, in order for us to make and sustain changes with how we care for our bodies we all need support, motivation, good evidence, and choices that focus on pleasure, satisfaction, and joy.