Naturopathic Doctor*, Acupuncturist, Herbalist

I think if I had known what an ethnobotanist was when I was in college, I would have wanted to be one.  Since my undergraduate days, I have been fascinated by the interface of culture, belief, movement, music, and healing. I am also a big botany nerd and my desire to learn about herbal remedies, indigenous and "ancient" healing traditions is what started me down the road that led to naturopathic medicine. 

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My undergraduate degree in psychology had a strong research focus.  Because psychology is a "soft" science, we had to take a LOT of classes on science and how to operationalize things that are difficult to measure.  That gave me a deep understanding of how science works, as well as how minds and brains work.  This turned out to be a great foundation for medical school. 

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Since research psychology was not for me, I next found myself studying anatomy, massage, meridian theory, functional nutrition and herbolgy at the Boulder School of Massage therapy.  This gave me a deep understanding of how the structure of the body works.  It also introduced me to the basics of Chinese medicine and the more intangible aspects of being a healer.  This turned out to be another surprisingly helpful layer of my healthcare education. 

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While practicing massage in Boulder, I apprenticed with master herbalist Brigitte Mars who introduced me to Naturopathic medicine and pointed me toward Bastyr University.  I completed my pre-med courses while in Boulder, Colorado. 

 

At Bastyr, I completed both Naturopathic and Acupuncture degrees (2003).

On graduation I was awarded a teaching fellowship and continued as adjunct faculty during the first years of my private practice. 

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My practice in Seattle included: 

adult primary care, environmental medicine, mold illness, physical medicine, acupuncture, massage, women’s health, mthfr, weight loss, injection therapies for pain, IV nutrient and chelation therapies, herbal medicine, diet, nutrient therapy and more.

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While practicing and teaching in Seattle:

I served as a board member for the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians,

and as clinic director of Mosaic Natural Health. 

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I moved to Austin in late 2011 to work as the Education Coordinator for the American Botanical Council.  Following that appointment I served as adjunct faculty at AOMA School of Integrative Medicine from 2012 to 2016, where I also completed my Chinese Herbal Medicine certification. 

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As a faculty member I have taught courses such as:

Botanical Medicine, Minor Surgery, Lab Diagnosis, Pathophysiology, Medical Terminology, Women's Health, Herb Drug Interaction and have been a guest lecturer in biochemistry and pharmacognosy.  I have been keynote speaker at conferences and workshops on topics such as Permaculture, Women's Health and Environmental Medicine. 

 

From 2012 - 2023 I served as a naturopathic health consultant at Peoples Rx. 

In 2016, I also began a private practice in Austin where I offered acupuncture, as well as naturopathic consultations. 
 

​During the past 25+ years I also:

• did medical volunteer work in Peru and Kenya

• studied with master herbalists in lots of places

• became a certified Permaculture Designer (the philosophy is nearly identical to naturoapthic medicine)

• had a secret life as a trapeze artist

• became a master gardener and avid foodie

• stared Synthesis Naturals  as a pandemic project (sour dough bread has gluten in it)

• became a web developer

• have completed countless continuing education courses on topics such as:

  • Mold and mycotoxin illness, Lyme disease, MTHFR and other genomics, integrative psychology, integrative neurology, integrative gut health, advanced topics in acupuncture, advanced physical medicine, bio-identical hormones.
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After all of this, I find myself coming full circle, back to my roots in Lexington, Kentucky. 
Thanks to the pandemic normalizing telehealth, I am able to continue offering my services to my clients in Texas as well as opening up my practice to people in need anywhere. I have worked with clients as far flung as Alaska, Canada, England, Columbia and Mexico, as well as all over the U.S.

While I do have an active naturopathic medical license in Washington, naturopathic doctors are not yet licensed in Kentucky or Texas, and I am offering health support to clients across many state lines.  So I now offer my knowledge and expertise as a health “consultant” or “detective”.