Naturopathic medicine combines elements from multiple types of medicine in order to give individualized and holistic treatment options. Naturopathy focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of illness and supporting the body’s own ability to heal. Xenos Health is a holistic medical model, which involves looking at all levels of human experience as they relate to illness and well-being – physical, mental/emotional, spiritual and social.
Node Smith Naturopathic Doctor with Xenos Health, “Xenos Health were a traveling clinic were really a new way of providing holistic care, designed to specifically address some of the biggest obstacles to accessing Naturopathic care in Saskatchewan and really accessing medical care in Saskatchewan and that would be distance and time. There is just a lot of different little towns in Saskatchewan, and people drive a long way to get healthcare. And so we thought what if we did a bit of that traveling, and set up clinics here, there, and everywhere you know depending on need. And connecting with the communities in those areas, in order to set up a clinic one or two days a month or maybe once a week or every other week depending on what the need is.”
“You know I think there are a lot of misconceptions about a lot of different things, and its just like anything else that if your not familiar with it, if its new to you all you can do is judge based on the opinions of others, and what you’ve heard in the media and from other people.” Smith goes on to mention, “I think that is what was running up against, we have about 40 Naturopath’s in the area and it’s not something in Saskatchewan that everyone is familiar with. I think that is why there are misunderstandings about it.”
The clinic travels to different locations and will continue to be in the Estevan area in the first week of every month. “The reason why we came to Estevan, is because the people in the area were asking for us to come to Estevan. We have ties to the community through our parents, our parent’s church, and friends and other families that live close to the community of Estevan. We just heard that there is a general lack of health care and so whether you are seeking naturopathic health care specifically or you’re seeking a second opinion or conventional care. There is just a lack of it, so I think that is one way the community of Estevan could benefit from us being here. There is a lack of natural holistic healthcare in Saskatchewan in general, and so those people who don’t want to go to a conventional doctor, they don’t want to take pharmaceutical drugs, as the first line as their first option. You know people who want to take there own health into there own hands first, those are people who are going to benefit largely from us being in Estevan.”
Xenos Health is run by Naturopath husband and wife team, Charity Thiessen and Node Smith. Their base of operations is in the Humboldt, SK area, and from there they travel to communities all over the province offering naturopathic medicine.
Xenos is a Greek word meaning Stranger/Friend and its the basis of their whole hospitality system, being a traveling clinic and coming into people’s homes.
“For a lot of people there is this idea that naturopathy or holistic medicine is at odds or contradictory to conventional medicine, that is simply not true. Naturopathic medicine wants to help the patient primarily as its number one focus, just like conventional medicine. We just have a slightly different way of looking at the patient, we have a different way of looking at illness and the patients control of that illness, and we use slightly different tools, that’s all. The end goal is exactly the same, and most naturopaths are willing and eager to work with conventional doctors in the conventional medical system.
Charity Thiessen also a Naturopathic doctor with Xenos Health, “I’m originally from Saskatchewan and we decided to move back up here to have a naturopathic practice. Just realized there are so many places in need of natural healthcare, and most resources are available in the cities and we really wanted to be able to serve more locations and more rural places.”
“My husband has been practicing for a couple of years, and I graduated in December.” Thiessen, “We thought it would make sense to go where we have connections already, and people are more likely to go to a doctor that they know. Going to places where we have connections has been great, which is everywhere in Saskatchewan, it’s really helpful.”
Estevan, Melfort, Lanigan, and possibly adding Creighton and Minton. They are open and willing to go into more locations if you have a need in your community contact Xenos Health and they will see if it is possible to make it into your area. You can contact Xenos Health and check out more information on their website https://www.xenoshealth.com/.