Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are licensed physicians.

In the state of Oregon Naturopathic candidates must pass board examinations and are then eligible to be licensed by the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners to practice primary care medicine.  To maintain licensure there is a thirty-hour annual continuing education requirement to include at least ten hours in pharmacology.

ND's are doctors, but different from most MDs.

Just like MDs, NDs in Oregon are licensed to diagnose and treat. We do physical exams, take a full history and refer for lab tests and imaging studies where necessary. Naturopathic Physicians in Oregon have prescription rights that include almost all medications and we are licensed to perform minor surgery. I don't do minor surgery in my practice (I figure...let someone who does that every day handle it!) and as of summer of 2022, I no longer prescribe schedule medications such as ADD medications or benzodiazepines. I do folks I can refer to for these prescriptions.

Naturopathic physicians are unique in that we draw on the proven medical philosophies of various cultures and integrate these with modern scientific research. We also maintain that an underlying cause exists behind many disease and symptoms and in some cases these can be identified and addressed.

Additionally, NDs place an emphasis on education and focus on patients playing an active role in their own health care. They spend significantly more time with each patient than most MDs. The average doctor visit in the U.S. is about seven minutes. A typical new patient Naturopathic appointment at ENHC is about an hour, and follow-ups are usually 40 minutes.

Please note that due to my busy schedule I do request that my patients have a primary care physician who you can see for acute or pressing issues, and who has hospital admitting and treatment privileges in case of an emergency. When those unexpected situations come up it can make all the difference to have someone who is legally permitted to manage your care.

ND's vary significantly in their approaches and values.

The pandemic brought to light some very deep rifts in the naturopathic profession. Many of my colleagues are against vaccinations and feel that if people just ate better, took supplements, and lost weight that they would be healthier and wouldn't get sick. I have concern that this approach is both ableist and elitist. Having fat on your body doesn't necessarily mean you're not healthy. There are many reasons that people choose to eat certain foods (if you're interested in this I highly recommend the book How the Other Half Eats.) Exercise isn't an option for everyone. Not everyone has the luxury to spend money on supplements, organic food or housing for that matter. Pop on over to the FAQ for more information about my thoughts on this.

In Oregon naturopathic physicians have primary care scope.

In Oregon, I can see you for just about everything that a primary care physician would treat. I have particular success with conditions that are not terribly responsive to Western medicine such as irritable bowel syndrome, PMS, and generalized malaise and fatigue. I love working with perimenopause and menopause and have significant experience with bio-identical hormone therapy. I also have very good results using integrative medicine to treat conditions such as migraines, menopausal symptoms, high cholesterol, anxiety and depression, insomnia, adrenal fatigue, allergies, and more.

Please note that I work with some patients who want to try get off of their prescription medications, some patients who are currently on prescription medications and want to continue them and also use natural medicine, and some who only want to be treated with western meds. Of course what is best for each person will vary.

Licensed naturopathic physicians are uniquely positioned as practitioners of both Western and complementary medicine to support patients in all aspects of both of these types of care.

Naturopathic medicine is also perfect for those who are feeling well but want to prevent disease in the future. We can assess risk factors and give patients tools for optimal health.

In short I offer treatment that lines up with your values, period.

The ND toolbox.

I have a wide variety of treatment methods at my fingertips. Treatment plans are tailor-made for each and every patient and may include one or a combination of the following services:

  • Clinical Nutrition
  • Herbs and Supplements
  • Stress Management and Prevention Techniques
  • Exercise therapeutics
  • Lifestyle Counseling and Coaching
  • Acupuncture
  • Pharmaceutical (prescription) medications—traditional and compounded.

I often treat in cooperation with medical doctors, and I may refer you to Western medical or Naturopathic specialists if indicated.

Please scroll down for more information on our modalities.

Naturopathic medical training.

After pre-medical training, Naturopathic physicians must complete medical school at an accredited institution, where we graduate with a doctoral degree, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND). Naturopathic physicians are trained in basic medical and clinical sciences, physical and clinical diagnosis, and Naturopathic philosophy and therapeutics. In Oregon, Naturopathic candidates must pass a board licensing examination, and then they are licensed to practice primary care medicine.

I have been licensed in Oregon since 1996, which means I'm heading into my 30th year of practice next year! (!)

Naturopathic Medical Training includes all of the same basic course work as traditional medical schools, with a few exceptions including that naturopathic students study only minor surgery, and at the time that I attended school there were no formal residencies. FWIW, most formal residencies for naturopathic students are nowhere near as robust as those MDs or DOs anyway, so keep this in mind when choosing your healthcare—the number of years your ND has had in practice is particularly important given this situation.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

acupuncture photoChinese Medical Theory

Acupuncture is a 5,000 year old ancient Chinese healing art wherein fine needles are inserted into specific points in the body.

From a Chinese medical perspective the theory is that the body has an energy force running (known as Qi, roughly pronounced Chee) that travels through the body along “meridians” (specific pathways). Energy constantly flows up and down these pathways. These pathways can become unbalanced - causing illness. The effect of the acupuncture needles is to restore the balance of the patient’s energy and thereby improve overall health.

The Science of Acupuncture

Although we do understand part of how acupuncture works, we have yet to be able to explain it all from a Western scientific perspective. For instance, we do know that acupuncture decreases pain and increases healing by increasing blood flow (and therefore anti-inflammatory chemicals) to the areas where needles are inserted. But we also know that acupuncture often works very well for conditions that aren't causing physical pain such as insomnia, PMS, mild anxiety and depression, generalized fatigue and more. In these cases we use Chinese medical theory to diagnose and treat patients.

You may hear your acupuncturist mentioning organ systems such as liver, kidney, or spleen when discussing the cause of your symptoms. It is important to understand that she is not talking about your actual organ, but the organ pattern within Chinese medical theory.

Acupuncture shouldn't hurt.

Dr. Brody believes that acupuncture treatments shouldn't be painful. They should be restful and relaxing. When the needle is inserted, you may feel nothing, or a sensation akin to a minor insect bite that 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. If there is any discomfort we remove the needle immediately.

Acupuncture Treats Myriad Health Conditions

Acupuncture is effective at curing various diseases, some of which are resistant to conventional methods of treatment. In the U.S., acupuncture is most commonly associated with treating pain (it is even used as an anesthetic agent for some surgical procedures). But acupuncture can be an effective treatment for a wide variety of conditions, acute and chronic, mental and physical. In addition to being free from side effects commonly encountered in drug therapy, acupuncture is simple, safe, and effective.

One of the things that people love about acupuncture is how relaxed they feel after a treatment. Often this sense of relaxation will last long after the session, even spilling out into your day to day.

For more information about acupuncture and Chinese medicine with Dr. Brody at ENHC, see What to Expect.

Masters of Science

In the State of Oregon, acupuncturists must either graduate from an accredited acupuncture program, or must already have at least 5 years of clinical acupuncture experience. After meeting this criteria, they must then get NCCAOM certification in acupuncture to practice in the State of Oregon. Dr. Brody graduated from acupuncture school in 2001.