At our Naturopathic clinics in North Vancouver and West Vancouver we are passionate about helping our clients  regain their mental wellness and thrive naturally through the use of individualized functional testing and natural, medication free approaches.

Our concept of disease is based on Degrees of freedom.  We believe that anything that takes away from you feeling the way you want to feel, be the way you want to be, or do as you wish to do, is part of the disease process. Be it a symptom, be it a dependence on medication, be it a recurring emotion!

Having said that, for a lot of people going off an antidepressant is difficult, at times a scary prospect. In some way the anti-depressant is taking the recurring emotion away. They are simply unable to move forward.

We can help.

Consider the following facts:

1. There is no question to the usefulness of antidepressants. These medications can be lifesavers. Especially when the mood has deteriorated to the extent that the person’s ability to regulate their own thoughts and emotions is lost.
2. When they are prescribed, more often than not, there is a documented failure on the part of the prescribing doctor to discuss strategies and timelines to go off antidepressants.
3. None of these medications have been studied in humans for long term use. In fact the bulk of the human studies with antidepressants range from 6 weeks to 9 months, with effectiveness measured at 35-60% improvement of the initial symptoms.
4. Medicating the proposed ‘brain chemical imbalance” is now widely accepted as a simplistic understanding of the complex brain.
5. Canada ranks third in the world for the most antidepressants use in the world.  And No! It is not lack of the sun,. Ironically Australia ranks the first! Almost one out of 10 Canadian is now using one type of antidepressant medication. the pain
6. Sadly, there is also a 40% rate of relapse with these medications once the person goes off them in the following 2-4 years, indicating that they do not address the underlying physiological changes associated with the disease and worst of all create dependence.

At our Naturopathic Integrative Mental Health Clinic we take a whole body approach to identify the root causes of your mood disorders. In contrast to the conventional medications our naturopathic approch will help you understand the overall mental, emotional, and physical responses that trigger and maintain your depressed or anxious mood. Our naturopathic remedies and treatment plans will help you modify the physical sensations associated with these repetitive emotions and thoughts. We help you move away from depression and gain an elevated degree of freedom on your mood.

By focusing on the individual’s unique genetic, biochemical, and nutritional status, individualized treatment plans not only help you wean off your current medication but also reduce the chances of relapse.  And the best part is that we do it naturally.