About Shayla Garland
Naturopathic medicine is a beautiful profession and I feel so honoured to be a part of it. We help people by guiding and empowering them in their own health. We use all-natural therapies to gently push them in the direction of cure, and work with the body instead of against it. We take into account the entire person- not just the physical, but the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. We treat people as the individuals that they are. We emphasize prevention so as to avoid the route to disease. We teach healthy living. And we are always searching for the root cause of disease, which is incredibly important to me.
I came across a description of Naturopathic Medicine when I was 15 years old, and decided instantaneously that that's what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Everything about this practice immediately resonated with me.
After years of dissatisfaction with the unholistic approach of conventional medicine to my own health concerns; knowing in my heart that chasing symptoms (instead of addressing root cause), disregarding the mind-body connection, and using synthetic chemicals to "heal" my body was not the right path, Naturopathic Medicine was a glorious discovery!
To reach my goal of being an ND, I attained an honours degree in a 4-year Life Sciences program at McMaster University. I then knew I needed to get the travel out of my system before spending another 4 years in school.
I craved knowledge about, and connection with, humanity and the earth. So I spent a year travelling Latin America alone, and then another half-year in Asia (followed by more medical trips during school, and topped off with 3 months in Africa while awaiting my licensing results!). I learned so much and truly gained a worldly perspective and appreciation.
