VALLEY METABOLIC HEALTH
Clinic
The Valley Metabolic Clinic is powered by behaviour change, medical therapy, and surgical options to help provide comprehensive and evidence informed care for patients living with obesity.
Lifestyle
Connect with multi-disciplinary supports in areas of movement, nutrition, mental health, and behaviour change to support your journey towards your “best weight”.
Education
Engage in opportunities to improve health and well-being via education. Information is power! Let’s build an empowered community. Check out our EMPOWERING HEALTH course.
T1D3C Clinic
Providing comprehensive care for patients living with type 1 DM focusing on collaboration, community, and connectivity.
VALLEY METABOLIC HEALTH
There is a rising tide of type 2 diabetes and complications of obesity in Nova Scotia. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are not due to problems with will power or moral failings. They are not due to an individual’s fault. Our health care system needs to be reoriented in order to support patients in their journey toward wellness. This approach, integrated with providing access to the full stack of medical and surgical options, is the reason
Valley Metabolic Health was born.
Let Us Help You Achieve Your Best Weight
“Live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate”.
~Yoni Freedhoff, MD, Obesity Medicine Specialist.
MEET THE TEAM
DIRECTOR – VALLEY METABOLIC HEALTH
Meet Dr. Michael Mindrum
Dr. Mindrum practices general internal medicine. His interests are in metabolism, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and the science and art of behaviour change. He is passionate about patient education (information is power!), helping patients optimize their metabolic health with lifestyle, reducing medications when possible, and optimizing others in order to help others achieve their goals. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and completed his residency training at the University of Hawaii, the University of Vermont, and Dalhousie University. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and has a Diploma in Counselling for Obesity Medicine. He married Dr. Christa Mindrum, a family physician and Newfoundlander, which led to his migration north to Nova Scotia. He is a proud father of three beautiful children. A brief resume can be found here!
Julia Arenburg, LPN
Clinical Lead
Julia Arenburg is passionate about empowering patients so that they may achieve their goals. She has a broad range of experiences from acute care to primary care. She is keen to guide patients in their best weight journey and support them in improving their health and sense of well-being.
Melanie MacNeil, MD
Obesity Medicine Lead
Dr. MacNeil is a family physician practicing in the Annapolis Valley (https://livingwithweight.ca/). She is board certified in obesity medicine and is a bariatric educator. She graduated from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) in 2011 and completed her residency training in Family Medicine at NOSM in 2013. She has lived in Nova Scotia with her husband and 4 children since 2016.
Eliana Witchell, RD
Lead Dietitian
Eliana Witchell is a professional dietitian, founder and Chief Eating Officer (CEO) of Eat ;Different RD. She partners with medical teams to help their patients improve not only lifespan, but healthspan. Her aim is for clients to reach their health goals by using a variety of emerging, evidence-based, food-first approaches that have been found to help reverse or put chronic disease into remission.
Jonathon Fowles, PhD
Exercise is Medicine Lead
Dr. Jonathon Fowles’ is a professor of kinesiology at Acadia University and Chair of Exercise is Medicine Canada. His work through the Centre of Lifestyle Studies (CoLS) has focused on implementation of physical activity guidelines into clinical practice. He spearheaded initiatives with national and regional health organizations to increase capacity for physical activity counselling by health care providers. Dr. Fowles worked with the Diabetes Care Program of Nova Scotia in 2008 to develop the “Physical Activity and Exercise Toolkit” and developed workshops to train diabetes care providers on physical activity counselling in clinical practice.
Joelle Caplan, PhD
Psychology and Behavioural Change Lead
Dr. Caplan is a clinical psychologist currently in private practice in New Minas. She was previously a practicing therapist and coordinator of mental health services for Kings County. Dr. Caplan has a history of Type 2 Diabetes which she reversed with a diet first strategy with carbohydrate restriction beginning in 2017. Quite simply, it has changed her life! Dr. Caplan is excited to support others make a long term change.
Valley Metabolic Health Ambassadors
Patient Advocacy
This is about you – the patient. This is a link to patients who have walked the walk. They are knowledgeable and ready to help and advocate. This is about the patients voice and the ability to change the conversation and the system. If you would like to connect our advocates, please reach out to Valley Metabolic Health. If you are a patient and would like to be part of our network please let us know! We all need your voice. Please click anywhere in this module to access our ambassador program.
PARTNERS
VALLEY METABOLIC HEALTH
SUITE 250, 21 Roy Avenue, New Minas, Nova Scotia B4N 3R7
OFFICE PHONE: (902) 915-4435
OFFICE FAX: 1(855) 962-2375
