"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
- Chinese proverb
A wealth of integrative expertise under one roof.
We offer the following practitioner services:
(see 'about us -> our team' for practitioner bios)
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is based on the idea that vital energy, or qi, must flow in the correct strength and quality throughout meridians in the body in order for health to be maintained. It's believed that illness and disease are related to blockages of this energy. Acupuncture begins with a consultation with one of our practitioners to determine the best treatment regimen for you. Sessions consist of the insertion of very thin needles (which do not draw blood, and you may not even feel) just under the skin at specific acupoints. The practitioner then manipulates these needles in order to stimulate and restore balanced energy flow. Acupuncture is helpful for those suffering from injury, pain, headaches, chemotherapy-induced nausea, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, or other ailments.
Acupuncturists:
Melissa Carr, R. DTCM, R. Ac
Dr. Kelly Cmolik, DTCM, R. Ac
Chiropractic
The main focus of chiropractic therapy is the relationship between the skeleton (particularly the spine) and the nervous system. Misalignments of the vertebrae caused by poor posture or trauma can lead to decreased function, pain and illness. During a treatment, the chiropractor uses their hands to manipulate the spine in order to bring it back into alignment. Chiropractic is commonly used to treat back pain, headaches, and injuries, and is also used as a preventive therapy. Following a consult and physical examination, your chiropractor will discuss a schedule of care specific to your circumstances and needs.
Chiropractor:
Joehel Blanca, DC
Dr. Reza Khamneipur, DC, BSc
Integrative Physician Consultations
A key component to evaluation and treatment at Connect Health is an integrative medicine consultation. This comprehensive visit with one of our integrative physicians consists of a careful review of your health history, a physical examination, and the discussion of further diagnostic tests, if required. Your physician will take the time to get to know you, clarify your main areas of concern, and introduce you to a variety of beneficial therapies and approaches. Together, you will identify other members of our multi-disciplinary team you may wish to collaborate with, beginning to formulate a strategy of care.
Integrative Physicians:
Lawrence Cheng, MD
Ashley Riskin, MD
Devon Christie, MD
Selena Faiers, MD
Saul Pilar, MD
Mind/Body Therapies
The relationship between the mind and body is a powerful one, each having a profound and sometimes lasting effect on the other. Our mind/body component honours the power of this relationship, and its effect on your overall health. Through a combination of talk therapy, meditation techniques and bodywork, our practitioners will help you become aware of bodily sensations, emotions, subconscious beliefs, and behaviours. This leads to an awareness of the interconnectedness between your breath, movement, thoughts, beliefs and feelings. Our practitioners will work with you to determine your needs, and discover practical tools to alleviate stress and transform unhealthy patterns into healthy and nourishing ones.
Mind/Body Therapists:
Donna Dryer, MD, FRCPC
Chew-Nyet Lee, Yoga Instructor, Hakomi Therapist
Keet Neville, Registered Counsellor
Movement & Fitness Therapy
Movement and fitness therapy consists of working one-on-one with a professional trained in exercise prescription and instruction. They will motivate you by setting goals and providing positive feedback and accountability. They will also measure strengths and areas of improvement using ongoing personalized fitness assessments. Our qualified fitness professionals are trained to accurately assess and provide treatment using techniques that include manual therapy, education, and rehabilitative exercises such as stretching, strengthening, cardiovascular and core conditioning.
Movement & Fitness Therapist:
Joanne Morgan, BHK
Naturopathy
Naturopathic medicine is a comprehensive holistic health system that incorporates therapies such as nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy and acupuncture. Naturopathic medicine is based on five governing principles: The healing power of nature, treating the cause rather than the symptom, doing no harm, the physician as teacher, and prevention as the best cure. Our naturopathic doctor will carefully consider your physical symptoms, diet, lifestyle, work, and personal characteristics when determining the best treatment plan for you.
Naturopathic Doctor:
Pushpa Chandra, ND
Dr. Angele Besner, ND
Nutrition - click for more info
Registered nutritionists/dietitians are professionals trained in human nutrition and food science. Their job is to counsel and support you in making changes to your nutrition and eating habits in order to promote health and prevent chronic illness. They do this by helping you design, implement and monitor nutritional care plans and therapeutic diets based on current and relevant scientific, medical and nutritional information.
Nutritionist:
Monique Zizzy, RHN
Haely Lindau, NC
Registered Massage Therapy
The purpose of massage therapy is to prevent, develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function. Our massage therapists use a variety of techniques that, along with prescribed client self-care, help facilitate improved health and wellbeing. Regular therapeutic massage can be an effective treatment to improve joint mobility, circulation, immune and nervous system functioning, and lymphatic drainage, and to reduce pain, stress, anxiety, or depression.
Registered Massage Therapists:
Megan Gerace, RMT
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a 3000 year-old preventive healing system based on restoring the proper balance and flow of vital energy, or qi. After taking the time to ask key questions related to your mental, emotional and lifestyle situations, our TCM practitioners will base their diagnosis on examinations of your pulse and tongue, as well as other physical observations such as the health of your hair, skin, nails and complexion. These diagnoses are then described in terms of blockages, or imbalances in the energy flow and affected organ systems. Several healing practices are used to help restore and maintain the balanced flow of energy including herbal medicine, acupuncture, nutrition, exercise, meditation, and other treatments.
Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Melissa Carr, DrTCM, RAc
Dr. Kelly Cmolik, DTCM, R. Ac