In Ontario only a CONO registrant may call themselves a Naturopathic Doctor. Holistic practitioner is not protected at all.
Natural & holistic medicine · Ontario · Virtual
Natural healing doctors in Ontario
Dr. Victoria Posavad, ND
Dr. George Makrides, ND
Dr. Yehia Al-Hashmi, ND
Naturopathic Doctors accepting new patients across OntarioNatural healing doctor, holistic practitioner, alternative medicine doctor, naturopath. People search all of these looking for the same thing. Only some of them mean anything in Ontario, and the difference is worth two minutes of your time before you book.
Not sure if naturopathic medicine is for you?
One title is protected
Publicly verifiable
Every registered Naturopathic Doctor appears on a public register. Check before you book, and check the number on your receipt.
Insurance follows regulation
Extended health plans reimburse regulated practitioners. An unregulated holistic practitioner's receipt usually will not be claimable.
01What the titles mean
Which of these titles actually means something.
This matters more than it sounds. It decides whether someone is accountable to a regulator, whether they can order blood work, and whether your insurance will pay.
The full explanation of regulation and scope- 01Naturopathic Doctor. Protected in Ontario. Requires registration with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, a four-year accredited programme, North American board examinations and an Ontario jurisprudence examination.
- 02Naturopath. Also protected in Ontario, and the same requirements apply. In provinces without regulation, the word means nothing in particular.
- 03Holistic practitioner, holistic healer, natural healing doctor. Not protected and not regulated. Some people using these titles are excellent and well trained. Others have no training at all, and there is no register to tell you which.
- 04Functional medicine practitioner. Describes an approach rather than a credential. The person may be a physician, a Naturopathic Doctor, a dietitian, or unregulated entirely. Ask what their actual registration is.
- 05Homeopath, herbalist, nutritionist. None are regulated professions in Ontario. Registered Dietitian is regulated; nutritionist is not, and the two are frequently confused.
- 06The practical test. Ask for a registration number and a college. If there is not one, there is no regulator, no complaints process and usually no insurance coverage.
1of 26
Ontario
Naturopathy is one of the health professions regulated under Ontario's Regulated Health Professions Act, the same framework that governs medicine, nursing and pharmacy. Most titles containing the words natural or holistic are not regulated at all.
Source: Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, and the Naturopathy Act, 2007.
02Why regulation matters
What you get from a regulated practitioner.
Not better care automatically. What you get is recourse, verifiable training, and a scope that someone else enforces.
An unregulated title is not a warning sign. The absence of anywhere to check is.
A regulated practitioner is accountable to a college that sets standards of practice, requires professional liability insurance and continuing education, and handles complaints. If something goes wrong, there is somewhere to take it. With an unregulated practitioner there is generally nowhere at all.
Regulation also defines what someone may and may not do. In Ontario that means a Naturopathic Doctor can order and interpret a specified list of laboratory tests, which is what lets naturopathic care investigate rather than only advise. It equally means they cannot order imaging, cannot perform surgery, and hold only a narrowly defined prescribing authority. Those limits are published rather than decided in the room.
And insurance follows regulation. Extended health plans reimburse naturopathic visits because the profession is regulated and receipts carry a registration number. A receipt from an unregulated holistic practitioner is usually not claimable, which surprises people after the fact.
Before you book anyone
- 01Ask which college they are registered with
- 02Ask for the registration number
- 03Check it on the public register at cono.ca
- 04Confirm the number will appear on your receipt
- 05Ask what they cannot help with. A good answer is specific
03Your roadmap
What seeing one actually involves
Whatever you call it, here is what the appointments look like.
- 01A free 10-minute callTell a Naturopathic Doctor what's going on and hear, honestly, whether this is right for you.
- 02Your initial appointmentA full hour on your history: what brought you here, what you have tried, and a review of any results you already have.Book your first appointment
- 03Targeted lab work, where neededOntario Naturopathic Doctors can order a defined list of blood tests. Some run through your family doctor under OHIP; the rest are passed through at cost and quoted first.
- 04Your personalized care planDiet, supplements, lifestyle and the other tools inside the naturopathic scope of practice, written down and explained.
- 05Ongoing monitoringShort check-ins to see what is working and adjust what is not, alongside whatever care your physician is already providing.
04Who you'll see
Our Naturopathic Care Team
Every one of them is registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario, and they're here to help you reach your health goals with a plan built around you, not a template. We'll match you with the right Naturopathic Doctor for what's going on, or you can ask for someone specific.
Dr. Victoria Posavad
Naturopathic DoctorCONO 4468
Dr. George Makrides
Naturopathic DoctorCONO 4322
Dr. Yehia Al-Hashmi
Naturopathic DoctorCONO 4267
05Cost and coverage
Prices
Now accepting direct billing via Telus eClaims.
Free 10-minute call
A Naturopathic Doctor hears what's going on, tells you whether this is a fit, and checks your coverage.
$0
First appointment
60 minutes. History, review of existing results, testing decisions, a starter plan in writing. Book your first appointment.
