Hello, my name is Rachel Worth-Cappell and I am a Doctor of naturopathic medicine, founder of Sacred Grove Naturopathic.

After completing a BA in Philosophy at The College of Wooster, I went on to train at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I work in the clinical application of nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicine, physical medicine, naturopathic counselling, and nature.

Outside of clinic, I teach nutrition, foraging and wilderness medicine courses and lead whitewater canoe trips. In an effort to shift narratives within outdoors spaces, I co-founded an ecocentric whitewater guiding company, Braiding Rivers, to foster gentler connections with ourselves, each other and the Land.

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I carry forward the wisdom of the river and my time with the Land teaches me how to best serve my patients. In my work, I focus on wholistic treatments that join time in nature alongside herbal medicine, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle therapy, naturopathic counselling and your own expertise on yourself.

Those who choose to work with me will notice that my work is founded on these frameworks:

Firstly, we are intrinsically connected to nature.

Nature is our most powerful healer and own healing requires attuning to, and connecting with, the Land around us. To begin to pay attention to the rhythms of the Land is to pay attention to the terrain of our own bodies.

Secondly, your healing must include the collective.

While healing at the individual level is essential, healing also requires that we attend to collective wellness. The western project of White Supremacist, Imperialist, Colonial Capitalism (concept via bell hooks) perpetuates systems of oppression — racism, ableism, sexism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, housing and food insecurity, resource extraction and hoarding — which act as systemic barriers to health. Healing these systems, and from these systems, must be done for and by the collective. Our individual healing work supports our capacity to dismantle systems of oppression that prevent wellness.

Thirdly, we are whole and complex beings.

We are a beautiful web of inseparable connections, weaving physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental and communal bodies into one. Good health and, in turn, good healthcare, requires attending to our entirety. In our work together, we will practice curiosity for the social, emotional, environmental and systemic factors that contribute to our well-being.

Fourthly, you are the expert on your own healing.

While I have spent many years studying therapeutic interventions and I hold the responsibility of being a healthcare practitioner with utmost care, the wisdom we hold in our own bones on ourselves is essential to our work together. I consider myself an interpreter, a guide, and a conduit of information, yet you will always hold the key to your own health.

Fifthly, we have the innate capacity to heal.

In naturopathic medicine, we refer to this as the vis, or the vital life force that runs through us, which is the taproot of health. Throughout your life, you’ll encounter barriers to your vitality — injury, trauma, infections, social displacement, etc — which may send you into a state of disease (literally dis-ease). When you identify and remove the barriers you can to your own health, you can support your innate healing capacity.

These principles guide our time together and together we will explore your health history, family history, emotional tendencies, relational patterns, major life traumas, biochemistry, and everything in between. The skills and tools I use are adapted to your unique case, and I pull from a wide range of healing modalities, including lab diagnostics, nutritional optimization, lifestyle counselling, herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and physical medicine. The modalities are chosen with care and our treatment plans include goals aimed at optimizing your health and preventing further disease.

This is the deep and fulfilling work of remembering your wellness and guiding yourself home. I look forward to joining you on your path.

In health and adventure,

Rachel

All photography provided by my compadres Sterling Sonego and Kat Pyne