I remember where I was when I first learned that naturopathic medicine was a thing. I was in the library of my local community college and somehow I found it in a book. Someone had written a description about the profession and as I read it I thought it made so much sense. I thought I might want to become one. I told my parents and a friend and they were like “what’s a naturopath?” Then I set it aside as all the reasons why I couldn’t do it crept into my mind and I didn’t think about it for years.
Instead, I went to school and studied botanical medicine and worked in a couple supplement stores but it wasn’t until I was about to get divorced that I made up my mind to go back to school and actually do it. I was about to be on my own for the first time in my adult life and could really do anything and go anywhere. I was going to do it for myself. I wasn’t sure if I was capable of becoming a doctor so I was also setting out to prove that I could do it.
I also remember when I decided I wanted to study medicine. That happened in high school during my sophomore year. I was in biology and we were studying the human body. We studied the musculoskeletal system and the digestive system. I was fascinated. I loved it! I could have studied this every single day. Then one day we moved on to another topic and I was so disappointed. I knew I wanted to know more and become an expert in something to do with medicine.
I think my path to this medicine goes back further, to my childhood and my dad. He’s always loved nature and being outdoors. He used to talk about nature and energy when I was a kid. At the time I didn’t really know what he was talking about but some of it must have stuck because I grew up with a respect for nature. Looking back I see he had been talking about the healing energy of nature and what I came to learn in school as the vis. When I learned about the vis in school, it wasn’t an entirely new concept to me because he had told me about it years before. I think that’s why naturopathic medicine made so much sense to me. It wasn’t a new concept.
I chose naturopathic medicine for many reasons. I wanted to do something I was passionate about. If I was going to put so much of my time and energy into my work I wanted to do something meaningful and interesting. I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than myself. I see naturopathic medicine as a cause and like that it feels rebellious at times. I was drawn to botanical medicine because it’s something that is accessible to everyone. If you have a yard or even a few pots, you can grow your own medicine and take care of yourself. At at time when many people are feeling very unsatisfied with conventional medicine naturopathic medicine feels inclusive. It’s medicine for anyone and everyone and I love that.
I’d love to know...What brought you to naturopathic medicine? What’s your story?
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Dr. Jamie
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