I first heard the upstream/downstream concept when sitting in population health class in undergrad. It took me a while to grasp the concept, as I thought about swimming downstream as being "better", since it’d be easier. But think about making changes. Would you rather make changes at the mouth of the river, or further downstream? The further upstream we go, the bigger our impact can be.
I also think about this in terms of prevention vs treatment. Which is better? Putting a security measure in place on a lake to prevent canoeists from going down
a dangerous waterfall, or having safety boats further downstream to try to help people after they've hit the waterfall?
now let’s apply this to health. Would you rather treat a preventable disease, or live a healthy lifestyle to prevent it in the first place?
This is the foundation of my practice. I work with a lot of people on meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes etc. Nutrition absolutely can help lessen these issues, and I enjoy supporting people in that journey. But what if we had knowledge and systems to help prevent these health issues in the first place?
What if we could go upstream and create the healthiest you, so that you don’t end up in discomfort and on medications you don’t want to be on?
Also, I grew up in Cardinal ON, on the St. Lawrence river (the river in these pictures actually)! Water/rivers are part of me so I’m not surprised my business name reflects that.
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