I have focused my naturopathic medical practice on mental health disorders for over twenty-five years. I have clinical experience with integrating natural health products among individuals taking psychiatric medications. Treatment aims to optimize mental health with clinical nutrition, lifestyle counselling, botanical (plant-based) medicines, prescribed bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (if indicated), and self-care activities.
A caring patient-centred approach to the evaluation and management of mental health disorders from a naturopathic perspective.
I have more than twenty-five years of clinical experience. I will collaborate with you, and develop practical and evidence-informed treatment plans from a naturopathic perspective based on your unique mental health needs. Though I cannot guarantee results, I promise to be there for you every step of the way. My aim is to treat you with respect, empathy, and kindness. I do my best to make every visit a positive experience.
Assessment involves a history, current mental health complaints, mental status evaluation, the appropriate use of laboratory testing, and measurement of mental distress using validated rating scales. My treatment approach is collaborative, and includes self-care activities, and often referrals for additional mental health services and supports
Depression, ongoing mood instability, anxiety, persistent stress, and psychotic experiences are some of the most uncomfortable emotions that we can experience at some point in our lives. Through the integration of naturopathic mental health, we should be able to lessen the overwhelm you are experiencing, to live life more fully with enhanced meaning and purpose.
Chronic stress has been defined as ongoing demands that exceed an individual's capacity to meet their responsibilities in areas of life, such as family, marriage, parenting, work, health, housing, and finances. In biological terms, chronic stress refers to a pathological state that is caused by prolonged activation of the normal acute physiological stress response. Thus, there should be no debate about the strong association between chronic stress and disease. When the body is unable to cope with chronic stress, it results in a breakdown of bodily resources, and eventually disease becomes clinically detectable. Chronic stress is considered the common risk factor in 75 to 90% of all diseases, including those associated with a poor quality of life and premature death.
Once a comprehensive inventory of your chronic stress has been taken, an individualized plan targeting therapeutic lifestyle changes and evidenced-based natural health products will be provided. There is only optimism here, for there are numerous treatments and strategies that can realistically and clinically reduce the ravages of chronic stress. Suffering can be reduced.
Sleep and mental health are intricately linked. Poor sleep can exacerbate mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, while mental health issues can disrupt sleep patterns. Maintaining good sleep is crucial for both mental and physical well-being. Good sleep can be achieved with the right type of support. It is defined by “subjective satisfaction, appropriate timing, adequate duration, high efficiency, and sustained alertness during waking hours" (Buyssee, 2014).
If clinically appropriate, we can provide an affordable home sleep technology to measure various physiological parameters, such as heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, and movements. These measurements help to identify problems that may suggest the need for more fulsome sleep testing (polysomnography) and/or can be used to track and optimize sleep. Contact us now for more information.
Thyroid hormones play a role in mental health. People with hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) may experience depression, fatigue, and difficulty thinking. In some cases, thyroid problems can cause more severe mental health problems, such as psychosis or bipolar disorder. However, these cases are rare. Even among people with normal thyroid hormones, prescription thyroid can assist in treatment-resistant depression, known as third-line treatment.
Bioidentical progesterone cream is a type of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that has benefits for mental health. Bioidentical progesterone cream is effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in women with premenstrual syndrome, and even premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Above all, bioidentical progesterone cream is a type of HRT that plays a role in regulating mood, cognitive function, and overall wellbeing.
If you are seeking information about integrative options for mental health conditions, we can support you in identifying available evidence-based choices. This is a separate service only available to people that reside outside of Ontario. Click here for more information.
Following the scheduled consultation, you will receive an educational report within 7 days. The educational report will list and fully describe different evidence-based choices specific to the mental health issues identified. This is not treatment; rather, this report is intended to be shared and fully discussed with your healthcare providers before you integrate any of the evidenced-based options noted in the report.
Benefits include
Breaking News! A retrospective chart review was performed by two independent investigators. They evaluated the clinical outcomes from patients that attended the mental health rotation at the Schad Naturopathic Clinic. All the patients were under my direct supervision and were given care very similar to that of my naturopathic mental health practice.
