Visions & Promises as a Naturopathic Doctor (ND)

I'm nearly 30 weeks of classes away from graduating Naturopathic Medical School and it's hitting quite hard that I'll soon be Dr. Stevie officially.

One of the things I find myself deeply reflecting upon is how I want to practice and who I want to serve as a soon-to-be Naturopathic Doctor.

The truth is, nearly 6 years ago when I first began ND school, I envisioned serving in a Primary Care role that had a bustling practice of seeing patients back-to-back in a fast paced environment. Now that I'm nearing the end of this training, that is the complete opposite of what I envision for my practice now.

Naturopathic Doctors are trained essentially to be Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) with a natural medicine twist; however, Primary Care is a very unique role that is often a fast-paced role where PCPs see basically any number of health conditions that walk through their door all from chronic ear infections to diabetes, to debilitating pain. Whereas I recognize the important role of PCPs, it's not the job nor focus I'm most passionate about. Not only that but artificial intelligence is poised to take the role of PCPs within the next 5-10 years.

As I've gone through my medical training, I've discovered a passion for what I refer to as "conventional medicine rejects"– not that these people are actually rejects as human beings; however, they've been rejected from the conventional medicine system because there's nothing more that conventional medicine has to offer them.

These are the people that live with chronic health conditions or those that are significantly marginalized within society that conventional medicine does not know how to treat.

What I find most exciting about working with these patients is, not only are they often rejected from conventional medicine; they're often rejected from dominant society as well. There's a high likelihood that they've often experienced some level of marginalization in society whether it's due to their race, disability, socio-economic status, due to a trauma history, gender/sexuality, non-conventional lifestyles, or any number of other variables that makes them fall outside of perceived societal norms.

These people are my jam!

The health issues this community faces are often at the intersection of a plethora of other areas beyond just medicine; this includes: sociology, public health, psychology, theology, politics, disability, and so much more.

What does this say about me?

I thrive in areas of complexity and nuance.

Chalk this up to my own neurodivergence, trauma history, or my own struggle with a chronic health condition; these are all likely reasons I'm interested in serving these populations.

Sadly, in my opinion and experience, regular primary care medicine does not operate on much complexity and nuance. You see, so much of primary care runs on algorithms which is exactly what makes it highly susceptible to AI takeover within the next decade. Why is this?

Most primary care operates on an algorithm similar to this:

A patient presents with XX symptoms, you do YY testing, and prescribe ZZ treatment. This approach to medicine is devoid of any heart-centeredness, human connection, holism, or patient-centered care; it's nothing more than conveyor belt medicine.

This includes PCPs having to keep up with medical charting for 50+ patients per day, managing prescription refills, reviewing laboratory reports, fighting with insurance companies...and that about sums up primary care medicine within the United States.

Suffice to say, I don't want to practice algorithmic/conveyor belt medicine; I want to do the investigative work and research that is necessary for putting the puzzle pieces together so people can get real long-term sustainable health solutions.

Practically, how do I envision my Naturopathic practice?

In contrast to the algorithms of Primary Care, my practice is deeply heart-centered and rooted in holistic whole-person centered care all while merging the best of modern science, traditional natural medicine, and a strong awareness of all of the intersecting determinants of health that affect human well-being throughout the lifespan. My practice will not be based on the latest trends within the world of "Functional Medicine" but on time-tested natural medicine treatments that have been used for hundreds to thousands of years; many of which modern science is elucidating.

I practice a medicine that values care informed by scientific research all while honoring and respecting decolonial and culturally sensitive perspectives on healing that may not be well-researched within our existing Western medicine paradigm.

Practically, my practice makes use of many tools including:

• Nutritional education & meal-prepping
• Guidance on developing a healthy lifestyle
• Mental health counseling
• Access to high-quality & third-party tested supplements
• Use of herbal/plant-based medicine
• Homeopathy
• Mind-body and somatic-based practices including yoga, mindfulness, breathing practices, and contemplative psychology
• Physical rehabilitation and body-based manual therapies
• Education on pharmaceutical and conventional medicine treatments
• Consulting on complex chronic health conditions
• Energy healing practices including Reiki among others
• Ayurvedic approaches to health and healing

For those of you that decide to hire me as your Doctor, I promise to...

• Deeply listen to your story for what may likely be your very first time.
• Provide you with a non-judgmental/trauma-informed environment for you to share without shame or fear of further rejection.
• Break down complex science/biochemical pathways and explain to you why this is applicable to your health.
• Sit in sacred space with you as someone who has been worn down by all of the mistreatment you've experienced within the conventional medical system or within dominant society.
• Provide you with sensitivity and care regarding gender and sexuality; along with those wishing to explore these identities.
• Teach you how to advocate for yourself when interfacing with Physicians within conventional medicine.
• Help you discern what health information you've found online is most applicable to you given your health conditions and goals for healing.
• Provide care that recognizes you're the expert of your own body and lived experiences.
• Help you address all layers of your suffering whether, physical, energetic, psychological, or beyond.
• Honor your body's innate healing capacity which is the foundation of building a healthy and vital life.

Does this approach to health feel like something you've been waiting for?

If so, why not get started before I graduate?

In these remaining 30-weeks before graduating ND school, I am working on building my virtual practice and offering appointments at a discounted fee structure while I'm still in school. I would love to work with you!

To get started, you can schedule your free 30-minute consult to determine if us working together would be a good fit.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you peace & ease,

Future Dr. Stevie