Student of Naturopathic Medicine and Integrative Mental Health.
I am a third year student at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. My salient interest in medicine lies at the convergence of reproductive, endocrine, and mental health. I endeavor to apply both systems-thinking and detailed, targeted therapies to individualize care while addressing the context of healing in a person’s life. I am especially passionate about the ways that mind, body, and spirit participate together to create a lived and embodied experience of wellness and vitality. I see my future work as an advocate for autonomy, agency, and authenticity in healing, and I seek to weave social justice and community-building into the practice of individual health.
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathy is a holistic system of medicine based on six principles : First Do No Harm, Prevention, Treat the Cause, Treat the Whole Person, Doctor as Teacher, and Nature’s Inherent Tendency toward healing, repair, and adaptation (Vis Medicatrix Naturae).
In the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, Naturopathic physicians (NDs or NMDs) are trained in accredited 4 year medical programs and board-certified to provide a variety of treatment modalities, including nutrition, botanical medicines, physical medicine, homeopathy, and conventional pharmaceuticals. This breadth and depth uniquely positions NDs for well-rounded and individualized primary care, and many Naturopathic Physicians choose to serve their communities as specialists.
A Masters of Science in Integrative Mental Health at NUNM prepares practitioners to apply a thorough holistic skillset for the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health. I seek to apply the principles and tools of Naturopathic medicine, mentioned above, for the benefit of each client’s mental and emotional wellbeing. With the addition of a somatic and mindfulness-based therapeutic skillset, care can address the experience of the whole person, providing integrative treatment sessions. The evidence basis is building in western conventional medicine for tending to mental and emotional health alongside physical health, as they are mutually integral.
Professional Memberships:
Psychiatric Association of Naturopathic Physicians (Psych ANP)
Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OANP)
Society of Physicians of Anthroposophic Naturopathy (SPAN)
Emily Whitson Integrative Health 