What is naturopathic medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is a type of healthcare that uses evidence-based, natural therapies and the bodies natural ability to heal itself from disease. Many different modalities are used by naturopathic doctors like botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and more. A big part of naturopathic visits incorporates lifestyle interventions to enhance what patients can do daily to enhance their overall health. This means improvements on diet, sleep, hydration, and movement.

How are naturopathic doctors trained?

Naturopathic doctors graduate from accredited naturopathic colleges, including Bastyr University, California where Dr. Alyssa attended. They are trained to diagnose, treat, and prevent chronic and acute illnesses. Naturopathic doctors aim to treat the whole person and dig to the root cause instead of using medication to suppress bothersome symptoms. This is why the first visit tends to be longer than the rest. Naturopathic doctors will gain all of the information they can to understand the underlying cause.

While in school, students take many of the same classes a conventional medical student will take during their first two years (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, clinical diagnosis, etc.). On top of those classes, there is also extra training in naturopathic philosophy, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, physical medicine, and so on. Students gain over 2 years of clinical experience and also have the chance to help out at community clinics and urgent care clinics.

How are naturopathic visits different than those with my PCP?

Visits last longer because NDs will ask more questions about your history, lifestyle, and health history. We try to get more detail to understand what is going on, to get to the root cause.

How long do you typically work with clients?

I require at least 4 months commitment. This gives us time to run labs, for you to take the time to put the recommendations in place. This timeline also aligns with your body’s natural healing cycle. This is a way for us to work together closely for a set period of time in order to help you reach your goals. It’s important to note that healing naturally takes time.

Are your services online or in person?

These holistic healing packages are currently only available online through a HIPAA complaint portal. All functional medicine consultations with Dr. Alyssa will be held virtually.

What is the investment when working together?

Working together in one of the packages requires one on one functional medicine consultations and work outside from our visits with regular follow ups. My packages include the price of the functional medicine consultations and lab testing. Extra costs like supplements are not included in the package prices.