Biography and
Introduction
to the Principles of
Naturopathic Medicine
My career as a Naturopath
really began as a historian. I
received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in history from San Diego
State University in 1991. The
course that most excited me as
an undergraduate was a history
of medicine course offered by
Howard Kushner, PhD. The class
challenged the way we, as modern
Americans, viewed concepts of
health and disease. It was
through this introductory
course, and my subsequent
studies, that I first learned
about the rich tradition of
natural medicine in Europe and
the United States. I decided to
focus my post-graduate study of
history in the field of history
of medicine.
Allo, from the Latin, means
against. The allopathic approach
to medicine is currently the
dominant medical system in this
country. Allopathic physicians
use substances, medicines, which
work against the disease
picture. If we have hypertension
(high blood pressure) we take an
antihypertensive medication. If
we have high cholesterol we take
a drug to stop the liver from
manufacturing cholesterol. If we
have a headache we take a drug
to eliminate the pain. These
medicines are necessary in a
variety of circumstances but
they do not get to the root of
the imbalance.
That is what naturopathic
medicine aims to do. We work at
correcting physiological
imbalances and not simply to
remove the symptom. Of course,
palliative care is also an
aspect of what we do. It is
important to alleviate suffering
as much as possible during the
healing process. Naturopathic
physicians recognize the body's
incredible healing capacities:
thousands of self-regulating
mechanisms that keep our bodies
working properly. Disease is
simply the failure of those
functions and overwhelm of the
system. What the body was able
to destroy it should be able to
rebuild.
After I began my Master's degree
in the History of Medicine, I
experienced a health crisis
firsthand. An emergency
gynecological surgery left me
with only one ovary and I spent
over a week in the hospital
recovering. On the day I was
discharged I had the very clear
notion to pursue a career in
naturopathic medicine. After two
years of medical pre-requisites
I was off to Portland, Oregon.
I graduated from the National
College of Naturopathic
Medicine, one of the four
naturopathic medical schools in
the country, in 1998. Please go
to
www.ncnm.edu for more
information about the program
and curriculum. I started my
practice in Connecticut in
January of 2000.
Treating patients with
naturopathic medicine requires a
great deal of commitment. Please
understand that I work very hard
to ensure that each patient
receives the best care possible.
In return, I expect that each
patient will also work hard at
challenging themselves and
potentially changing their
habits. Healing is a process
that requires the involvement of
each individual. Part of the
beauty of natural medicine is
that it aims to give authority
back to the person who is
suffering and can, in the best
of circumstances, heal on a
profound level. The methods that
I employ are described in
further detail in the services
offered section of this site.
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