Natural gut health doctor

Gut health doctor in Victoria BC & Manitoba

Are you looking for a gut health doctor who uses natural medicine?

A lot of people who come into my office struggle with their gut health.

Some are constipated, some have diarrhea, some are in pain, or maybe their pants don’t fit by the afternoon because they’re so bloated. Some live with TUMS at the ready to qualm their recurring reflux. These are some of the most common complaints I hear every day.

Some people are coming for other reasons, and it is only when I ask about their digestion that I discover how much they have normalized their discomfort. People are confused, frustrated, sometimes embarrassed, and have no idea what to do, what to eat, or who to talk to. Their doctor may have even told them there is nothing they can do.

One of my core ares of focus is gut health

I am a naturopathic gut health doctor in Victoria BC and Winnipeg MB, and work with patients in my offices or online.

My patients are always surprised that I want to know so much about their diet and digestion.

They are equally surprised to hear their fatigue, headaches/migraines, joint pains, skin rashes, sleep disturbances, painful periods, autoimmune conditions, and emotional fluctuations are related to what they are eating. This is why what you eat is so important to me. Digestive imbalances may start in the gut, but they don’t end there.

Improperly digested foods are the breeding grounds for inflammation

These toxic substances clog up our system and disrupt normal organ function. The expression of that imbalance surfaces wherever you are constitutionally most susceptible.

This means it can, and often is, beyond the gut itself. Whether you know you struggle with digestive imbalances or not, making sure you are eating appropriately for your body is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal health.

I have been in your shoes.
I once thought I was eating healthy too,
but I wasn’t eating right for my body.

Perhaps you were encouraged to remove dairy or gluten from your diet, or dairy AND gluten ... and you still don’t feel better. Chances are those foods aren’t what is troubling you, but you are eating something else that is.

Oftentimes people have intolerances to foods that one would otherwise consider “healthy” and oftentimes it may be a food they love or crave. This is one reason why evaluating for food intolerances is an integral part of the care I provide for my patients. The dietary recommendations are specific TO YOU.

Digestive disorders helped by naturopathic medicine:

  • Constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Celiac disease, gluten-intolerance
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease:  Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
  • Intestinal dysbiosis (gut microflora imbalances or intestinal candida overgrowth)
  • Food allergies
  • Leaky gut syndrome
  • Ulcers
  • SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
  • Acid reflux / Heartburn / GERD
  • Indigestion, gas, bloating
  • Pancreatic enzyme insufficiency
  • Gallbladder imbalances
  • Hepatitis, liver congestion or fatty liver (non-alcoholic steatic hepatitis)
  • Diverticulosis or diverticulitis
I love working with people
on restoring their gut health because
it really changes everything.

Our gut health is integral to our overall wellbeing and when things are out of balance, you’re not going to be feeling like your best self. I love food and I want you to love it too!

I would love to help you establish or re-establish a healthy relationship with food, all while resolving your gut health complaints.

I love working with people who are ready to resolve their gut health issues once and for all. I also know dietary changes can be some of the hardest changes to commit to. That is why I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss if this is the right approach for you.

Questions about Gut Health Doctor Visits in BC and MB

Do you test for SIBO?

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is the by-product of a chronically imbalanced digestive system, often stemming from a combination of causes including, but not limited to, inadequate stomach acid or digestive function, structural imbalances, an overactive stress response, intake of food intolerances, and gut microbiome imbalances, oftentimes secondary to medication use (ex: antibiotics, birth control pills, NSAIDs).

Before ordering any tests I always want to understand how the test results will inform or change a treatment plan. After years of treating patients with SIBO-like digestive complaints, I have found that a thorough discussion regarding presenting symptoms is sufficient. While I am happy to order the test if a patient wishes for these objective findings, in my experience it has not been necessary.

When digestive function is restored, structural imbalances are corrected, nervous system activation is calmed, and food intolerances are removed, SIBO resolves.

I have been told I have leaky gut/IBS, is there anything to do for that?

Leaky gut is a general term for intestinal permeability and is often used when describing the symptoms of IBS – gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation (or a combination of both), reflux, abdominal pain/cramping. In the world of natural medicine there is so much that can help.

If you are looking for a natural gut health doctor in Victoria BC or Manitoba, I can help you.

What is a food intolerance?

A food intolerance is the genetic absence or weakness of the enzyme required to break down specific foods properly. Food intolerances do not necessarily produce immediate, noticeable reactions, thus making them difficult to isolate. They exert more of an accumulative effect that disrupts normal digestive function and creates localized and systemic inflammation.

I already did food testing with my functional medicine doctor, health coach, holistic nutritionist, previous naturopath, why do I need to do it again?

Chances are you had an immunological food sensitively panel run and, if that is the case, the food intolerance evaluation I utilize in my practice is very different.

Those lengthy panels are assessing your body’s antibody response to the foods you eat. We have antibody responses to all foods we eat and assessing variances in intensity of response is a poor and inaccurate marker of a true food intolerance.

Note: Even for patients who have done testing in the past, for those coming for my services as a gut health doctor in Victoria BC and Winnipeg MB will find new insights and guidance from any testing we undertake.

I saw my allergist and was told I don’t have any food allergies, how could I have an intolerance?

A food intolerance is not an allergy or sensitivity. These three words are often used interchangeably, but they are different modes of reactivity. Allergies and sensitivities are variable and often just a part of the immunological symptom picture, created by more fundamental causes.

I am okay with drinking milk, it’s only ice cream that bothers me.

Not all responses to food intolerances show up immediately. The rush to the bathroom after the intake of ice cream (when dairy intolerant) is a common and noticeable one.

Reactions to foods can take as long as 72 hours to occur.

My doctor told me I have IBS and to follow the FODMAP diet

I am really happy to hear your doctor is providing you with nutritional guidance and acknowledging the correlation with your current health. The FODMAP diet can work great for some people as a therapeutic intervention, but it is not a long-term strategy and for some, it doesn’t help at all!

I don’t have a bowel movement every day but that’s my normal.

It may be your normal, but it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There is a balancing act with how timely foods should be digested through your system called transit time. If you are not having at least one bowel movement a day, you are likely hanging onto toxins a lot longer than is healthy.

How many times do I need to see you as a gut health doctor in Victoria BC or Winnipeg MB?

Welcome to my practice!

When working with a naturopathic doctor specialising in gut health, timeline and frequency of care is very specific to you and there is no one size fits all answer.

Sometimes my patients only need a 2-3 sessions to get their health back on track and they follow up as needed for “tune ups” down the road. More commonly, I work with gut health patients for an average of 6 months with follow-ups occurring monthly.

What is a session like with a gut health doctor in Victoria BC?

During your initial session we discuss your immediate concerns and what it is you would like to achieve both short and long-term with your health. We discuss your past and current medical history, as well as family and social history.

Since I want to understand the whole picture of your health, I also ask about your appetite, energy, mood, sleep, movement, how you feel in your body, and more.

I explain my approach and philosophy and together we develop an initial treatment plan for you.

Follow up visits strategically build upon this initial session as I support you through the changes required to restore the health you envision for yourself.

Do you offer Naturopathic telehealth visits?

Yes, I do! As a naturopathic doctor I love offering telehealth visits because it allows me to reach you even when we are in different places.

I am a licenced naturopathic doctor in British Columbia and Manitoba and I also offer Compassionate Inquiry throughout Canada.

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Naturopath in Victoria BC

Maybe you are searching among the branches
for what only appears in the roots.

- Rumi