At Centre Downe Health we provide a wide variety of modalities and specialties
between Dr. Paterson and Dr. Cranford.
General Naturopathic Care: Both Drs. are licensed as Naturopathic Doctors, and under the NH naturopathic statue, that covers a quite a lot. We perform physical exams, annuals including full women’s preventative care, school physicals for the kids. We are licensed to order and draw blood work, order imaging and perform physical exam. While NDs in the state of NH do have an extensive pharmacy scope, and so are able to prescribe for many conditions, we generally start with less invasive treatment options. We refer to the “Hierarchy of Therapeutics”, meaning that we will start with the mildest, most natural treatment that we think will be effective, and then move up to stronger, less natural options if that ends up being necessary in order to address the issues. Sometimes clients come to us pretty high up on the hierarchy and we help them to back their way down that ladder, decreasing the need for some pharmaceuticals by supporting their systems with dietary and lifestyle changes or nutritional, herbal and homeopathic supplements. Ideally, NDs are best at prevention, so we love when people come in wanting to improve their overall health, before illness and disease set in.
Ecclectic Body Work: Myofascial/Postitional Release: Dr. Paterson has trained in a large number of hands-on body-work techniques including massage, Naturopathic manipulation (similar to chiropractic), Cranio-Sacral, Reiki, and a Japanese technique called Kinse, all of which he has combined into a unique approach to pain relief that has an astounding success rate. He sometimes uses these technique in combination with acupuncture as well.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine: While at Bastyr University, in addition to his Naturopathic doctorate, Dr. Paterson earned a Masters degree in Acupuncture. Acupuncture is defined as the practice of inserting extremely thin acupuncture needles into the skin at points along meridians or energy pathways that run throughout the body. One might be diagnosed via pulse or tongue diagnosis as having “liver chi stagnation” or “kidney overacting on spleen”. While these eastern medicine diagnoses sound strange to the western ear, they generally translate to something more recognizable when described in western terms. An appointment might look like 15 minutes of consultation, 30 minutes on the table with needles in, resting quietly, and then 15 minutes to remove the needles and record progress. Acupuncture may be used once for an acute complaint, or may be used in a cluster of treatments to relieve something more ongoing, or in a less clustered, more long term way to work on chronic health issues or health maintenance.
Pediatrics: In addition to naturopathic medicine, Dr. Cranford trained as a naturopathic midwife while at Bastyr University. She practiced as a home birth midwife for 15 years, and although she is not actively attending births at this time, her experience in this realm has afforded her many years of providing pediatric care, starting from the first moments of life up through adolescent health care. It is one of Dr. Cranford’s passions to help parents raise healthy children so that the concept of prevention of disease begins as early as possible. Education and practice at living healthy from an early age provide the foundation for healthy and happy adults.
Women’s Health Care: Dr. Cranford’s years as a midwife also created a distinct specialty in women’s health care. In addition to annual preventative visits including pap testing, birth control options, and breast care, Dr. Cranford works with pre-conception detoxification and fertility issues and she consults with midwives on pregnancy and post-partum complication. Bio-identical hormone prescription and hormone testing is one of Dr. Cranford’s most active specialties. She treats hormonal concerns from PMS, breast health and irregular cycles to menopausal symptoms and bone density protection. She also has experience providing a cervical escharotic treatment for cervical dysplasia.
Lifestyle and Mental Health Counseling: While not a psychiatrist or psychologist, Dr. Cranford came to ND medicine through years of working in the mental health system. Her impetus to become an ND was a belief that mental health, like all other health, stems partly from the right nutrient balance and the right environment. Learning what foods are your allies and which are your triggers, and how to choose wisely, conditions including anxiety, depression, food addiction, can often be effectively treated with Naturopathic medicine and support. Naturopathic doctors have been referred to as “doctors who listen”. With all due respect to MDs, 7-15 minute visits can not be sufficient for any sort of deep listening. We do our best to meet you where you are at in life, listen to what you need, and work into that need as best as we can with our combined approaches.
Naturopathic consult: If you are not sure whether ND medicine in general or Centre Downe Health in particular, is right for you, we encourage you to consider scheduling a brief meeting with one of the doctors to have general questions answered. While at these “consult” visits, we will not prescribe or address any specific medical condition, it will give you the chance to meet one of us to see how the “fit” feels, to get a feel for our home-based practice and we should be able to determine whether or not your condition or concern would be well addressed, in part or in full, by naturopathic medicine.