Mark comes to Madrona with over 20 years of experience in private practice as a counsellor, therapist, facilitator, and teacher. His practice is based deeply in Psychosynthesis, a form of transpersonal psychology, and in Social Ecology with a focus in Ecopsychology. Mark’s approach honours how personal insight and knowing, gained through life experiences, can ultimately bring clients into more ease with themselves and how they relate to the world around them. This reflects Gregory Bateson’s observation that so many problems “are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think”. Addressing this difference can be hugely liberating, deeply relieving - and ultimately wonder-full. Nature does not have an opinion about the way things are, it flows with what is. Mark helps his clients discover that, like nature, they hold an innate wisdom to shape the flow of their lives, as a tree grows towards the light.

With a background in conservation, communications, and theatre – where he developed a love of improv as a tool to build self-confidence, as well as training to facilitate Joanna Macy’s The Work that Reconnects, Mark is as passionate about social change as he is about personal change, and sees that they go hand-in-hand. Mark supports his clients in learning how to live fully, especially in the face of the challenging times, both personally and globally.

Mark offers a broad-based general practice for adults both individually and in groups, in person and online, and often finds himself in support of counsellors, therapists, and folks who hold space for others.

He has experience working with: life transitions; issues relating to uncertainty and lack of purpose; crises of ageing, death and dying; the psycho-spiritual distress and trauma of living in times of great division, the apparent “unravelling” and change of climate and social systems we believed we could rely upon and trust; and more.

Just as physical illness occurs when our natural processes of healing are interrupted, so with psycho-emotional disturbance. When emotional well-being is compromised, it tends to be our sense of our identity, purpose and value that is challenged, although this may also spill over into our physical reality. I work with my clients to align with their own processes to recover their sense of themselves, their purpose, and the aliveness that informs us all.

Though born in the UK, Mark lived for four decades in Aotearoa/New Zealand, where he was a founder of one of the first transition towns in Australasia, leading efforts to empower local communities to create solutions around eco-social challenges. In addition to his practice, Mark was course facilitator at Psychosynthesis Institute of New Zealand for 12 years. He relocated with his Canadian partner to Salt Spring in 2020.

From Mark: ‘Uy‛ skweyul. This Hul’qumi’num greeting recognises the traditional caretakers of these lands, and my gratitude to have felt welcomed here, both by people and place.

Credentials: Dip.Counselling (Psychosynthesis) Dip.Psychotherapy (Psychosynthesis) M.Ed (Social Ecology) Psychotherapist Member: CCPA/ACCP (Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association) Life member: PanzA (Psychosynthesis Aotearoa (New Zealand) & Australia

Mark comes to Madrona with over 20 years of experience in private practice as a counsellor, thera... Read More

We are delighted to announce that we are now offering Holistic Skin Care & Medical Aesthetics with Dr. Sam Bowen ND at Madrona Integrative Health. Our new offering is built with the philosophy that glowing, healthy, vibrant skin is a result of both internal factors as well as topical approaches – our aim is to offer a full spectrum approach to skin care.

Holistic Skin Care & Medical Aesthetics:

Our new medical aesthetic treatment options to help our patients achieve healthy and glowing skin include the following:

• Facial Acupuncture with LED Light Therapy, Facial Massage, and Gua Sha
• SkinPen Microneedling
• Neuromodulators (commonly referred to as botox)

More information about these treatments is provided below. You can also book a 30-minute Medical Aesthetics consult with Dr. Sam to strategize an individualized approach using these treatments to help you achieve your skin goals.

Dr. Sam’s Bio:

We’re excited to welcome Salt Spring Island-raised Dr. Sam Bowen ND to the Madrona Integrative Health team! Dr. Sam will be leading the Holistic Skin Care & Medical Aesthetics program. She is passionate about holistic skin care – from her own personal struggles with eczema and acne to witnessing the impact of various skin conditions on her patients, she understands that achieving healthy and vibrant skin requires a multifaceted approach with internal and external treatment considerations. Skin concerns can be a sign of internal imbalance that can be addressed to optimize health overall - healthy skin is a reflection of a healthy body. And, this can be helped along with the inclusion of topical treatments. She believes that achieving healthy skin is empowering at any stage in life.

Dr. Sam is a naturopathic doctor who strives to create patient-centred care that focuses on identifying the root cause of symptoms and understanding the interconnectedness between the different systems of the body and mind. Drawing on a variety of tools such as lifestyle and nutritional counselling, targeted supplementation, acupuncture, IV nutrient therapy, and pharmaceuticals, her goal is to create individualized treatment plans that optimize the unique health needs of her patients. Through this process, she aims to establish an environment where patients feel supported and empowered throughout their health journey.

Her clinical focus lies in supporting skin health optimization, women’s health, digestive health, and mental health.

