  "Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open." -- B. K. S. Iyengar If someone doesn't have their health, the other areas of their life suffer. Keeping this in mind, Dr. Candice Staniek, a naturopathic doctor in Alberta, started extensive advocacy regarding the importance of natural medicine. Natural medicine allows doctors to develop an individual treatment plan based on the patient's history and symptoms. Dr. Candice Staniek wants to help people enjoy health and wellness in their life because health is at the center of everything, and she established a full-fledged business in 2017, under the name “Dr. Candice Staniek” Naturopathic medicine has been around for a very long time and existed before the American Medical Association was established. Naturopathic doctors have 6 core principles: 1) first do no harm 2) the healing power of nature 3) treat the cause 4) doctor as teacher 5) treat the whole person and 6) prevention. Underlying these core principles is the belief in the VIS (veece); the body’s innate ability to heal. Naturopathic doctors listen to patients, evaluate their conditions & symptoms ,and develop individualized treatment plans. This is a unique characteristic of naturopathic doctors in comparison to medical doctors that have somewhat general treatment plans for individuals. So that one of the critical factors of naturopathic medicine is to create individualized treatment plans for their patients. Dr. Candice has studied over 800 hours in natural medicine modalities, which includes: nutrition, counseling, physical medicine, herbal medicine, and homeopathy. Each naturopathic doctor will use these modalities to varying degrees depending on their interests. When given the right tools, the innate ability to heal is stimulated. The primary focus of her practice is with professional & entrepreneurial women between the age of 35 to 55, who are suffering from fatigue, hormone imbalances, infections, or mood imbalances, such as anxiety or depression. But obviously, it is not limited to women only, and everyone is welcome. Dr. Candice established a Facebook group called "Whole Body Visionaries" and everyone is welcome to join. Each Wednesday morning, there is a Facebook live show called, "Wake up Wednesday with Dr. Candace" with different topics every week, and a different theme each month. This coming Fall, Dr. Candice is launching a new program: Reclaim your Energy which supports people in overcoming fatigue. Dr. Candice also provides in-person services, where individuals would go through their detailed history, physical exam, and applied kinesiology (a form of muscle testing) which can identify certain imbalances such as infections, hormone imbalances, food sensitivities, and possible imbalances with heavy metals. Further diagnostic testing is conducted through laboratory testing which includes hormones, food sensitivities, vitamin D, candida, and organic acid testing. Naturopathic doctors strive to identify the origin of the problem and create a holistic approach for the patient while considering their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual factors. There are two camps of naturopathic doctors: 1) Vitalist: utilize herbs, nutrition, and homeopathy to stimulate the VIS and 2) Green allopath: utilize primarily nutrition and herbs to address symptoms. Despite these two camps, all naturopathic doctors have similar training at one of the 6 accredited schools in Canada and the United States. Dr. Candice advises entrepreneurs to honor themselves and consider the importance of their health to all areas of life: "As a solopreneur, we're trying to do all things. Sometimes that means we might put ourselves last. I would encourage individuals to get enough sleep and to de-stress so that they can provide their services and mission to the best of their ability."  |
