Natural Support for Hormonal, Digestive and Functional Mental Health
I help women and men achieve optimal health by focusing on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
I use an in depth assessment and comprehensive testing to understand how your body and mind are functioning in and out of your best health.
I inform my treatments with current evidence and I prioritize helping you integrate naturopathic care with your other health care providers and medications.
Looking at the details of your current health will pave the way forward for your best health!
My Story
Hi, I’m Dr. Bauer, a Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto
I’ve spent most of my life thinking critically about health, disease and wellness. I have always been drawn to medicine and when I lost my mom at a young age to colon cancer I really started looking closely. I wanted all the answers but I wasn’t finding them in my medical science studies at McGill and I wasn’t even finding them at naturopathic medical school. Sure I was picking up a lot of information and honing my critical thinking but I wasn’t able to put it together until I started working with individuals one on one. With over 15 years in practice I’ve grown to trust the way our bodies and minds are expressing themselves in symptoms and patterns, small and large. That anemia, anxiety, pms, slightly elevated cholesterol levels… they are all important to pay attention to. They paint a picture of what your body (my body in this case ;)) is trying to do and where it is getting stuck. It all matters and our experience of health and wellness and our own personal goals are what count.
Loosing my mom early definitely shaped the way I see health and wellness and working through the early life stress of going through that experience has given me first hand knowledge about how our life stressors and trauma can shape our health but also how they can empower us to make change.
Life is precious and mysterious and following and listening to what’s coming up is always the way forward.
Areas of Focus:
Hormonal Health
Hormonal concerns can be difficult to understand as many hormones have similar jobs and they are all connected to each other. It’s important to look closely at this web and decipher which hormones are out of balance even slightly to understand what’s happening. The good news about hormones is that they are easy to test and reflective in blood and urinary testing. It’s important to time the testing appropriately to catch the moment you want to assess.
Naturopathic Care for:
- Menstrual cycle concerns
- Perimenopause
- Menopausal symptoms
- Optimal fertililty
- PMS, PMDD
- Thyroid Health
- Stress hormone imbalance (disrupted sleep wake cycles, fatigue, insomnia, tired & wired, over sleeping…)
- Bio Identical Hormone Prescriptions
Digestive Health
Digestive Health is at the root of most health concerns. The way your body is breaking down, assimilating, absorbing and eliminating your food affects almost all aspects of your health. Concerns with indigestion, poor absorption, and inadequate elimination ripple throughout the body and effect the very foundations on which your health is built. The digestive environment is equally as important as the mechanical functioning. This includes the pH of the system as well as the digestive microbiome. Working on optimal digestive health is at the core of achieving your best health.
Naturopathic Care for:
- IBS
- Inflammatory bowel concerns
- Food sensitivities and allergies
- Indigestion, GERD, Ulcers
- Gas and bloating
- Undiagnosed digestive pain
- Poor nutrient absorption
- Constipation, Diarrhea, inconsistent bowel movements.
- Related Concerns; skin concerns, Anxiety, Depression, Autoimmune conditions, Inflammatory concerns.
Functional Mental Health
Functional Mental Health means to look at the functional and physical aspects of health that contribute to how we are feeling and experiencing life. It includes optimizing brain and nervous system health but it also means to address nutrient deficiencies, optimize microbiome health, look at hormonal health and any other potential contributors to mood concerns.
Looking at stress and stressors, past, present and future is part of a holistic approach to mental wellness as well as addressing and looking at lifestyle factors and diet to optimize feeling your best.
Naturopathic Care for:
- Anxiety, Panic Attacks
- Health anxiety, social anxiety
- Post viral anxiety and mood changes
- Depression, SAD, low mood
- Support for PTSD, Trauma
- PMS, PMDD
- Irritability, feeling overwhelmed, burnout
- Stress resilience, Stress support
- Fatigue, Insomnia,
- Support with life transitions
- Support for side effects of medications
- Support weaning off medications
The Process
Step 1
The Assessment
This step involves and in depth initial appointment, a physical exam and indicated testing. We will explore your health concerns, goals and general health with the goal of putting it all together and understanding what your body and mind are telling us about your health. This gathered information will help formulate an assessment of what is going on for you right now and will dictate your recommended starting point. Testing often recommended:
- Copies of recent testing done with other healthcare providers.
- Basic blood work including; Vitamin D, B12, Iron, full thyroid panel, Inflammatory markers, Insulin levels, Cortisol, DHEA, Progesterone, Estrogen
- Urine analysis
- Urinary hormone testing
- Food sensitiivy testing
- Comprehensive Digestive Health testing
- Genetic testing analysis
Step 2
The Plan
The plan is put together with your consent and understanding and we will take time discussing any potential side effects or interactions of recommended treatments. Thought is taken to minimize the use of supplements and keep cost low. There will always be an in depth conversation about any food restrictions recommended. The goal is to increase flexibility within diet and life! The plan typically has numerous stages as health changes are best introduced one at a time. Your plan could include the following recommendations:
- Lifestyle recommendations
- Dietary recommendations
- Clinical Nutrition; taking formulas made from extracted components to use therapeutically. i.e. Omega 3 fatty acids or probiotics.
- Acupuncture
- Recommendations for BioIdentical Hormones
- Naturopathic Counselling
- Botanical medicine
- Referral to other healthcare practitioners
Step 3
Ongoing Care
It takes time for a naturopathic approach to help you reach your health goals. You should always feel progress and like you’re moving in the right direction but because we’re working to support the underlying cause and helping to optimize the way your body is working at a functional level it does take time. Ongoing care is recommended to help guide this process as it unfolds. This might look like an appointment every 4-6 weeks for 3 appointments and then a check in every 3 months going forward. Often individuals reach their initial health goals and move to a yearly check in for ongoing support and preventative care. At each appointment we are looking to:
- Monitor treatment progress and efficacy.
- Reassess lab work if needed or add new testing if indicated.
- Reassess your protocol as things change and improve. Track where we are with respect to your goals.
- Provide accountability and support. Especially if we’re working to uncover underlying stress.
Naturopathic Medicine can help you understand what your body and mind are saying about your current health, improve your overall health and guide you to prevent disease in the future.
Are you ready to integrate your health care?
Dr. Meghan Bauer ND has been a naturopathic doctor for over 15 years and has been teaching with Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto for over 13 years. She is passionate about education and awareness of what naturopathic medicine has to offer and she will take the time to prioritize your individual needs.
You will learn how to support yourself naturally and integrate naturopathic medicine in to your health care team.
Find solutions for health concerns and reach your wildest health goals!
Send us a message with any questions or message, email, book online or call to book an appointment. Submissions are confidential and we’ll do our best to get back to you within 24 hrs.
Clinic Phone: 416 920 4325
Clinic Email: admin@bloorintegrativehealth.com
