Dr. Effy Germanis is a Naturopathic Doctor and Registered Acupuncturist and is a lover of gut health. She is the owner of Hygeia Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto, Ontario and helps both men and women achieve optimal health by addressing the foundations – the gut. With over 10 years of clinical experience she has helped those with gut issues reclaim their health and their relationship with food.
Dr. Effy Germanis ND, R. Ac is passionate about helping people dealing with gut issues the ability to step away from pain and indigestion and into a place of enjoyment and nourishment. She has dealt with her own issues that not only affected her gut but began to affect the function of her hormones, and she understands the pain and struggle. She has felt the burnout and has found balance and enjoyment with her gut and her health. She is here and ready to help you flourish – “we are what we eat,” so let’s be healthy, nourishing and delicious.
Dr. Effy Germanis ND, R.Ac completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Biomedical Ethics from the University of Toronto in 2008. She then furthered her studies at Bastyr University and completed the four-year doctorate program in 2012. She also completed a 2 year Acupuncture Diploma at the Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2016.
Dr. Effy Germanis ND, R.Ac is licensed to practice in Ontario and is registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (CONO), the regulatory body for Naturopathic medicine. She is also registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO). She is an active member of the Ontario and Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
Dr. Scott Clack graduated from the Naturopathic Medicine program at Bastyr University (Seattle, WA) in 1997. He practiced in B.C. for two years before moving to Ontario and starting practice in April 2000. In activities with the naturopathic profession, Dr. Clack was a Director of the B.C. Naturopathic Association from 1998 through 1999, as well as being appointed to the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapy (the regulatory board of Naturopathic Medicine in Ontario) between 2002 and 2004. He was also voted Naturopathic Doctor of the Year in 2005 by his peers in the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
Dr. Clack has a family-based general practice, with special interests in Pediatrics, Allergies, Gastroenterology, and Environmental Medicine. He is a certified Therapeutic Lifestyle Change consulting practitioner (since March 2008) and has practiced NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques)
allergy desensitization since 2000. A significant part of his practice focus is the care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Clack has treated well over a thousand children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), PANDAS/PANS, Behaviour disorders (eg. Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Dr. Clack has taken extensive training in this field, as a Defeat Autism Now! Practitioner plus the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS). Dr. Clack has been a consultant for the Great Plains Laboratory of Lenexa, KA.
Dr. Clack uses the full range of treatments that Naturopathic Doctors are trained to use:
a) Lifestyle counselling
b) Therapeutic Diets and nutritional supplements
c) Herbal or botanical medicines
d) Homeopathy – classical prescribing and homotoxicology formulas
e) Acupuncture and Acupressure
f) Physical medicine
The key is learning about the patient through patient comprehensive assessments (patient history), physical examination and testing and determining which treatments will help improve their health and help their constitution to overcome factors that are having a negative impact. Patients may think their problems have recently developed, especially in children. In this current era, children and adults coming to consult with Dr. Clack will have complicated histories, with chronic underlying factors. For Dr. Clack the most important principle of caring for patients is “Treat the Cause, not the symptom”.
Nada Eltom CNP, CFMP worked as a physician (laboratory medicine specialist) in Hungary before immigrating to Canada where she earned her Certified Nutritional Practitioner, and a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, designations.
She completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in Semmelweis University, Hungary, her Holistic Nutrition Diploma from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition, Canada and her Functional Medicine Certificate from the Functional Medicine University, USA.
Ever since Nada was a child, she has been fascinated with the human body. From a young age, Nada developed a passion for understanding how the many processes in the human body integrate, allowing its incredible function. She was interested in how organs work at the cellular level, how diseases affect the human body, and how we can restore balance to the body with therapeutic nutrition, lifestyle changes and energetic interventions.
Her philosophy is to prioritize gaining a holistic perspective of a client’s condition. This involves finding the root cause behind each health challenge and analyzing all possible intrinsic and extrinsic factors. She knows without any doubt, that changes in diet, nutrients, environment, and lifestyle can reestablish homeostasis and improve mental and physical wellbeing. Her areas of focus include gut health, weight management, food intolerance, detoxification, and chronic inflammation.
Nada regularly practices meditation and educates clients on its healing benefits. Her goal is to counsel people so that they strive to become the healthiest and happiest version of themselves, and that one day, they too, can spread the knowledge of natural health to others.
Dr. Esther Jeon ND is a licensed naturopathic doctor in Ontario and a researcher. She earned her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. Dr. Jeon ND has a strong research background in Medical Science, which provided the basis of her evidence-based approach to treating naturally.
Her lifelong experiences of being a family member with chronic diseases provoked her interest in research in health and medicine. After she obtained her graduate degree (Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto), and experience in medical and clinical research in debilitating chronic diseases, she decided to pursue a career in naturopathic medicine to help individuals struggle with various chronic health conditions more directly. Dr. Jeon ND is passionate about helping men and women with health concerns in immune health, autoimmune diseases, integrative cancer care and prevention, digestive and hormonal health, chronic pain, and skin health conditions.
Dr. Esther Jeon ND believes that the healthcare approach to many chronic health conditions should be comprehensive and individualized as everyone has unique medical and family histories, social and psychological factors, and symptom pictures (manifestations of the combined interactions of these factors); she will assess these factors through a full intake of medical and family histories, physical exams, laboratory tests, and other applicable functional medicine tests. In your visits with Dr. Jeon ND, she will work with you to uncover the root cause of your health issues based on these comprehensive findings to create individualized treatment plans by utilizing various combinations of different naturopathic treatments to meet your health goals. She also strongly believes that everyone should be able to get proper education about their health conditions and how it can be supported to feel more empowered and gain a sense of control over their health. Throughout your health journey, she will provide education, guidance, and support to achieve and maintain optimal health.
