In this three-minute video, I discuss my background, what drew me to naturopathic medicine, and my slogan, 'Health that Belongs to You.'
So that was my background and what got me to naturopathic medical school. What has happened since then?
Over the last few years, I’ve been specializing in Endocrinology with a particular focus on the endocrine condition, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and the various symptoms associated with it.
Endocrinology is the medical specialty concerned with hormone imbalances. Hormone imbalances drive conditions like pre-diabetes, hypothyroid, androgen dominance, menopausal symptoms, and my particular focus, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
Do you only treat endocrine conditions?
I could probably make a case that all conditions are endocrine conditions, but I won’t do that to you.
I’ve always enjoyed treating a variety of conditions. I’ve had a lot of success with migraines, heartburn, constipation, allergies, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, high blood pressure, dizziness, anemias, and many more conditions that aren’t considered primarily endocrine.
What is PCOS?
PCOS is a multi-factorial hormone condition in women. Androgen excess (androgens are hormones in the testosterone family) is what characterizes PCOS, but dysfunctions with insulin, progesterone, cortisol, and more are also important drivers.
Women with PCOS commonly struggle with some or all of these symptoms:
- Infertility
- Acne
- Hirsutism (abnormal hair growth)
- Irregular Periods
- Weight gain around the middle
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Insomnia and other Sleep Disorders
- Inflammation
- Heavy or Painful Periods
- Toxins
- Fatigue
- High Cholesterol
- Insulin Resistance
- High Blood Pressure
- Hair Loss
- Difficulty Losing Weight
- Reactive Hypoglycemia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Exercise Intolerance
- PMS and PMDD
Why PCOS?
So many reasons. This is one of those things that seems so obvious in retrospect.
I wanted to specialize in something to improve faster as a doctor.
So about five years ago, I started work toward a specialty in mental health, mostly because of how much natural medicine helped me with anxiety and depression. But something was missing.
Then in 2018, I was looking back over the best patient outcomes over my first ten years in practice, and it was uncanny how many of them had PCOS or the symptoms common to PCOS like horrible periods, trouble sleeping, or weight gain around the middle.
I knew that I got excited when I saw “PCOS” on the intake form. I would think, “Yay, I’m good at this.” Where PCOS is concerned, I was confident that natural medicine is not only safer than conventional medicine, it was often more effective.
In my own life, I’ve experienced relief from many of the same symptoms bring women with PCOS to my office.
Research attention on PCOS has increased substantially over the last two decades, so a much better understanding of PCOS and PCOS treatment is rapidly unfolding. That wasn’t available when I was in school, so that also makes this an exciting and satisfying specialty.
PCOS is a complicated chronic condition that presents lots of different ways and with a particular interplay of hormones that regularly demands three of my favorite things:
- -teaching
- -creatively individualizing treatment plans
- -compassionate workarounds for when your willpower feels depleted without using shame, shoulds, or supposed to’s.
The more I learn about PCOS, the happier I am with it as my specialty. It’s been like figuring out that all along, you were in love with the boy next door.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me better. I hope I’ll get a chance to get to know you soon.
Here are three ways to make that happen:
- STEP ONE:
Click Here to Schedule an Appointment - STEP TWO:
Read my Insider Emails and reply back. I read all the reponses and try to respond to every one. - STEP THREE:
Want to know if I’ve had experience treating a condition like yours? Please feel free to send in the Intake Form. Let me know that you’d like my feedback about whether I could help in your specific case. I’m happy to do that.
My credentials:
Barnard College, Columbia University, Bachelor of Arts, 1993
Bastyr University, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, 2004.
