A prescription for optimal health:
The Bow Valley’s alternative healers
by Aimee Lorefice
Eager listeners with healing hands and a plethora of natural remedies, these are the Bow Valley’s alternative medicine practitioners and they are speckled around Canmore and Banff.
What’s special about naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine, the local doctors say, is that sessions with patients are in-depth and treatments are wide and varied. In conversations with the practitioners about the benefits of non-conventional medicine, we talked about assessing the body as a connected system rather than assessing the disease, working on underlying problems to prevent other things and tailoring the treatment to the client. Treatment strategies called “modalities” include counseling, clinical nutrition (the relationship between diet and health), herbal medicine, emotional strategies, lifestyle recommendations and various forms of massage.
Angela Knox studied traditional Chinese medicine for four years at the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria and spent two months working in a hospital in Tianjin, China. She now works out of the Mountain Bliss Day Spa, in Canmore. Knox says she sees every type of medical issue come through her door — everything from insomnia and digestive problems to back pain. Some people will seek her because they haven’t had success with conventional treatments. Others are looking for supplementary care.
There are many health problems that can be treated by an alternative medicine doctor, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, allergies and environmental illnesses, arthritis, impotence, colds and flu, headaches, menopausal problems, PMS, menstrual disorders, infertility, mental or emotional stress, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and others. Everyone reacts differently to treatment and at their own pace, the doctors say. The healing experience can be described as a rebuilding or a shift, not a quick fix.
At Magic Fingers Clinic in Canmore, Registered Massage Therapists Christine Labrot and two other RMTs have teamed up with a naturopathic doctor. As with Chinese medicine, massage and naturopathy focus on prevention or improvement using natural methods or substances. Homeopathy is based on the principle of like cures, where diluted amounts of a substance similar to what the patient is experiencing are administered. There are thousands of possible remedies.
A naturopathic doctor is a primary health care physician with four years of medical education. Sarah – Dash Arbuckle, the ND at Magic Fingers, sees the practice of naturopathy as a comprehensive way to treat “the whole picture”, a necessary alternative to taking drugs prescribed by medical doctors and a key to improving quality of life.
A genuine interest in sharing their knowledge and educating others was also a deciding factor in self-publishing for Canmore authors Kathy and Craig Copeland. The couple is "dedicated to helping people more easily appreciate mountain grandeur, in hopes that it will enrich their lives and inspire their commitment to preserve what little wilderness remains." This desire led them to produce their first hiking guide 14 years ago entitled Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies.
Here is a brief explanation of a few treatments offered by alternative practitioners:
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Herbology: The foundation of modern pharmacology, herbology takes plant substances from around the world, which are taken regularly and ingested in raw form or as a capsule.
Acupuncture: Acupuncture is the insertion of thin stainless steel needles into specific points along the body’s energetic pathways and is used for a variety of medical purposes ranging from the prevention and treatment of disease to relieving pain and anesthetizing patients for surgery.
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Registered Massage Therapist Christine Labrot gives a relaxing hot stone massage at Canmore’s Magic Fingers Clinic.
Cupping: Using suction cups on various points on the body, cupping is done to re-stimulate energy flow.
Chinese Massage: Also used to re-stimulate the flow of energy through the body’s systems to release blockages, Chinese massage includes acupressure, which is pressure along acupuncture points but does not use needles.
Massage Therapies
Hot Stone Massage: A popular and deeply relaxing massage using volcanic rocks that hold and transmit heat to the body, aiding deep relaxation. Rocks are placed on the chakras and in each hand.
Shiatsu Massage: This is a Japanese massage used to revitalize the body. Pressure is applied along the acupuncture points, over the clothing.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage: Very light pressure is applied to stimulate the lymphatic system and reduce swelling along the veins and arteries.
Bowen Technique: A series of a few gentle moves over muscle tissue to address the whole body, stimulating it to reset and heal itself. Healing might occur on physical, chemical, energetic and emotional levels.
These are some of the alternative medicine practitioners or clinics in the Bow Valley:
The Turning Point Acupuncture and Massage, Banff 762-8293
Magic Fingers Clinic, Canmore 678-3266
Winds of Change Health Services, Sarah – Dash Arbuckle, ND, Canmore 609-0678
Angel Knox, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Canmore 609-4142
International Holistic Therapies, Canmore (678-6782) and Banff (762-3307)
Martha McCallum, herbologist and iridologist, Canmore 609-0824
Morning Dew Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Monika A. Herwig N. D., Canmore 678-1240
Banff Shiatsu Therapy, 760-0462
Naturopathic treatments are often combined with conventional medical treatments. A natural doctor might refer a patient to a physician, chiropractor or midwife.
What are the Costs?
Alternative medicine is partly covered by some private health plans, but not by provincial health in Alberta. Doctors in the Bow Valley charge roughly $75 to $150 for the first consultation. Knox charges $60 per hour for subsequent visits. For massage treatments, Labrot charges $55 for a 60-minute session, $100 for two hours, and $85 for a hot stone massage.
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