Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Victoria West offers a wealth of health services including chiropractic care, medical acupuncture, Active Release Technique therapy, vagal nerve stimulation, Shockwave Therapy, Low Level Light Laser Therapy, movement & posture retraining & strategies, & lifestyle counselling.

No, you do not need a referral to receive treatment at Dr. Victoria West. However, we do work closely with other healthcare providers to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care.

Yes, Dr. Victoria West's services are submittable to most major insurance plans. Healthspace Collective in Port Perry offers direct billing (for plans that qualify). Functional Strength and Therapy services must be submitted by the patient and they are then reimbursed by their insurer. 

HRV indicates the degree that  clinical vagal nerve stimulation shifts and supports the autonomic nervous system daily shifting into a period of parasympathetic state - rest, recovery, digestion, etc. and out of acute or chronic sympathetic state - fight, flight, freeze. Increase parasympathetic state improves overall well being, adaptability, healing time and rate, among other great benefits. 
Below is a list of options that you could get to track your HRV and give you metrics on your progress through your healing era! 
HRV Smartwatch Trackers
Garmin Smartwatches: if you go to their Smartwatches page and filter to "HRV Status" in the status it will pull up all their devices that have HRV. I like Garmin for their "Body Battery" feature that makes it digestible and applicable utilizing HRV in day to day. https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/c/wearables-smartwatches/?FILTER_FEATURE_HRVSTATUS=true

Information about HRV and Garmin 

https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/garmin-technology/health-science/hrv-status/

Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/global/en-ca/technology/health-metrics- it does appear that Fitbit devices now track HRV but I'm not familiar with them or if you need their subscription to access the HRV information. https://support.google.com/fitbit/answer/14236917#zippy=%2Cwho-can-see-health-metrics-in-the-fitbit-app

Apple Watch (series 4 to current (9): https://www.apple.com/ca/apple-watch-series-9/
Information: https://9to5mac.com/2024/01/24/use-hrv-with-apple-watch-and-iphone/

Others: 

Whoop Heart Rate Monitor (subscription based)

Oura Ring Heart Rate Monitor (not as familiar but is considered reliable for HRV tracking)