Results: "Of the 22 included subjects, a clinically significant decrease of at least 5 points occurred in 76% of individuals with elevated baseline PHQ9 scores and 59% of individuals with elevated GAD7 scores. Mean PHQ9 and GAD7 scores decreased 7.5 (p<0.0001) and 4.6 (p<0.008) points, respectively. Mild adverse events were reported in 9 charts (41%). No serious adverse events were reported. Most subjects were also in the care of a medical doctor and counsellor."
Source: Dertinger, J., & Aucoin, M. (2024). Adjunctive Naturopathic Medicine in the Management of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Retrospective Chart Review. CAND Journal, 31(1), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.54434/candj.157
Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
DownloadNutrition education
How our current diet leads to malnutrition and other serious dietary diseases. Best to follow a diet that is whole, alive, fresh, and varied, rather than processed, dead, stale, and monotonous. Click here
CFS is an elusive, difficult to treat condition. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle and joint pain, felling unwell after exercise, unrefreshing sleep, and memory/concentration problems. This groundbreaking book directly addresses the myriad causes of CFS and offers restorative vitamin and other treatments capable of safely reducing symptoms. Click here
This is a rebranded version of "Naturopathic Nutrition" described above. This book discusses how our current diet leads to malnutrition and other serious dietary diseases. Best to follow a diet that is whole, alive, fresh, and varied, rather than processed, dead, stale, and monotonous. Click here
How do we expect parents, isolated through stigma and confronted with a lack of resources, to gain understanding? Tsounis takes us into a world where she felt isolation and defeat as a parent of a teen struggling with mental health. This is a book of interviews. A book of open, honest and frank conversation about children and mental health. It's a book of experiences shared with the thought that no parent should feel alone. An extensive interview with Dr. Prousky appears in the book. Click here
Texts to improve clinical practice
Anxiety is something we all experience. This book discusses some of the biochemical causes of anxiety, psychiatric diagnosis, contemporary treatment, and effective natural treatments, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Click here
Healthcare professionals will find this book to be practical as a clinical reference for evaluating patients from a nutritional perspective and for providing reliable treatment information . Click here
Several years before he died at the age of 91, Dr. Abram Hoffer was interviewed by Dr. Jonathan Prousky as part of the Grand Rounds for residents and interns at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. That seminal interview is reproduced in this learning kit, accompanied by an educational text designed to introduce orthomolecular psychiatric approaches, and provide integrative healthcare practitioners with a continuing education module. Click here
This book is an update to Dr. Hoffer’s chronicles of his 57 years of experience and success in treating schizophrenia patients. It also integrates current knowledge on the causes and moderators of schizophrenia. Contains valuable new contributions from James Greenblatt, MD, and Jonathan Prousky, ND. Both doctors have decades of clinical experience working with patients with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Click here
Since 1968, high quality nutritional research has been published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine (JOM). This book brings forward important material selected from over forty-five years of JOM directly to the reader. Click here
Childhood absence epilepsy usually begins at less than ten years of age, and is often responsive to treatment such that seizures disappear by late childhood or mid-adolescence. Understanding epilepsy and childhood absence epilepsy as well as naturopathic solutions to the management of these conditions is the objective of this NFH Clinical Handbook. Click here
Sleep is a crucial cornerstone of health that can be disrupted due to various circumstances such as travel, work stress, and disease states. Addressing sleep related issues and insomnia is a crucial topic for healthcare professionals and a goal shared by our team at Nutritional Fundamentals for Health Inc, where we offer a suite of products aimed at
managing this disorder. As such, this Handbook was designed to serve as a practical learning and reference guide for practitioners. Click here
Stress is an unavoidable force to which humans are constantly exposed in both short-term bursts and over extended periods of time. Excessive and prolonged stress can impair quality of life. Stress management is a crucial topic for healthcare professionals. This Handbook was designed to serve as a practical learning and reference guide for practitioners interested in up-to-date contemporary approaches in the management of stress. Click here
Most Titles Available at Amazon and Indigo
Burnout in Healthcare: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
Depression, Anxiety, & Suicide: Addressing Mental Illness
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*Naturopathic Mental Health: Dr. Jonathan Prousky can only treat patients who are situated in Ontario at the time of the telehealth (video conferencing or telephone) visit.
*Mental Health Consulting Services: This is available to non-residents of Ontario who want to receive evidence-based information about integrative mental health options that is to be shared with their healthcare providers. Click here for more information.
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