9. What is Naturopathic Medicine?
The belief that the body uses the healing power of nature — its innate ability to heal — is inherent in Naturopathy. Naturopaths work to discover the root causes of disease and their goal is to treat curatively rather than only managing symptoms. Symptoms are the body’s warning signs of an underlying problem that should be investigated rather than suppressed. However, if symptoms are uncomfortable or life-threatening, palliation may need to occur to keep patients safe and comfortable on their path to true health.

Treatment modalities most commonly used by Dr. Karen Peters in individualized plans for each patient include homeopathy, nutrition, hydrotherapy, botanicals/herbs, physical medicine, supplements and lifestyle changes (eg. stress management).

10. What education does a Naturopathic Doctor have?
Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) complete a four-year postgraduate level training at one of five fully accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools in North America. The curriculum covers traditional medical science and in addition, coursework is infused with holistic philosophy. NDs learn unique Naturopathic diagnostic skills and also natural healing therapies such as botanical medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, and hydrotherapy as primary treatments. There is no other kind of primary care doctor who receives such extensive training in holistic medicine along with the latest in conventional health sciences. Candidates for a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine must also complete over 900 hours of on-site clinical training in order to complete their degree.

11. Is exercise training appropriate for seniors?
Absolutely! In fact, one of our personal trainers, Lee Taylor, is committed to a low-impact "soft" approach to fitness based upon his extensive work with mid-life adults like your self (and himself). Age, inexperience, gender, and even special physical needs or problems are no obstacle to exercise training. Seniors can achieve all of the health and fitness benefits that younger individuals gain from proper exercise training. Medical research has even found that resistance training has been found to help seniors strengthen muscles enough to quit using walkers and even wheelchairs. Much of the atrophy/weakness of the muscles that is associated with aging is actually the result of inactivity, not aging.

12. Will exercise training help my lower back pain?
Research has found that abdominal muscle endurance was lower in those subjects with 'lordotic' posture and in those with lower back pain. This suggests that the type of posture and/or the lower back pain are related to a deconditioning of the abdominal muscles. The researchers also found that the 'sway' posture was the most common and more highly related to lower back pain. This study further supports the idea that abdominal muscle endurance, inparticular the ability to hold a fixed position with stability, and correct posture, are related to lower back pain. Such findings reinforce the inclusion of abdominal-strength exercises and re-education of posture in lower back pain treatment.