Orthomolecular Minded Professionals
Filed under: Mood Disorders, Orthomolecular Diagnosis, Orthomolecular Diet, Orthomolecular Nutritionist
Our Orthomolecular Referral Network
For orthomolecular professional referrals, please call our Toronto clinic. Our clinic is dedicated to nutritional orthomolecular therapy for schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, ADD and OCD.
We provide referrals to professionals that we find invaluable in serving a community interested in achieving mental health.
These professionals include:
Orthomolecular holistic nutritionists
These professionals are important for clients that are not used to making their own meals or, are less savvy when it comes to shopping and cooking creatively. Sometimes all it takes is a few pointers to get patients off in the right direction. It is a lifestyle change that requires added work. Orthomolecular minded holistic nutritionist’s understand the diversity of dieting techniques and are great at helping people to meal plan.
Counsellors
These professionals help you to build a story line of your life and help you to implement powerful lifestyle techniques such as cognitive behaviour therapy.
Psychologists
These professionals are important if we need to establish a diagnosis or get a baseline on new patient status after treatment.
EMDR specialists
This eye movement therapy has been useful in helping many of my clients to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsions.
Emotional freedom technique (EFT) specialists
EFT helps clients to release emotional ‘baggage’ appropriately
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group specialists
MBSR is an OHIP covered physician-led group, with eight 2.5 hour weekly sessions in the department of mental health. Treatment modalities include yoga, sitting and waking medication, ‘body scan’, and group discussion.
Holistic dentists
One of the most invasive species of mercury is the inorganic form found in metal dental fillings. Dental amalgam removal eliminates this free radical source that has such profoundly influence on memory and global mental health. We refer only specific dentists with vast skill in removal procedures.
Allergists
Determining food intolerances is an important aspect of orthomolecular mental health treatment. I often rely on elimination dieting as an assessment technique but many clients opt to support assessments with OHIP-covered lab testing. We have MD allergist referrals for this purpose.
Electro-dermal test (EDT) specialists
Determining food intolerances can also be assessed by an EDT specialist. Many clients opt to support our diet assessment with EDT. We have specific EDT referrals for that purpose.
Colon therapists
Many clients are constipated and have less than two bowel movements per day and less than two feet of stool transit. Skilled colon therapists can be pivotal in helping people achieve orthomolecular mental health. The route of removal of most heavy metals is via liver-bowel. This means that clients need to have efficient bowel movements. I have specific botanical and nutrient interventions that are quite effective but some clients require the added help of a colon therapist. This is especially important for clients with moderate to severe constipation, a common occurrence in those with poor or sluggish thyroid function.
MDs
Many General Practitioner’s (family doctor’s) are open to providing complementary care and invaluable lab assessment under their OHIP. For Psychiatrist referrals, please contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons website to find a local psychiatrist that preferably has clinical trial experience and 10+ years experience.
Chiropractors
Chiropractors help clients achieve optimal joint health but are also certified to prescribe nutritional therapy.
Meal Planning Made Simple
Filed under: Mood Disorders, Orthomolecular Diet, Orthomolecular Nutritionist, Schizophrenia
Orthomolecular Meal Planning
I continually have clients asking me to help them improve their diet.
As is described in my mood and schizophrenia articles, I find it best to maintain people on a high quality protein diet. High quality protein intake provides our bodies with the building blocks to make neurotransmitters, to think, to regulate mood and to improve perception. This diet includes a good portion of meat or eggs thrown into every meal.
I typically go over the difference between proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as providing a categorical reference that places food items into these groupings. Despite what many may think, junk food is not a food group and falls into the fast sugar category to be avoided!
My approach to addressing food intolerances is also important to mental health. This is also described in the mood and schizophrenia articles. In my experience, the top two intolerances to rule out are gluten and dairy. To assess food intolerances I prefer diagnosis by elimination dieting. I provide handouts to explain not only what food items are to be eliminated but also what is to be included in place of them. Educating clients with food containers/boxes/labels helps them to see more concretely what is involved in purchasing the right substitutes.
After ensuring that a patient has adequate protein and has ruled out the top two intolerances, I sometimes do secondary eliminations such as eggs, soy, rice, citrus, etc. Food intolerance testing can be helpful here but I tend to reserve this for cases having gone through preliminaries where further investigation is warranted; in such cases I recommend IgG Elisa testing.
Orthomolecular Nutritionist Referrals
Sometimes its best to refer patients out if they are not used to making their own meals or are less savvy when it comes to cooking creatively. Sometimes all it takes is a few pointers to get patients off in the right direction. It is however a lifestyle change that requires added work. In such cases, I refer clients out to an orthomolecular minded holistic nutritionist.
Rosalie Moscoe is great at helping clients with sample meal plans and going over orthomolecular principles endorsed by the clinic. For orthomolecular nutritionist referrals, please call the clinic.
As an added note, we also provide a list of professional referrals we find invaluable in serving the mental health community of professionals including counsellors, psychologists, EMDR specialists, etc. Other professional disciplines that we provide referral to include holistic dentists, MD’s, colon therapists, electro-dermal test specialists, allergists, and more.
Raymond J Pataracchia ND
NMRC Clinic Director