A DIFFERENT PATH
A DEEPER KIND OF MEDICINE
My path into this work wasn’t shaped by education alone. It was shaped by lived experience, by witnessing how grief, emotional strain, and profound life transitions can leave their imprint on the body, often in ways conventional medicine does not fully capture.
Those experiences changed the way I practice medicine. I learned to look beyond isolated symptoms and consider the whole person, their physiology, history, environment, and story. Today, my approach brings together scientific rigor, root-cause investigation, and the human insight that comes from truly listening.
That philosophy is grounded in years of formal education, clinical training, research, and continued study across medicine, science, and whole-person health.
THE ACADEMIC FOUNDATION BEHIND MY PRACTICE
BASTYR UNIVERSITY
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD)
Doctoral Studies
SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Albers School of Business (BA, MBA)
Undergraduate & Graduate Studies
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Premedical Studies
Undergraduate Studies
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Post Graduate Studies in Infectious Disease & Immunology
Postdoctoral & Advanced Training
MEDICAL SCHOOL
The World’s most Innovative Medical School Program
After completing my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, along with intensive premedical studies, I pursued my medical training at Bastyr University. 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 trained on Bastyr’s 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.
4,472+
Total Hours of Training at Bastyr University
1,639+
Hours in Clinical & Basic Sciences
1,925+
Hours in Clerkships & Allopathic Therapies
908+
Hours in Naturopathic Therapes
CLINICAL TRAINING
Where rigorous medicine met the complexity of the human experience.
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.
TRADITIONAL PLANT MEDICINE
Trained in the Jungles of Belize & Guatemala. Apprenticed with traditional healers, bush doctors, and Indigenous herbalists, studying medicinal plants within their native ecosystems.
ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC TRAINING
Advanced Study in Infectious Disease & Immunology. Pursued postgraduate academic study at the University of Nebraska, deepening the biomedical and immunological foundation of my clinical approach.
CLNICAL EXPERIENCE
800+ Patients in University-Supervised Clinical Practice. Trained across family medicine, women’s health, oncology, environmental medicine, physical medicine, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
NEURO-ONCOLOGY
Neuro-Oncology Clinical Preceptorship. Organized and completed specialized clinical training at the University of Washington Medical Center, with exposure to complex neurological and oncology cases
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Bastyr University Clinic (Seattle, WA)
Advanced Intravenous Nutrient Therapy
Integrative Dermatology
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(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
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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.
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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.
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I’ve been the featured wellness writer for National Magazines including Better Nutrition, Nourish & Heal, Mind Body Green, and Amazing Wellness. Read my articles
WHERE HEALING BEGAN
Ancient Wisdom. Living Medicine. Modern Science.
Living in Greece, Europe, and China for nearly a decade profoundly expanded the way I understood medicine and healing.
Beyond textbooks and clinical training, I had the opportunity to learn from cultures and places where traditional medicine remains deeply connected to daily life.
In Greece, I explored the legacy of Asclepius and the ancient Asclepieia, some of the earliest organized healing centers, where nature, movement, water, rest, nutrition, dreams, and spiritual practices existed alongside the medicine of the time.
On the island of Crete, renowned for its extraordinary botanical diversity and centuries-old herbal traditions, I lived in a traditional mountain village, studying Mediterranean medicinal plants and herbal preparations firsthand and experiencing a culture where plant medicine remains woven into everyday life.
Medicine became more than something I studied. It became something I experienced across cultures.
BEYOND THE PHYSICAL BODY
The Biology of Grief, the Wisdom of Plants & the Female Body
Today, my work lives at the intersection of botanical medicine, women’s health, and the emotional body—exploring how physiology, environment, and lived experience shape our health.
I continue to research botanical medicine and evidence-based formulations, translating emerging science into clinical care, product development, and medical education.
Through my virtual practice and grief-focused work and retreats, I explore how profound loss and emotional experiences can imprint the physical body—affecting the nervous system, hormones, immunity, sleep, cognition, and overall well-being.
I also co-created Rhea Teachings, a physician-led education platform devoted to the changing female body, bringing together modern science, feminine wisdom, and practical guidance for perimenopause and beyond.
I currently hold naturopathic medical licenses in California, Washington, and Montana and serve on the scientific advisory board of MADE SAFE.