Flourish Clinic Cochrane
When we’re healthy, we have the energy to pursue our passions.
When we’re sick, we’re tired. All we can think about is getting better.
At Flourish Clinic our focus is to help you regain your health so that you have the energy to share your gifts and passions with the world.
The practitioners of Flourish Clinic: Ali Frederick, Mark Volmer, Dr. Cathryn Henstock-Zapf and Sheena Huculak use a wide variety of modalities. These include:
Ali Frederick, D.O.M.P., RMT
- Osteopathy
- Massage
- Nutritional Therapy
Mark Volmer, R.Ac, FMP
- Functional Medicine
- Laser Therapy
- Acupuncture
Dr. Cathryn Henstock-Zapf, MD
- Functional Medicine
Sheena Huculak, RN, RHN
- Holistic Nutrition
- Nutritionist and Health Coach
- Coaching
Shannon Czajko, R.Ac
- Acupuncture
Our Practitioners
Mark
Hi, I’m Mark Volmer.
As a functional medicine practitioner, acupuncturist, and researcher, I empower people just like you to beat fatigue (for good!) and focus their energy towards their passions. I studied acupuncture at MacEwan University and functional medicine at the Kresser Institute in Berkley, California. I practice functional medicine with an emphasis on natural solutions to fatigue and gut-related illness.
For me, health is so much more than the absence of disease. Health is a superior state of well-being.
But, it wasn’t always that way for me…
In my twenties, I was exhausted. And completely lost. Every morning was a struggle to get out of bed. I didn’t want to go to school or work. But, I was healthy, or, so I thought. I was exercising multiple times a week, ate a “nutritious” diet (according to the Canada food guide), and my lab tests were impeccable.
To combat the (now overwhelming) fatigue, I saw medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, energy healers, and shamans. All tried to help me get my chutzpah back. But it didn’t work. I was still tired all the time.
It wasn’t until I sat cross-legged in a 10-day silent meditation retreat that I had an a-ha moment:
My fatigue was not caused by a medical illness. It was a sign that I was not living a life aligned with my values. I was missing meaning and purpose in my life.
I left that retreat with a renewed sense of purpose and lots of energy. I was convinced that I wanted to study natural medicine. And that fatigue could be overcome by living a life aligned with your values.
I was so wrong.
Shortly after receiving my acupuncture license, I got tired again. Really tired. All that meaning and purpose I had in my life suddenly vanished. Another silent meditation clued me in.
Purpose and meaning are not finite destinations. They are processes. We have to keep working at them.
But in my work with patients, meaning and purpose didn’t help everyone. Neither did acupuncture. If I’m being completely honest, it hardly helped anyone. There had to be other causes of fatigue. I was missing something in my training.
I dove into the medical research. I studied functional medicine and read every book and medical journal there was on fatigue. I learned that treating fatigue involved so much more than creating meaning and purpose. Did you know that the food we eat plays a pivotal role in our body’s ability to create energy?
FYI – The Canada food guide isn’t so nutritious after all.
I’ve spent the majority of my career studying the different causes of fatigue. It is one of the most complicated and multi-faceted conditions to treat. Like my case, its cause is often due to a combination of issues. These include:
- Cortisol imbalances
- Unknown dietary allergies and/or sensitivities
- Hidden gut infections
- Blood sugar irregularities
- And yes, even a lack of meaning or purpose in our life
Do you know the #1 reason why we stop pursuing our ambitions? I don’t either. But in my work with over a thousand patients, I’ve discovered that a lack of energy always plays a role.
I know that you have a unique gift. At this point, you may be too tired to even think about that. But believe me, there’s something special inside of you. And when you share it with the world, we all benefit. And that’s why we created Flourish. To help you overcome fatigue and get back to sharing your passion(s) with the world.
To the right of the screen, there’s a sign-up form for my free e-Book. Please check it out. It has information about the 4 hidden causes of fatigue. Plus, unique strategies to overcome each!
I hope I get the opportunity to work with you in the not so distant future.
Warmly,
Mark
Ali
Hi, I’m Ali Frederick.
I’m a manual osteopath, massage therapist, and gluten expert. I take complex health issues and break them down into simple, easy to understand pieces.
After years of a healthy, active life, I suddenly found I was tired all the time, had unrelenting gut issues (I’ll spare you the details), and couldn’t stay asleep if my life depended on it. On top of that, I had chronic neck pain that just wouldn’t go away – no matter how many massages I had.
I saw practitioner after practitioner in hopes of finding something that tied all my symptoms together.
