Dr. Michele Burklund, Naturopathic Physician Online Telehealth

My journey into this work wasn’t just academic; it was personal. I’ve seen how emotional pain, unresolved grief, and life transitions can manifest physically, and how traditional medicine often overlooks this connection.

That’s why I created a different kind of healing space. One where your story matters, your symptoms are clues, and your healing is guided by both science and soul.

Now, let’s discuss the technical stuff of my formal academic & clinical training…

MEDICAL SCHOOL

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Aerial view of a large green park with sports fields, a parking lot, and buildings surrounded by dense forests near a body of water.
Diagram of human anatomy with focus on muscles and skeleton, featuring a central quote about self-awareness and spirituality.
Open antique botanical book displaying detailed illustrations of two different roses, labeled with their scientific names and descriptions, with handwritten notes underneath.

After completing my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, along with intensive premedical studies, I pursued my medical training at Bastyr University; the world’s most innovative medical school. During my first year, I was honored with a prestigious scholarship awarded to a student who demonstrated exceptional dedication to the healing arts.

Bastyr’s five-year, full-time, in-residence doctoral program offers the rigor of conventional medical education, including a full year of human cadaver dissection and advanced coursework that mirrors MD and DO training. It also provides immersive education in clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, counseling, functional diagnostics, physical therapeutics, and mind-body medicine.

My training took place not only in the classroom and patient clinic…but also within Bastyr’s botanical medicine laboratories, commercial-grade therapeutic nutrition kitchens, and cultivated medicinal gardens used for research and formulation. I further trained on campus within more than 51 acres of protected forest, studying plant intelligence, clinical mycology, and wild-crafted medicine directly from the living environment.

This dual foundation in both evidence-based medicine and the root-cause philosophy of natural therapeutics has deeply shaped my clinical lens, allowing me to treat each patient through the inseparable connection between biochemistry, emotional landscape, and energetic physiology.

Grounded in Science

Respecting the healing power of nature

CLINICAL TRAINING

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Exterior of Bastyir University Clinic building with large windows, potted plants, and a tree outside in a sunny day.
Naturopathic Medicine Spine, Telehealth
Naturopathic Medicine, Herbs, Online Telehealth

As a licensed primary care physician with advanced clinical training across family medicine, oncology, women’s health, environmental medicine, detoxification, physical medicine, and neurodevelopmental conditions, I have cared for over 800 patients in university-supervised clinical practice. My work is rooted in the belief that true healing requires both rigorous science and deep attunement to the human experience.

My training expanded beyond conventional settings into the natural world, where I traveled through the jungles of Belize and Guatemala to apprentice with traditional healers, bush doctors, and indigenous herbalists, studying plant medicine in its most living and ancestral form.

I also organized a neuro-oncology preceptorship at the University of Washington Medical Center. My dedication to this work was later recognized when I received first place at the Northwest Naturopathic Physicians Convention for a keynote in naturopathic neurology. I went on to pursue further academic study in infectious disease and immunology at the University of Nebraska, further strengthening the biomedical precision behind my approach.

This fusion of advanced clinical medicine, ancestral plant knowledge, and full-spectrum patient experience shapes the way I practice today, honoring both the measurable and the unseen layers of human healing.

4,472+

Total Hours of Training at Bastyr University

1,925+

Hours in Clerkships & Allopathic Therapies

1,639+

Hours in Clinical & Basic Sciences

908+

Hours in Naturopathic Therapes

While living abroad, including time on the island of Crete where I studied Mediterranean botanicals and traditional herbal preparations firsthand, I continued caring for international patients while expanding my work as a medical writer.

I became a contributing editor for Better Nutrition Magazine and went on to write more than 1,000 published online articles across various health and wellness platforms, focusing on integrative medicine, botanical therapeutics, and lifestyle-based healing.

I later served as Chief Science Officer at Puriya, a California-based wellness brand, where I led formulation strategy using clinically validated botanicals and evidence-based natural therapeutics. In addition to overseeing ingredient sourcing and product development, I authored whitepapers, guided scientific research direction, and ensured each formulation was rooted in purity, sustainability, and measurable therapeutic efficacy.

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Botanical Medicine, Online Telehealth
Ancient Greek Healing, Asklepios, Healing Medicine

TODAY…

Today, I work with women across the country through my virtual practice, offering a deeply personalized approach that blends cutting-edge science with intuitive, root-cause healing.

My ongoing research explores the intricate connections between brain health, immunity, and emotional well-being, because healing is not just physical…it is neurological, energetic, and profoundly personal.

Over the years, I have supported thousands of women navigating chronic fatigue, hormone imbalance, anxiety, grief, and complex inflammatory patterns, always with the intention to listen deeply and uncover the “why” behind the symptoms.

