Meet Dr. Amy

Hi I’m Dr. Amy. I’m a licensed naturopathic doctor in Oregon and California, but I find joy in providing holistic care to people all over the world.

Naturopathic medicine found me in my last year of undergraduate studies as a pre-med student. The idea that the body can inherently heal itself, especially using food as medicine, strongly resonated with me.

I was diagnosed with autoimmune illness at age 14 and started heavy immunosuppressant therapy at age 21. There “were no other options.” I was so sick by age 24 that I was battling not just autoimmunity but also chronic antibiotic resistant infections, complex migraines with vision loss, severe fatigue, heart problems, hormonal imbalances, hair loss, severe IBS, and the list goes on.

And then I took my life back. In naturopathic medicine, I saw a humble path forward. I completed my doctoral training at the National University of Natural Medicine in 2019 and a residency in Integrative and Functional medicine in Atlanta GA in 2020.

My naturopathic training included nutritional therapy, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, biotherapeutic drainage, pharmaceuticals, physical medicine, and counseling. I have additional training in advanced diagnostics and functional biomarkers, clinical nutrition, Mindbody medicine and biofeedback, craniosacral and pelvic floor therapy, and yoga.

I believe some of our greatest gifts in life come through witnessing pain, and health is no exception. Learning to work with the wisdom of the body and honor the intelligence of Nature amazes me every day. I am truly honored to be walking this path of health and healing alongside patients in CA and clients worldwide.

start YOUR HEALING

· Mind-body medicine

· Psychoneuroimmunology and Neuroendocrinology

· Women’s health

· Autoimmune illness

· integrative pain management

· integrative gastroenterology

· hormonal imbalance

· anxiety/depression and sleep optimization

our values

Connection

Connection is at the heart of healing. Not just trust and connection with your provider, but connection to oneself, community, and Nature are all foundational components to deep transformational work. Dr. Amy listens with an uninterrupted presence to help facilitate healing wherever your soul is seeking it: on an emotional, physical, and/or spiritual level. Though we are unique beings, there is vast power in connecting with one another.

Self Love

At the heart of connection is a deep gratitude and appreciation of one’s worth, also known as self-love. Self-love can translate into several different modalities or actions but to Dr. Amy, the most important component of self-love is simply listening to and learning from the body’s communication systems. This gentle act of self-love often provides deep insight into the tools the body needs to regulate and heal.

Inner Balance

Connection to oneself and others and even practices that promote self-love vary from one individual to the next. This is why inner balance is the third pillar of Dr. Amy’s method. Finding what techniques, foods, herbs, and lifestyle practices that work for your individual being will of course be unique to you and ultimately, you will be the intuitive expert on restoring balance within your system. Moreover, the practice of finding and maintaining emotional (and physical) alignment is an extremely important one, as it provides a roadmap for uncharted territory in the future.

Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, National University of Natural Medicine; Portland, Oregon

Licensed Naturopathic Doctor (Oregon), Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine

Licensed Naturopathic Doctor (California), Naturopathic Medicine Committee

Residency in Integrative and Functional Medicine, Progressive Medical Center; Atlanta, Georgia

Certified Nutrition Specialist, American Nutrition Association

HeartMath Certified Provider, HeartMath Institute

ReCODE 2.0 Certified, Apollo Health

Bachelor of Science (Public Health) & minor in Spanish Language, University of South Carolina

New England School of Homeopathy certification

Pelvic Floor Function, Dysfunction, and Treatment, Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute

Healing the Root: Integrative Pelvic Therapy, Dr. Kathryn Kloos ND, Integrative Pelvic Therapy

Cranial Sacral Level I-III Training, Moving Mountain Institute

200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health

300 hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training, Jason Crandell

• What is the difference between naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine

  Naturopathic medicine regards the body as a highly intelligent and inherently self-healing organism. It distinguishes a root cause of disease, as opposed to symptom management, which must be identified in order to achieve optimal health. Both forms of education require a bachelor’s degree with the typical course requirements of a pre-med curriculum. Naturopathic doctors undergo a rigorous four-year program where the same basic sciences are taught (as conventional medicine) with additional emphasis on disease prevention and nontoxic therapies. Naturopathic doctors are skilled in clinical nutrition, physical medicine, homeopathy, botanical medicine, and counseling.  For a comparison of hours and training curriculum, click here. For more information on Naturopathic medicine, click here.

• Why do people seek out naturopathic doctors?

  To be short, usually because they are very sick or have an enigma of a condition that has no “standard of care” for how to proceed. As a Naturopathic doctor, it is not uncommon to see patients that have been to 8-12 other doctors, even specialists. This is not to say that naturopathic doctors are miracle workers or that specialists cannot offer valuable feedback or treatment. But when looking at the body holistically, we often gain incredible insight into the why behind certain disease processes which provides both a roadmap for improvement and a plan for prevention or maintenance moving forward.

• What’s the deal with insurance?

  As a wellness consultant and coach, Dr. Amy does not accept insurance or create superbills to submit to insurance at this time. Additionally, and notably, insurance standards, policies and reimbursement fees often preclude a personalized approach to care.

• Do you see clients in person?

  Only virtual and phone visits are available for clients at this time. If you are interested in becoming a patient and located in San Diego CA, please contact Dr. Amy for more information.

• What should I expect from a typical consultation visit? Follow up?

  Wellness consultations are 90 minutes in length and cover anything and everything you think is important to your health and wellness journey! These sessions are a safe space for exploration and true, deep healing. Visits are structured to provide a listening ear and a personalized plan that includes lifestyle, nutrition, supplement, herbal, and/or energetic recommendations. Wellness consultations are designed to put the power of health back into your hands with education, so follow up is generally not required (though can be requested). If additional support is desired, Dr. Amy offers one-on-one coaching that includes weekly check-ins and offers more long-term behavioral change support. Read about her different offerings here.

ready TO START HEALING?

Learn more about how we can heal together

learn more about my methods

Check our blog for Useful and interesting posts