With the addition of the Carolina Partners Wellness Center and naturopathic doctor, Dr. Kivette Parkes, I wanted to let the Carolina Partners community know what she and the center have to offer. I also want to address some of the stereotypes people think of when they hear the term ‘wellness’ and then answer some questions about what naturopathic medicine really is.

When I think of the word “wellness” the image of a young person practicing yoga on a beach pops in my mind.  But is that what wellness really is? Or is that what the media, doctors and the rest of society want us to think it is?  And maybe to some extent, that yogi on the beach may be the perfect picture of health.  But for the rest of the population who may have a million things to do and also live in five-story apartment in the city, that image of wellness may only be a day-dream.  So what can wellness mean to us city-dwellers?  The World Health Organization defines “wellness” as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and does not consist only of the absence of disease or infirmity.”  Its really important to understand that wellness is more than just a physical state, but as the definition points out, a complete state including mental and social health.

There are actually seven dimensions of wellness.  They include: social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical. When you look back on the last time you were really sick, you can see how all of these dimensions were affected.  Lets say you get the office cold and are really feeling sick, which obviously affects your physical wellness.  Colds can be very frustrating, so you are probably feeling that your emotional wellness is suffering as well.  You definitely can’t go to work, so now your occupational wellness is compromised.  This may even affect your intellectual wellness, since many of us tend to use our brains at work!!  You will probably stay in bed all day, trying to rest and also staying away from as many people as possible.  Even though you are doing the right thing, your social wellness takes a beating. You also are trying to stay indoors, instead of braving the icy weather outside, so your environmental wellness also is affected.  Its easy to see how one ailment or issue can affect your whole wheel of wellness.

What Dr. Parkes and the Carolina Partners Wellness Center can do for you and your “wheel of wellness”, is make sure that its always spinning in the right direction.  With everything in life, its important to have balance and that includes you dimensions of wellness.  Dr. Parkes provides a holistic health and wellness plan for each individual that includes personalized nutrition, emotional well being and physical balance.  All diseases, physical or mental imbalances, are approached with the intention of stimulating the body to heal itself.  General visits include lifestyle and nutrition counseling, disease prevention and anti- aging strategies.  All patients are required to have an Initial Complimentary Consultation by phone or in person with Dr. Parkes before any service is scheduled.  During the initial consultation Dr. Parkes listens to all major concerns and discusses her naturopathic approach as well as fees based on the needs of each patient.  Although Dr. Parkes treats people not diseases, many of her patients with some of the following conditions have benefited tremendously from naturopathic care:

• Allergies
• Anxiety
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Constipation
• Infertility
• Menopause
• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis
• Chronic Pain
• Depression
• Menstrual Irregularities
• Thyroid Disorders
• Reproductive Disorders
• Digestive Disorders
• GERD/Acid reflux
• Insomnia
• Weight Gain
• Colds/Flu
• PMS
• PCOS
• Diabetes/Insulin Resistance
• Heart Disease
• Chronic Fatigue

Here’s how the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians defines naturpoathic medicine: ” [Naturopathy is a ] distinct system of primary health care - an art, science, philosophy and practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness.  Naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles which underlie and determine its practice.  These principles are based upon the objective observation of the nature of health and disease, and are continually reexamined in the light of scientific advances.  Methods used are consistent with these principles and are chosen upon the basis of patient individuality.  Naturopathic physicians are primary health care practitioners, whose diverse techniques include modern and traditional, scientific and empirical methods.”  There are six major principles of naturopathic medicine that are:

• Let Nature Heal
• Identify and Treat the Causes
• First Do No Harm
• Educate Patients
• Treat the Whole Person
• Prevent Illness

Dr. Parkes follows these principles with passion and professionalism.  As well as practicing these principles, she also practices homeopathic medicine.  This is the “art and the science of healing the sick by using substances capable of causing the same symptoms, syndromes and conditions when administered to healthy people”.  So in short, Dr. Parkes practices a much more gentle system of healing that utilizes the body’s natural abilities to restore health.

The Carolina Partners Wellness Center is proud to offer these alternative services to our established and new clients.  Please feel free to call us at 919-792-3940 or ask your current Carolina Partner provider about more information.  If you even want more news on alternative medicine, check out these great websites:

American Association of Naturopathic Medicine: http://www.naturopathic.org

National Center for Homeopathy - http://www.homeopathic.org

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