The Herb Doctor has seen many thousands of patients over his 29 plus years of practise and has given counsel to help those from infancy to 98 years of age(his oldest patient!) Dr. Sloan has seen almost every type of health condition and is amazed himself at how incredibly wonderful and effective the correct and knowledgeable application of diet and natural nutritional medicine can be.
When wondering if we can be of any help to you, think first of all of fatigue, lack of energy, sluggishness, a rundown feeling or just no "get up and go". Tiredness and fatigue are some of the most common concerns we see and our natural approach is extremely effective for these problems.
Or think of any problems to do with stress, tension, worry, fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and insomnia. Many of our patients would rather seek natural alternatives to their nervous disorders, especially insomnia, anxiety and depression and this is a very important area of our work.
Then there is the areas of digestive function - indigestion, hiatus hernia, bloating, gastric reflux, excess stomach or intestinal gas, constipation, diarrhea, stomach or intestinal ulcer, IBS, IBD, Crohn's, Colitis, Bowel Cancer. Again, our natural approach is the way to go for gastrointestinal complaints.
We deal very much with female complaints such as hormonal imbalances, estrogen dominance, menstrual and menopausal symptoms and concerns, bone loss and male problems concerning the prostate and sex drive.
There are chronic health problems such as headaches(tension, cluster and migraine), aches and pains, rheumatism, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis and numerous different heart and circulatory problems including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart attack and stroke victims.
Other chronic problems for which we have had good success are kidney and bladder problems, diabetes, hypoglycemia(low blood sugar), Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromylgia, Candida or Yeast Overgrowth and Cancer.
Many people seek the Herb Doctor for help with treatment and prevention of respiratory illness - sinuses, nasal, throat, bronchial and lung problems. We teach them how to rebuild their immune systems so that they can say goodbye to flus, colds, sore throats, allergies, asthma and hayfever.
There are so many disorders that respond wonderfully to natural medicine. Heavy metal toxicity(mercury from amalgam fillings, lead, aluminum,etc), chemical poisoning are routinely eliminated. Thyroid irregularities(very often missed or inadequately treated) respond very well. Skin disorders which can be perplexing also respond well, including eczema, psoriasis, acne, poison ivy and oak and numerous skin complaints.
We often find that our patients are in need of general body cleansing or cleansing of specific organs(liver, kidneys, bowel). We have had vast experience in the administering of very effective detoxification programs and weight management plans.
The Herb Doctor is a Doctor of Natural Medicine. Naturopathy is one specific element in Natural Medicine. There are only two systems of medicine; 1)Allopathic Medicine utilizing synthetic drugs, and 2) Natural Medicine. Therefore, all non-allopathic systems of medicine must fall under the specific area modality of Natural Medicine. Doctors of Natural Medicine are Naturopathic Physicians who are trained in the basic medical sciences as well as in traditional medicine and tailor such treatments to the needs of the individual in a way that acknowledges the patient as a participant in the healing process. They perform physical examinations, make nutritional and dietary assessments, metabolic analyses, and allergy tests. They are primary care physicians, clinically trained in a wide variety of natural therapeutics.
To become a Doctor of Natural Medicine, a registrant must have at least 3 years of University credits in Biology and Biochemistry; 4400 hours of training in Health Science, Public Health, Clinical Internship and Natural Medicine Courses, taught by experienced professors.
Because Dr. Sloan is not a medical practitioner, he is not covered by "OHIP". However, under some Extended Health Care insurance plans that you may have through your employment, there is coverage for our Consultation Fees. More and more insurance providers are accepting Drs. of Homeopathic and Doctors of Natural Medicine all the time. We are always happy to fill out our insurance form for you to submit to your insurer. They often will re-imburse you for the cost of our consultations, usually up to a certain dollar limit for a particular calendar year.
At the moment, Dr. Sloan has plans to write several books and reports on health based on his 24 years of clinical practise and experience. In these, the Herb Doctor will share many amazing health secrets which will make a huge difference in your health and the health of your family.
Over the years, Dr. Sloan has done countless health talks, seminars and workshops. He has been a very successful and well-received speaker and will consider opportunities to speak to service clubs, churches and other groups. Please contact us if you are interested.
Recently, Dr. Sloan has been a guest on the radio talk show "The Doctor Says", a live, phone-in program on CFPL 980AM London. Dr. Sloan has plans to do more radio work in the near future.
Yes, it most certainly does!
The logo represents the 8 Natural Health Doctors or Health Laws. The logo represents an herb or plant growing out of the earth and being drawn to and flourishing in the sunlight. The soil and the plant arising from the earth represents the first Doctor, which is proper food or Nutrition. The circle, of course, represents the sun, which is our second Health Doctor - adequate Sunshine. The space around the plant and sun is the earth's atmosphere which provides us with our third natural doctor - Fresh Air. Each of the
5 branches of the herb represents the 5 remaining Health Laws which are adequate and proper Exercise, pure Water, moderation in all things or Temperance, adequate Rest and Relaxation and last but not least, Trust in God. Just by understanding and correctly following these God-given principles will make a huge difference to your health adding vigour and vitality, not to mention more precious years of longevity. These natural laws form the foundation of the Herb Doctor's practise.
