Both in Naturopathic medicine and Functional medicine, your entire timeline from preconception through the present is important. This is where I listen to you and gather information. It’s not just about symptoms, I’m interested in how you are experiencing them and how they are impacting your life. Your story encompasses your family history, the environment you grew up in, triggers or triggering events throughout your life and the signs and symptoms and how they’ve changed over time. Discussions regarding past medical history, diet, lifestyle, occupation and relationships are also important facets of your story and provide important additional clues. The art of medicine comes in to decipher which parts are relevant and are contributing to your current state.