More about these treatments:

Facial Acupuncture with LED light, Facial Massage, and Gua Sha

Facial acupuncture targets specific areas along the face to improve blood circulation, relieve muscle tension, improve fine lines, support collagen production, and promote skin rejuvenation. Using a Traditional Chinese Medicine approach, these needles are used to bring balance to the meridians or pathways of Qi (energy) that flow throughout the entire body. Body acupuncture points are also included as needed to encourage flow throughout the entire system.

This treatment also includes Celluma LED light therapy for the face to stimulate collagen production, accelerate tissue repair, reduce inflammation, kill acne-related bacteria, and improve skin tone and texture. It is also complemented with a blissful facial massage and gua sha treatment to release muscle tension and support lymph flow, leaving you with glowing skin. Some or all of these modalities may be utilized depending on the patient’s specific needs and goals.

Benefits of this treatment may include improved muscle tone; decreased puffiness around the eyes; firming of sagging skin; reduction of fine wrinkles; even skin tone and texture.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a safe and effective collagen induction therapy. It initiates skin remodelling and can be used to treat a variety of skin concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring, hyperpigmentation, enlarged pores, textured skin, or overall skin rejuvenation.

The treatment is performed using the Health Canada approved SkinPen Precision medical-grade device. This is a micromechanical device that uses tiny sterile needles to create tiny microchannels within the skin that initiates collagen production. Treatment can be performed on the face or face and neck.

Benefits include: improvement in fine lines and wrinkles; reduction in acne or facial scarring; improvement in uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation; reduction in enlarged pores; improvement in overall skin complexion

Cosmetic Neuromodulator Treatment

Neuromodulators (commonly referred to by the brand name “Botox”) are used to relax specific muscles of the face to produce a softening effect of fine lines and wrinkles. A neuromodulator is injected into a muscle to cause a temporary reduction in the strength of muscle contraction (on average is 3-4 months) which helps to reduce wrinkles and create smoother skin. Dr. Sam believes less is more, and takes a gentle approach, building as needed to ensure that you achieve the results you desire.

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Arjuna George is a trauma-informed resilience coach and TRE® Provider specializing in work-life strategy for burnout prevention and recovery. A Certified Executive Coach (CEC) through Royal Roads University, a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a certified global TRE® Provider (Tension and Trauma Release Exercises), Arjuna offers a unique mind-body approach, empowering his clients to improve their lives and well-being through both coaching and somatic practices.

Work-life strategy helps clients to prioritize and focus on the aspects of life that support their overall wellness as they create a purpose-driven life. Arjuna incorporates scientifically developed assessments to help identify areas that may be at the root of your burnout and stress, acting as barriers to performance and well-being including HeartMath Stress and Wellbeing Assessment, Stress Mastery Questionnaire SMQ, and the Personal Resilience Profile (PRP).

Arjuna also uses Functional Imagery Coaching, to help his clients leverage their imagination in a holistic, multi-sensory approach that supports them to perform at their highest level by shifting unwanted mindsets, changing narratives, and developing mental focus and grit.

As a TRE® provider, Arjuna brings a powerful stress-reduction tool that effectively assists the body in releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma. This body-based set of exercises empowers his clients with a practice they can add to their self-care toolbox to prevent and overcome overwhelm and burnout, build resiliency, and master stress.

Coaching and TRE® sessions are available either in person or online via video conference. For those who are supported by and/or thrive in nature, all sessions can be held outdoors (weather permitting).

Arjuna is committed that his clients feel seen, listened to, and understood, meeting his clients where they are with what they need most from session to session. With a background of 24 years in emergency services, Arjuna brings a high level of trust and psychological safety alongside a community-centered approach. His combination of skills are especially well-suited to support folks in leadership roles but he is passionate about supporting folks from all walks of life who are struggling with stress or simply want to learn new skills to master it.

Arjuna is a long-time islander and recently retired Fire Chief for Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue. He resides in the beautiful south end with his supportive wife Cathy and two amazing children, Billy and Monica.

Complimentary 30 min meet and greets are available to get to know Arjuna and help you determine the best approach for you.

Arjuna offers a sliding scale for those in need. Please inquire with the clinic for rates.

Arjuna George is a trauma-informed resilience coach and TRE® Provider specializing in work-life s... Read More

Dr. Patrick Callas, ND is a Naturopathic Physician with over a decade of experience working with patients of all ages. He brings both curiosity and empathy to his consults and takes a multi-faceted approach to treatment plans, working with his patients as humans who need real individual solutions that work for them. He believes in collaborating with other care providers as a team to explore a wide scope of healing tools such as herbs, nutrition, exercise, acupuncture, pharmaceuticals, hormone replacement therapy, injection and intravenous therapies.

