Polo Health + Longevity Centre offers integrated care options for long-lasting health
Walking through the doors of Polo Health + Longevity Centre, one is immediately surprised at how welcoming the space is. Cushy chairs and upholstered loveseats line a large window overlooking New Westminster, B.C.’s Columbia Street, while clean white shelving provides a pleasing contrast to the robin’s-egg-blue walls. The overwhelming feeling of the 4,000-square-foot clinic is incredibly modern—something that is reflected in its practices.
“Our vision… is to create a model for health care that is vibrantly charged with the latest and best understanding of a balanced, integrative and preventative approach to wellness,” says the company website. Since its founding in 2014, Dr. Allana Polo N.D., the owner of Polo Health, has managed to do exactly that.
From passion to practice
From a young age, Dr. Polo knew her greatest passion was in caring for others. “I always wanted to be a healthcare professional,” she says. “I love helping, nurturing and educating people.”
However, she also understood that she wanted to effect long-lasting impacts to help people to change their lives, rather than solve their immediate problems—a mantra that she brought with her into Polo Health.
“Being a naturopath is in alignment with my views of medicine as treating the root cause of a patient’s issue and modifying their lifestyle, rather than simply administering drugs,” she says. As such, after practicing naturopathic medicine for five years, Dr. Polo decided to open a clinic that best reflected her values: one that would focus on the cultivation of patients’ longevity.
A unique vision
Polo Health perfectly realizes Dr. Polo’s dream. “We range from very traditional naturopathic medicine to more modern aesthetic medicine,” she notes. “It’s not your typical multidisciplinary clinic. We are all medically focused; we have everything from naturopaths to medical doctors, pharmacists to aesthetic professionals.”
As such, very different practices occur within each of the clinic’s 12 treatment rooms. The centre offers a very wide variety of procedures, including—but not limited to—cutting-edge IV-therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP), prolotherapy, Botox, fillers and laser therapies. Additionally, the space houses its own compounding pharmacy, making it easy for patients to get the treatment they need.
Currently, Polo Health’s team is comprised of five naturopathic physicians, a medical doctor, certified and registered clinical counselors, certified colon hydrotherapists and a compounding pharmacist.
Embracing change
Though the clinic is still relatively new, Dr. Polo notes that the company has undergone significant changes since its inception.
“We are constantly offering new services and getting rid of those that don’t seem to be attracting traffic,” she says. “The clinic is evolving month by month, with more supplements, different company lines and new staff coming on board.”
Recently, the clinic has seen an increased demand for fertility and reproductive health-related treatments. Additionally, says Dr. Polo, many of the clinic’s patients are now concerned with adrenal fatigue.
“A lot of our patients come in overweight, tired and stressed out,” she explains. “We also see a lot of chronic pain and hormone imbalances. To help them combat these issues, we offer lifestyle counseling and IV-therapy, different natural supplements, hormone balancing treatments, and discussions about proper cortisone levels and the importance of a good night’s sleep.”
Spreading the word
As a modern clinic, Polo Health is also very much focused on the multitude of engagement opportunities that social media provides. However, Dr. Polo suggests that social media is best for keeping her current patients engaged, rather than attracting new ones.
“When your patients follow you, they are able to see what you are doing and you are always in their consciousness,” she clarifies. “If they ever have a problem, they will remember to come back—plus, social media lets them know about specials, new services or promotions that are happening within your clinic.”
Presently, Polo Health is most active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Dr. Polo also recognizes the brilliance of traditional forms of media—including television, newspapers, radio and the Internet—in appealing to prospective clients. “It’s hard work getting out there,” she admits. “I am always very active in marketing; it’s always on my mind, and I never let it slide.”
Moreover, Polo Health utilizes corporate “lunch-and-learns” as a way to build relationships with different companies. Predominantly, they use these sessions to educate employees about how the clinic’s treatments and services apply to their benefit plans.
Through this consistent marketing regimen, says Polo, she is best able to raise awareness and educate people about the many benefits of naturopathic medicine.
“There’s a lot of education that needs to happen,” she notes. “People are still skeptical of what it is that we do. It’s also about us getting a voice, and showing people that we are able to treat them the same way their family doctor would.”
Polo Health has definitely succeeded at creating a beautiful modern space—both in the clinic and online—for people to feel welcome and to learn about all the benefits this holistic clinic has to offer.
