New Leaf Wellness Centre Lisa Fershau, owner confusing and overwhelming ND (Dr Nicole Cerf), kept $175 assessment fee unfairly and refused to refund me, rude and unhelpful admin staff kept putting me on hold over & over, unprofessional behaviour, do not use, ripoff. Abbotsford British Columbia

My first experience with New Leaf Wellness was negative. I called to confirm an appointment with their ND (naturopathic doctor) as requested by e-mail but was unable to hold a conversation long enough to do so or ask questions I needed answers to because the admin staff kept putting me on hold over and over again. It almost seemed like a deliberate and malicious act because they were silent when I called, then as soon as they heard my voice put me straight on hold. In the end I e-mailed my acceptance of the appointment without the answers I needed having serious doubts about whether I should do business with the clinic as their attitude was so rude and unhelpful but I decided to give them a second chance. I am British and we don't have medically trained naturopaths in the UK. Having exhausted all avenues of conventional medicine to overcome my neurological condition (MS) I was desperate to regain my health & mobility and get out of my wheelchair.
 
After my appointment with the ND I really wished I hadn't gone ahead with it. It was a nightmare. One of the 6 naturopathic principles is "identify and treat the cause" and that was what I was looking for. Instead Dr Cerf bombarded me with just about every possible treatment that had been linked to and associated with my condition from probiotics to magnesium sprays to nutritional/dietary changes. Her advice was overwhelming, unaffordable and indeed would probably have sent my body into overload. I was left very confused and unsure which route to take. She also suggested that I undertook NIS (Neuro Integration System) therapy with the clinic's practitioner Claudette Varley so I booked an appointment for this (I had to wait nearly a month ahead due to limited availability) but ended up leaving without anything else. Again I found the admin staff rude and unhelpful and felt immense pressure to pay the $175 assessment fee and leave ASAP.
 
I couldn't believe it when a few days later I was informed that New Leaf Wellness had called the care home where I was staying to cancel my NIS appointment and say they didn't want me to attend their clinic or be their client any more. I was subsequently told that the NIS practitioner had decided to cancel my appointment after consultation with Dr Cerf which was very strange as it had been instigated at her suggestion! The assessment consultation and fee had been an investment in future treatment to regain my health and mobility so it was a total waste of money and one that I could ill afford being on low income benefit (Disability Living Allowance). I requested a refund from the clinic owner Lisa Fershau to no avail. As far as I am concerned this is tantamount to theft. Consumers beware, stay away from New Leaf Wellness. There are much better and nicer NDs and clinics around in the Abbotsford area, choose an alternative one for your own sake.