I had a private practice in naturopathic medicine in Toronto for nearly 20 years. Since closing my practice, I am focussing on teaching healthcare professionals and fertility care providers about treating infertility with Cycle Charting and Progesterone. Getting to the point of where I am known as a strong advocate for natural hormones and as an ardent public speaker took many paths.
The life of a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) took me anywhere I wanted. In-clinic, one-on-one individualized patient care was where I thrived. Out of clinic, I could channel my knowledge in multiple directions, and in doing so, advance naturopathic care, grow my business and have a greater impact on the health of my communities!
Public Speaking
I used public speaking to build up my practice. At the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, (hyperlink CCNM Home | CCNM) I was President of the Naturopathic Toastmasters Club. (Naturopathic Toastmasters Club)
One of the mandates of the club was for its members to deliver succinct, engaging, and compelling talks in seven minutes.
In 2003, I was invited to speak at the Morning Grand Rounds at North York General Hospital (hyperlink Conference Services – North York General Hospital | North York General Hospital) and I presented my first lecture on drug-herb interactions. My topic covered the dos and don’ts of mixing blood thinners and natural health products for orthopedic patients.
As a result, physicians and surgeons began referring patients to me, knowing that naturopathic medicine could harness synergistic drug-herb interactions to increase the efficacy of allopathic care.
Public Speaking was particularly rewarding at the many conferences I spoke at the New York University FACES Center in Manhattan (hyperlink NYU FACES Center Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Resources for Patients & Families | NYU Langone Health)
All of my epilepsy patients were on prescription medication. I helped some reduce their seizures by using botanical medicine, acupuncture, vitamins and natural progesterone.
Conference Producer, Volunteering and Progesterone Advocate
I served on the executive of the Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors. The organization produced annual fertility conferences for Naturopathic Doctors at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. (hyperlink Women’s College Hospital | Revolutionizing Healthcare)
In 2016, I started my own webinars and seminars across North America. Progesterone can help some women with seizures and it can help many women maintain a full-term pregnancy. How to assess the need and confirm the dosage requires the road map of Cycle Charting.
I parlayed my interest in public speaking, conference and webinar production into a CME company, Fertility Continuing Education, founded with Dr. Jessica Liu ND. We produced our six-hour accredited restorative fertility course, “Cycle Charting, Progesterone HRT and Fertility Enhancement.” This course gives clinicians over 6 CME credits.
Jessica and I are progesterone advocates. Part of our mandate is to highlight the life-saving properties of Bio-Identical Progesterone Therapy in a restorative model of women’s health. The beneficial properties of the hormone are still under the radar and underused, especially in the ER setting.
Our global vision is of educating doctors on the benefits of Progesterone. Our goals include ensuring that NDs are the go-to professionals for unexplained infertility, and that every threatened miscarriage in the ER is addressed and prevented with progesterone.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with CME
I found a glaring gap in medicine when it came to the menstrual cycle being packaged as a 28-day model. I want to address the true diversity in women’s health and bring clear, practical information that could help clinicians apply individual treatment plans for their patients immediately.
With their six-hour CPD course, we want to provide leadership in fertility awareness-based methods education for all NDs, physicians, nurses, embryologists, pharmacists, midwives and any healthcare providers who are in contact with patients in the fertility space.
Full Circle: from Public Speaking to Webinar and Conference Guest Speakers
As a result of our work in naturopathic fertility education, Jessica and I have delivered CME lectures at several other conferences including:
Collaborative Education, Bio-identical Progesterone, Thyroid and Low Dose Naltrexone to Restore Fertility – Collaborative Education
LifeLabs and Rocky Mountain analytical , Webinar: Cycle Charting: Your Roadmap to Precise Hormone Testing by Rocky Mountain Analytical
and the Fertility Symposium (Dr. Jodie Peacock, ND, Healthcare CE).
(Hyperlink Fertility Symposium with this link: Fertility Symposium 2021 – Healthcare CE)
Next year, I plan to speak in India. Stay tuned. As well we have been guests on over 25 fertility podcasts.
S2 Ep. 8: Fertility Obsessed with Dr. Nora Pope and Dr. Jessica Liu | Podcasts Nora and Jessica with podcast hosts Nurse Practitioner Teresa Kenney (top right) and FertilityCare Practitioner Jamie Rathgen (top left)
In Summary, Jump In!
Public speaking can be daunting (hospital Grand Rounds to surgeons!). Conference production and volunteering ate into my weekends, yet the knowledge I gained helped me become a mini entrepreneur. I have taught over 500 healthcare professionals, and I feel I’m just getting started.
Book Nora Pope as a speaker: Contact – norapope.com