While Patrick has had a general practice working with folks of all genders and ailments, his areas of focus are mental health and mood (anxiety, depression, PTSD), neurodiversity (ADHD/ADD), autoimmunity, gut health, chronic pain, cancer, and longevity. In particular, he draws from his lived experience on a personal journey with anxiety, IBS and receiving the diagnosis of ADHD as an adult, offering a depth of interconnected wisdom as well as empathy and compassion to patients working with these challenges.

He has specialized training in oxidative therapies (ozone and hydrogen peroxide therapy), chelation (the removal of heavy metals), neural and scar therapy, and hormone replacement therapy.

Patrick spent most of his life on Salt Spring Island where practiced at his own clinic, Island Natural Health until 2017 when he moved to Vancouver and joined the Empower Health leadership team. He has now returned to the island and is excited to re-launch his local practice with the collaborative team here at Madrona.

Patrick’s Advanced Training and Certifications include:

• Advanced Intravenous Therapies

• Heavy Metal Toxicology & IV Chelation – Drs. Paul Anderson, ND, & Virginia Osborne, ND

• Oxidative Therapies (Hydrogen peroxide, Ozone & UVB) with Dr. Michael Prytula, ND

• Advanced Neural Therapy with Dr. Jeff Harris, ND

• Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)

• Medical Qi Gong from Master Teresa Yeung

• Naturopathic Cardiac Life Support and Basic Life Support with CPR

• Naturopathic Pharmaceutical Prescribing License

Dr. Patrick Callas, ND is a Naturopathic Physician with over a decade of experience working with ... Read More

Dr. Nicole van Poelgeest is a naturopathic doctor who approaches your wellbeing with the philosophy that health is not simply the absence of disease. She works alongside you to restore equilibrium to body, mind, and spirit and believes that when these elements are balanced, one begins to feel what it truly means to be healthy: to have vitality in one’s life and to feel whole.

Keeping this paradigm in mind, she has a passion for women’s health, acting as an advocate and ally in the periods of transition unique to menopause, fertility & parenthood (including fertility concerns & perinatal care), and providing treatment options for PMS, menstrual issues, endometriosis, and PCOS. Additionally, Nicole works with autoimmune conditions, allergies, digestive issues, skin problems, and naturopathic cancer support.

Integrating the wisdom of traditional medicines with current research, she uses herbal, nutritional, and when necessary, pharmaceutical remedies to tailor treatment to the individual. While naturopathic doctors are trained in a variety of therapeutic interventions, Nicole’s clinical interest lies in herbal medicine, nutrition, IV treatment, acupuncture, and the mind/body connection. She uses these therapies to co-create customized health plans with her patients.

Visits can be conducted in working level French.

Please note that new patients have the option to book a Telehealth first appointment to ensure they are able to find a time slot in Nicole’s schedule. Subsequent visits can be in person or by telehealth as per patient preference.

Visit her website to learn more

Dr. Nicole van Poelgeest is a naturopathic doctor who approaches your wellbeing with the philosop... Read More

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Miriam is a Registered Physiotherapist specializing in Pelvic Health Rehabilitation. She specializes in treating sexual pain, vaginismus, dyspareunia and vulvar-vestibulodynia. She is also trained in pessary fittings for pelvic organ prolapse. She provides Physiotherapy support for moms, babies, and families who are breast and/or bottle feeding. This includes feeding positioning, neck and jaw assessment of babies, mastitis and clogged milk ducts.

Miriam completed her Masters of Science degree in Physiotherapy at Dalhousie University, Halifax. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.

She has received extensive post-graduate training on treating pelvic floor dysfunctions, bowel – and bladder incontinence for both males and females, pre -and postnatal care, lumbosacral dysfunctions, ano-rectal dysfunctions and coccydynia.

Her treatment approach uses a combination of biofeedback, manual therapy, IMS, education, behavior retraining, and individualized exercise prescription plans.

Miriam is passionate about working in pelvic health therapy. She provides a safe, inclusive and empowering space for all genders.

Outside of work, she loves spending time with her daughter and husband and can be found running, refurbishing furniture, and exploring the beautiful outdoors.

Miriam is fluent in english & german.

Miriam is a Registered Physiotherapist specializing in Pelvic Health Rehabilitation. She speciali... Read More

Dr. Holly Hochstadt is a passionate and skilled chiropractor with 29 years of experience. She has a diverse chiropractic skill set, ranging from gentle tonal work (to help the nervous system unwind and process stored tension) to more classic chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue work. She is comfortable supporting a diverse set of patients, from very sensitive people to those who benefit most from stronger physical intervention. She recognizes that healing takes place on many levels of mind, body, and spirit, and has the varied repertoire of skills to be able to effectively work with patients across this spectrum. She is skilled in creating safe space, and places a high value on informed consent and trauma-informed care, understanding this is specifically important in chiropractic work.

