The advantage of having a multi-discipline clinic is having access to an array of health and wellness specialists.
This is part of the reason Ponoka’s Vantage Physiotherapy Clinic hosted a “Spring” into Wellness afternoon on May 4.
“The goal for the day was to showcase the available services and the various health practitioners the clinic has plus our partners within the community,” said Vantage owner Kenda Butterfield.
“We wanted to show that we offer a more holistic approach, but that it is also just a small portion of the overall services.”
Butterfield added the clinic — which includes services such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, nutrition and rehabilitation — works in conjunction with a number of physicians, surgeons and other health care services across central Alberta.
“It’s about bringing everything into one place for all-in-one delivery. A client can come in and start with one service, then move or be referred to another within the clinic or outside,” she said.
One of those community partners was the guest speaker for the day, naturopathic medicine Dr. Joanne Day.
Dr. Day is based in Lacombe and focused her talk around a couple of the alternative holistic therapies she provides — prolotherapy and IV therapy.
The premise behind prolotherapy, also known as regeneration injection therapy, is that a solution is introduced into a weakened joint or area — such as a knee, elbow or other region containing ligaments, tendons or soft tissue.
That solution is designed as an irritant to ilicit an inflammatory response by the body in order to help heal the area, by dilating the vessels and bringing more blood flow to the area to enhance the body’s repair work.
“It’s about fostering the body to naturally heal, whether it’s from an injury or the natural processes of the body,” she said.
“Most patients, with the initial treatment, will experience more therapeutic relief as the body flushes out much of the waste products.”
Meanwhile, IV (intravenous) therapy is about faster introduction of medicine to the body, with Dr. Day stating, “It allows the cells to get what they need quicker and at a greater concentration so that it can be more effective.”
For patients with digestive or intestinal issues, Dr. Day feels this therapy can help them feel better sooner.
She also spoke briefly about the benefits of naturopathic medicinal treatments and, while separate from the regeneration or IV therapies, all three can go hand in hand.
“When a patient comes in, they need to choose the route to go, then we see what is going and can make a change if needed,” Dr. Day said.
“And if they come in with some ideas, we can figure out what may work best to start with.”