We’ve Gone Virtual!

Telemedicine has been slow to catch on over the past decade but this pandemic has changed everything – the way we access medicine is changing rapidly as our culture has been happily embracing more remote appointments and services. Not only do online appointments save you time (our patients LOVE being able to ‘check-in’ from their home or office without having to drive to the clinic), they also allow you to connect with practitioners that would normally be very difficult to access. We’ve received hundreds of emails from people all over the world looking for care and now thanks to changes in the way we deliver telemedicine we can finally connect with patients globally looking to achieve replete health (that’s clear skin, balanced hormones, personalized perimenopause solutions, and vibrant health, ladies!).

The goal of virtual natural medicine visits are to make optimal health as easy and convenient as possible. The Replete patient virtual medicine on-boarding process starts with an hour-long comprehensive intake. This appointment involves a thorough exploration of your health, current symptoms and health goals using the replete signature method.

At your initial online visit Dr. Sarah will:

• Review your history, current symptoms & medical conditions, drug history, current prescriptions and supplements.
• Explain / review your current lab work & functional medicine lab results: We see a ton of patients who have already paid for functional medicine tests with unqualified practitioners or doctors who have not had the same extensive training in functional hormone health / natural skin healing. Many of our patients book in because they do not feel satisfied with the interpretation or application of their functional test results from other practitioners. We also advise seeing an ND if you’re gotten blood work from your physician and been told that it’s ‘normal’, but you know that something isn’t right and want to seek out a second opinion.
• Rule out the possibility of any contraindications in your current health plan. Many self prescribed supplements can interact with your other medications or simply just not be effective for you in your unique needs and physiology. We recommend anyone who takes vitamins to at least have 1 consult with a naturopathic doctor to make sure they’re not actually doing harm with their current supplement routine. It’s SO important to work with a certified naturopathic doctor – there are so many under qualified imposters in the natural health space providing ineffective and or dangerous advice; naturopathic doctors are the only health care professions in Ontario with doctorate level training in nutraceutical prescribing.

The goal of your online consult is to give you a true understanding of the root cause of your symptoms, and the exact steps you need to take in order to heal. Your care may only require 1 online consult, or may be spread out over a series of 1 visit monthly for 3 months depending on the complexity of your case.

PROS OF GOING VIRTUAL;

Virtual medicine has proven to be a convenient + powerful tool to connect us to our practitioners and to help keep us well in this busy world.

• Time Efficiency: not only do telemedicine visits save you exposure to germs during cold & flu seasons, they also save time. Our patients LOVE being able to ‘check-in’ from their home or office without having to drive to the clinic.
• Online Prescriptions & Functional Testing: Online Naturopathic doctors can write prescriptions for any natural medications (thyroid hormone, bio-identical hormones) and pharmaceutical grade supplements (*note: these prescriptions are available to patients living in Ontario only). They can also provide requisitions for blood work, as well as functional medicine test kits that are delivered directly to your door; we have access to an abundance of advanced biomedical tests that can help get you better quickly by revealing the root-cause of your symptoms.
• More Connection: we love being able to directly book patients in for visits and to be able to answer your questions via text or email. This service is only available through Dr. Sarah’s private virtual practice – Replete Wellness. All of our virtual patients are VIPs (very important patients)!
• Competitive Pricing: with slightly less overhead we are able to continue offering competitive rates for our virtual visits instead of significantly increasing prices for in person care to match dramatic increases in practice costs. In this virtual care model you get access to Dr. Sarah’s expertise including additional certifications in Functional Medicine (FYI Dr. Sarah has completed her training in functional medicine in addition to naturopathic medicine) and Anti-aging medicine, and over 10 years of practice experience at high-value rates.
• Supplement Discounts: all of Dr. Sarah’s patients receive 10% off their orders using our professional online dispensary. We’ll also help you track down the best prices and most convenient options for your prescriptions. One of the main complaints we here about experiences with other naturopathic doctors is that the patient felt pressured to leave the visit with hundreds of dollars in supplements. At replete wellness we are very conscious about the economic and time burden of our plans and we promise you will be taking only what you need to get well at the best available prices.
• Patient-First Care: have you ever had a booking experience where it felt like the prescription renewal visit was a ‘money grab’ and you didn’t gain any value from it? In our virtual practice we are happy to provide long term prescription renewals for bio-identical hormones and thyroid medications once your plan is settled and dosing no longer needs to be adjusted (this means yearly check ins for prescription renewals instead of appointments every 3 months, yahoo!).

The goal of online natural medicine care is the same as it is in-person: to get you well as fast as possible and set you up with the tools and education you need to maintain vibrant replete health for life. We look forward to seeing you online!

How The Online Appointment Process Works

STEP 1 – MAKE AN APPOINTMENT | Replete health starts with making an appointment through our online booking site, and filling out required paper work along with our signature replete method intake form which will help you get the most out of your first visit.

STEP 2 – ONE-ON-ONE VIDEO CHAT OR CALL | Dr. Sarah will contact you at your appointment time for a one-on-one video chat or phone call (whichever you prefer). Your initial consult will take between 60 – 75 minutes depending on the complexity of your case.

TREATMENT + PRESCRIPTION | At the end of your initial online consultation Dr. Sarah will provide you with a personalized treatment plan, which may include any necessary prescription medications, pharmaceutical grade supplements, further functional testing recommendations and individualized diet and lifestyle prescriptions. If you do require a medication prescription Dr. Sarah will send it electronically to a pharmacy of your choosing where you can pick it up at your convenience, or provide you a prescription from her online dispensary for you to access your supplements quickly and easily.

What If I Need Lab Work Done?

If you currently live in Ontario Dr. Sarah is able able to order necessary blood work and send you a lab requisition for you to take to the blood draw lab of your choosing. If you already had blood work done, that’s great! Email a copy to your doctor prior to your online appointment. Functional medicine tests (stool testing, urinary hormone testing, salivary testing) are accessible to patients anywhere in Canada and test kits can be drop-shipped directly to your home.

We also see a ton of patients who have already paid for functional medicine tests with unqualified practitioners or doctors who have not had the same extensive training in functional hormone health / natural skin healing. Many of our patients book in because they do not feel satisfied with the interpretation or application of their functional test results from other practitioners. We also advise seeing an ND if you’re gotten blood work from your physician and been told that it’s ‘normal’, but you know that something isn’t right and want to seek out a second opinion.

What Online Doctors Cannot Treat

Online naturopathic doctors are not an appropriate care choice for life-threatening conditions that require immediate attention. If you experience any life-threatening issues, call 911 or go to an emergency room immediately.