Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine

Peterborough Centre of Naturopathic Medicine An award winning naturopathic medical clinic with a focus on adjunctive cancer care. Hello, welcome to the online home of the PCNM. Sincerely,
Dr. Tapp ND

My name is Dr. Brenda Tapp ND and I am the clinic director. What is a naturopathic doctor you ask? Naturopathic doctors are medically trained professionals with 8 years of post secondary schooling. Our treatment philosophy is unique to any medical office. We believe in finding and addressing the root cause of your health concern. The doctors at PCNM are passionate about providing excellence in hea

lthcare by providing you with the most effective natural therapies validated by clinical research and traditional/historical use. At PCNM, we are not against pharmaceuticals, we believe naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine work very well together. We employ standard diagnostic testing in combination with unique assessment tools to ensure we can effectively support you and your health. Here at PCNM we care about the health of our community. Our staff are ready to listen to you, answer your questions and help you understand your health. We promise to greet you with a smile and a warm cup of herbal tea. We also promise to respond to your concerns sincerely, truthfully and thoroughly. While I was attending school in Toronto two of my aunts were diagnosed with breast cancer, one of whom passed away. I decided to investigate my family history a bit further and found that breast cancer does run in my family. I immersed myself in the world of cancer prevention, adjunctive natural treatments, and clinical research. Through my own journey to reduce my risk of cancer I have become incredibly passionate about sharing my knowledge with the community I love. I decided to build PCNM, an adjunctive cancer care facility that offers IV therapy as well as natural family medicine.

Eczema doesn’t look the same at every stage of life, and neither should the approach to managing it.Join Dr. Shantel Sim...
08/27/2026

Eczema doesn’t look the same at every stage of life, and neither should the approach to managing it.

Join Dr. Shantel Simpson, ND and Dr. Kori Macarthur, ND for an engaging and evidence-informed webinar exploring how eczema evolves from infancy and childhood through the teen years and into adulthood.

Tuesday, September 15
Live at 6:30 pm
Recording will be sent out to registrants who can’t make it live

Whether you’re a parent navigating childhood eczema, an adult struggling with persistent flares, or someone looking to better understand the root causes behind your skin symptoms, this webinar will provide practical tools and insights you can start using right away.

We’ll discuss:
→ Why eczema develops and what drives ongoing flares
→ How eczema changes from childhood to adulthood
→ Common triggers that are often overlooked
→ The connection between skin, digestion, immune function, stress, sleep, and hormones
→ Daily skincare strategies that support the skin barrier
→ Nutrition and lifestyle considerations for healthier skin
→ When to consider additional testing and investigation
→ Practical tips for managing itching, inflammation, and recurring flare-ups

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by temporary fixes, conflicting advice, or the cycle of flare–calm–flare, this webinar will help you better understand the bigger picture of eczema and the many factors that can influence skin health over time.

Comment FLARE for the link to join.

A friendly reminder that our annual summer holiday closure is quickly approaching! If you have questions for reception, ...
08/25/2026

A friendly reminder that our annual summer holiday closure is quickly approaching!

If you have questions for reception, need to stock up on products from our dispensary, or any support before we’re off next week, please reach out to reception ASAP.

Our office will be closed:
→ Monday, August 31 to Friday, September 4 for our summer holidays
→ Monday, September 7 for Labour Day

To provide flexibility for their patients, some of our practitioners choose to open their schedules on days when the clinic is closed.

If you have an appointment already scheduled on one of the dates listed above, it will run as planned, and your practitioner will let you in at your scheduled start time as reception will be closed.

Reception will respond to all inquiries when they return to the office on Tuesday, September 8 at 9:00 am.
🔗 online booking in bio
📲 705-761-6596
📧 [email protected]

We’re so excited to share with you that Dr. Kori Macarthur is expecting with her baby due this October! 🥰Here is a rundo...
08/25/2026

We’re so excited to share with you that Dr. Kori Macarthur is expecting with her baby due this October! 🥰

Here is a rundown of her mat leave plans:
Her last day for in-clinic appointments is expected to be Tuesday, September 29. After this date, she will shift to virtual video and phone appointments until her maternity leave starts on Tuesday, October 6.

She will begin her return to practice on Wednesday, December 16 with phone appointments available for both follow ups and new patient initial consultations available each Wednesday. Virtual video calls can be accommodated where needed.

Starting in the new year, Dr. Macarthur will begin a gradual return to seeing patients in-clinic with one in-clinic shift per week and expanded virtual/phone availability becoming available in January 2027.

Throughout her maternity leave, our team will be here to facilitate your continued care. Whether you have questions, need treatment plan clarifications or an urgent consultation, please reach out to our reception team directly for ongoing support.

If you’d like to get in to see Dr. Macarthur before October, please reach out to us right away to reserve your spot.
🔗 online booking in bio
📲 705-761-6596
📧 [email protected]

08/23/2026

If only medicine were that simple. There remains considerable debate about the optimal duration of antibiotic therapy.

Different medical organizations interpret the evidence differently and recommend different treatment durations depending on the patient’s presentation.

The most important thing is that treatment should be individualized. Clinical judgment will always be more valuable than blindly following a guideline.

The bottom line … don’t panic!
→ Remove the tick promptly with fine-tipped tweezers or your tick key. Save it if possible.
→ Contact your healthcare provider to discuss whether antibiotics or other treatments are appropriate for you.
→ Monitor yourself for symptoms over the following weeks, and don’t rush into blood work before your immune system has had enough time to respond.

For those of you without an OHIP-covered physician or NP, please know that your naturopathic doctor can order Public Health Ontario Lyme testing; while not perfect, it is a reasonable place to start.

If you need support with Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses from a naturopathic perspective, we have several NDs on staff who are well-versed in complex chronic illnesses including Lyme disease.
🔗 online booking in bio
📲 705-761-6596 for reception support
📧 [email protected]
📍in-person appointments in Peterborough or virtual for residents throughout Ontario

08/22/2026

Testing immediately after a tick bite is actually one of the quickest ways to get a false negative.

The Lyme disease testing performed through Public Health Ontario looks for your immune system’s response to the infection, not the bacteria itself, and your immune system needs time to recognize the infection and produce detectable antibodies.

Testing is best performed 4 to 6 weeks after a tick bite. Anything earlier than that may simply be too soon for the laboratory to detect your immune response.

If you’ve been bitten by a tick, start paying attention to how you feel over the next month. Early Lyme disease commonly causes flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes neurological symptoms.

Not everyone develops the classic bull’s-eye rash, so don’t rely on the presence or absence of a rash alone to determine if Lyme disease is a concern.

Unfortunately, the two-tier testing for Lyme disease used by Public Health Ontario misses approximately one-half of actual cases. While that is a discussion for another day, one thing you can also do is consider having the tick itself tested.

Although Public Health Ontario no longer routinely tests ticks submitted by the public, several private laboratories do. One Canadian company is Geneticks, which offers:

→ Lyme disease panel: approximately $50
→ Lyme disease plus common co-infections: approximately $150
→ Comprehensive tick panel: approximately $300

Other laboratories, such as IGeneX and ArminLabs, also offer tick testing. But remember, tick testing isn’t perfect either.

A positive tick doesn’t necessarily mean transmission occurred. It’s simply another piece of information that can help guide decision-making.

Information is power and the more you know, the better you can advocate for yourself if or when it’s necessary.

Are you joining us on Monday to chat all things iron deficiency including supplementation vs IV infusions?The truth is, ...
08/22/2026

Are you joining us on Monday to chat all things iron deficiency including supplementation vs IV infusions?

The truth is, iron deficiency is one of the most overlooked causes or contributors of fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, restless legs, poor exercise tolerance, dizziness, headaches, ADHD, anxiety, shortness of breath, and feeling like you’re just not yourself.

Even more frustrating? Many people are told their iron is “fine” when it may be far from optimal.

Join me for an interactive, no-nonsense webinar where we’ll dive into everything iron, including:
→ How to know if low iron could be affecting your health
→ Which blood tests you actually need (and how to order them)
→ The other nutrient deficiencies and conditions that should be investigated alongside iron
→ How to interpret your own iron blood work like a pro
→ The pros and cons of treating iron deficiency through food, supplements, and iron infusions
→ Common mistakes that prevent iron levels from improving

This isn’t a lecture. It’s a conversation.

Bring your blood work! We’ll review real lab results, answer your questions, and help you understand what your numbers actually mean.

If you’ve ever been told your labs are “normal” but you still don’t feel normal, this webinar is for you.

Comment EPIDEMIC for the link to join.

08/19/2026

A single dose of doxycycline is recommended after a tick bite, pharmacists in Ontario can even dispense it to you without a prescription from your doctor…but it’s intended as post-exposure prophylaxis, not treatment for an active infection.

It may reduce the risk of Lyme disease in certain circumstances, but it doesn’t guarantee prevention; you can still develop Lyme disease, even after a single dose of Doxy.

