Are You Ready for the NEXT STEP?
Your journey to optimal health
What is “Optimal Health”?
The term “optimal health” is a subjective one, of course. For some optimal health may mean the ability to run a marathon; for most of us, though, it simply means we want to feel at our best each day–physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Dr. Marcantel and her staff are committed to helping you achieve your wellness goals through our NEXT STEP program. We’ll work with you by providing the teaching, therapies, and encouragement you need to climb the stairway to successfully reach those goals.
The naturopathic approach focuses on wellness care rather than sick care. That means that Dr. Marcantel wants to partner with you to address your immediate health concerns first, then work alongside you to help you move toward a lifetime of vibrant health.
Because each person is unique, your NEXT STEP program is tailored to help you overcome your specific health challenges. You’ll work at the pace you choose and we’ll monitor and adjust your program as you progress. Still, it’s useful to understand what a typical long-term program might entail, so the following information details some of the choices you can consider on your journey to better health.
Hormone Balancing
Hormones control most of the body’s functions, so this is usually a good place to start. Women often have hormonal issues that can be related to any number of causes including childbirth, menopause, illness, and even their environment. Thyroid problems (also hormone-related) can be the root cause of many symptoms such as abnormal weight gain, fatigue, and depression. Men can have problems with low testosterone and other imbalances that can lead to health issues for them, as well.
Adrenal Support/IV Therapy
Once we begin the process of bringing the hormones into balance we may need to address the problem of adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing many crucial hormones, including those that help us deal with physical and emotional stress. Many of our patients have compromised adrenal glands that can benefit from a series of intravenous injections of vitamins specifically targeted at restoring the adrenals to health. We can also recommend nutritional supplements for ongoing adrenal support.
Detoxification
We take in toxic substances every day. The air we breathe, the foods we eat, prescription medications, cosmetics–all can make our bodies work overtime to try to manage these substances. A proper detoxification regimen of diet and nutritional supplements will cleanse the liver and other organs and help them work more efficiently to remove toxins. Detox also has the added benefits of weight loss and the elimination of some foods that may be causing health complaints ranging from eczema to joint and muscle pain.
Weight Loss
Many people have been discouraged because they’ve tried various diets but have not been able to keep the weight off. By first addressing the issues mentioned above, the chances of long-term weight loss success are greatly increased. At this point in the program you will probably have lost some unwanted weight, but you may wish to focus more on weight loss now. Dr. Marcantel has several different weight loss plans she can discuss with you to determine which will be best for you.
As you progress through your NEXT STEP program there are numerous other treatments and therapies we offer to help reach your goals, such as:
- Acupuncture for pain management
- Lifestyle counseling to reduce stress
- Specialty lab testing to help diagnose and treat food sensitivities that can be the root of many problems or neurotransmitter imbalances that can cause depression. There are also lab tests that can help determine if you have specific vitamin or mineral deficiencies or to measure different types of cholesterol to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease.
- Nutritional counseling and supplement suggestions to help you develop proper lifelong eating habits.
You’ll also find that as your health improves you may need to reduce or even eliminate many of the prescription drugs or nutritional supplements you are taking. Dr. Marcantel will closely monitor you to make the needed adjustments.
How do you join the NEXT STEP program?
Once you’re admitted to Dr. Marcantel’s services, you’re in the program! One major emphasis of Dr. Marcantel’s practice is encouraging and empowering patients to take control of their own health plans. The choices you make concerning how far you want to go and how fast you want to get there are really up to you. Remember that we’re representing the journey as a stairway, not an escalator. Achieving optimal health takes a certain amount of effort and commitment, but the rewards of excellent health more than compensate for the investment you make in yourself!