Your digestive health plays a key role in nutrient absorption, immunity, hormones, metabolism, and overall well-being. Digestive imbalances may contribute to symptoms such as bloating, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, food sensitivities, and brain fog. Dr. Irina Chan, ND offers a comprehensive, personalized approach to identifying contributing factors and supporting healthy digestion, gut microbiome, intestinal health, and overall wellness.
Your digestive system does much more than digest food. It plays an important role in your overall health by absorbing the nutrients your body needs to thrive, housing a large part of your immune system, producing hormones and neurotransmitters that help regulate appetite and mood, and helping regulate blood sugar and metabolism.
When your gut is not functioning optimally, you may experience symptoms such as bloating, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or food sensitivities. Over time, digestive imbalances can also contribute to fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, skin concerns, brain fog, changes in mood, chronic inflammation, and hormone imbalances.
If you are looking for naturopathic support for digestive health concerns in Toronto or Pickering, Dr. Irina Chan, ND takes a comprehensive approach to understanding the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
A detailed assessment, which may include bloodwork and stool testing when clinically appropriate, can help guide a personalized treatment plan focused on reducing digestive symptoms while supporting a healthy gut microbiome, intestinal lining, healthy inflammatory balance, digestion, and overall health.
Digestive symptoms can present differently from person to person. Dr. Irina Chan, ND commonly works with patients experiencing concerns such as:
The goal is not only to understand the symptoms you are experiencing, but also to investigate the factors that may be contributing to them and determine an individualized approach to your digestive health.
If you are struggling with digestive symptoms, you may be wondering why they are happening or what is causing them. The answer is not always straightforward.
Digestive symptoms are often influenced by multiple factors, and those factors can be different for everyone.
Your symptoms may be influenced by your diet, stress, medications, hormone changes, nutrient deficiencies, the balance of bacteria in your gut, how well you digest and absorb food, or an underlying infection or digestive condition.
For many people, it is a combination of these factors that develops over time and contributes to how they feel. Understanding what may be driving your symptoms is an important step toward determining the right treatment approach for you.
Dr. Irina Chan, ND works with you to understand what is happening in your digestive system and why. A detailed health assessment, along with bloodwork and stool testing when appropriate, can help identify areas where your body may need support.
From there, treatment is focused on addressing the underlying contributors to your digestive symptoms and supporting meaningful, long-term improvement in your digestive and overall health.
My approach begins with getting a complete picture of your digestive concerns and your overall health.
We will start by discussing your symptoms, including when they first began, how they have changed over time, and how they are affecting your daily life.
Together, we will review your diet, eating habits, bowel patterns, stress, lifestyle, medications, supplements, and hormonal health to identify patterns and uncover factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
We will also discuss any treatments or supplements you have tried in the past, including what helped, what did not, and what that information may tell us about your digestive health.
Because digestion is closely connected to many other systems in the body, I also look beyond the digestive tract.
We will review your medical history, previous bloodwork, and any relevant imaging or specialist reports to determine whether other factors, such as thyroid function, liver or gallbladder health, nutrient deficiencies, or underlying medical conditions, may be affecting your digestion.
When appropriate, I may recommend additional bloodwork or functional testing to gain further insight and help guide treatment.
Once we have identified the factors contributing to your symptoms, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs.
Depending on your assessment, your plan may include nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, supplements, stress management strategies, and targeted therapies to support healthy digestion and a balanced gut microbiome.
As your symptoms improve, we will continue to monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed to support lasting results and reduce the likelihood of symptoms returning.
Digestive health testing can provide valuable information about what may be contributing to your symptoms and can help guide a more targeted treatment plan.
Testing is not necessary for everyone. It may be especially useful if you have been experiencing symptoms for a long time, have not responded to previous treatments, or the underlying cause of your symptoms remains unclear.
The decision to recommend testing is always based on your symptoms, health history, and clinical assessment so that any lab work is appropriate and useful in guiding your care.
Bloodwork may be recommended to assess your overall health and identify factors that could be contributing to digestive symptoms, such as nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, thyroid dysfunction, liver function, or celiac disease.
These results can help identify areas that may require further support and guide treatment recommendations.
SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, breath testing measures hydrogen and methane gases produced by bacteria in the small intestine.
It may be recommended when symptoms suggest small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, including bloating, excessive reflux and gas, abdominal discomfort, or changes in bowel habits.
The results can help determine whether targeted treatment may be appropriate.
My goal is to help you find lasting relief from your digestive symptoms while improving the overall health of your digestive system.
Every treatment plan is personalized because no two people experience digestive concerns in exactly the same way.
As your symptoms improve, we will continue to check in, monitor your progress, and make adjustments along the way to help you maintain your results and reduce the likelihood of symptoms returning.
Your treatment plan may include:
Personalized Nutrition Recommendations
Nutrition recommendations can help you better understand how food affects your digestion, identify foods that may be contributing to your symptoms, and feel more confident enjoying a balanced diet.
