Aspire Natural Health – FAQs

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary healthcare system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. It is based on the healing power of nature, and it supports and stimulates the body’s ability to heal itself. Naturopathic medicine is the art and science of disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention using natural therapies, including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation, traditional Chinese medicine/acupuncture, lifestyle counselling and health promotion and disease prevention.

Naturopathic doctors are provincially-regulated primary care providers. With extensive education, including a pre-med degree and four years of training at an accredited naturopathic college, NDs integrate standard medical diagnostics with a broad range of natural therapies. NDs are eclectic, each with a slightly different approach. Still, they all believe that balancing the mind, body and environment is the path to optimal health because it supports the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Naturopathic doctors are also experts at early detection, prevention and treatment of chronic disease, and their personalized treatment plans work with each individual patient’s lifestyle and body chemistry.

Naturopathic medicine is a regulated health profession in Ontario, and the requirements for becoming a naturophatic doctor are quite rigorous. After completing a four-year university science degree, you are eligible to apply for an accredited Naturopathic college. If accepted, the Naturopathic program requires four years of intensive study, including a year-long clinical internship. After completing the program we must then pass a series of board exams. Once the years of schooling and board examinations are successfully completed you are considered fully qualified as a Doctor of Naturopathic in Ontario.

Homeopathy may be used as one modality amongst many that a Naturopath is trained to use. Naturopaths are health professionals who can assess and treat disease and have many modalities at their disposal, including nutrition, botanical therapies, lifestyle counselling, physical therapies, acupuncture and homeopathy. Furthermore, Naturopathic Medicine is regulated and licensed in Ontario, whereas homeopathy is not.

Yes. Because natural medicines can be so effective, it is important that you understand how they may interact with other prescription medications you are taking. Naturopathic doctors are specially trained in understanding and avoiding these interactions by prescribing complementary natural treatments appropriately.

Definitely! The goal of our integrative approach is to present the most appropriate care options. They are striving to employ natural and less invasive therapies whenever possible while at the same time ensuring that important and proven conventional treatments are not excluded. Naturopathic Doctors are trained to work with all healthcare providers and be a part of your health team.

In our experience, the patient benefits when their healthcare team works together to provide balanced and comprehensive treatment solutions. Safety is a key component of patient care. Naturopathic doctors are expertly trained to assess nutrient depletions and potential conflicts between pharmaceutical treatments and natural therapies.

Yes. In fact, we encourage collaboration with conventional medical doctors. We are also trained to refer patients to other health care practitioners, where appropriate. Health is a complex issue and, therefore, warrants different approaches in some situations.

NDs in Ontario are regulated under the Registered Health Professions Act (RHPA) and were granted the privilege to use the doctor title and the protected title of Naturopathic Doctor. Being a regulated health professional enables naturopathic doctors to provide diagnoses and treat various health conditions. In Ontario, Naturopathic doctors have passed regulated board exams to hold this title.

Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are not medical doctors (MDs). However, there are similar areas of education and training that overlap. Naturopathic Doctors in Ontario have training in pharmacology, minor surgery, phlebotomy, biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, anatomy, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, physical medicine, health psychology, etc.

In addition, NDs are required to complete continuing education credits to maintain an active and current naturopathic medical scope of practice.

Anyone seeing an ND should expect to be dealing with a highly trained professional, one who has met comprehensive standards in order to practice. As regulated professionals, NDs are accountable for their conduct and practice.

ND, Naturopathic Doctor, and Naturopath are protected titles. That means that only people who have demonstrated the education and qualification to practice can use the title. It is important that you know who is delivering your care. Anybody found using a protected title without belonging to that profession’s regulatory college is considered an illegal practitioner, engaged in unauthorized practice. The appropriate college will investigate.

Naturopathic doctors must be registered and fully licensed to practice in Ontario. To verify that a naturopathic doctor is registered contact the College of Naturopaths of Ontario. http://www.collegeofnaturopaths.on.ca/

Naturopathic doctors are trained to treat most of the things you would see your family doctor for. We are really good at taking the time to figure out the root cause of the problem while offering ways to reduce the symptoms. To name a few, here are some of the health concerns that people come to see me for:

• Digestive Issues
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Allergies
• Autoimmune Disease
• Chronic Inflammation
• Hormonal Issues
• Stress Management
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep Disorder
• Weight Loss

I also see many people who don’t have any current problems—they simply want to improve their diet, focus on exercise, and live healthy lives.

Naturopathic doctors use a variety of treatments. As a naturopathic doctor, I am trained in the following natural therapies: Clinical nutrition, acupuncture, botanical medicine, homeopathic medicine, and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Raina collaborates with his patients to determine which treatments will be used.

The initial visit is up to 75 minutes long. During this appointment, we undergo an in-depth review of your concerns, health profile, medical history diet/nutrition and lifestyle. I’ll also conduct an analysis of your previous lab work, supplements, or medications you are currently taking.

During this appointment, you will have time and space to tell your story and have all your questions answered. As we conclude the visit, I will explain how I assess your symptoms and I’ll provide initial treatment recommendations.

Then, the first follow-up visit is typically 45 minutes in length. In this appointment, we discuss diet with considerable detail, and I provide more individualized and comprehensive treatment recommendations that may include:

• Additional laboratory and testing
• Nutritional/diet recommendations
• Lifestyle enhancements
• Medical-grade supplements
• Recommendations for a follow-up appointment schedule

After the first follow-up, the appointments are 30 minutes in length, and the frequency of these follow-ups will depend upon the severity and duration of your condition(s), the pace of your progress, and the type of therapy you’re using. Most patients begin with a monthly to bi-monthly basis until their main health concerns are resolved. Then, visits transition to an as-needed basis or for annual health check-ups.

Currently, OHIP does not cover visits to a naturopathic doctor. However, most extended healthcare plans include naturopathic medicine, so check with your provider to see the amount of your coverage. You pay upfront and then submit your visit to your extended health care plan.

We can direct bill to many insurance providers for one-on-one appointments, for most of our services. However, if you are unsure about the services covered under your plan, it’s best to reach out to your provider directly. Keep in mind that each plan is different.

In case your plan covers the cost of supplements, labs, or other products, we won’t be able to do direct billing. However, we can invoice separately, and provide you with a detailed receipt that you can self-submit. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to direct bill under your specific plan. So please check with your provider to confirm this.

Most extended healthcare plans cover Naturopathic Medicine. Look into it! You will be responsible for paying at the time of the appointment and will receive an invoice to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Appointment Fees

• Adult Initial Visit (up to 75 mins): $240
• First Follow-up (45 min): $145
• 60 min Follow-up: $190
• 30 min Follow-up: $95

Lab work prices depend on the specific symptoms and conditions of each patient as the cost vary depending on the necessary tests for each patient. After your appointment, we provide a detailed quote outlining the prices for each test. You can take the list to your family doctor to see if they are willing to run any of the items off the list to reduce the cost to you. If your family doctor is willing to do so, you can provide us with the list and we can give you an updated quote with only the remaining tests.

If you are concerned about the cost, please let your practitioner know. They can identify the most important tests to get done and you may be able to split the cost over several visits.

Debit & Credit (Mastercard & Visa). We offer DIRECT BILLING at the clinic for most extended health care plans!
Note: We cannot guarantee that we will be able to directly bill under your plan. Please check with your provider if you are concerned about this prior to booking.

To make your first appointment start by clicking the Schedule Your Appointment Button above. This will take you to my schedule to make your appointment and once it's made you'll receive an email confirmation. The email confirmation will also provide any additional instructions for the appointment such as forms to complete and how the virtual appointment link will be provided. If you have further questions or if you are interested in having in-person appointments at my Ajax location; please schedule a 10-min complementary discovery call to discuss this.

Your appointment time is reserved just for you. A late cancellation or missed visit leaves a hole in the practitioner’s day that could have been filled by another patient. As such, we require 72 hours notice for Initial Visits and 24 hours notice for any cancellations or changes to your follow-up appointment. Patients who provide less than this, or miss their appointment, will be charged a cancellation fee equal to the full fee for the visit.
We understand life happens, if extenuating circumstances arise that make it impossible to give the appropriate notice, please contact your clinic with as much notice as possible and we will work with you to provide a suitable solution.

If you have documents or information to provide your practitioner or if you have questions, please send them to this email address: info@aspirenaturalhealth.ca.

For any questions, please keep in mind we try to respond to emails within 3 business days. Once we respond it may take up to 3 business days for the practitioner to get back to us with an answer as they are often in appointments with other patients, and they need time to devote their attention to your question.

Any questions that are not related to your current protocols may require an appointment; practitioners cannot provide treatment through email, they are required by their respective licenses to visit with patients, talk to them or see them before providing additional treatments. So, there may be instances when we suggest booking an appointment to discuss your concerns; this is to ensure your safety.

The minimum appointments we book are 15 minutes and in 15-minute increments, in any case, if your appointment goes much shorter than expected we are happy to adjust.