Herbology is the study and proper application of herbs(roots, bark, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds of plants). Since the dawn of creation, plants have been the primary source of medicine for the human race. Even today, the reader may be interested to note that still an incredible eighty per cent of the earth's population uses plant-based medicine as their main source of treatment for sickness and disease. Herbs are a gift from the Creator for our benefit and the wise and judicious use of these precious healing plants can produce remarkable healing outcomes in all manner of illness. Herbs are intelligent and often have an affinity for a particular area of the body, while others are "activators" or "potentiators"(e.g. capsicum which delivers other herbs to their destination more swiftly and efficiently), while still others are "adaptogens"(eg.ginseng which "adapts" itself to the other herb or herbs it is combined with and joins with those herbs to make the combination more effective and therapeutic).
Dr. Sloan is a Master Herbalist(MH).
Ultimately, the cells in our bodies are built from the raw materials we eat. The more suitable our food choices are to our specific requirements, the better cell structures we can build.
Since every person is bio-chemically unique, individual nutritional imbalances and weaknesses must be assessed.
An ROHP will introduce new dietary habits, incorporating the latest nutritional breakthroughs, but it may be difficult to achieve optimal health through food alone. In such cases, ROHP's are trained to design personalized dietary supplement programs.
Environmental pollution, metal toxicity, parasites and allergies are among other factors that must be considered in constructing a nutritional program.
Nutritional Consulting is not a regulated profession. However, IONC was established in 1983 to ensure the public that practitioners are meeting high educational standards. Because of this, many insurance companies are now covering ROHP services.
The designation "Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner" signifies a nutritional practitioner who has met the standards of the IONC - a voluntary, independent, non-profit association. Dr. Sloan is registered to practise in all of Canada through IONC's Canadian arm NCOC(Nutritional Consultant Organization of Canada). See Links page for the IONC Website.
Orthomolecular Medicine is defined as the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body. The term "orthomolecular"('ortho' in Greek means 'right' molecule)was first used by Linus Pauling in a paper he wrote in the journal Science in 1968. The key idea in orthomolecular medicine is that genetic factors affect not only the physical characteristics of individuals, but also to their biochemical milieu. Biochemical pathways of the body have significant genetic variability and diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, schizophrenia or depression are associated with specific biochemical abnormalities which are causal or contributing factors of the illness. Dr. Sloan is a Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner(ROHP) and primarily uses this approach to address issues concerning stress,anxiety,depression and cancer.
Clinical Nutrition is a very exciting branch of nutritional therapy where nutrients such as vitamins and minerals(either singly or in combination), concentrated food substances, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, and glandular substances are used to treat and to also help prevent a wide variety of ailments. The particular benefits of Clinical Nutrition(sometimes referred to as Applied Nutrition)is that it can offer an alternative to drug therapy which is often just as effective but eliminates the risks of side-effects that are associated with pharmaceuticals. Clinical Nutrition is also working on the nutritional level of body function, thereby often alleviating the cause of the disease by correcting the underlying nutrient deficiency.
A Clinical Nutritional Urinalysis is in part similar to what you might have done by your conventional medical doctor but for the most part contains tests which very few family doctors would order. What we can learn from this series of tests is standard screening for possible kidney and bladder problems, adequate or inadequate water consumption, diabetes, immune system function, blood in the urine, vitamin C levels, calcium levels, zinc levels, adrenal gland function and pH. These tests are very important to get a cross-section view of specific areas of human function and nutrition which help us get an idea of where we may need to focus some or all of our attention. For example, the adrenal glands are one of the two glands in the body(the other being the thyroid) that are concerned with energy production. The adrenals are also part of our "frontline defenses" against stress of any kind, be it mental, physical or emotional. Coupled with the fact that stress levels in our modern society continue to mount and that in menopausal women, the adrenals take over the production of female hormones when the ovaries cease functioning serves to make the adrenal glands the most "beat up and battered" glands in the body. Our adrenal readings give us a very good idea of the levels of stress and energy or lack thereof a patient is experiencing. Another example which demonstrates the importance of our Urinalysis is calcium levels, giving us an indication of potential bone loss(osteoporosis), dental problems, cardiovascular, etc. The urinary pH is also of great value in that because our environment, our soils, our food and our water are becoming more and more acidic, we are seeing more and more of our patients with a pH which is too acidic. When we realize that an acid pH is found in all cases of numerous degenerative diseases such as cancer and arthritis, we see the the great benefit in measuring and correcting if necessary the pH to a more health-producing alkaline balance.
Homeopathic remedies(also called homeopathics) are a system of medicine based on three principles:
1.Like Cures Like -
For example, if the symptoms of your cold are similar to poisoning by mercury, then mercury would be your homeopathic remedy.
