Integrative medicine is a whole person approach to care that incorporates the best of both conventional medicine and complementary therapies such as lifestyle, nutrition, herbals and mind-body practices in a seamless manner to support physical, mental and emotional health. Functional medicine is a systems-based approach to health that strives to identify and treat the underlying root causes of disease by examining imbalances in core physiological functions (digestion, metabolism, energy production, hormone communication, immune system optimization, and biotransformation) in order to promote optimal health and wellness.

The CHI’s team of nurse practitioners, medical doctors and a health coach forms one of the largest teams of integrative & functional medicine practitioners in Canada. We work with you and your regular care providers to treat a wide spectrum of medical conditions from simple conditions to complex chronic illness (see below for list). Our health coach, Andrea, performs the functional medicine intake visit and reviews this with one of our practitioners within 1-2 weeks. This initial assessment helps us triage new patients to the most appropriate practitioner, allows you to initiate a variety of lifestyle changes immediately (diet, exercise, mind-body interventions, etc.), and may allow us to recommend specific investigations or initial therapies while you await your appointment with one of our medical practitioners.

Conditions We Treat (not exhaustive)

• Digestive & Gastrointestinal - functional digestive disorders (irritable bowels, reflux), dysbiosis (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, candida, parasites) and gastrointestinal pathologies (gastritis, ulcers, colitis, crohn’s)
• Hormonal - dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, peri-menopause, andropause
• Gynecological - endometriosis, fibroids
• Thyroid - hypo & hyperthyroidism including auto-immunity such as hashimoto’s & grave’s
• Auto-immune conditions - rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus, and other diagnosed or undifferentiated auto-immune conditions
• Neurological - multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, tremors, dystonia
• Metabolic - diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, blood pressure, cholesterol, cardiovascular health
• Mental health - anxiety, depression, bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional trauma. *Our team strives to provide a trauma-informed approach to mental health and nervous system regulation.
• Genetics & Precision Medicine - methylation & biotransformation
• Urological - chronic interstitial cystitis, overactive bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, chronic prostatitis
• Other Conditions - osteoporosis, asthma, allergies, heavy metal toxicity, (cancers are triaged to the cancer program)
• Complex Chronic Illness - chronic fatigue syndrome, mast cell activation disorder, chemical sensitivities, mould illnesses, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other dysautonomias, ehlers-danlos syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme disease and other vector-borne illnesses, Long COVID