Before the pandemic it was required to make a face-to-face contact in order to establish care. At this time care can be established and maintained virtually as long as you are in Oregon. As a matter of fact, I continue to see the lion's share of my naturopathic patients virtually as in general this is people's preference. Thankfully, most insurances that cover naturopathic care will cover virtual visits, but not all, so please contact your insurance if you want to know if you are covered. 

If you are not in Oregon and wish to work with me, I also offer coaching and consulting for clients all over the world. If you are looking for distance work, you can learn more or schedule here.

As of spring 2024 my acupuncture panel is closed to new patients unless they are also being seen for naturopathic care. If you wish to schedule or get on a waitlist please reach out to the clinic.

In general, I am able to address any condition with either naturopathic or Chinese medicine. Some people choose one or the other, and many of our patients do both. I usually recommend starting with naturopathic care if you are only going to choose one. That said, they work wonderfully in tandem and if you are open to it I say 'go for it.' Please note, in some cases insurance coverage exists for one or the other so please check your plan carefully if we will be billing for you.

Your initial naturopathic appointment will take about 55 minutes, and you will most likely have several follow up visits of 30-45 minutes. The specific number of return visits will be determined by the severity of your health condition and your response to treatment. Although patients often feel better quickly, naturopathic care is about treating both symptoms and causes of illness. And although our goal is to identify and treat patients swiftly and effectively, as a rule naturopathic medicine is not a “quick fix, take a pill” approach to health care.

If I am managing prescription medications, for most conditions I require twice yearly check ins, but in some cases where appropriate this may be more or less frequent. 

If you are coming in for both Naturopathic care and Acupuncture, it is likely that your first visit will not include an acupuncture treatment. In order to address each patient’s needs comprehensively, the full hour is needed to gather information and formulate a plan.

If you are being seen for an acupuncture visit only, your first visit will be an hour long with about 30 minutes of intake and a treatment lasting about half an hour. Follow up visits are typically 45 minutes. Often people ask how many visits they will need for the acupuncture to work. The truth is that it varies from patient to patient. Although in some cases, significant relief is obtained from one or two treatments, the effects are cumulative for most conditions. You can usually expect to start with a series of 8-10 treatments.

In Oregon, many insurance companies provide policies that cover naturopathic services, but not all insured patients hold such policies. If your insurance does cover our services, our office staff is happy to submit your claim directly.

As of spring 2024 I am in network with Aetna, Providence, Pacific Source, First Choice, Kaiser (physician referred only), and Moda, and MVA for acupuncture. We do not bill medicare. Please note that often plans have in and out-of-network benefits and we are able to submit bills in either case!

To find out about your own coverage call your insurance company or read your policy. We will also confirm your coverage before you come in. Our full financial policy is included in our new patient paperwork that you can take a look at here. Note there may be some changes made to this policy ongoing and you will always be offered updates to the policy ahead of implementation.

Many of our patients pay out of pocket for care. In these cases, or in cases where patients may have a high deductible such that they don't wish to bill, we offer a discount off of our regular rates. We are conscious about people’s financial limitations and our goal is to be as cost effective as possible with appointments and supplement recommendations. We do require a credit card on file for billing copays, visits, and supplement orders. 

I actually prefer that my patients are additionally under the care of a PCP, as NDs don't have hospital privileges and I don't take call evenings, weekends, or holidays.

Overall, I have a strong commitment to collaborative care. I am happy to work with you and your medical doctor or specialist to create a treatment plan that serves you comfortably and effectively. 

I continue to encourage people to do the most they are willing to avoid repeated infections due to the risk of long covid, severe covid, and end organ damage. That said, I fully understand that most people are well over taking precautions. I will offer suggestions for avoiding infection if you wish, and I will always offer information about the latest intel we have regarding prevention of severe illness and long covid.

As far as the clinic goes, because we built the new clinic from the ground up in fall of 2020, we were able to plan for a high end HVAC system that is geared specifically toward creating as safe an environment as possible.

The new construction includes an energy efficient ventilation system that brings in a full exchange of 100% fresh air 6x an hour. Additionally, it is equipped with a MERV13 filter which cleans and conditions the air before it enters the clinic, and each room has its own free standing medical grade air purifier that we run during visits.

As of spring 2024, I continue to do the lion's share of my naturopathic visits virtually for both convenience and optimal safety, but you are welcome to be seen in person if that is your preference (or if your insurance requires this)!

We will continue to require good quality masks for indoor visits, whether or not they are required by the state of Oregon. If you do not have a KN95/KF94/N95 mask we are happy to provide one for you to keep at the clinic for your visits.

In addition to the inside space, we have an outdoor heated space that has curtains which can be drawn for privacy.

We feel confident you're not going to find a safer option for your naturopathic and acupuncture care.

I provide most primary care services including physicals, annual exams, and care for most health conditions that don’t require a specialist. That said, I prefer that patients are additionally under the care of a primary care group as I am not on call overnight or on Sundays, and I don’t have hospital admitting privileges as part of my scope in Oregon. Additionally, at ENHC we don’t administer vaccinations, do minor surgery, or male exams. If you have any specific questions about what we do, please give us a call.

It can be, but it doesn’t have to be.

