Author: Danforth East Wellness

Danforth East Wellness, Kevin Sparks

Continuing to Expand Our Psychotherapy Team with Kevin Sparks!

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Our psychotherapy team is continuing to expand with the addition of Kevin Sparks! He is psychotherapist in training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto. In his therapy practice, he encourages his clients to focus on what comes up moment to moment, providing support for his clients to share their story and creating a safe place to explore.

Kevin brings a unique perspective in his therapeutic approach, informed by his work in supporting individuals with physical and developmental differences, children and youth, and families processing life transitions, challenging emotions and traumatic experiences. A variety of art forms are used in his work including drama, visualization and storytelling to encourage self exploration and healing. 

Kevin works with a diverse population of individuals, both in person and online.

Book in a free consultation with him at kevin@danfortheastwellness.ca to see how you might be able to work together to achieve your therapeutic goals!

Saral Martel, Psychotherapist

Welcoming Sara Martel to the psychotherapy team!

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We are very excited to welcome Sara Martel to the Danforth East Wellness psychotherapy team!

Sara Martel is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who works with individuals, couples, and families struggling with a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships, identity, shame, self-acceptance, grief, parenting, post-partum, infertility, and pregnancy loss. Sara approaches therapy as a collaborative relationship, creating an emotionally safe and non-judgmental space for clients to build self-awareness, self-compassion, resilience, and healing. She works primarily through talk-therapy, meaning you can expect sessions to be conversational, while also incorporating techniques such as mindfulness and breath work. Sara draws on a range of modalities, including Relational Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy. Above all, she strives to create an anti-oppressive practice, recognizing the social, cultural, and political aspects of who we are and how we relate to one another.

Sara is able to work with clients through a virtual platform, and also has some in-person hours at the clinic if that is preferred. You can set up a short 15 or 20 minute session with her to see if she might be a good fit to help you work through any issues that you may be experiencing.

Let us know if you have any questions, or connect with Sara directly at sara.psychotherapy@danfortheastwellness.ca

C-section image

C-Section Scar Release Therapy

Danforth East Wellness

A C-section (caesarean section) delivery should be treated with extra care! – it is a major abdominal surgery after all. During recovery, the birth parent is encouraged to rest and give the body time to recover.

 During this time, symptoms may include:

• Pain – including local discomfort at the site of the scar, low back pain, hip pain, etc.

• Swelling and/or redness

• Altered sensation at the site of the scar (i.e. loss of feeling, numbness)

• Difficulty engaging the core and connecting to the deeper abdominal muscles (specifically the transverse abdominus)

• Emotional trauma

After about six weeks of natural healing, there are other treatments available to help.

 What is scar release therapy & how does it work?

This treatment involves the use of low level micro-current (electrical impulse) on either side of the c-section scar. MPS (micro-current stimulation) helps to reduce the build up of scar tissue and improves blood flow and circulation to the injured tissue. This can help to:

• Reduce pain levels

• Normalize sensation

• Relax and fade the scar

• Decrease overall stress on the body and nervous system

The number of sessions will depend on the depth and age of the scar as well as how the body is generally responding to the treatment. Most individuals will respond within 3-5 sessions.

At Danforth East Wellness, caesarean scar release therapy treatments are performed by a Chiropractor, which may be covered under your healthcare plan.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any further questions regarding this treatment!

Wonderful Wednesday!

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Sometimes Wednesday can be that ho-hum part of the week, where it seems like it’s taking a long time for the weekend to arrive. This Wednesday June 8, however, is WONDERFUL! Dr. Elisa Petricca is returning to practice after her maternity leave. She is one of our chiropractors, and also does acupuncture. Also, Anton Komar will be joining the practice, and will be offering Japanese Shiatsu Therapy. This is the first time the clinic has had the opportunity to offer this amazing technique!


In case you were a bit fuzzy on details, Dr. Elisa graduated from CMCC in 2015 and completed the McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program. She is also certified in the Webster Technique, specifically used to care for pre-natal patients. Dr. Elisa is a certified Yoga Instructor and believes greatly in movement to help the body heal. She often incorporates yoga based exercises for her patients to take home to help improve the body’s mobility and alleviate tension. Dr. Elisa was involved in competitive dance throughout her childhood and teenage years and understands the demands of physical activity on the body. She encourages her patients to take an active role in their journey towards optimal health. Her goal is to restore function, prevent injury and assist her patients in achieving a healthy, active lifestyle. Now with personal experience being a new parent, she is able to bring even more knowledge and empathy into her work with infants and families.


Anton Komar graduated from the Shiatsu Academy of Tokyo (Toronto) in 2009. He is a Shiatsupractor which is a designation used by those who practice in the traditional Japanese style which was developed by Tokijuro Namikoshi. In Japanese shiatsu, the therapist uses only hands, primarily the thumb, to gently but firmly press various points on the body. This pressure not only stimulates the skin but also the underlying muscles, blood vessels, nerves, endocrine glands and other organs. A shiatsu treatment is often used to relieve muscle stiffness, stress, promote blood and lymph circulation, and to treat a variety of health conditions. Anton is also a passionate musician, gardener, and loves casual sports and other physical activities. He can also be found practicing shiatsu at the luxurious Iwa Spa.
Let’s make your Wednesday a wonderful one with a booking to make your body feel improved and balanced!


See you at the clinic!

Dr. Elisa is returning from maternity leave!

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We are so very pleased to welcome Dr. Elisa back to the clinic after her maternity leave. She will be in the clinic on Wednesdays from 11-4, beginning June 8th. 
Dr. Elisa will be providing chiropractic care and acupuncture (under chiropractic), as well as yoga therapy. Her focus on pre and post-natal care, and that of both parents and newborns and children has only deepened with her recent experience with her own first child. 
She is excited to see familiar faces and meet new ones!

our vaccine policy and you

Our vaccine policy and you

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We thought we’d reach out to everyone just to re-iterate and reassure you that the practitioners and staff at Danforth East Wellness are always considerate of your care and safety. Covid is something we are still navigating even as the province is opening up, and this is just a little reminder of some of the ways we are continuing to ensure the well-being of everyone at the clinic!

In case you didn’t know, we have a vaccine policy at the clinic that states that all practitioners and staff on premises must be fully vaccinated. Everyone (practitioners and staff) is comfortable and happy in sharing their fully vaccinated status. We feel it is important on many levels for us to provide this information to you. We are also clear and transparent about the fact that your vaccination status will not be judged at the clinic and will not affect our care for you in any way or form. 

Masking is still required as always for practitioners, staff and patients. If you do not have a mask on hand we will provide one for you.

All of the procedures we have put in place for the last two years such as disinfection, hand washing and sanitizing, air quality, contact tracing and daily self-screening are still in full effect. They have worked well for us, and we intend to keep doing all of the things we have put in place.

We continually strive to respond to your needs and safety, as we try to keep everyone at the clinic healthy and well. 

Feel free to connect with us if you have any questions or concerns!

Warmly,

The Danforth East Wellness Team

masking in the clinic

Masks are required in the clinic

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We know that the mask mandate has been lifted, however we are continuing to mask in the clinic! We are a health care clinic, and as such, for the safety and comfort for our staff, practitioners and your fellow patients, as well as our requirements from our regulatory bodies, we ask that you mask while in the clinic. As always, we have surgical masks (ASTM level 2) we can provide to you if you don’t have one with you.

Also just a gentle reminder to remember to be kind and considerate to each other out in the world, regardless of personal decisions regarding masking, as we’ve all been through a lot!

Covid Protocol Details

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This blog is all about our covid protocol details and the minutiae of some of what we are doing in the clinic to keep both practitioners and patients safe. We have been working successfully over this whole time that covid has been happening, and I’m proud to say that the team has done extremely well under these stressful circumstances without any incidents at all. If you still have questions after reading this blog, please feel free to ask for more details or information so we can put your mind at ease (email is hello@danfortheastwellness.ca and phone number is 416-461-1906). 
First off, to start and end the day we use a disinfectant (Foster 40-80, which is on the Canada guide for disinfectants effective against covid) on all touch surfaces in the clinic. We also spray down used surfaces between patients. We use hand sanitizer (either manorapid or isagel, which are on the Canada guide for hand sanitizers effective against covid) for patients and practitioners. When someone enters the clinic they are asked to remove their shoes and either wear a pair of indoor shoes they’ve brought, use a pair of new socks, or use clinic crocs. We ask them to sanitize their hands. If they have a cloth mask or a visibly soiled mask we provide an ASTM level 2 mask for them. Some practitioners ask that all patients replace their masks with a new one, for their own comfort levels. If people are wearing KN95s we generally do not ask them to remove them, but again, it is at the practitioner’s discretion as to how they feel most protected. The practitioners either wear ASTM level 3 surgical masks or KN95s. 
In the registered massage therapy rooms the tables are covered with a vinyl slip clover, and all pillows are sealed in vinyl. These are then disinfected between patients. Then we apply linens which are completely changed between patients and laundered twice a week by Beach Solar Laundromat. 
There are hepa filters in each room in the clinic (except reception which gets a high flow of air exchange due to the door opening frequently). The HVAC system for the clinic also has a viral filter on it. We send a covid screening to every patient two hours before their appointment. There is no fee for a last minute cancellation due to illness, and we are thankful to have a very responsible patient base that is considerate of our safety. 
We do contact tracing for all people entering the premises. The practitioners self-screen every day, as mandated by our regulatory bodies.
PHEW! There we are! A quick over-view of our covid policies and procedures!


Stay healthy and safe and see you soon!


The Danforth East Wellness Team

Clinic ‘Growth’

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We have many lovely things to share about recent clinic ‘growth’ – Dr. Elisa is expecting her first little babe this January and we have added two fabulous practitioners to our clinic!


Dr. Elisa has been able to share her joyous news in person with most of you, but for those of you we haven’t seen recently in practice – surprise! She will be taking a leave at the end of December to focus on being a first time mom, but plans to return to practice in some capacity in the spring/summer. During her leave Dr. Katarina and Dr. Anita will be able to assist with chiropractic care, and Dr. Nicole will be able to provide acupuncture services. Dr. Elisa would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your continued support and is looking forward to sharing pictures and stories upon her return.
Ann Ching is passionate about being a Registered Massage Therapist and finds immense joy in the healing and relief that her massage treatments bring to her clients. She is a graduate of Sutherland-Chan, and incorporates her intuition, knowledge, and practical experience with diverse client groups into her work. Her experience as an educator, and her enthusiasm for learning about the human body and helping people led to her career as an RMT.
As an active individual, Ann enjoys playing multiple sports, being outdoors, travelling and is always searching for the next adventure.  Don’t be surprised if you see her paddle boarding out on Balmy Beach this winter!  
Cassie Scott is deeply and joyfully committed to the healing power of touch and is delighted to be part of the Danforth East Wellness team. She is a member in good standing with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and a graduate of the Sutherland-Chan School of Massage Therapy. She is also a Rosen Method practitioner and a member of the Rosen Institute. In her Rosen practice, Cassie is passionate about listening to the body and bringing curious and compassionate touch to physical holding.
Cassie’s practice is informed by three decades of body-mind engagement including meditation, movement improvisation, yoga, expressive arts practices and gardening. She loves growing food, sharing seeds and playing in and on water.

As you can see, we are bursting with wonderful news! 
Hoping to see you soon!

The Danforth East Wellness Team

Dr. Anita Gill, Danforth East Wellness

Coming Full Circle

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It’s amazing how sometimes things come full circle! Dr. Anita Gill (she/her) is joining our clinic as a chiropractor two Saturdays a month beginning October 23, but she actually began her career as Dr. Katarina Bulat‘s very first associate over ten years ago!
Dr. Anita is an extremely talented chiropractor who graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2006 Cum Laude. She has returned to Toronto after living in The Big Apple for five years. As a mother to three active girls and a 100lb puppy, Dr. Anita is well aware of the important role that chiropractic care plays in living each day mobile and pain free.  She incorporates nutritional counselling and physical exercises to help patients achieve their health goals, while working within their comfort levels. When she is not at work, she enjoys working out, spending quality time with her family and friends, and of course good food!
Currently Dr. Anita is prioritizing existing patients in the clinic, but is also open to seeing new patients who primarily have maintenance and wellness needs.

Dr. Anita is looking forward to being a key part in your journey to good health and well being!