Depression Doctor + Therapist in San Francisco or Anywhere Via Telehealth
Dr. Victoria Chan, a San Francisco based Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in the treatment of depression, helps patients identify the root cause of their depression, create a strategy for healing, and reach new levels of mental health and quality of life. Get in touch at your earliest convenience to schedule an online consultation. Dr. Chan helps people fully through telehealth so she can help you wherever you live.
Dr. Chan’s Personal Journey To Helping Mental Health Patients
During her own struggles with mental health, Dr. Chan sought help from over a dozen traditional medical practitioners. Meaningful results did not follow.
It wasn’t until she started meeting with a Naturopathic Doctor that she started to see improvement, and she pursued the formal study of holistic medicine shortly thereafter.
She earned her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Washington, and ever since, she has been licensed to practice medicine in CA and conducts mental health consultations for clients around the world. She takes a uniquely tailored approach with each patient she sees, and her personal experience gives her a special ability to connect with people suffering from depression and other mental health struggles.
Determining the Root Cause of a Patient’s Depression
Holistic Naturopathic Doctors care deeply about the fundamental well-being of their patients - in fact, that is embedded in the core of naturopathic practice. A licensed doctor can help you test your cortisol levels throughout the day (via saliva samples) to help identify sub-satisfactory levels. Adrenal level tests can also provide a wealth of information about why you may be depressed, and another common test is the OAT (organic acids test). Blood testing is often one of the first things a doctor will recommend, and this simple lab work can reveal a wealth of information.
In addition to lab testing, Dr. Chan will speak with you in depth about your lifestyle, sleep, diet, genetics, and other things. The very first goal is to identify potential causes, seek evidence, and create a plan that will improve your condition.
Charting a Course of Action: Strategies For Improving Your Symptoms
Firstly: Finding Your Root Cause And Starting With The Least Invasive Approach to Improving Mood
Some patients genuinely have severe chemical imbalances that require pharmaceuticals (like Prozac or Lexapro). However, this is not necessarily needed for everyone. Dr. Chan is qualified to prescribe these medications when necessary, but she, along with other doctors trained in Naturopathic Medicine, start with addressing your personal root cause and using the least invasive approach to getting your mental health on the right track. Your depression’s root cause may not be chemical imbalances. And treatments without side effects may be just as effective (or more) for you as psychiatric medications.
Firstly, Dr. Chan will make sure there is nothing actively blocking your ability to lead a thriving life. We’ll discuss this more below, but in short, blood tests, in-depth discussions about your lifestyle, and saliva samples (among other things), will reveal any deficiencies connected to your mental well-being.
Secondly, you will learn effective tools to improve your mood and energy levels. Natural and herbal supplements have been clinically shown to be just as effective for some people (but without the side effects of medications).. Diet and exercise will also factor into the conversation.
Identifying Nutrients That May Improve Symptoms
Very often, a patient’s lab tests (or a simple discussion about diet) may reveal that depression is at least partially caused by dietary issues. This could be a lack of certain vitamins or other nutrients, or your Naturopathic Doctor may suggest natural supplements that can help. Neurotransmitter imbalance often occurs from lack of certain nutrients.
For instance, omega 3 fatty acids have been shown in clinical studies to positively impact mood. If you have none in your system, your doctor may recommend a supplement or dietary change. Phenylalanine is another natural supplement that can support healthy mood balance, as does the correct amount of iodine in your system.
A licensed naturopathic depression doctor will help you identify deficiencies, recommend supplements and dietary changes, and help you elevate your mood through better nutrition.
Creating a Strategy Around Exercise
Holistic Naturopathic Doctors study the benefits of various exercises on the mental health of patients extensively during medical school, and they bring evidence-based strategies to their consultations with patients. In your meetings with Dr. Chan, you will learn about ways you can elevate your mood, release dopamine naturally, and achieve an overall better level of health through exercise.
Expert Naturopathic Counseling For Depression
While the term “psychiatrist” is reserved for MDs and DOs, Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) like Dr. Victoria Chan receive rigorous training in medical school for behavioral medicine and similar studies that highly overlap with the training of MDs and DOs. NDs study evidence-based techniques that can significantly help with depression, and these degrees are all regionally accredited and prestigious.
Licensed NDs are qualified to pursue progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, guided visualization, and much more. In addition to these counseling techniques, a doctor pursuing naturopathic treatment for depression can recommend dietary, lifestyle, and other changes to improve the condition of a patient.
Contact Dr. Victoria Chan To Start Addressing Depression
As San Francisco’s naturopathic depression doctor, Dr. Victoria Chan would be happy to hear from you and schedule a consultation. She helps people from anywhere in the world through telehealth (including the Bay Area and beyond), and she draws from her own experience to help patients and clients every day. Book your Discovery Call with Dr. Chan at your earliest convenience to start addressing your depression. In addition to depression, she helps with anxiety and panic attacks and other specialties as a functional medicine doctor in San Francisco.