My personal approach tends to be a practical, science-forward, and down to earth approach to care. I write prescriptions for pharmaceuticals for those who want to take that approach, and I recommend lifestyle changes for those who want to take that approach. I'll be honest about what I think will work best, what the lowest hanging fruit would be, and how I think your own choices impact your overall health.

As far as religion and spirituality, I have patients whose paths range from Catholic, traditional Christian, LDS, Jewish, and Muslim, to those who are agnostic, athiestic, or follow a more off the beaten path approach to their own spirituality. One of my recent patients told me her spiritual practice is communing with trees. In short, it's a supportive and judgment free zone here.

If you wish to include a spiritual approach with what we do together, I'm open to that, and will learn about what your path means to you and how I can support that.

I am here to provide health care that is in alignment with your values. Period.

Typically, no.

Acupuncture needles are very thin and very sharp which allows them to enter the skin easily and with minimal discomfort. So thin in fact, when we tried it, 7 acupuncture needles fit in the hole in a medium gauge hypodermic needle we use for vitamin injections!

When the needle is inserted, you may feel nothing or a sensation similar to a minor insect bite. Any discomfort usually subsides within a few seconds after insertion.  After the needle is inserted sensations vary widely depending upon the person and the location of the needle, as well as the particular imbalance you are experiencing. It can vary from no feeling at all (in most cases) to mild aching or warmth. We believe firmly at Evergreen Natural Health Center that acupuncture does not have to hurt to work, and in fact, most often works better when it doesn’t. Acupuncture sessions should be restful and relaxing.

In Oregon, Naturopathic physicians are licensed to prescribe most medications. I have a commitment to the approach that does the least harm and the most good, and in some cases this may include prescription medications. Upon occasion, there are medications that I feel are best handled by a medical doctor or a specialist. I will inform you of this on a case-by-case basis.

When I do prescribe medications, in almost all cases is it only part of your treatment plan. Given that many medications carry possible side effects, contraindications, and interactions with supplements and other medications, I require a minimum of a twice-yearly assessment for prescription refills with very few exceptions and due to my schedule and rolling shortages that seem to be impacting supply more and more, I request at least 10 days notice to refill prescriptions. Two weeks if it is a compounded medication. 

Please note that as of spring of 2023 I decided not to renew my DEA license, which means I am no longer able to prescribe schedule drugs (such as opiods or benzodiazepines). If you are in need of these medications I can work with you and your PCP if needed, to come up with an appropriate plan. 

One of the great things about what I do, is that it is helpful for just about any condition. That said, please feel free to reach out to the office if you have specific questions. 

NDs are trained extensively in clinical nutrition. And although there are basic sound principals of a healthy diet, there is no one food plan that is best for everyone. I make recommendations based on your individual family medical and personal medical history, tastes and preferences, current concerns and health goals.

Underlying all conversations about food are my strong beliefs that

1. food should bring joy as well as nourishment, and there is no such thing as a "bad" food
2. diet culture and fad diets do more harm than good, by leagues
3. individual preferences as well as cultural approaches to food should be taken into consideration when developing a plan
4. the amount of fat on one's body may very well have less impact on your health than you have been led to believe.

And if you don't want to make dietary changes, that's fine too. 

The short answer this is that from a western medical perspective we don’t really understand how it works. We do, however, have 5000 years of history of the medicine being used successfully for just about every medical condition. The science of Chinese medicine is a discreet science that explains its own theories through its own lens. A great introductory book on Chinese medicine is The Web That Has No Weaver.

I strive to assist people in achieving a healthy lifestyle, and sometimes weight loss is result of this process. I don't offer weight loss plans or 'detoxes.' 

If you want to lose weight, I certainly won't begrudge you that, and if you wish, I'll help work out a food plan with that in mind, but you'll never find me making any assumptions about health based on weight. Our culture puts endless amounts of pressure on people to look a certain way based on current cultural 'norms' and to be perfectly honest I find this to be a pile of hot garbage. 

No one should ever be shamed for what they eat or what their bodies look like. No doctor should ever tell someone to lose weight without really diving in to what their history of dieting, eating, and health has been. And no doctor should make any assumptions that people want to lose weight, that their weight is causing health issues, or make judgments about what people choose (or choose not) to eat. 

Yes! 

We are just starting to dig out of decades of what I believe was grave harm to countless women done by physicians taking them off of hormone replacement therapy. Is it appropriate for everyone? No. But really, what is? 

Every day, more studies come out showing the benefits of HRT. Especially when we prescribe the hormones our bodies would have been making on their own prior to menopause. We now know that transdermal (patch) estrogen is safer than oral estrogen. We know that bioidentical progesterone doesn't appear to increase stroke risk at all. 

I work with each person on a case-by-case basis to determine whether hormone therapy is safe and appropriate. And even if you've been told by a provider that you shouldn't take it, there may be more information we now have that challenges that idea. 

I'm here to figure out what will make you feel the best you can for as long as possible. 

I treat people as individuals, not diseases. This means that I need to understand all aspects of your health history, current health and health goals. With a comprehensive intake form I am able to focus on your concerns at your visit rather than reviewing each system individually. It makes your visit both more time and cost-effective. I know it’s long. Bear with me. 🙂