Introducing...
 I'd
like to introduce you to Connect Health and
the result of four years of hard work and
lots of planning. Four years ago I did a
joint lecture with my mom at an integrative
medicine conference in Victoria. One of the
attendees at that lecture was an MD from St.
Paul's Hospital, Dr. Lawrence Cheng. What I
soon found out was that Dr. Cheng had a
vision, as I did, of starting an integrative
medicine clinic in Vancouver. So, the
meetings to plan this clinic began.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Cheng met another MD
with this same vision. Actually, as a
medical student years prior Dr. Ashley
Riskin had started AIMS (Alternative
and Integrative Medical Society),
initially a group for medical students to
learn about alternative and complementary
medicine (CAM) practices and later a group
that also educated and connected CAM
practitioners and the public.
Small world that it is, I had already met
Dr. Riskin via AIMS, so the three of us
partnered to start what is now called
Connect Health.
 One
of the things that we wanted to ensure was
that this integrative clinic did not fall
short in being truly integrative.
Alternative medicine is either/or medicine.
You choose this or you choose that.
Complementary medicine sounds better, but
often involves just side-by-side practice. I
work here with my patient. He works there
with his patient. We don't argue, but we
don't work together. Even if I refer a
patient to this other practitioner, we don't
really talk enough about how we can work
together for that patient.
Integrative medicine means that we have
planned regular meetings as a team of health
professionals. At those meetings we share
knowledge, opinions, and suggestions about
patient care. We work in partnership to pool
our resources and create a complete health
treatment plan for our patients.
You may choose to have your clinic file to
be seen only by me. In other words, your
file would not be discussed for treatment
planning at any of these meetings and no
other practitioner would view your file.
 Or,
you may like to allow your file to be shared
by the other health practitioners at Connect
Health so that we can collaborate ways to
better your health and make suggestions. As
always, your file information will be kept
confidential by the clinic's team of health
professionals. Because this clinic will have
my chiropractor (Dr. Joehel Blanca),
integrative medical doctors, holistic
nutritionists, registered massage
therapists, a psychiatrist, registered
nurses, and more, all housed in the same
place, you can save time.
Connect Health will also be holding regular
educational seminars on various health
topics and health practices.
While I bowed out of the business of
building this new clinic about a year ago,
I've been eagerly awaiting the start of this
truly integrative clinic because I believe
that amazing things can happen when we work
together. And here it is!
Connect Health
Centre for Integrative Medicine
 Our Mission
To provide effective
whole person care by combining the best of
conventional and complementary approaches.
We will work to evolve the health care
system by becoming leaders in clinical care,
education, community outreach and research
in the field of integrative medicine.
Our Vision
To transform people’s lives by helping them
achieve and maintain their highest health
potential.
Our Philosophy
We believe:
Health and wellness
are our most valuable assets.
The whole person
should be treated, including mind, body,
and spirit.
A dynamic and
respectful partnership between patient and
practitioner is essential to healing.
The patient is the
expert in their own healing journey.
A collaborative and
coordinated approach provides the best
care.
The appropriate use
of conventional and complementary methods
enhances the body’s innate capacity to
heal.
Knowledge and
education are key components to patient
empowerment.
Patients should
have the right to choose their own healing
path.
Healing is always
possible even if there is no cure.
What is Integrative
Medicine?
Integrative medicine
is a growing field that combines the best of
traditional and complementary approaches in
order to facilitate harmonized, whole person
care. It is a team-based model that sees
patient and provider working collaboratively
to develop and implement a comprehensive and
personalized plan with the goal of
optimizing and maintaining health.
Defining Elements:
Preventive
Collaborative
Conventional and
Complementary
Evidence-based
Holistic
Empowering
What makes us unique?
We offer true
integration of conventional medicine and
complementary therapies in one convenient
location.
Our Clinical
Directors are trained in both conventional
and complementary medicine, and hold
Integrative Medicine Fellowships from the
University of Arizona, having trained with
Founder and Director, Andrew Weil, MD. They
bring this unique blend of conventional and
holistic approaches to all aspects of care.
Our team of
professionals consists of:
Medical Doctors
Naturopathic
Doctors
Registered Nurses
Chiropractors
Doctors of
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Registered Massage
Therapists
Nutritionists
Mind-Body
Counsellors
Health Planners
Movement & Fitness
Experts (yoga therapy, personal training)
Our Centre
Our centre is located
in the heart of Vancouver’s West Side on
Arbutus and W 16th Ave in Kitsilano. Housed
in a two-story professional building with
ample free parking, natural light, and trees
lining the windows of our treatment rooms,
our 1800 square foot space is designed to be
a soothing and nourishing environment where
nature-inspired elements are featured. We
have 9 rooms in total, which include
consultation, treatment, group and a waiting
room area that converts to a workshop space.
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