Mental health is an often overlooked area of medicine, where major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia carry a negative societal stigma and other aspects of mental health such as stress and self-esteem are often glossed over. In Naturopathic Medicine, holistic health encompasses not only the physical, but also the mental, emotional, social and spiritual. How you think can influence how you feel and how you feel can influence how you “feel” physical symptoms in your body.
Complete and optimal health requires not only a well-functioning body, but also a stable mood, positive outlook, strong coping skills, and a feeling of control over emotions and thoughts. Our mental and emotional health is hard to keep private – our moods and the way we interact with others is often shown outwardly. As a result, our mental and emotional health can have a significant impact on our relationships, with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, strangers, and most important, ourselves.
“Not feeling good” mentally and emotionally is not a symptom to be ignored and can be manifested in a number of ways:
Some of the physical symptoms of mental and emotional health issues:
- Poor digestion
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension/pain
- Frequent infections
- Headaches
- Pre-menstrual symptoms
- Poor memory and concentration
Some examples of mental and emotional health issues:
- Poor coping with stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Anger management
- Time management
- Disordered thoughts
Naturopathic Treatment
The causes of mental and emotional conditions can be multi-faceted and complex. Your Naturopathic Doctor will conduct in-depth analyses to determine if there is a physiological cause (e.g., hormone imbalance), or nutritional deficiency that may be causing or exacerbating the problem, as well as investigate various aspects of your social history and current lifestyle in order to provide an treatment plan individualized to your needs. For mental and emotional health, your Naturopathic Doctor will work closely with you to help you overcome and conquer the symptoms you may be experiencing.
Examples of Naturopathic Treatments:
- Lifestyle counselling
- Effective breathing exercises for relaxation
- Progressive muscle relaxation exercises for muscle tension
- Time management analysis and techniques
- Amino acids or homeopathic remedies for panic attack control
- Therapeutic dose vitamin therapy for anxiety
- Herbal medicines for depression and/or anxiety
- Acupuncture for mood stabilization
- By effectively treating the symptoms and addressing related health concerns, we attempt to not only alleviate uncomfortable mental/emotional conditions, but also to support you in shifting to a balance that includes feelings of contentment, ease, motivation, hopefulness and joy.
