There’s a new doctor in town

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McMaster offers a wide range of healthcare services to promote both physical and mental health. However, most students are unaware of some alternatives to traditional medicine.

Dr. Rita Patel has been McMaster’s Naturopathic Doctor for nearly a decade. She provides consultation and care for students who wish to treat their conditions without taking, or exclusively taking, medication.

While naturopathy is not covered by OHIP, the MSU’s medical coverage now extends to natural medicine. “We thought [it] would be a good way for everyone to know that you have these services because I don’t think a lot of students recognize that they have that coverage,” Patel said. According to her, most students entitled to coverage are unaware of their eligibility.

Students make appointments with Dr. Patel for a variety of reasons. “There’s the type that is actually interested in naturopathic medicine, they’ve researched it and looked into it and are interested in getting treated naturally for their concern,” she explained. Other students want to enhance their traditional doctor’s approach to healthcare, while some are unsatisfied by their existing care.

Naturopathy is based on seven main pillars, all of which are meant to improve a person’s overall health and balance. “A lot of students have anxiety, depression, trouble concentrating, insomnia, hypersomnia, headaches, inability to deal with tension or stress, [gastro-intestinal] concerns like diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome, constipation or an intestinal bowel disease,” Patel explained.

The key difference between naturopathy and traditional medicine is in the approach to treating a condition. Naturopathy focuses on ongoing care and variation in treatment. While a natural pill can “solve” a problem for a short time, Patel explained that the treatments she prescribes “go deeper” and help students living with conditions such as depression and anxiety for a longer period of time. “Naturopathic medicine will help to do that really well,” she said.

Naturopathy is highly personalized, and patients may receive different types of treatment depending on their symptoms. Patel gave the example of students with ADHD. She explained, “Not everyone with ADHD is exactly the same so a lot of it is trying to figure out how this person’s body is coping with this, and then treating accordingly.” Patel added, “For some people, it’s just about making dietary changes, which will help in improving their attention span . . . For other people, it might be a little bit more intense and they might need actual supplements or herbs or further treatment that can help balance the activity in their brains.”

“It’s a different way of looking at your health.”

*This article was written with files from Shalom Joseph.

Photo Credit: Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

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