$24960 minutes
Follow-up
30 minutes to review results and adjust the plan. A 60-minute extended follow-up when your Naturopathic Doctor recommends more time.
$9930 min · $199 for 60
Lab testing
Targeted from your initial conversation and personalized to help identify the potential root cause of your symptoms. Passed through at the lab's price.
At cost
Have extended health benefits?
We bill your insurer directly through TELUS eClaims. If your plan isn't on the network, an insurance-ready receipt lands in your inbox after every visit, with the CONO registration number and treatment code your insurer asks for.
Manulife·Canada Life·Desjardins·Industrial Alliance·30+ more
06Is this right for you
When a naturopathic appointment is the wrong call.
Being clear about this is more useful than a list of everything we might help with.
See a physician instead
- Anything acute, sudden or severe
- Symptoms that need imaging, a scan or a procedure
- A condition already being actively managed where the next step is a specialist
- Mental health crisis, which needs urgent medical support
Naturopathic care works alongside medical care. Where medical assessment is what is needed, that is what you should be told.
Where it tends to fit well
- Chronic, non-urgent problems that have not been fully explained
- Normal results alongside symptoms that have not gone away
- Digestive, hormonal, fatigue and skin presentations
- Wanting the diet, sleep and nutrient side taken seriously alongside existing care
These are the presentations where a full hour and targeted testing tend to be worth the money.
Outside Ontario
Naturopathic Doctors at Fitra are registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario and may only see patients located in Ontario. Elsewhere, your provincial regulator's public register is the place to start.
Not sure? That's what the call is for.
Ten minutes with a Naturopathic Doctor, no charge, to hear whether this is a reasonable fit. If it is not, they will say so.
07Where we see people
Across Ontario, by video.
Searches for a natural healing doctor near you usually return whoever is physically closest. Because every appointment here is by video, distance decides nothing.
See all Ontario locations- 01Toronto and the GTA: Toronto · Mississauga · Brampton · Markham · Vaughan · Richmond Hill
- 02Ottawa and the east: Ottawa · Oshawa · Whitby · Ajax
- 03Hamilton, Halton and Niagara: Hamilton · Oakville · Burlington · St. Catharines
- 04Waterloo Region and the southwest: London · Kitchener · Windsor · Barrie · Guelph · Cambridge
- 05Northern and rural Ontario: Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Kenora, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, where the nearest regulated practitioner is often hours away.
08Common questions
What people ask about natural and holistic medicine.
What is a natural healing doctor?
It is not a regulated title, so it does not describe a specific qualification. People searching for one are usually looking for a practitioner who investigates causes rather than only treating symptoms, and who takes diet, sleep and lifestyle seriously. In Ontario the regulated version of that is a Naturopathic Doctor, registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario.
Is a holistic doctor the same as a naturopath?
Not necessarily. Holistic doctor is an unregulated description that anyone may use. Naturopath and Naturopathic Doctor are protected titles in Ontario restricted to people on the CONO register. Some holistic practitioners are Naturopathic Doctors; many are not, and there is no register to check the ones who are not.
Is alternative medicine regulated in Ontario?
Parts of it. Naturopathy, chiropractic, massage therapy, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture are regulated health professions with colleges and public registers. Homeopathy, herbalism and nutrition are not. The word alternative covers both groups, which is why it is worth asking about the specific credential rather than the category.
How do I find a good natural healing doctor near me?
Start with whether they are registered anywhere, then whether their focus matches your problem, then whether they will say what they cannot help with. A practitioner who has no answer to that last question is worth being careful about. The CONO public register at cono.ca lists every Naturopathic Doctor in Ontario.
Will my insurance cover an alternative medicine practitioner?
Usually only if they are regulated. Extended health plans reimburse naturopathic, chiropractic, massage and acupuncture visits because those professions are regulated and receipts carry a registration number. A receipt from an unregulated practitioner is generally not claimable.
Can a natural healing doctor order blood tests?
A Naturopathic Doctor in Ontario can, within a defined list. An unregulated holistic practitioner cannot order laboratory testing at all, which is a practical difference that matters if you want the problem investigated rather than guessed at.
Do I need a referral?
No. Naturopathic Doctors are primary contact practitioners in Ontario, so you can book directly. Some extended health plans ask for a physician's note before reimbursing, which is worth confirming with your insurer.
Medical notice
This page is general education, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. It does not create a practitioner-patient relationship. Nothing here is a promise of an outcome. Anything on this page that applies to you should be discussed with a Naturopathic Doctor or your physician, who can look at your history and your results.
Fitra Health connects Ontario residents with Naturopathic Doctors registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario. Care is virtual and available across Ontario. Naturopathic Doctors are regulated health professionals; they do not replace your family doctor or emergency care.
Your next step
Start with the quiz, or just talk to someone.
Two minutes for an honest read on whether naturopathic care fits what you are dealing with. Or skip it and book a free 10-minute call with a Naturopathic Doctor.