I already take five things. Do I need more?
Supplements and botanicals, only where they make sense
Wondering which naturopath supplements make sense for you? A Naturopathic Doctor (ND) recommends supplements and botanical medicine only after an assessment. Each one is checked against your medications and what you already take. Sometimes the plan has fewer bottles, not more.
- "My cupboard has a shelf of half-finished bottles."
- "I picked these up because someone said they were good. I'm not sure they're right for me."
- "I take a prescription, and I don't know what mixes with it."
- "The labels all say different doses."
- "I'd like someone to tell me what I can stop."
What counts as a natural health product.
Health Canada calls these natural health products. They include vitamin and mineral supplements, herbal and plant-based remedies, probiotics, omega fatty acids and homeopathic medicines. Botanicals are the herbal and plant-based ones.
Every natural health product sold in Canada needs a product licence from Health Canada. A licensed product carries an eight-digit number on its label, starting with NPN.
How the ND chooses one.
- After an assessment. Your history, your symptoms and your recent results come first. Labs only if useful.
- Checked against your medications. The ND reviews your medication history before recommending anything.
- Checked against what you already take. Bring the bottles, or photos of the labels. Some may stay, some may go.
- In writing. You get a written recommendation: the product, strength, dose, how to take it and for how long.
- With the cautions. The ND goes through risks, cautions and proper use with you.
- Reviewed at follow-ups. The ND checks how you're doing, then continues, adjusts or stops.
Pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy? Tell the ND at the start. It changes what makes sense.
Where you buy them.
Some products may also be available from a pharmacy, and the ND tells you so. You choose. If you buy anything at the clinic, it shows as a separate line on your receipt.
How it goes
A free 10-minute call. Say what you take now and what's going on. It's a conversation about fit, not a consultation.
A written recommendation, only if a supplement or botanical makes sense for your plan.
Follow-ups of 30 or 60 minutes. Keep, change or stop, based on how you're doing.
Alongside your family doctor and pharmacist
Tell your family doctor and pharmacist what you take, too. With your permission, the ND shares their recommendations with your family doctor. If something needs a medical doctor or nurse practitioner, the ND tells you plainly and refers you.
If you have a reaction to anything you take, stop and get medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.
Where this comes up often
What affects the cost
- Your visits. The initial consultation, then 30- or 60-minute follow-ups. Recommendations are part of the visit.
- The products themselves, only if you choose to buy them. At the clinic, they show as a separate line on your receipt.
- Lab tests, only if suggested, at lab cost and quoted before anything is ordered.
You pay per visit. No packages, nothing to prepay.
good questions
Before you book.
Do I have to buy supplements from the ND?
No. Some products may also be available from a pharmacy, and the ND tells you so. You choose where to buy.
Does the ND check my supplements against my medications?
Yes. The ND reviews your medication history before recommending anything. Bring a list, or photos of the labels.
What is botanical or herbal medicine?
Botanical medicine uses herbal and plant-based natural health products. The ND recommends one only after an assessment, in writing, with the dose and cautions.
What does NPN mean on a supplement label?
NPN stands for Natural Product Number. It's the eight-digit licence number Health Canada gives a natural health product licensed for sale in Canada.
Does every plan include supplements?
No. Supplements and botanicals are part of a plan only where they make sense. Some plans have none, and some end up with fewer than you started with.
Can I keep taking what I take now?
Bring everything to the first visit. The ND goes through each one with you, and you decide together what to keep.
Bring the shelf. Or a photo of it.
Ten minutes with the ND, free, in clinic, by phone or by video.