Dr. Dan Yee employs an eclectic practice style, drawing from many healing traditions to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care. Drawing from over 16 years of experience, he has a clinical focus in complex/chronic disease and chronic pain.
Born and raised in Western Canada, Dr Yee started his career in BC, where he was in the first cohort of NDs to attain pharmaceutical prescription rights. Dr. Yee has utilized primary medication management as part of his practice for most of his time as a doctor, helping people alleviate withdrawal symptoms or optimizing dosages for reduction of side-effects.
Dr. Yee has experience treating a wide range of cases, including auto-immune conditions, cancer, chronic pain, SIBO, metal toxicity, and MCAS, among others. This experience, combined with his management of pharmaceuticals, gives him a broad, comprehensive view of treatment and management of complex cases. *Note that direct pharmaceutical management is not within the scope of NDs in Alberta. Dr. Yee cannot write prescriptions in Alberta.
From an early age in the Kootenay area of BC, Dr. Yee grew up utilizing herbal medicines and remedies. Plantain for cuts and yarrow for bleeding noses were mainstay treatments in the household. Dr. Yee was always fascinated by the human body and how it worked, and pursued this with a Kinesiology Degree at the University of Calgary. It was during this time his mother fell ill, with no solutions from doctors. The solution was simple: his mother had celiac disease and had been suffering for years on medication when she simply needed to eliminate wheat from her diet. It was then he realized he needed to use his potential to learn medicine.
“Diet is your base, your foundation of health. You simply can’t get better from illness if the diet isn’t dialed in. Identifying food sensitivities and finding a way of eating that works for you is essential. Knowledge of how to eat allows patients to make informed decisions. Should you eat that dessert or is the physical cost not worth it? Sometimes dessert IS worth it, just know how it will make you feel first.”
During his university years, Dr. Yee trained martial arts extensively, dedicating most of his free time to this craft. Pushing his physical limits led him to try other ways of recovery and performance enhancement. Getting treated by an integrative practitioner, he was given supplements and physical therapies such as chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue manipulation, visceral manipulation, and acupuncture. These things worked, even though every university professor that Dr. Yee questioned about these therapies said it was simply placebo.
That made no sense to him. He felt better, he could train harder. Just because there wasn’t “studies” on these things, didn’t mean they didn’t work.
This drove him further in the pursuit of knowledge. During an internship under a complementary medicine researcher, he discovered the profession of Naturopathic Medicine. An integrative system of medicine based on fundamental principles, but open enough to integrate the best parts of traditional healing systems. He was sold on the spot. Six months after finding out about the profession, he was attending Boucher College in New Westminster.
Over his 16 years of practice, Dr Yee has a wide variety of cases, but has found purpose in treating complex chronic disease and chronic pain.
“One of my favorite analogies for treating complex issues comes from Chinese Medicine – they are called “Knotty diseases” – not “naughty”, although they certain can be that. When you unravel a knot the worst thing you can do is take one end and yank on it. You need to pick at it carefully at first, loosening it. You will need to change your viewpoint, and look at the knot from different angles, picking away, slowly loosening it. Eventually the threads become loose, and the work to undo the knot quickens. Healing comes slow at first, and treatments and perspectives may need to be changed throughout the process. Eventually, as the person starts to feel better, they will progress quicker towards health.”
Having recently returned to Southern Alberta, Dr. Yee is happy to be back in Calgary, where he attended middle and high school. He went on to complete his undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary. When he's not in the clinic, you'll find him spending time with his 8-year-old daughter, on the golf course, building computers, or exploring Calgary's restaurant scene.
An avid foodie, Dr. Yee worked professionally in Calgary as a chef, and enjoys dining out at many of Calgary’s fine restaurants. He is passionate about combat sports of all kinds, and will talk in great detail about boxing, kickboxing, MMA and anything else combat-related should you dare to get him started.
