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Ryan Oughtred - Doctor 'O' is in the house

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will educate his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." - American inventor Thomas Edison His upbringing was nothing short of idyllic.
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"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will educate his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

- American inventor Thomas Edison

 

His upbringing was nothing short of idyllic. "My parents were both ski bums essentially," says Canadian Ski Team alumnus, Ryan Oughtred. "As ski instructors, they would follow the snow. Winter in the Okanagan and summer in New Zealand." He stops speaking. Let's out a rolling laugh - easy and unforced and totally natural. "So I just followed," he continues. "I didn't know any better. Just thought it was a natural thing to ski all year round..."

Still, there were challenges for the young skier. "I remember starting kindergarten," he says. "I was choked. My parents were still going up the hill to ski - and I was stuck in school!"

It was an unconventional lifestyle - by any measure. But the young mountain kid thrived in that environment. "My dad's ski philosophy," explains Oughtred, "was that kids didn't need to be 'taught' to ski, they just needed good role models." Another pause. Another happy burst of laughter. "So I spent most of my kid years surrounded by great skiers. And you know what - it worked."

Oughtred wasn't the biggest guy around. Nor was he the strongest. But he had a touch on his skis that was the envy of many most of his peers. And his progress through the B.C. ski racing ranks was nothing short of impressive. "My dad coached for the Penticton club and the Vernon club so I skied with them in my early years," he tells me. "But it was when I joined the Kelowna club that things really started to click for me."

It was in Kelowna, under coach Derek Trussler (another ACA alumnus), that the Okanagan youngster really began to show his mettle. "Derek taught me what it meant to be a serious ski racer," says Oughtred. "He was amazing!"

By 1995, Oughtred was a member of the Canadian Ski Team. "You spend your life dreaming about racing against the best in the world," he says. "And then you're there - living your dream." A smile slowly spreads across his face. "It was fantastic, you know. Sure there were down moments. And yes, it was hard work." A short pause. "But when I hear other athletes complaining about their time on the national team, I can only shake my head - c'mon man!"

He takes a long breath. "I mean - you're getting paid to do this remarkable thing. It's an incredible gift. Put it this way - I got to play in the big leagues for a while. And I got to learn some pretty important things along the way..."

But he admits it wasn't always fun. "I got injured a lot - got tired of being hurt all the time." He sighs. "I felt I was always at a bit of a disadvantage physically. I wasn't as fast or as strong as most of the other guys I was racing against. So I felt I had to work extra hard in the gym to keep up, but I wasn't doing the right things. The result - I suffered a lot from chronic injuries."

Unfortunately for Oughtred, it was also a time when there wasn't much support for up-and-coming Canadian technical skiers. "I did what I could," he says of his nearly seven years on the national team. "But we never had the biggest of budgets." Another long sigh. "By 2002 I knew my career was over."

He had raced in Europe, the US and Japan. Been crowned both Canadian and North American champion. But the greater prize - World Cup success - had eluded him. Still, the 26 year old knew in his heart that it was time to move on.

"It was a tough transition, for sure," he says. And then he tries to explain just how difficult it is to leave the confines of the national team and address the issues of 'real life'. "It was super cool to grow up in that ski racing environment. I mean, I was never the most social kid in school. Skiing was everything for me - it gave me confidence and stature and friends. It was my world." He stops speaking. Laughs. But this time the sound is thin - a little unsure even. "And then you retire - oh my God. Suddenly you're a nobody again. You have to start all over from scratch. Not an easy transition..."

But he had great support from his parents - and the ability to think critically. "My own experience with injuries had illustrated for me some of the disconnects that exist in the medical profession today," he explains. "Even on the team, we had exercise physiologists saying one thing and massage therapists saying another - and trainers saying something else. We would get all these 'specialists' coming in and telling us what to do. But nobody was tying it all together."

So Oughtred decided to do something about it. "I wanted to combine the best from all the different disciplines," he explains. "But when I started looking at traditional medicine, I realized it was all disease-based. And that's not where I wanted to go."

Another long sigh. And another shot of laughter shortly behind. "I wanted to work with people - not diseases. And these people didn't necessarily have to have anything 'wrong' with them. They just needed to be searching for a better path to a full and healthy life."

It was an ambitious vision. And one that has defeated many a physician-wannabe before Oughtred. Still, the young athlete kept gnawing at the problem. "What could I do that tied all this stuff together? To me, that was the biggest question..."

Oughtred had a friend who was a chiropractor. "He's the one who suggested I check out naturopathic medicine. I was intrigued but decided to consult with another physiotherapist friend of mine, a guy called Rick Celebrini." He laughs. "Rick told me: 'you may find it a little flaky, but you will get the fundamental training you need. Where your career goes from there will be up to you.' So that settled it for me."

Never one to hesitate when an opportunity arises, Oughtred was soon enrolled in the Lower Mainland's Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. It was a four-year post-graduate program and dealt in just about every medical modality you can imagine. "By the time you've finished your four years, you've seen it all - old and new," he explains. "Whether pharmacology or anatomy, botanical medicine, orthopedics, massage therapy, chiropractics or even traditional Chinese medicine - it's all been covered." He smiles. "It's a fantastic course - a great way to learn about health and disease from a modern scientific standpoint as well as a traditional one."

He adds a little historic tidbit for me to consider. "If you look at the origins of naturopathic medicine," he says, "you'll soon discover that many of the pioneers were physical therapists who wanted to find new ways of better managing their patients' lives." He pauses for a moment. Laughs again. "Looking at Whistler - I figure this is a perfect place for someone with my training. Heck, there's a physical therapist around every corner here..."

I can see a few of you skeptics shaking your heads out there. That's okay. New ideas are always hard to accept. Especially when they challenge the status quo. And let's face it - naturopathic medicine has been tainted by some of its past practitioners (as well as by the mountain of misinformation heaped upon it by the champions of conventional medicine).

But given this guy's background - besides his ebullient personality, his elite ski racing experience and naturopathic doctor's degree he also managed to get his physical trainer ticket while going to school - I would suggest that Oughtred's services will soon be in high demand around the Whistler Valley.

But I digress yet again.

Today the 35-year-old Oughtred is married, the father of two young children - "Koa, almost three, and Max, almost two," he says proudly - and living and working in Whistler. "We were really lucky," he tells me. "I got a job with the Whistler Ski Club as sports science manager this fall. I phoned the Whistler Housing Authority, told them I was interested in getting on their homebuyers' list. And they said - 'we have a house in Checkamus that nobody wants. You interested?'" Another clap of happy laughter. "So we became instant locals..."

But seriously - "We moved out of Vancouver for the kids," he says. "I had such a great upbringing in the mountains that I wanted to give my children the opportunity for unstructured play like I had. Sadly you just can't get that in the city anymore."

And the naturopathic business? "I got my license in 2007 and I've been practising ever since," he tells me. "But that was in Vancouver. Now I'm just getting started here. So it's a bit of a challenge still. You know, getting the word out, letting people know what I do, educating them as to the services I can provide." A quick smile. "I kept up my work as a physical trainer while going to school so there's still a lot of that trainer mindset in what I do today. So, with me you're getting a medically-trained personal trainer too."

One last burst of laughter. "Sure, it's a bit of a scary time for me," he concludes. "But it's been a wonderful adventure so far. I can't wait for the next chapter...

For more info on Ryan's naturopathic medical practice see: www.ryanoughtred.com