The Creston Valley Public Library is launching a new speaker series, Healthy You, Healthy Community, on Jan. 27, focusing on complementary health care to help you make the best decisions for your own well-being. The series will highlight naturopathic medicine, herbal medicine, acupuncture and more.
During the last century, we have witnessed many truly revolutionary advances in health care, from research into the causes of infectious diseases and the development of vaccines and pharmaceuticals to successful organ transplants and surgeries, even genomic medicine. These advances have improved our ability to prevent, diagnose and treat common and serious afflictions alike. The innovation underlying such progress continues to create and accelerate change, while many new technologies and medical interventions provide new options for care and treatment.
One area of medical treatment that has seen remarkable interest and growth, particularly in the last decade, is integrated, complementary health care that sees medical doctors working alongside naturopathic doctors, herbal practitioners, registered acupuncturists and others to deliver a comprehensive holistic care regimen. In the western world, conventional medicine alone is still the accepted foundation for healthcare, but complementary and alternative modalities are increasingly included in teaching programs in medical schools and in medical practice.
Reasons for seeking nontraditional forms of treatment are many and vary from person to person, but more important for most people is how an integrated approach can benefit them, specifically, the nature of these non-conventional methods and how they can help in one’s quest for optimum health.
Over the next few months, the Creston Valley Public Library will offer a series of talks designed to enlighten and initiate one in these lesser-known health practices. The series will focus on naturopathic medicine, herbal medicine, acupuncture and other modalities that can become integral parts of your health care regimen.
The series is led by Dr. Kim Masuch, a licensed naturopathic physician with a vibrant practice in Creston. Trained at the University of Victoria and the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine from 2003-2012, she also holds additional certifications in pharmaceutical prescriptive authority, intravenous therapies, acupuncture, and Bowen therapy, allowing a wide range of treatment options for all types of health concerns. Masuch offers both primary care and adjunctive care with all other types of practitioners, including medical doctors. She is a licensed member in good standing with the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC, the BC Naturopaths Association and the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
Masuch believes that health is a personal journey and as we are all individuals, we require options for our health that are unique to each of us. She uses the principles of naturopathic medicine to help each person regain control over their own health and healthcare choices, and allowing the body to heal using the help of natural therapeutic alternatives. With naturopathic medicine, she treats a wide range of health concerns, including chronic digestive concerns, fatigue, depression and anxiety, cancer support, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, healthy ageing, pregnancy and fertility issues, children’s medicine and much more.
In coming talks, Masuch will also speak on multivitamins, cancer care and sleep difficulties. Stay tuned for other topics in the series. For more information, call the library at 250-428-4141.
—CRESTON VALLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY