SACKVILLE, N.B. — Darlene Teahen is passionate about what she does. She is a naturopathic consultant, specializing in helping anyone prevent disease through alternative healing and nutrition
Darlene first came to Sackville from Ontario as a Mount Allison student in 1993. She completed a fine arts degree with a minor in commerce. Later on, she operated an art shop in Dieppe. She says, “I came, I fell in love with the area and I’ve been here ever since.”
She has two children, Logan and Mya. Logan graduated from TRHS this year and Mya is not far behind.
So how was an artist like Darlene drawn to her naturopathic career? She has been a member of the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department for over 20 years. Responding to fire and emergency calls, she says she saw a gap in the health care system.
“There was treatment available for trauma and illness, but there wasn’t anything addressing prevention,” she says.
Then her daughter became very ill and the healthcare system seemed to be failing them – as time went on, she didn’t seem to be getting any better. Darlene says a friend suggested she take Mya to a naturopath, so she decided to give it a try. Along with a tailored treatment for Mya, the naturopath gave Darlene a book to read and Darlene says, “I was hooked.”
She says she and Mya began following the naturopathic guidelines and “it was like a light came on.
“Mya was able to go back to learning and enjoying school as everything improved. We were able to see the difference naturopathic medicine made to her overall health.”
And thus started Darlene’s career. She went back to school, achieving a bachelor’s degree in health science, a diploma in nutrition and became a naturopathic consultant. She is now working her way toward a doctorate in natural medicine.
According to the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, naturopathic medicine is “a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine . . . to stimulate the healing power of the body and treat the underlying cause of disease.”
Darlene emphasizes that naturopathy is safe and effective for anyone from children to seniors and is a help to the healthcare system since it addresses preventative wellness instead of disease and illness treatment.
She says, “if more people used naturopathic methods as a way of being healthy, less people would need to be treated for illness or disease.”
When you visit Darlene, your initial appointment will last about one hour. She will ask questions about your medical history, issues etc. the same as a family doctor would.
She says, “My questions are designed to get to the root of your health concerns and figure out the best path to follow.”
She will follow up with you to see how you’re doing and her services are covered by Blue Cross and other health insurance providers.
In addition to naturopathic services, Darlene provides acupressure of the head (used for treatment of concussions and for children with ADHD, for example) and acupressure of the ear (used for issues such as addictions, weight loss and pain). And she still loves to do art work!
What challenges does this kind of business face?
“For the most part, the biggest challenge is free healthcare,” says Darlene. “When people are required to pay for a service, often they won’t take the time or want to spend the money.”
She adds, “Because of our free healthcare, people have left all their care to doctors, so in some cases healthcare issues are more serious than they may have been if patients had taken a more preventative approach like naturopathy.”
Darlene says, “I want to empower people to take charge of their own wellness; after all, we are each responsible for our own health just as we are responsible for our own happiness.”
You can find Darlene at 131 Main St. (2nd floor) in Sackville or at 70 King St. in Moncton. Contact [email protected] or phone (506) 850-5084. You can see what services are offered and book an appointment on Darlene’s website – and there’s even a space where you can pay it forward by covering the expense for someone else’s appointment (or as a great gift idea).
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