Lifestyle Recommendations
Lifestyle recommendations may focus on supporting healthy digestion through sleep, stress management, movement, and daily habits.
Targeted Supplements
When appropriate, supplements may include vitamins, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and herbal medicines selected based on your individual needs.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be incorporated when appropriate to help support nervous system regulation and address symptoms such as bloating, abdominal discomfort, or changes in bowel habits.
Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
Intravenous vitamin therapy may be considered when appropriate to help replenish nutrient deficiencies when digestive concerns have affected nutrient absorption.
On your first visit, we begin by gaining an in-depth understanding of your digestive symptoms and overall health.
We will review your medical history, diet, lifestyle, relevant lab work, and any treatments you have tried in the past.
Please bring your current or past supplements, medications, and lab results to this initial appointment.
You will receive initial recommendations during this 75-minute session, and additional testing through LifeLabs or at-home kits may be recommended when appropriate.
Your first follow-up visit typically takes place approximately 2 to 4 weeks later and lasts 30 to 60 minutes.
During this appointment, we will evaluate your response to the initial recommendations and make any necessary modifications to support continued progress.
We may also review additional lab work to gain a deeper understanding of factors contributing to your symptoms and discuss next steps based on those results.
A second follow-up visit is recommended approximately 6 to 8 weeks after your initial visit to assess your response to your personalized treatment plan and discuss longer-term strategies that support digestive health.
Beyond 12 weeks, we may transition to periodic follow-up visits every 3 to 6 months to maintain your results, make appropriate adjustments, and support your ongoing wellness goals.
Finding lasting health changes should not feel overwhelming or full of guesswork.
With over six years of clinical experience and a background in biochemical research, I bring a thorough, evidence-based perspective to every consultation.
Having navigated my own health struggles growing up, I approach your journey with genuine empathy alongside a deep curiosity to uncover what may actually be driving your symptoms.
Working closely with you and your healthcare team, we will help you better understand your gut health, identify what your body may need, and implement practical strategies that work with your lifestyle.
You will receive a clear and supportive plan designed to address your current digestive symptoms and promote long-term wellness.
When you are ready to take the next step toward greater clarity about your digestive health, I am here to help guide you through the process.
Dr. Irina Chan, ND offers digestive health appointments from clinic locations in Toronto and Pickering.
I commonly see patients experiencing digestive concerns including:
My goal is to understand why you are experiencing gas and bloating in the first place and help you work toward lasting relief.
During your assessment, we will look at your digestive function, diet and eating habits, possible food sensitivities, gut microbiome balance, inflammation, hormones, and stress levels, since all of these may play a role.
From there, we will build a personalized plan that may include nutrition and lifestyle changes, targeted supplements, herbal medicine, and other natural therapies based on what may be contributing to your symptoms.
Yes. IBS is one of the conditions I see frequently in my practice.
My approach is tailored to each individual, but may include:
Yes. Chronic constipation is something I see often, and there may be several factors involved.
Depending on your individual assessment, we may consider factors such as:
No. Not every patient needs digestive testing.
In many cases, careful intake and history-taking are enough to identify possible triggers behind your symptoms and guide treatment.
Testing may be particularly helpful if you have been dealing with symptoms for a long time, have not responded to previous treatments, or the underlying cause remains unclear.
The decision to recommend testing is based on your symptoms, health history, and clinical assessment.
A SIBO breath test assesses for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which can be associated with symptoms such as excess gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal discomfort, and pain.
After a 24-hour preparatory diet, lactulose is swallowed. Lactulose is not absorbed and acts as a food source for bacteria in the small intestine.
The bacteria ferment the lactulose and produce hydrogen and/or methane, which enter the bloodstream and are eventually exhaled through the breath.
Breath samples are then measured for hydrogen and methane to help determine whether small intestinal bacterial overgrowth may be present.
On your first visit, we begin by gaining an in-depth understanding of your digestive symptoms and overall health.
We will review your presenting symptoms, medical history, diet, lifestyle, relevant lab work, and any treatments you have tried in the past.
Please bring your current or past supplements, medications, and lab results to this initial appointment.
You will receive initial recommendations during this 75-minute session, and additional testing through LifeLabs or at-home kits may be recommended when appropriate.
Yes.
I value the care you are receiving from your family doctor and/or gastroenterologist and would like to review any lab work, testing, or prescriptions you have had so far.
This helps ensure that any new recommendations align with the testing and treatment plan you are already following.
I am also happy to communicate directly with your doctor about your naturopathic treatment plan when appropriate.
This varies from person to person depending on how long you have been experiencing symptoms, their severity, and the factors contributing to them.
Some people notice improvements within a few weeks, while more complex or chronic concerns may take a few months of consistent treatment before meaningful changes are noticed.
I will typically recommend a follow-up visit to assess how you are responding and adjust the plan as needed.
Yes.
I offer virtual visits through Higher Health Naturopathic Centre in Toronto for patients who are currently residing in Ontario.
Direct billing is also available through the clinic.
Seek urgent medical attention if you experience:
