Naturopath Experience with Dr. Amelia Patillo
Today, I share my experience with Dr. Amelia Patillo, a naturopathic doctor here in Victoria B.C. I have been meaning to see a naturopathic doctor for a few years now as it’s become more of a common practice, especially for women. From mental health, to gut health to miscarriage healing, there’s a variety of reasons to visit a naturopathic doctor. It’s important to find someone you feel comfortable with and connected to as their goal is to get to the root cause of the imbalance in your body.
What is a Naturopathic Doctor?
In BC, naturopathic doctors (NDs) are licensed to provide primary health care: Health care that emphasizes disease prevention by providing an individualized, patient-centered focus on healthy living, natural health products and therapies, diet, appropriate diagnostic testing and, when appropriate, integrating conventional medical care with complementary care.
Let me quickly introduce you to Dr. Amelia Patillo. She spent the last 8 years at the University of British Columbia & The Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. She has a long list of training and certificates including acupuncture. She is happy to be back in her home town practicing at Nurture and Flo Wellness Clinic in Victoria B.C. She’s passionate about helping you feel your best, and assisting you in bringing your body back into balance. “My philosophy around health and medicine is to always search for the root cause of what is leading to an imbalance in your body, and to treat that root cause using the least invasive methods possible“ she says. Her main focuses are stress & burnout, anxiety & panic attacks, PMS & period pain, hormone imbalances, digestive concerns & more.
Photo Credit: Kristen, Slow Sundays Photography
The main reason I reached out to Dr. Patillo was to help my body heal after a miscarriage. I also wanted to speak to her about gut health, vitamins for energy levels as I am a vegetarian and natural tea blends. I know when I feel my best, I act my best.
The moment I walked into Nurture and Flo Wellness Clinic, I felt right at home and at ease. The first impression to me was so important as it sets the mood and tone for my whole experience, especially since it was my first time visiting a naturopathic doctor. I know, these sorts of appointments can feel intimidating at first so it’s important to feel the connection right away. While I sat in the waiting room I got to pick a compassion card. It was something I looked forward to each time to feel connected to my body and mind before I went into the room.
Into the room I went… Explaining what I had just gone through, what I hope to accomplish and all my feelings. Wow, I felt vulnerable, however, Dr. Amelia Patillo made me feel extremely supported and safe. I knew she was a good fit for me. The appointment went on and she wrote notes as I spoke, talked about my goals and what I currently take (medications & vitamins), what lab work have I done and we agreed on an overall plan for myself for the next month. I received an extensive treatment plan with notes regarding lifestyle recommendations, prescribed supplements & herbs, dietary suggestions within 48 hours of our visit.
I was thrilled to learn she was certified in acupuncture too. I did acupuncture and cupping with her for 4 weeks in a row to aid in some of the hormonal imbalances and sore muscles I was experiencing. Dr. Patillo also made me a healing tea blend with the following herbs (organic and ethically grown herbs): nettle, raspberry leaf, alfalfa, rosehips, peppermint & oat tops).
I’ll never forget this moment when she told me “I am not trying to make your body heal faster, my job is to nourish it as it heals”. It was mainly regarding my miscarriage recovery of course.
There’s so many reasons to visit a naturopathic doctor for your overall health, it’s a form of self-care. A big reason to make an appointment would be to check in with yourself, your mind, your body and perhaps your gut! How’s it all doing? Is there some improvements you could make that would be life changing everyday to your energy or comfort levels?
As always, this was my experience, my words. I am happy I could check in with my body to see how I could aid in my healing. It was an appointment I looked forward to every week as acupuncture is such a relaxing treatment to do. I highly recommend doing acupuncture it in the evenings to aid with sleep.
Overall, you just never know what you’re going to learn about yourself. Self growth and self care are often overlooked, put yourself first and make that appointment! Read more about Dr. Amelia Patillo here.
