Leaders in the Community – providing results for patients
In this Clinic Profile, IHP is pleased to present the HealthSource Integrative Medical Centre. HealthSource is run by Dr. Michael Reid, ND and Dr. Som Thammasouk, ND. This husband and wife couple met in Naturopathic College. They started practicing together in a rehabilitation clinic, but their practices outgrew the space. They eventually purchased and moved their practices into a custom-built house that was designed and originally built specifically to be a medical office. They formed HealthSource Integrative Medical Centre at the end of 2011. Dr. Reid also works part-time with Dr. Anello, MD, who is also featured in this issue of IHP. HealthSource now runs the second largest IV practice (Dr. Anello having the largest) in the Waterloo region and service approximately 100 patient visits a week. This clinic positions itself in the market as an integrative medical centre, where they bridge the gap between conventional and naturopathic medicine. The end result is that the community recognizes them as a location where both integrative care and naturopathic care can be obtained. They receive many referrals from other practitioners in the Kitchener- Waterloo area, including complex and difficult cases.
The full clinic team consists of the two Naturopathic Doctors, a Registered Practical Nurse, a Registered Massage Therapist, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, and an Office Manager. The 2000 square foot clinic consists of six treatment rooms, one IV room, a preparatory IV/ lab room. The clinic provides on-site parking for patients. As a highly advanced centre, HealthSource utilizes numerous assessment tools. They do all blood draws directly in the clinic and local labs pick-up the samples. They developed their own panel of bloodwork with a laboratory and were able to offer it at a reduced rate that consists of nutrients, hormones, inflammatory markers and chemistry. Other common tests run at the centre include tumour markers, food intolerances, candida yeast testing, plasma amino acids, saliva hormones, and heavy metal testing. They utilize GDL, Doctor’s Data, Great Plains Lab, Rocky Mountain Analytical, Spectracell, Igenex, and Lifelabs. Their more advanced in-office testing includes arterial stiffness assessment to gage the risk of heart disease, live blood cell analysis/dark field microscopy, and bio-impedence analysis to assess body composition. Dr. Reid believes many patients see great results because of the clinical application of the functional markers. Their patients don’t simply focus on a reference range. For this reason, almost every patient will get some degree of lab work immediately at the start of their care.
The clinic carries multiple reputable brands including NFH, Restorative Formulations, Douglas Labs, Pure Encapsulations, Thorne, MediHerb, AOR, Researched Nutritionals. The clinic also carries a tincture dispensary where the doctors perform custom-compounding for patients and a small homeopathic dispensary. Dr. Reid and Dr. Thammasouk’s practices cover a broad range of health concerns and is open to all people. They are committed to continuing education and pride themselves on being at the forefront of medicine. Dr. Reid has an oncology-focused practice and he receives referrals from other practitioners including Naturopathic Doctors, Pharmacists, Family Doctors and most recently a local Oncologist. He spends a good deal of his time focusing on difficult cases. As a result, the clinic has become known for its cancer program, but also its focus on treating auto-immune conditions, MS, ALS, cardiac conditions, chronic fatigue, and pain management. Highly advanced IV therapy is successfully used for numerous patient cases and is especially useful in helping many patients at once.When asked about his approach to treatment, Dr. Reid says “Using my knowledge-base, I always prescribe what is best for the individual patient. Patients are sometimes surprised that I will sometimes suggest the pharmaceutical approach, simply because I believe that might be the best approach.”
Dr. Thammasouk’s practice focuses on weight loss, pediatrics, female hormonal concerns, endocrinology, and dermatology. She has extensive experience with corporate wellness for companies including Canada Post and General Mills, usually by developing 12-month programs. She also creates customized health assessments and speaks at lunch and learns. She plans on bringing her corporate experiences to the Waterloo Region with local companies. She had a baby about a year ago and has been working hard maintaining a busy practice and home life.
Dr. Reid and Dr. Thammasouk give their time to providing education to organizations within their community, including the public libraries, and special groups for Fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, arthritis, stroke recovery, Early Years Children’s Centres, YMCA, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s. They are passionate about educating people about different ways to approach healthcare, in particular about sharing the message of Naturopathic Medicine. This attitude has fueled and motivated the doctors. Since they started working, they’ve worked extremely hard to achieve what they’ve built. They were initially working 80-100 hours a week and now the majority of their practice is based on referrals. They believe that hard work and perseverance pays off and they want to be shining examples for other aspiring practitioners.
One of the largest challenges faced by HealthSource is that in the Waterloo region, since it is outside the urban centre of Toronto, there is still a lack of understanding from other professionals and the public about everything Naturopathic Doctors can actually do and offer their patients. In an effort to bridge this gap, the clinic works closely with medical doctors in a collaborative manner. This allows the clinic to expand its scope of practice because it can provide more for its patients.When they initially began practicing, the doctors were practicing out of another clinic. They found that when they took the steps to go out on their own, their practices immediately grew substantially. In particular, they found the expanded space and more tailored support staff helped. They found that being able to customize the space also allowed them to create an environment that was accurately representing Naturopathic Medicine. The doctor’s next steps are to continue growing their clinic and to add practitioners to the team that will only enhance the health experience of the patients.
When asked about the challenges of working with your spouse, Dr. Reid and Dr. Thammasouk both humourously suggest that it is especially difficult when the other partner is “strongly opinionated”. Their advice to others is to separate which role they are in, such as “spouse” versus “business” versus “doctor”. They also try to shut off work when they get home and focus on family. IHP wishes this incredible team much success in their future.
Dr. Michael Reid, ND Dr. Som Thammasouk, ND Joyce Stanic, RPN, RNCP Ruth Thompson, RNCP, RHN, MSW Michael Stock, RMT Karen Keelan, Office Manager
HealthSource Integrative Medical Centre
227 Dumfries Ave
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 2E6
tel: 519.954.7950
fax: 519.954.7951
email: info@HealthSourceIMC.com
web: www.HealthSourceIMC.com