Instead, I got one practitioner focusing on my neck, another on my digestion, yet another on my sleep, and one more for my fatigue. I was frustrated that none of my practitioners were seeing my body as the interconnected whole that it is. Everyone was focused on my symptoms – no one was looking for the root cause.
Fortunately for me, Mark started studying functional medicine. I learned I was allergic to gluten and changed my diet to not only eliminate gluten but to also include whole foods, free from any refined or packaged products. Through the simple act of changing what I ate, my fatigue and neck pain were eliminated. Turns out the food allergens were creating an inflammatory situation in my body, which caused my neck to always hurt. I found that the cause of my gut issues were due to a hormone imbalance – after remedying that, I now sleep like the dead and best of all, I have no gut issues.
After going through this on my own, I know that getting to the underlying or root cause of disease is the key to truly healing.
I work with patients in two distinct capacities:
- For my Bloom Care patients, I provide a combination of osteopathy and massage to ensure your nervous system is communicating with your musculoskeletal system. This gets my patients out of pain in short order and gets them back doing what they love.
- For my Root Care patients, I take a more systematic approach to their health. Most people come in for the management of a painful area in their body. I take a detailed history to see how this pain could be connected to other areas of their health. These are often areas that are overlooked by other practitioners. I look to see how your job may contribute to your condition and add exercises or stretches to help you remedy the problem. We discuss the food you eat and, if appropriate, I recommend easy, understandable changes that will positively impact your health.
If you’re like many of my patients, you feel overwhelmed with all of the varying opinions on which therapy is best for which illness. I empower you with simple information based on your wellness goals and address your musculoskeletal aches and pains through a targeted combination of osteopathy and massage.
I have specific training and experience in working with:
- Celiac + Gluten intolerance and related disorders
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Abdominal pain
- Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
- Acute and chronic pain management
- TMJ and associated syndromes
- Swelling in the ankles and feet
- Headaches
- Sports injuries
- Tendonitis
- Stress management
- Low back pain
If you want a hands-on therapist who can perform treatment without causing you more pain and keeps the big picture of your health in mind, then I would love to help!
Hugs,
Ali
Dr. Cathryn, Henstock-Zapf, MD
“Eat well, sleep deeply, move, don’t worry and get social.”
After more than 16 years practicing General Medicine in the British military and more than five years as a psychiatrist with the NHS in England, I knew I had more to offer than the standard treatments permitted. Introducing Functional Medicine into my practice resulted in increased success with my patients and with it, a feeling that I was finally getting to the root of their health issues.
I believe that changing the way you live your life can have a profound impact on clinical outcomes. In 2016 I took this to heart and left Great Britain to live near the Rocky Mountains and experience a new life.
I am now thrilled to practice Functional Medicine with Mark & Ali at Flourish Clinic. At Flourish I am able to combine my general practice knowledge, my psychiatry skills and Functional Medicine education to give my patients the opportunity to optimize their health in a supportive, proactive environment.
I am a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, a Master of Business Administration and board certified with the Canadian College of Family Physicians. I also speak European French.
I have the Primal Coach certification in paleolithic lifestyle. I am a Member of Physicians for Ancestral Health. I use paleo, Primal, low carb high fat (LCHF) and autoimmune protocol diets for a lot of modern ailments. Prof. Peter Andrews, one of the top paleontologists, has taught me human evolution first hand. I really enjoy finding new paleolithic and neolithic sites to visit all over the World. I combine Functional Medicine and Ancestral Health.
What Patients Can Expect
Together we will increase your understanding of your health and get to the root cause of your medical problems. After a couple of initial consultations, including a physical, I am able to work remotely by Zoom.
Medical Specialties
- Functional Medicine
- General Practice
- Genetics/Genomics
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Nutrition
Medical Conditions
Recently I have trained with Professor Dale Bredesen who has been reversing cognitive decline using a Functional Medicine approach. I am offering the Bredesen Protocol to patients with subjective and minor cognitive decline and early dementia.
I have a particular interest in transitioning patients with complex health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension safely onto ketogenic diets.
Over the years of working with military personnel, I have supported individuals and teams of athletes for high performance. If you want the very best out of your brain I’m your biohacking doctor!
Sheena
I love healthy living and helping people reach their potential. I am forever a student of life and believe in the coaching process, the power of visualization and manifestation, but most of all the magic of accountability!
I am a Holistic Nutritionist and a Bulletproof Coach™ who is committed to guiding my clients into alignment with their life.
I believe we are all here learning to ride the waves of our own personal experiences and to understand that we all have our own current in life. Knowing ourselves and trusting in our purpose helps us to bravely blaze our unique path.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken
–Oscar Wilde
I believe in energizing people through:
- A real food, high fat diet with selective supplementation;
- Getting really clear on what matters most (priorities, values, goals, visions);
- Taking the appropriate action to realize your highest potential.
I worked as a Registered Nurse for more than 10 years and became disillusioned with the medical world. I recognized the broken system that didn’t seem to be helping many people get healthy. It was all just quick fixes and band-aid solutions.
Where was the time to engage, educate and empower patients to make their own choices or teach them about lifestyle changes?
I finally decided…
ENOUGH!
I would honor myself and pursue a life I could be passionate and get really excited about.
So my thirst for personal development began.
I started down the path of Holistic Nutrition trying all different lifestyle diets. I’ve tried the following diets:
- Vegetarian,
- Vegan,
- Fruitarian,
- Paleo,
- Keto,
- Multiple cleanses,
- And so many supplements!
Basically, everything I was learning about I tried on myself.
However, self-doubt crept in. I gave up Nutritional Consulting and return to Nursing where I grew even more miserable. So I quit my job, sold my house, left my home, my family, and my friends in hopes of finding my true self.
I spent three months in Costa Rica learning:
- Yoga,
- meditation,
- energy medicine,
- emotional release techniques,
- and the teachings of the spiritual guru Osho.
I found a sense of belonging. This gave me a new perspective on the possibilities of life.
My heart opened, love and hope flooded in, and I started to feel lighter.
And yet years later I found myself struggling again. I was now married, a mother to two young children and working full-time as a nurse. I was exhausted, irritable, stressed, and struggling to keep up with all the demands of my life. Out of desperation, I went to see my Naturopath. In one appointment my identity as an intelligent, healthy, strong woman collapsed around me. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Hypothyroid, Adrenal Insufficiency, and my hormones were all out of whack.
I left that appointment feeling shame and embarrassment that I – a nurse and a nutritionist – could have let my health slip away like this. But on the other hand, I felt incredibly relieved that I wasn’t going crazy!
There were solutions to my health troubles and I knew what I needed to do to fix myself!
It was a long few years, but I worked hard on my health!
- I restricted my diet, cut inflammatory foods;
- I set personal boundaries;
- I enrolled in courses;
- I took a deep dive into self-study;
- I practiced mindfulness and meditation;
- I returned to my yoga practice;
- I started living my life on my own terms.
I fought my way out of my darkness and came out on the other side with a brighter light than ever. Today I support clients with the same struggles I have encountered. I combine my medical background and nutritional knowledge into my coaching practice.
We are always growing and evolving into our higher selves; the learning never stops. My mission is to inspire and empower people to choose self-love, self-acceptance, compassion and kindness into their life journey.
Wholehearted living is not like trying to reach a destination. It’s like walking toward a star in the sky. We never really ‘arrive,’ but we certainly know that we’re headed in the right direction.
-Brene Brown
Shannon
My journey with healing began at a young age. Aside from the usual injuries, an active but clumsy farm kid gets, I also suffered from Scoliosis, asthma, allergies, and eczema. I found that acupuncture as well as chiropractic care, massage therapy and physiotherapy all helped me manage my health.
As a child and teenager, my interests led me to study therapeutic touch and Reiki. In 2002 I graduated with a Massage Therapy Diploma.
My educational journey didn’t end there. Because of a lifelong interest in herbal medicine, I decided to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I found it fascinating that I could empower myself and others with the knowledge and skills to deal better with all of the usual illnesses life throws your way – like the common cold, flus, allergies, and skin problems.
However, I really fell in love with acupuncture during my training because of its ability to not only treat injuries and pain, but also every aspect of health and wellness. I had previously used acupuncture for injuries but didn’t realize until I was in school that it is a complete system with treatments for all health concerns.
In 2008 I graduated with a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine diploma and became a member of the College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta. However, since I am always finding new, interesting courses related to acupuncture and other traditional healing methods I don’t think I will ever end my educational journey.
As so many of us have, I’ve suffered from my share of injuries but I feel that they shouldn’t stop me from living life. For me, that’s working with horses, gardening, working, walking and playing with my dog.
No matter the reason you come to see me, I try to be as efficient as possible with your treatment. I want to help you live your life around whatever limitations have been thrown at you.
I treat each of my patients as the unique person they are, working with each one’s specific circumstances to come up with the best treatment for each individual.