2.Minimal Dose -
The remedy is taken in an extremely dilute form; normally one part of the remedy to around 10, 100, 1000, 1,000,000 or more parts of water.
3. The Single Remedy -
No matter how many symptoms are experienced, only one remedy is taken, and that remedy will be aimed at all those symptoms. This is referred to as Classical Homeopathy. Many modern Homeopathic Practitioners will also use what is called Complex Homeopathy which combines several or more single homeopathic remedies in order to achieve a more timely outcome. However, this approach isn't necessarily better than finding the Similimum or single remedy that the Classical Homeopath seeks, so the Herb Doctor uses a blend of both forms in his practise.
Similar principals forms the basis of conventional allergy treatment, where the allergic substance is given in a small dose, and in vaccines where an impotent form of the virus is given to bolster the immune system against that particular virus.
Homeopathy is the second most widely used system of medicine in the world. Its growth in popularity in the United States has been around 25 to 50 percent a year throughout the last decade.
Why is homeopathy so successful? Here are some of the many reasons:
* Homeopathy is extremely effective, often with rapid, complete and permanent results.
* Homeopathy is natural and completely safe. Even infants and pregnant mothers can safely use Homeopathy without the danger of side effects.
* Homeopathy works in harmony with your immune system, unlike some conventional medicines which suppress the immune system. (For example, cough medicines suppress the cough reflex, which is your body's attempt to clear the lungs).
* Homeopathic remedies do not have harmful short-term or long-term side-effects and they are not addictive.
* Homeopathic medicine is very reasonable as far as cost is concerned compared to drug medication.
The only catch to Homeopathy is that because the remedy must exactly match the symptoms and the sheer number of Homeopathic remedies for a particular health complaint is mind-boggling, one is best served by seeking the services of a skilled, experienced Homeopath to achieve excellent results. Dr. Sloan is a Doctor of Homeopathic Medicine.
As was discussed in the question above, "Is the Herb Doctor a Naturopath?", a Homeopath is a practitioner who practices Homeopathy(see question #13). Homeopathy like Naturopathy is one specific category of Natural Medicine. It is the opposite of Allopathic Medicine(conventional medicine) wherein Allopathic treatments use a drug to counterract a symptom, Homeopathy uses a natural plant, mineral or organic substance in a micro-nutrient dilution which mimics the symptoms of a certain disease or illness in a healthy person. Thus by administering this natural, homeopathic remedy to a sick person, the medicine evokes an immune response to meet the disease head-on, similar to the theory of immunization but without the side-effects and other concerns of vaccinations. Homeopathy has recently become a regulated profession in Ontario and as such is being added to extended healthcare benefits packages. The more people request their employer to add homeopathy to their benefits packages the more likely they will be to get these benefits. Dr. Sloan is a Registered Homeopath in Ontario which carries the title Doctor of Homeopathic Medicine(HD).
A Hair Analysis or more accurately, a hair tissue mineral analysis(HTMA)simply stated, is a screening test that measures the mineral content of your hair. However, a hair tissue mineral analysis is much more than a test for minerals. Providing a blueprint of one's biochemistry, a hair tissue mineral analysis can provide pertinent information about your metabolic rate, energy levels, carbohydrate tolerance, stage of stress, immune system and glandular activity. This screening test can also be used to reduce the guesswork involved when recommending nutritional supplements and dietary modifications.
When your drop of blood on the slide is allowed to dry and placed under a powerful electron microscope, Dry Blood Analysis can reveal vitamin and mineral deficiencies, organ toxicity, inflammation, presence of environmental and food allergies, free radical damage, immune dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, yeast overgrowth or candida, parasites and much more.
Iridology is the scientific analysis of patterns and structures in the iris of the eye which locates areas and stages of inflammation throughout the body. The iris is the portion of the eye showing colour. Iridology reveals body constitution, areas and degree of toxic buildup and congestion in the body, inherent strengths and weaknesses, health levels, and transitions that take place in a person's body according to their way of life. Often a skilled iridologist can pinpoint the very early beginnings of a potential health concern or the existence of a condition which has yet to even manifest itself by way of symptoms. This wonderful diagnostic tool is truly preventative medicine at its best.
Reflexology is a natural, non-invasive healing art that is based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears that correspond to every part of the body. Through application of pressure on these reflexes, Reflexology relieves tension, improves circulation and helps promote the natural functioning of the body. Essentially, Reflexology helps to balance the physical, mental and emotional aspects of your whole body. Reflexology also serves as a very useful diagnostic tool much like Iridology. Areas of inflammation, pain, degeneration, etc. can be detected through the skillful use of Reflexology and health problems can be uncovered and identified, often long before they become a serious concern.
In running a busy practise, there seems so little time to devote to more than just a few organizations and associations. The Herb Doctor is presently a member of the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants(IONC), the Doctors of Natural Medicine - North America(EBNMP-NA) and National United Professional Association of Trained Homeopaths(NUPATH).
