Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Clinic Toronto

OUR 6 KEY STEPS TO TRANSFORMING YOUR HEALTH

1. COMPLETE EVALUATION & PROACTIVE LAB TESTING

The process begins with initial blood, urine and/or saliva tests. A comprehensive analysis is crucial before starting any health longevity program. This helps us determine the specific nutraceuticals (vitamins and supplements), medications, diet, and lifestyle best suited for you.

We perform metabolic tests (usually by blood serum) that analyse the health of your blood, liver, kidney, lipids, and hormones, and check for markers of cardiac disease and diabetes. There will also be follow-up tests to confirm your hormone levels by blood or saliva. In addition, we use tests to check your “antioxidant status” and bio-markers of aging.

Depending on individual patient requirements, we also conduct integrative functional medicine tests to determine the aging of your body. Together, these tests give us an overall picture of your body’s defense mechanisms and help us determine how fast your body’s organs are aging.

2. DETOXIFICATION AND ANTI-AGING PROGRAMS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

People often don’t realize that the human body has its own extraordinary detox system.

THE THREE MAIN ORGANS INVOLVED IN NATURAL DETOXIFICATION ARE:

THE LIVER: acts like a filter in preventing toxic substances contained in foods from passing into your blood stream.

THE COLON: have bacteria that produce both healthy and unhealthy chemicals. The goal is to keep your colon flowing regularly, since its main role is to flush out any toxic chemicals.

THE KIDNEYS: are continuously filtering your blood and getting rid of toxins in the form of urine.

In a functional medicine detox program, these three key organs need to be supported by nourishing your body with the right nutrients. A cleansing program should be designed to support your body’s natural detoxifying process. An anti-aging detox and/or diet may help rejuvenate the body’s organs through blood purification and detoxification. Our longevity program will provide you with nutrient rich supplements and the foods you need to detox your body, allowing it to begin experiencing the benefits of our anti-aging support.

3. EXERCISING THE BRAIN AND BODY

According to research, exercise is an efficient way to stay young. It’s been shown that training reverses significant age-associated declines in mitochondrial mass, effectively stopping the signs of aging. Exercise induces changes in mitochondrial enzyme content and activity, which can increase your cellular energy production and help decrease your risk of chronic disease.

Aside from impacting your skeletal muscle and fat tissue, researchers have found that exercise stimulates mitochondrial changes that may also benefit your liver, brain and kidneys. These changes are crucial to anti-aging and health because the Mitochondrion is the “power plant” of your cells and generates the energy for all metabolic functions. Increasing mitochondrial activity helps offset free radicals (toxic by-products of metabolism and exposure to chemicals, pollutants and other toxins) which can overwhelm your body’s defences. When free radicals weaken your body’s defences, this leads to oxidative damage to cells and tissues that can destroy cellular proteins, lipids and DNA. The process also often leads directly to the loss of mitochondrial function which, can be irreversible and lead to:

• Inability to utilize carbohydrates and fat for energy

• Insulin resistance

• Lower threshold for physical exercise

• Excessive weight gain

• Accelerated aging

• Age-associated declines in cognitive function

Exercising can also have anti-aging benefits by boosting your “growth hormone.” Peak Fitness or high-intensity interval training increases your body’s natural production of human growth hormone (HGH). In fact, a Peak Fitness workout will stimulate your fast muscle fibers to increase the production of vital human growth hormone.

This hormone is a synergistic, foundational biochemical that counteracts the serious muscle loss and atrophy that typically occurs with aging. The higher your levels of growth hormone, the healthier and stronger you will be. After the age of 30, your HGH levels begin to drop off dramatically.

This decline of HGH is a key part of what drives the aging process, so maintaining your HGH levels becomes increasingly important with age.

Our exercise physiologist will work with you on creating the most effective exercise plan for your personal Longevity Program.

4. TARGETING CELLULAR AGING THROUGH DIET, EXERCISE, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS AND HORMONAL SUPPORT

After the initial interview and your laboratory results are in, you will have a personal and comprehensive consultation, physical exam and review of your lab test results. During this 90 to 120 minutes appointment, our health practitioners will review your health status, risk factors, medical and family history, metabolic imbalances and any hormone deficiencies, as well as your diet, lifestyle, and exercise habits.

Our team will create a comprehensive analysis of your current physical condition, considering your body fat, lean muscle, bone density and medical history, along with the results of your physical examination and laboratory tests. Based on this analysis, we will develop a customized program for you, targeting cellular aging through diet, exercise, nutritional supplements and hormonal support. Your personal longevity program will take into account both your key health needs and optimal aging goals.

The extensiveness of the program is up to you. Our goal is to improve your quality of life, whether you choose to embark on a comprehensive program or simply begin a program that addresses your highest priorities first.

5. OPTIMIZING YOUR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

After your consultation, you will receive written recommendations for your personal longevity program. This will include nutraceuticals (vitamins & supplements) as well as recommended biological therapies. Our staff will assist you with the necessary medications, supplies and nutraceuticals and will also help coordinate medication refills, follow-up lab testing, office visits, as well as telephone /email communications with our health care practitioners.

Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine Links