Dr. Holly cares for people of all ages and stages of life, from newborns to children and teens to elders. Her patients range from laborers, desk workers, gardeners, athletes, and people recovering from health challenges, illness, injury, or life transition. She also provides chiropractic care to women throughout the perinatal period, supporting pregnant women in optimizing pelvic mobility and comfort before, during, and after pregnancy.

Dr. Holly is a firm believer in empowering her clients through education and in taking an active role in their own health. She provides educational resources and support to help her clients on this path, including recommendations for nutrition, supplements, specific exercises for the physical body, or methods to support the parasympathetic nervous system in grounding and healing, as indicated.

Drawing on her diverse skill set, her goal is always to find the best method for each patient to assist their healing and expression of their full potential in life. Dr. Holly offers a wide range of chiropractic adjusting approaches, including traditional manual chiropractic, drop table, and instrument-assisted adjusting, all of which work with injuries and improve function of the nervous system, spine, joints, and muscles. She also practices Bio-Geometric Integration (BGI), a tonal style of chiropractic that assesses how the body is storing tension from past overloads, where the body is ready to process tension, and then uses gentle fingertip pressure to facilitate the body in accessing, unwinding, and integrating it. This can be powerful healing work.

Dr. Holly is a vitalistic chiropractor, meaning she recognizes that the human body has an innate ability to heal itself, and that chiropractic care helps remove interference to our inborn healing capacity, allowing for a fuller expression of health and vitality. She believes that health includes our physical, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual well being. Her philosophy of care is to address the root cause of your health concerns, rather than just treating symptoms.

Dr Holly works with discomfort or injury of the spine or any muscle or joint of the body:

• Pain in the neck, back, ribs, pelvis
• Spasm of low back, neck or other area
• Sciatica
• Pain or injury of the upper or lower extremities
• Numbness or tingling
• Headaches or migraines
• TMJ discomfort
• Injuries due to car accidents, sports, slip/fall, sprains/strains
• Poor sleep due to either physical discomfort or nervous system “overdrive”
• Reflux, heartburn, upper abdominal pain
• Issues with coordination, mental focus, mood, low immune system
• Nervous system dysregulation

While Chiropractic is often understood to help with the issues of the physical body, the benefits of a better functioning spine and nervous system often go beyond this. Dr Holly recognizes that the body has an innate wisdom and healing potential, and her intention is to help by restoring communication between the brain and the body, via the nervous system. Her approach may involve combining traditional chiropractic techniques, tonal work, and other gentle modalities to promote healing and restore balance. She is committed to providing personalized and compassionate care to every client, and works to create a treatment plan that fits each person’s specific needs and goals.

Dr. Holly values integrity, compassion, connection, and caring for each patient like a beloved family member. After graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon in 1995, she practiced in Seattle for 24 years, and then in an agricultural community in Southern Alberta for 4 years. She joyfully returned to the West Coast in 2023, and is enjoying exploring our region with her partner and her hiking groups. She loves gardening, cooking, reading, kirtan, hiking, and building community. She is grateful to be of service to the Salt Spring Island community on the path of expressing health and human potential.

Dr. Holly Hochstadt is a passionate and skilled chiropractor with 29 years of experience. She has... Read More

Dr. Kate Schertzer ND, DC is a primary care doctor of naturopathic and chiropractic medicine who takes a multidimensional, holistic approach to health: physical, emotional, social and spiritual. From in depth history taking, functional movement screening, and hands on physical assessment to comprehensive lab and diagnostic analysis she has a focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of dis-ease. She strives to provide a patient centred, collaborative approach to wellness, offering support, and guidance to help each patient achieve their unique health goals.

Drawing from a versatile background she recognizes the utility of conventional and alternative medical modalities in the journey of health and wellness. She utilizes a diverse array of treatments including physical medicine, chiropractic manipulation and soft tissue therapies, nutrition and lifestyle changes, acupuncture, herbal medicine, supplementation and more.

Her goal as a practitioner is to be humble, to live and practice with openness and integrity and be a resource for not only her patients, but her community as well.

To book with Kate at the Arbutus Branch on Tuesdays, click here.

Dr. Kate Schertzer ND, DC is a primary care doctor of naturopathic and chiropractic medicine who ... Read More

Dr. Hannah Webb ND is a naturopathic primary care physician who practices medicine that addresses health on all levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual. She works to address the unique interconnected aspects of health that make up the individual ecology of each of her patients. She is collaborative and works with her patients in co-creating health, together finding a unique set of solutions and strategies best for the individual patient. She uses a diverse set of tools from conventional lab testing and pharmaceutical medicines all the way through to dietary and lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and more. She brings a discerning eye to both conventional and alternative medicine, and strives to work with you as a guide and partner on your path to wholeness.

Visit her website to learn more

Dr. Hannah Webb ND is a naturopathic primary care physician who practices medicine that addresses... Read More