How I Chose this Path

I’d like to share with you why I am humbled and honored to be part of each one of my patient’s journey towards optimal health. As a child, I was frequently surrounded by people suffering from chronic disease. On both my mother’s and father’s side of the family, I was exposed to illness and early death. Whether it was sudden cardiac arrest of my beloved 47-year old Uncle Donny, my dear Aunt Marney’s crippling rheumatoid arthritis, some of my family members were experiencing less than optimal health and consequently not living to their fullest potential. At the time there seemed to be complacency all around me and I developed a sense that the majority of health issues was just due to being unlucky.

When my own health ailments began to emerge in my early twenties that resembled my Aunt’s joint pain, I was fortunate enough to have access to Naturopathic medical care because I was living at the time in Juneau, Alaska. Alaska happens to be a state that licenses Naturopathic doctors (NDs) and therefore it was very accessible to me. After being treated by an ND, I learned how much my own choices in diet and lifestyle were paving the way toward my ailments and how I could steer towards better health by using simple herbal remedies and adjusting my diet and lifestyle. I was inspired by a system of medicine that put the responsibility back on the patient and was effective because the doctor taught the patient how to be healthy. After all, the word “doctor” comes from the Latin root word “docere”, which means “to teach”. Quickly my joint pain was alleviated and my sleep, energy, digestion and mood improved as well.

It was not long before I was taking premedical courses necessary to apply to the Naturopathic medicine colleges in the United States. The rest is history, but I want to share how grateful I am to have learned a set of skills that enables me to help people be their best selves. So many people are shuffled through other medical systems that do not necessarily help them feel better. I am thrilled to offer another way. I have found with countless patients of all ages, that when you take basic approaches to restore physiology and enhance overall health, that symptoms and diseases that would otherwise be medicated or surgically removed, go away. Because the body has a vital force and inherently strives to return to balance, a return to health can happen with natural therapeutics. While I am very appreciative of conventional medicine and especially it’s ability to diagnose disease, medicate symptoms and save lives, there is a gap that leaves people without a way to actually improve their health.

Our lives have become so fast-paced, super-sized and instantly delivered. It is all too easy to fall prey to these norms. It is for these reasons that I am passionate about helping patients find their way to improved health and wellbeing through Naturopathic and Classical Chinese medicine. By moving up the spectrum of health away from symptoms and disease and towards vitality, many people are empowered and they learn to be their own steward towards healthy living. We now know so much about epigenetics, the environment and the impacts of stress on our lives. It is beyond gratifying for many people to learn how to offset these burdens and emerge as a healthier version of themselves. I invite you to join my practice and learn how to feel your absolute best that you deserve.

Naturopathic inspiration in Juneau, Alaska hikers on glacier