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Growing up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan played a significant role in shaping my future career as a 

Naturopathic Doctor.  My family grew a lot of our own food and we prepared most of our meals from scratch.  Most of my friends were siblings or cousins, and the great outdoors was our playground and primary source of entertainment.  From this prairie upbringing grew an appreciation for the basic fundamentals of good health - whole, home-cooked foods, community, and fresh air and sunshine.  Although it wasn’t immediately clear how I could translate this understanding into a career, I knew I needed to do something with my life that allowed me to share those values with others.

 

While I was attending the U of S and working towards my B. Sc. in Anatomy and Cell Biology, I met a Naturopathic Doctor who practiced in Saskatoon.  Dr. Jacqui Fleury first became my Naturopathic Doctor, then my employer, then my friend and mentor.  Thanks to her, I discovered a path that encompassed all the values that I had absorbed in my childhood on the farm.  

 

Once I finished my B. Sc., I moved to Vancouver BC to do my 4 years of post-graduate studies in Naturopathic Medicine.  After completing school at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine and passing the national and provincial licensing exams, I continued my education in the field.  In addition to the Bowen Therapy certification, I completed a pharmacology and prescribing intensive with a licensing exam in order to obtain a license to prescribe prescription drugs in BC.  This allowed me to do two important things: help patients reduce or discontinue their prescription drugs in a safe and supervised way, and help patients use natural therapies safely in conjunction with their prescription drugs.

 

As I began my practice in BC, I became very interested in pregnancy, fertility, and pediatric health.  In order to further my education, I focused my continuing education in these areas and obtained additional certifications in therapies pertinent to these interests.  I also began teaching physical exam and clinical skills to students at my alma mater, where I quickly learned that teachers learn just as much, if not more, than the students they are teaching. As my practice has evolved, I find myself pulled more toward  learning about and supporting mental health and wellness.  The more I practice, the more I see that the root cause of most illness lies in how we manage and perceive the stress and trauma that occurs in our lives.

 

But despite all the great experience I had in BC, I always knew I would come back to SK one day to practice and raise my family, and in the summer of 2013 I made that knowing a reality.  Being back in Saskatoon with my husband and two sons truly feels like coming home.  My family, the sense of community, the slower pace of life, and the values still exist here help to re-affirm that I really am a prairie girl at heart.    I am very excited to have a Naturopathic practice based on prairie values in a place where those values are still recognized and appreciated.  The purpose of my practice is to listen and provide a safe space,  to meet people where they are, and to help them reach their goals and find their way on the path to optimal health.  My hope is that the people of Saskatchewan will find value in the services I am offering.

 

In between practicing Naturopathic Medicine and being a mom, I do manage to find some time for myself.  In this precious spare time, my favorite things to do include taking a nice hot bath, going on long walks outside, listening to podcasts, doing puzzles, dancing,  and reading.  The dancing is new and I'm a bit shy about it so I only do it alone, in my basement, when no one is watching.  Podcasts have slowly overtaken my reading, as I find I am better at listening than reading these days.  The puzzles really overtook my crocheting hobby when covid hit, as I found them to be a better distraction for my busy, anxious brain when we were all stuck at home with nothing else to do.  But my all-time favorite pastime is a long, hot bath.  Nothing fills my tank more than a quiet soak in the tub.

 

On the business side of things, I am currently registered with the Saskatchewan Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (SANP) to practice acupuncture and Naturopathic Medicine in Saskatchewan.  I am a member of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND), which advocates federally for rights and recognition of Naturopathic Medicine.  I am also certified by the Bowen College of Vancouver, BC to practice Bowen Therapy.