It also doesn’t address many of the other organisms ticks can carry.

The recommendation for a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline is based primarily on one human clinical trial, and even that study reported a very wide confidence interval (25-98%), making it difficult to know its true effectiveness.

In animal studies, a single dose prevented Lyme disease in less than 50% of cases.

What about active cases of Lyme?

When researchers looked at patients who had already developed the classic bull’s-eye (erythema migrans) rash, 20 days or less of antibiotics achieved success rates as low as 52.2%, meaning many patients remained symptomatic or required additional treatment.

Because of these findings, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) recommends against relying on a single dose of doxycycline.

Instead, ILADS recommends 20 days of doxycycline after a known high-risk blacklegged tick bite (barring any contraindications) and 4-6 weeks of treatment for patients who develop an erythema migrans rash, with reassessment to ensure symptoms have fully resolved.

If you need support with Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses from a naturopathic perspective, we have several NDs on staff who are well-versed in complex chronic illnesses including Lyme disease.
🔗 online booking in bio
📲 705-761-6596 for reception support
📧 [email protected]
📍in-person appointments in Peterborough or virtual for residents throughout Ontario

08/19/2026

Maybe...maybe not. The risk of Lyme disease certainly increases the longer a tick is attached, but there is no magical clock that suddenly starts transmission at the 24-hour mark.

This is simply a guideline, but ticks don’t adhere to guidelines. Removal under the 24-hour mark lessens your risk, HOWEVER, you still need to be diligent monitoring for symptoms.

So what do you do after removing a tick?
→ Contact Your Local Pharmacy: You may be eligible for a prophylactic dose of Doxycycline depending on your area, how long it has been attached (typically over 24 hours), amongst other criteria. It’s worth a call.

→ Monitor For Symptoms: Don’t just rely on the bulls-eye rash, as not everyone gets this. Symptoms of Lyme disease can be remarkably similar to a cold or flu (fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle/joint pain). Don’t just write it off a seasonal bug if you’ve had a recent known tick bite.

→ Option To Send Tick Away For Testing: There are private labs in Ontario where you can send the tick itself away to be tested. Not perfect as a tick with a positive Lyme test doesn’t always mean transmission to the human, but it’s simply information.

→ Consider Getting Tested For Lyme Disease: Testing is best performed 4 to 6 weeks after a tick bite. Testing earlier than that may simply be too soon for the laboratory to detect your immune response. Lyme testing is also not perfect, but it is still an option to consider.

Navigating tick season doesn’t have to come with fear or avoiding the outdoors. The more awareness you have, the better you can advocate for yourself.

08/18/2026

Absorption is a big piece of the conversation surrounding successful iron supplementation.

→ dairy and astringent drinks like coffee
→ chronic inflammation
→ hepcidin
→ conditions like IBS or celiac
→ lack of co-factors like vitamin C

Not to mention the side effects, like constipation and digestive disturbances, that can come with higher doses.

This is why a personalized repletion strategy should look at more than just the number on your bloodwork. When we look at the person as a whole, we can come up with optimal approach to get their iron levels to healthy spot

Join me on Monday, August 24 at 7:00pm for a comprehensive conversation around iron deficiency including:
• The pros and cons of treating iron deficiency through food, supplements, and iron infusions
• Common mistakes that prevent iron levels from improving
• Which blood tests you actually need (and how to order them)
• How to interpret your own iron blood work like a pro

Comment EPIDEMIC for the link to join!

Iron deficiency can develop slowly, and some children may have no obvious symptoms at first. As iron levels decline, par...
08/17/2026

Iron deficiency can develop slowly, and some children may have no obvious symptoms at first.

As iron levels decline, parents may notice:
→ Fatigue or low energy
→ Pale skin
→ Cold hands and feet
→ Headaches, dizziness or lightheadedness (especially with activity)
→ Decreased appetite (especially in infants & young children)
→ Brittle nails; dry/ damaged hair + skin, and hair loss
→ Dark circles around the eyes
→ Restless legs
→ Shortness of breath during activity

Iron deficiency in children can also impact academic performance, attention span and mood.
Want to help your child get the best start this school season? Book a 10-min complimentary alignment call with Dr. Shantel Simpson, ND to help your child feel their best.
👩‍⚕️ Dr. Shantel Simpson, ND
📲 705-761-6596
📧 [email protected]
📍in person appointments in Peterborough or virtual throughout Ontario

Address

386 Burnham Street
Peterborough, ON
K9H1T6

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17057616596

Website

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