Intake represents the opportunity to hear patient needs. A complete medical history includes the history of the present illness, a review of each system in the body, past medical history and family medical history.

This thorough intake process allows us to learn your unique circumstances and apply them into context collectively, with physical examination and laboratory analysis.

It has been said that a doctor’s best medical reference sits across from them. The opportunity to listen and hear empowers both patient and physician.

Objective analysis is an integral part of medical care. At the Farnsworth Clinic we blend the patient’s medical history with physical examination and laboratory analysis in order to provide appropriate care plans.

Physical examinations may be undertaken in order to screen and evaluate findings from each of the body’s systems, or may be undertaken with a specific focus on a given concern.

Examinations include evaluations of vitals – such as blood pressure, oxygenation levels, pulse rates, weight and body temperature – as well as the condition or state of neurological, ear, nose and throat, cardiopulmonary, abdominal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal and vascular systems.

Laboratory analysis is employed to measure baselines, establish treatment protocols and evaluate progress. Lab assessments include blood tests, food allergy and sensitivity tests, skin allergy tests, salivary hormone tests and gastric pH test as well as urinalysis and stool analysis.

Standard blood tests are employed to measure inflammatory status, immune function, organ systems, nutritional status, hormone levels and cardiovascular health. Food allergy and sensitivity tests evaluate for food-borne triggers to disease. Skin allergy tests determine air-borne triggers and guide desensitization care. Salivary tests are used to establish baselines in reproductive, stress and pituitary hormones. Gastric pH tests measure stomach acid levels, especially pertinent to digestive and assimilation concerns. Urinalysis serves as a screening tool to investigate urinary tract infections and renal disease. Stool analysis can be applied to identify parasites, assess for inflammation or blood loss and analyze the digestive process.

Laboratory analysis is applied from two perspectives: The disease model (known as abnormal findings) and the health model (known as optimal findings). The health model of analysis lends itself particularly well to preventative medicine.

The collection of objective data, when integrated with a patient’s medical history permits a more thorough understanding of health concerns and allows for an individualized care plan.

Lifestyle counseling attends to stresses that compromise our health including physical, mental and emotional challenges. To enable the body to cope with stress, we help patients recognize stress-causing factors and then develop strategies to minimize the impact of those stresses. Stress-fighting strategies include: nutritional responses, exercise plans, supplemental interventions and lifestyle interventions. Ceasing smoking, combatting sedentary lifestyles and obesity and working to overcome nutritional challenges and sleep problems are among the most important lifestyle interventions we facilitate at Farnsworth Clinic.

We consider exercise regimes to be one of the most important stress-relieving strategies we employ at the Farnsworth Clinic, because this type of stress-management is available to nearly all of our patients. Furthermore, we tailor dietary corrections and sleep hygiene protocols (enhanced with botanical and nutritional medicines) to enable the body to cope with stresses more effectively. These are among the safest strategies for achieving what is certainly a critical part of healthy living.

Food is the best medicine. It is widely agreed among health care professionals that diet plays an integral role in health. Naturopathic nutritional medicine recognizes the importance of food, manages dietary practices and augments them with nutritional supplements when needed. In this care program, patients may receive a dietary analysis and interpretation as well as laboratory analysis to measure for deficiencies. We may offer nutritional supplements to correct deficits as well as enhance tissue, organ and systemic functions. Nutritional supplements may include vitamin, mineral, amino acid, enzyme, coenzyme, cofactor and micronutrient therapies. Naturopathic physicians are uniquely trained to assess patient dietary needs as well as nutritional requirements.

Botanical medications, or herbal medicines, are an important part of a naturopathic dispensary. Herbal medicines have stood the test of time, providing safe and effective support to the body. These medicines come in many forms, including: tinctures, extracts, glycerites, teas, powders, topicals, capsules and tablets. Naturopathic physicians are uniquely trained in the use of botanical medicines and are the only health care providers in Canada who are regulated for their use. At the Farnsworth Clinic we specialize in compounded and blended botanical medications.

Dr. Todd Farnsworth has prescriptive authority. He can write prescriptions for medications available at pharmacies, such as antibiotics. This gives the Farnsworth Clinic the ability to integrate pharmaceutical medicines with natural medicines, allowing for the safe use of both, often resulting in lower and safer therapeutic dosages.

Homeopathy is a medical discipline that is more than two centuries old. Homeopathic medications are dilutions of natural substances that are applied based on the principle that like cures like. In other words, a substance that may cause symptoms in its whole form may be used, in its diluted form, to treat similar symptoms. Homeopathic treatments are safe and effective, especially when applied using naturopathic integrative treatment protocols.

At the Farnsworth Clinic we work closely with allied health professionals. We facilitate referrals for complimentary therapies such as massage and acupuncture. In addition, we assist in referral to specialists as required. It is our intention to provide safe, effective care and to refer when necessary.