Dr. Jeon ND had additional education and training to obtain the prescribing right for therapeutic prescribing, intravenous infusion therapy and facial rejuvenation acupuncture. Dr. Jeon ND is registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario and is a member of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors, and the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Paola De Melo Borges, R.Ac is a Registered Acupuncturist and she has also graduated from Medical School in 2017. She worked for 2 years as a general practitioner in Brazil before moving to Canada.
She always found that we need to start approaching health and taking care of patients considering them as whole, who are who they are also because of their history, environment and living experiences.
She found in acupuncture a medicine that treats their patients individually, considering the multiple aspects of health.
She likes to say that she chose medicine because she loves to listen to a good story. She is someone who embraces people with different backgrounds, cultures, who truly enjoys getting to know them.
Always passionate about women’s health, most of her studies during University were direct to Gynecology and Obstetrics. Now, as a new mom, she has seen how life changing it is to go through pregnancy, giving birth, whilst understanding our bodies and trying to still recognize ourselves.
You can always find her studying, researching new treatments and alternatives for their patients. She is passionate about acupuncture, but also loves a cupping treatment, especially for pain. She will go far to find approaches that will give the most wholesome treatment plan for her patients.
Van Lieu is our resident acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Herbal Practitioner at Hygeia. She is currently completing the Advanced Program at the Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
She incorporates various TCM modalities including acupuncture, moxa, cupping, auricular therapy and guasha to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal. Her practice focuses on promoting digestive health, fertility and women’s health and facial acupuncture.
When not immersed in learning about Chinese medicine, you can find her improving her qigong and Taichi practice, or capturing life through the lens of her trusty ole Nikon D70.
Jill Hillhouse BA, BPHE, CNP, is a nutrition specialist, health strategist, and author.
Your DNA holds insights for optimizing your health. Lifestyle genomics explores the interaction between your genes and your lifestyle and nutrition choices. It investigates how your genetic variations influence your metabolism, nutrient absorption, and response to specific dietary components.
Jill uses Nutrigenomics to uncover genetic predispositions and susceptibilities as the foundation for a personalized nutrition and lifestyle plan to optimize health and aging. Working as a nutritional practitioner since 2003, she has an extensive clinical background in treating metabolic and nutritional imbalances.
Jill is the author of The Paleo Diabetes Diet Solution: Manage Your Blood Sugar with 125 Recipes and a 30-day Meal Plan and the best-selling book The Best Baby Food: 125 Health & Delicious Recipes for Babies & Toddlers.
Jill is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP) from The Institute of Holistic Nutrition and has earned her Bachelor of Physical and Health Education (BPHE) and her BA in psychology from Queen’s University. She is a member of The Institute of Functional Medicine and The Canadian Association of Natural Nutrition Practitioners.
Shooka Monazami has a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition from Ryerson University plus a diploma in Holistic Nutrition from the College of Holistic Nutrition. She has also completed her Live Cell Microscopy and Capillary Puncture courses through Edison College of Health. She has been working in this industry for over 7 years. During which she has dedicated her time to variety of health-related cases, particularly involving disease prevention and weight loss.
Nutri-Body Analysis is a systematic way of surveying a person’s unique array of systems to discover possible nutritional causes of the disorder. It is a practical way of assessing nutritional status that relies on a unique method of measurement that is both approximate and reliable. This method relies on a detailed questionnaire about person’s physical and emotional concerns and complains. In Addition, a Live Cell Analysis is performed, which will demonstrate a body’s matrix and how healthy the red and white blood cells are. Live Cell Analysis detects deficiencies and imbalances long before they show on laboratory tests.
Shooka combines her nutrition expertise with scientific analysis of blood cell to detect deficiencies and recommend and engineer the appropriate health plan. This way an individualized prevention plan will be implemented rather than a treatment. An effective program for disease prevention and weight loss, like any other effective solution, needs to be tailored to one’s body and lifestyle.
On a fateful trip after witnessing her friend almost drowning then getting saved with an emergency acupuncture treatment, Karen decided to trace back to her roots, to try to understand how this mystic practice called Traditional Chinese Medicine can potentially benefit people. She remembered growing up with all these folk’s remedies that she had taken for granted at the time, without realizing how powerful this natural practice can be.
Fast forward a few years of TCM schooling, she is now a Registered Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (in Ontario, Canada), with plans to complete her board exam to become a Doctor of TCM (in BC, Canada). She is currently teaching at the Toronto School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and serves as a Board member of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Ontario Association (TCMO).
Her primary goal remains after all her TCM training – to rebrand TCM, and to help the modern world understand (and take advantage of) this ancient medical wisdom. Aside from pain management, she treats patients with issues in fertility, menstruation, depression, digestion, etc. she also loves providing facial acupuncture treatment which rejuvenates skin from the inside out by treating the body systemically as well as locally attacking fine lines and spots.
Alex Safir is an osteopathic manual practitioner specializing in neurological rehabilitation and conditioning. Alex has worked as clinical director for a number in clinics in Toronto, and has a strong background in research, analysis, and the integration of multiple practices to help clients achieve their goals.
Alex realized early on in his time as an athlete and later as a coach and trainer that physical capability was only one piece of the puzzle of a person’s ability to actually USE their body. So many times we are limited by our ability to understand and coordinate ourselves neurologically. Essentially we tend to work on the structure of our bodies while neglecting the underlying circuitry that controls everything. To address this Alex’s work with his clients centers on building up confidence through training the brain and awareness as much as through physical improvement.
Using a combination of neurological, manual, and exercise-based techniques, Alex develops strength and flexibility while helping people learn to feel more at home in their own bodies. This linking of brain and body health and coordination is key to helping clients to overcome issues and continue to progress. Alex specializes working with people with a wide array of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions, concussion, and migraines.
