My Story
I believe the body has the ability to heal when given the right support, and I use a gentle approach to address the root cause of problems and promote healing.
I treat a wide variety of conditions, and my areas of focus include autoimmune disorders, chronic disease, food sensitivities, skin conditions, and healing after injuries.
My mission is to teach people how to understand and take better care of their bodies. Following this philosophy, I take a lifestyle-first approach, with nutrition and lifestyle changes forming the cornerstones of treatments, and I draw on botanical medicine, physical medicine and homeopathy when appropriate. I am also a bit of a science nerd and love to incorporate new trials and research into my practice.
My entry into the medical field was very conventional, working on FDA clinical trials with global medical and biotech firms in San Francisco. I eventually left the business world to make a personal difference in people’s health, but the form that would take wasn’t clear until my mother was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.
Faced with this life-changing diagnosis, I dug into the existing research and designed a plan based around food, supplements, and lifestyle to accompany my mother’s conventional treatments. I was amazed that these simple changes could have such a profound effect, and equally amazed that my mother’s oncologists were unaware of the research I’d found. A drive to share this information, and to learn more, drew me back to medical school.
I grew up in the outdoors of the Ozark Mountains and the Willamette Valley. I received a BA in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College, where I also ran track and cross-country. I returned to the west coast after college, and completed medical school at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). I also completed a certificate program with New England School of Homeopathy.
I have put down roots in Southeast Portland, where I live with my husband, our daughter, and an ever-increasing number of houseplants. I enjoy gardening, foraging, cooking, and–most importantly–eating food. I still love to be outside, running, working in my garden, camping, or at the river.
And my mom? She remains healthy and cancer-free, and now lives in Hawaii.
