Dr. C.M. Gibson, Naturopathic Doctor

Wondering if CM Gibson is the right Naturopath for you? Great! You’re in the right place.

Naturopaths are an eclectic bunch. No one arrives at Naturopathic medicine without being a bit of a non-conformist, so it’s no surprise that we tend to practice very differently. You might go to one Naturopath and decide they’re not the right fit for you – and that’s ok. But don’t give up – the next one you see might be a perfect match.

While nothing can replace meeting in person, knowing a bit about who you’re making an appointment with can make a big difference. So I’m here to share as much as I can about how I practice medicine.

Education & Qualifications

All Naturopathic doctors (NDs) have a solid medical education. We have a 3-4 year bachelor’s degree, plus at least 4 years of naturopathic medical training, including 1 full year of clinical practice under a licensed ND. We learn anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and many other of the same sciences that medical students do.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in Biology from McMaster University. I then went to Lakehead University for teachers’ college, and taught high school for 6 years. Finally, I arrived at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto – the largest Naturopathic college in North America. I graduated in 2019. After a gruelling round of qualification exams and months of paperwork, I am officially qualified and registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario.

In addition to our core modalities, Naturopaths can choose to become qualified in 2 specific areas: IV therapy, and prescribing. IV therapy is used in conjunctive cancer care, fatigue, and other conditions. Having prescribing rights enables your Naturopath to prescribe certain regulated herbs and supplements, bioidentical hormones, and desiccated thyroid.

I do have Naturopathic prescribing rights. If you’re having doubts about your thyroid medication, I am happy to discuss your options with you, including desiccated thyroid. I can also prescribe bioidentical hormones to help with menopause and other hormonal symptoms.

I am not certified in IV therapy. Setting up an IV clinic requires a lot of training, time, and resources. For IV therapy in northern Ontario, I refer to the Thunder Bay Naturopathic Clinic.

To learn more about how Naturopathic doctors are trained, see here.

How I Practice

Partnership

I will never tell you what to do. Effective healthcare is a partnership between patient and doctor. I know the medicine, but you know you. I am here to offer my knowledge and skills, to answer questions, and to act as a guide. But you choose the direction. This is your health, and you are always the one in charge.

Honesty

If I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you. I don’t pretend I know everything. There are times when I’ll be stumped. When that happens, I’ll let you know. If possible, I will refer you to someone more knowledgeable in that area. But I also enjoy a challenge – so I may just take the subject on as a research project, and get back to you when I do have the answers.

Science & Tradition

I love my science. Good science is a wonderful thing, and if there is scientific evidence for a treatment I’m considering, that makes me happy.

I also know that many Naturopathic treatments don’t have a lot of scientific evidence. Part of that is because these treatments have been around a long time. People have been using water, food, and herbs to heal for centuries. They didn’t perform what we would call scientific experiments, but they knew what worked, and what didn’t. Effective traditional treatments survived, handed down from generation to generation. And I’m ok with that.

I also believe that there are things we don’t understand. Modern medical science wants an answer for everything. But sometimes, the answers elude us. We’re not always as smart as we think we are. So I’m willing to think outside the box. I may not be able to understand exactly why something works – the science may not be there yet. But if it DOES work, and it’s safe, I will offer that treatment.

Naturopathic Principles

Like all Naturopaths, I took an oath to adhere to the Naturopathic Principles. And I take that very seriously. Want to know what those principles are? To learn more, see Is Naturopathic Medicine Right for Me?

Why I Practice

Reasons matter. Motivation matters. These things will inform your choices. As a doctor, they influence how I treat my patients.

I came to Naturopathic medicine because of my own health problems. I wanted answers that conventional medicine wasn’t giving me. Even though I had a wonderful family doctor who cared deeply about my health, all he could give me was a medication. It made my lab values look good, but it didn’t make me feel any better. And I needed to know why.

My primary goal in becoming a Naturopath was to fix myself. My future patients weren’t yet a concern. If I couldn’t be helped, I had no hope of helping anyone else. I was my own experiment. If that went well, then I would worry about others.

I was a hard case. It took a lot of experimentation, but with the help of some enthusiastic interns, I made progress. I made some discoveries. And I started to heal.

I’m not going to say I’m fixed, exactly. I’ve got a lot of damage to reverse. But I can finally see the end – and I know how to get there.

I’m at the point where I can help you.

I spent more than a decade trying to do this on my own. Those are years of my life that I can never get back. Years without purpose. Failing, and not knowing why. Knowing I wasn’t living up to my potential.

I don’t want that for you. And you don’t have to go through that. You can have the kind of support and guidance that I eventually found. You can have someone on your side.

We all need someone. To listen, to support, to guide. I’d like to be that person. Because I’m excited to see how far you can go, with a little help.

I believe you were made for a reason. That you were designed with love and care. And that your life was not meant to be wasted.

You were made for more.

C.M. Gibson