My Story

Hi, and thank you for taking the time to visit my website! My name is Lauren, and I am a naturopathic doctor. I am also a figure skating coach, yoga instructor, passionate dog owner, and pursuer of the wild. I was born and raised in Calgary, AB, where I spent most of my childhood figure skating, or chasing my brothers down the ski hill. I moved to Revelstoke in 2010, after completing my Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McGill University. Ever since, I have been pursuing a simple, sustainable, adventurous, and community-based life.

My curiosity for the human body and our ability to flux between sickness and health, became a main focus of mine. During my three years as a clinical assistant at Selkirk Medical Clinic and while ski patrolling at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, I had an opportunity to experience the inner workings of our health care system. It is so effective at managing and diagnosing complicated illnesses, fighting infectious diseases, handling emergencies and ultimately, saving lives. In this time, I began to question if health was simply the absence of disease? Or, if we could achieve more than being “normal” within the standard laboratory reference ranges. If nothing was wrong with you, conventionally speaking, but you didn’t feel well, what were your options? The naturopathic medical principles inspired me to pursue these questions, providing insights into some of my biggest curiosities surrounding health and vitality.

Personally, I struggled with recurrent viral infections, low immunity, poor sleep, hormonal imbalances and slow recovery from multiple sports injuries. There was nothing more surgery or medication could do for me, but I knew I needed and wanted to feel better. I wanted, and still want to, perform at a high level, in my career, my physical activities, and my ability to connect and build strong, meaningful relationships with others. Navigating health options on your own, is overwhelming. When someone else was able to help me get to the root cause and address the underlying stress, the cornerstone of our vitality, true healing began. By focusing on the foundations of health – digestion, sleep, stress management – I was able to integrate the tools needed to harness my vitality and optimize my longevity of this human experience. This is the service I want to provide for others. Helping others navigate their symptoms, address the underlying obstacles to cure, and utilize all resources available, to help restore balance and maximize well-being.

After completing my pre-medical science prerequisites, I embarked on a four-year post-graduate degree at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, in New Westminster, BC. Naturopathic medicine takes the time to understand illness from its root cause, using symptoms as the body’s way of communicating to us that something is wrong. I believe naturopathic medicine can be supportive and complementary to our conventional health care system in the pursuit of preventing disease while thriving, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I am committed to continually seek new information and research in an effort to best guide treatment plans and individualize patient care. I am honored to be a part of my patients healing journey, as we explore the mental, emotional, and physical factors that contribute to their health and well-being.

My Philosophy

Humans – mentally, physically and emotionally – are incredible beings. If provided with the proper nourishment – whole foods, loving and supportive relationships, exercise, sleep, and a sense of belonging – the resiliency of the human spirit and its ability to recover, will forever amaze us. I believe in challenging ourselves, having hard conversations, continually tuning in and educating ourselves, to create a healthy life of meaning and purpose. With this intention, we can redefine our health goals, in support of creating a life much deeper than our current physical experience.

Naturopathic Principles

As primary care providers in the province of British Columbia, naturopathic doctors base their medical philosophy on these main principles:

1. First, do no harm – treatments start with the least invasive options possible, and work up to the most invasive, in order to minimize side effects and unnecessary harm to the patient. It is important to understand that there may be a time and place for more invasive measures, depending on severity of the condition, and we are committed to supporting the patient through this process.

2. Treat the whole person – an individual is intricately comprised of mental, emotional and physical factors. By acknowledging how all of these aspects affect your health, an individualized treatment plan is made for the person, not the disease.

3. Root cause of disease – symptoms are the body’s way of manifesting disease and communicating to us that something is wrong. We want to explore why these symptoms are present and focus on strengthening the system at the root of the problem, rather than only treating the symptoms themselves.

4. Healing power of nature – the wisdom of the body is well beyond the knowledge and understanding of science. If we can create the environment and provide the body with the building blocks necessary for healing, we can help it take care of itself.

5. Doctor as teacher – knowledge and information are our biggest tools. Rather than telling someone what to do, we want to empower them to understand why it is important, inspiring new behaviours and creating the foundation for lasting change.

6. Prevention – focusing on taking care of ourselves now, with regular maintenance, gives us the resilience and strength to overcome health challenges while they are still manageable. We want to preserve and maximize quality of life now and into the future.

7. Evidence based medicine – treatment plans are developed by integrating the best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preference.