Did you know that Vancouver is one of the Healthiest Cities in the World?

Statistics show that living in Vancouver can be great for your health! Not only is the city a mecca for people seeking natural healthcare such as acupuncture and massage therapy, but it’s also a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Vancouver is bordered by water on three sides, a mountain range on the fourth, and within the city are 190 different parks—all features that beckon residents to get outside and play. It offers easy opportunities for mountain biking, climbing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, snow sports and more!

The accessibility to great complementary care and outdoor recreation is one reason Vancouver regularly ranks so high as one of the world’s healthiest cities, which makes us acupuncture providers proud! In fact, the UK’s leading online travel service, Travel Supermarket recently named Vancouver one of the healthiest cities in the world, ranking it Number 5 overall. They name the city’s incredible surroundings along with the high number of gyms, spas, and vegetarian restaurants as a reason for such a high rating. In addition, The Lenstore Healthy Lifestyle Cities Report for 2021 also ranked Vancouver in its top ten healthiest cities in the world.  In addition to its natural surroundings, Lenstore cited relatively low pollution and a high percentage of happy residents for their ranking.

Let’s face it, Vancouver has a lot to offer when it comes to being healthy. In addition to outdoor opportunities, the life expectancy of its residents is 81.7 years, it has one of the lowest obesity rates for cities in North America, and very few of its residents smoke.

The fact that Vancouver stacks up as one of the healthiest cities in the world didn’t happen by chance. Healthcare in the city is very broad and offers its residents complementary care that includes everything from cold laser therapy to fertility acupuncture and herbal medicine, as well as some of the best Western health care in the world. Vancouver is home to five major hospitals, including:

• Vancouver General Hospital
• Mount Saint Joseph Hospital
• Paul’s Hospital
• BC Children’s Hospital
• BC Women’s Hospital and Health Care Foundation

Vancouver is also home to a number of urgent care facilities and specialty clinics, focusing on everything from pediatrics to orthopedics.

Complementary Health Care in Vancouver

In order to maintain their healthy lifestyle, many people who live in Vancouver turn to natural and complementary medicine. Frequently residents have extended medical insurance plans through work that cover some or all complementary services, such as acupuncture, naturopathic medicine and therapeutic massage. At BodaHealth we are able to direct bill to most extended medical plans. However, many patients who highly value complementary care pay out of pocket for acupuncture and other services if they’re not covered or when their coverage runs out.

At BodaHealth, we’re pleased to be a part of the natural and complementary care health providers that serve local residents. We’re also fortunate that Vancouver is home to such a great number of complementary schools and colleges. While some of our practitioners trained or interned in schools or hospitals in other countries, including China, Iran, South Korea, Australia and Taiwan they were attracted to the healthy lifestyle in Vancouver. To complement the international training of some of our practitioners, the high quality of Vancouver schools has led many of our other practitioners to receive their training locally. At BodaHealth, we believe that this diversity of training offers our patients a broad range of expertise. Local schools that offer education in complementary care include:

• The Tzu Chi International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Pacific Rim College, School of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
• KPU Kwantlen Polytechnic University Traditional Chinese Medicine Program
• Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (One of only two schools of naturopathy in Canada!)
• West Coast College of Massage Therapy
• Vancouver College of Massage Therapy
• Langara College of Higher Learning
• Canadian School of Osteopathy Manual Practice; just to name a few!

Complementary and Natural Care at BodaHealth

At BodaHealth, our clinic is located in the West Broadway health corridor, commonly called the health corridor. It positions the clinic close to Vancouver General Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital. It also places our clinic near to many Western health specialists, and three fertility clinics (Grace, Genesis and Olive) as well as quite a number of other complementary care clinics.

We’re committed to offering a comprehensive array of natural and complementary health care services at BodaHealth. In fact, it’s one of the reasons that some of our patients come from as far as 100 kilometers away for care. We’re excited to be able to offer the following treatments to our patients:

