FEATURE PRACTICE MANAGEMENT A joint effort Interdisciplinary co-operation between chiropractors and naturopaths is creating better results for patients A by mike straus s more patients and practitioners discover the benefits of an integrated multidiscipli-nary approach, partnerships between chiropractors and naturopaths are becom-ing particularly common. Interdiscipli-nary cooperation between these profes-sions is quickly becoming an effective tool for solving patient issues. (L-R) Dr. Erin Balodis, ND and Dr. D’Arcy Stonehouse, DC, are the co-founders of Brickyard Health, a 12-person interdisciplinay clinic. Another brain means a better picture Kristin Heins, ND, R.P., and Jennifer Wise, DC, are the co-founders of Thrive Natural Family Health in Toronto. An interdisciplinary health practice, Thrive’s team of 16 practitioners includes chiropractors, naturopaths, psy-chologists, registered massage therapists, osteopaths, and acupuncturists. Heins and Wise say that they worked together at a dif-ferent multidisciplinary clinic for two years before starting their own clinic together. Thrive, they say, grew out of the fact that they often referred patients to each other. Wise says that chiropractors and naturopaths are a good fit be-cause the two disciplines focus on complementary scopes of treatment: “There’s the mechanical side of what I do, and then there’s the cellular and physiological side of what Kristin does. It’s a good way to treat things concurrently, or to focus on the other scope of treatment when one doesn’t produce results.” MIKE STRAUS is a freelance writer based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He has written on health and science topics for Canadian Chiropractor/Massage Therapy Canada, Nutritional Outlook, and Grow Opportunity. 16 Chiropractic and Naturopathic Doctor May 2020 Heins says that the scientific underpinnings of chiroprac-tic and naturopathic medicine are what enable close collab-oration. Both disciplines focus on the nervous system, she says, and viewing the same problem from two different angles creates a clearer picture: “When we’re working col-laboratively, it’s another lens, another brain, another set of eyes. That means there’s a wider image of the patient to be seen. We’ve each become specialists in areas that allow us to be complementary in our work.” The duo note that while the logistics of collaboration can be challenging in a busy practice due to time constraints, effective communication involves figuring out what the other practitioner’s methods are and then creating systems that enable collaboration. At Thrive, patients are very much in favour of these systems. Wise notes that in a city like Toronto, a collaborative practice also has other logistical benefits for patients: “One of the things we hear over and over again is that it’s nice to come to one place for care, that you don’t have to drive all over the city. In a place like Toronto, that’s really valuable.” Another tool they use to facilitate better patient care? Smart tech. Thrive Natural Family Health implemented online patient charting at the start of 2020, which enables cndoctor.ca
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