My work has been featured in publications and platforms including MindBodyGreen, Better Nutrition, Nourish & Heal, Amazing Wellness, The Vitamin Shoppe, Bastyr’s Food as Medicine Series, KOMO News, and Holistic Health.

I currently hold naturopathic medical licenses in California, Washington, and Montana, and serve on the scientific advisory board for MADE SAFE, a nonprofit dedicated to certifying products that are truly safe for human health and the environment.

EDUCATION

  • Bastyr University: Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD)

  • University of Washington: Premedical Studies

  • Stanford University: Post Graduate Studies

  • University of Nebraska: (Infectious Disease & Immunology)

  • Seattle University: Albers School of Business (BA, MBA)

  • Bastyr University Clinic (Seattle, WA)

    Advanced Intravenous Nutrient Therapy

    Integrative Dermatology

  • (2023-2024 CE Courses)

    Mood Health:

    • Neuroinflammation, Histamine and other Inflammatory Mediators

    • ADHD Medication Pharmacology and Weaning

    • Bipolar Spectrum and Seizure Pharmacological and Natural Therapies

    • Benzodiazepines Pharmacology Prescribing Tapering and Management

    • Dysautonomia and EDS

    • The Influence of Diet on Human Behavior

    Anti-aging Therapies:

    • NAD Therapies

    Chronic Illness:

    • Covid & Long Covid

    • Mold & Chronic Illness

    • Chronic Inflammation

    • Common Women’s Infections including Chronic UTI’s

    • Biofilm Removal

    • Medical Detoxification/Chelation Protocols

    • Comprehensive Evaluation & Treatment of Lyme Disease

    Auto-Immune Disorders

    • Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) treatment & therapies

    • Crohn's Disease

    Integrative Dermatology

    • Potential Treatments for Psoriasis: Herbs that Target TH17/IL

    • Role of Skin pH in Skin Conditions

    • SIBO Testing for Dermatological Conditions

    • Application of Naturopathic Medicine in Aesthetic Dermatology

    • The mTOR Pathway and Acne: Linking Nutrition to Biochemistry

    • The Role of Filaggrin and L-Histadine in Eczema

    • Thyroid Testing and Related Dermatological Conditions

    • Vitamins A, D, & E and Dermatological Conditions

    Parasitic Infections

    • Natural Treatments for Leishmaniasis

    Plant Medicine

    • Botanicals Pharmacology Dosing Clinical Use Safety

    • Commonly Prescribed Drugs with Severe Side Effects & Plant Interactions

  • Medical detoxification & metabolic support, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle WA.

    Neuro-oncology preceptorship, University of Washington under Dr. Maciej M. Mrugala, M.D., Ph.D.

    The jungles of Belize and Guatemala studying from bush doctors, traditional healers, and herbalists.

    I completed additional training in family medicine, physical medicine, women's health, environmental medicine and detoxification, and ADHD under the supervision of licensed physicians in their private practices.

    I served as a student research preceptor at the Neuroscience Research Center of Bastyr University.

  • Private clinical practice for 10+ years seeing a diverse range of patients.

    I was the Chief Science Officer for Puriya, a well-known wellness company for over 5 years formulating clinical grade products and researching evidence-based ingredients.

    Formulated Orthobiome, a clinically-researched probiotic and served as the educational spokesperson for the importance of the microbiome.

  • I’ve been the featured wellness writer for National Magazines including Better Nutrition, Nourish & Heal, Mind Body Green, and Amazing Wellness. Read my articles

  • Bastyr University scholarship awarded to a first year medical student that showed passion for the profession.

    First place scholarship for a speech focused on naturopathic neurology from the Northwest Naturopathic Physicians

RECENT FEATURES

Articles written by Dr. Burklund

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MODALITIES

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PHILOSOPHY

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It’s Important To Know The Difference.

Growing up near Bastyr University in Washington State, I was surrounded by naturopathic medicine from an early age — but I didn’t realize how misunderstood the field was until I traveled abroad. In the United States, licensed naturopathic doctors (NDs) are primary care physicians with a legally defined medical scope.

There are only seven accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America. Admission requires an undergraduate degree and premedical coursework, followed by four to five years of full-time in-residence medical training, plus two national board exams for licensure.

Why this matters

There is a significant difference between a licensed naturopathic physician and someone with an unaccredited or online natural health certification. Always confirm where they trained, whether the school is accredited, and if they hold an active medical license.

Comparison of Total Medical Training Hours

Accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools
vs. Accredited Conventional Medical Schools
vs. Unaccredited Online or “Natural Health” Programs

You can learn more about this on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians Website.