• Acupuncture, which involves the insertion of sterile hair-thin needles into various points in your body. It’s a safe and natural treatment that research has found to be an effective therapy for a wide variety of health conditions.
• We also provide Fertility Acupuncture, for you individually or as a couple. Our acupuncture practitioners work with you to develop a treatment plan for preconception, conception, pregnancy, and postpartum care. Your plan is always based on your unique needs and is modified as every stage of your pregnancy journey.
• The use of Chinese herbal medicine is a therapy that can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with acupuncture and other Chinese medicine modalities. Frequently, Chinese herbs are prescribed to support or augment an acupuncture treatment.
• At BodaHealth, we’re pleased to offer cold laser therapy for the treatment of a wide range of fertility and musculoskeletal conditions. Cold laser therapy uses low-intensity light produced by high-powered LEDs and infrared lasers. This gentle light therapy is designed to reduce pain, promote healing and boost cellular metabolism deep within your tissues.
• Therapeutic Massage, provided by our registered massage therapists, is an effective treatment of soft tissue disorders that result from postural problems, traumatic injuries, repetitive movements, disease and even emotional stress. Massage therapy helps reduce and eliminate pain and restore your body to optimal health and function. At BodaHealth, we offer a wide variety of techniques, including myofascial release, friction and Swedish style.
• Nutrition is a crucial component to self-care because what you eat daily has a huge impact on your health. At BodaHealth, we offer nutritional therapy as a way to help with weight-loss, promote fertility, balance your hormones and boost your immune system. We provide nutritional services that begin with a comprehensive assessment, followed by a plan tailored to your individual needs and lifestyle.
• Shockwave therapy uses pulsed sound waves transmitted to the area of pain or injury. It works to speed up the healing process by stimulating cellular healing, breaking down scar tissue and promoting circulation. Shockwave therapy is used to treat injuries and inflammation in your tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, muscles and bones.
• At BodaHealth we provide the services of practitioners trained and experienced in exercise physiology as a way to help you move more efficiently, avoid injuries and correct existing injuries or imbalances. We’re able to help our patients rehabilitate or prevent future damage, correct balance and stability issues, provide analysis of ergonomic or gait issues, pain relief and restoration of range of motion and function.
• We’re pleased to offer naturopathic care at BodaHealth. Our naturopathic physicians have a wide scope of practice and use a number of therapeutic modalities to help their patients. Naturopathic treatments may include clinical nutrition, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine, vitamin and mineral supplementation, lifestyle counseling, injection therapy, and they are able to prescribe medications and hormones.
• Cupping and Gua Sha are therapeutic methods that focuses on your body’s fascia, which is the connective tissue that encases your body’s organs in pliable sheets and allows your tissues to move smoothly against each other. Both Cupping and Gua Sha or scraping methods help improve your flexibility and range of motion, enhance your posture and balance, maintain function and mobility and provides faster recovery after physical activity.

 

Fertility and Women’s Health Care

At BodaHealth we treat a wide range of health conditions. However, we’re especially proud of our role in treating fertility issues and women’s health within the Vancouver healthcare setting. Our clinic is located near B. C. Women’s Hospital, which offers specialty care and support services for women, newborns and families. Their patients travel from all over the province to the hospital, as they offer pregnancy and prenatal care; labour, birth and post-birth care; neonatal care; and breast health care. They also treat pelvic pain, endometriosis and recurring pregnancy loss.

In addition to the B. C. Women’s Hospital, Vancouver features a number of fertility clinics for women, including:

• Genesis Fertility Clinic
• Grace Fertility Clinic
• Olive Fertility Clinic
• Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM)

For pregnancy, labour, and delivery care, Vancouver is host to eight midwifery clinics and over 70 midwives. In addition, UC Baby in Vancouver provides 3D ultrasound for pregnant women. We are pleased to collaborate with many of these fertility and women’s health clinics throughout Vancouver.

BodaHealth’s Role in Women’s Healthcare

At BodaHealth, we understand women and their health. From menarche to menopause and through preconception to postpartum, we know that your healthcare needs are different from anyone else. For that reason, our plan for your care and treatments will always be as unique as you are—customized throughout every stage of your reproductive journey.

Whether you are trying to become pregnant naturally or through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), our practitioners treat a wide range of fertility-related conditions and have a long history of helping women with:

• Diminished ovarian reserve
• Infertility
• Irregular periods
• Luteal Phase defect
• Endometriosis
• PCOS
• Threatened or recurring miscarriage
• Thyroid or other hormonal disorders
• We also provide healthcare for men and treat male factor fertility

Needless to say, during pregnancy your healthcare needs shift and change. The good news is that the practitioners at BodaHealth are here for you. They are trained and experienced in treating:

• Pregnancy-related anemia, hypertension and gestational diabetes
• Morning sickness
• Pregnancy-related pain
• Breech presentation
• Cervical ripening and labour induction

In addition, we are able to provide our patients the best in natural gynecological care and women’s health, treating conditions such as:

• PMS
• Painful periods
• Menopause symptoms
• Fatigue
• Digestive issues
• Weight loss
• Mental health

The bottom line is that at BodaHealth when it comes to talking about Vancouver, we get very excited! We live in a beautiful, active and diverse city. We’re proud to be a part of a vibrant health care system—one that embraces Western medicine and complementary care. Every day we feel honored to take our place among the clinics and practitioners in Vancouver offering natural care to our patients.

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