Medicine has been in my family now for generations. My father was a surgeon and my grandfather was a family doctor who originally trained in Latvia before WWII. Growing up, when I wasn’t off collecting leaves or insects, or conducting chemistry experiments in my makeshift basement laboratory, I remember spending hours in my father’s study, perusing his extensive collection of medical books.

 

Although medicine inspired me, from an early age I had a burning desire to understand the deeper laws and processes that regulate nature and living organisms. This led me to pursue degrees in physics and mathematics, with additional studies in biology and philosophy.

 

However, after completing my bachelor’s degree, I became disillusioned with the current scientific understanding of life processes, which conceives of life through the lens of materialism, reductionism, and mechanism. I had the intuition that there must be a higher set of organizing principles and laws governing life, distinctly different from those used to describe the inorganic world. 

 

I also felt there must be a different approach to medicine–an approach that goes beyond just targeting the mechanisms of disease, and instead seeks to restore health by supporting these higher-order living activities.

 

As these sorts of questions weren’t much discussed in conventional medical programs in the early 1990’s (and sadly, still aren’t!), I instead opted to study Naturopathic and Classical Chinese medicine, as these systems of healing more closely aligned with my emerging beliefs. In 1998, I earned a doctorate in naturopathic medicine (ND) and a master’s degree in Oriental medicine (MSOM) from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon. 

 

During the course of my training, I traveled to China, where I studied meditation and Qi gong in Taoist and Buddhist monasteries, and observed skilled herbalists and acupuncturists in busy urban hospitals dedicated solely to the practice of Chinese medicine. Upon graduation, I completed a year-long residency working under the guidance of a local naturopath, and since then, have been in private practice.

 

After several years of practice in a busy multi-disciplinary care clinic (which included medical doctors and osteopaths), I returned to my alma mater (NUNM) as an assistant professor, where for 17 years I taught a variety of courses in physiology, biochemistry, herbal pharmacology, pathology, and endocrinology to both students of naturopathy and Chinese medicine. I also served as a naturopathic attending physician, supervising students in the university’s outpatient clinics.

 

My interest in research led me to complete additional course work in biostatistics and evidence-based medicine, and inspired me to mentor students conducting clinical trials investigating the use of natural substances for the treatment of chronic conditions. In 2016, I traveled to Tanzania with a group of global-health students, where I spent time studying East African herbal healing traditions.

 

I have been deeply inspired by the work of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), who together with the physician Ita Wegman (1876-1943), founded what is today known as anthroposophical medicine.  Steiner argued that conventional medicine could be extended beyond the limits of materialism and reductionism, allowing for the perception of more subtle dimensions within nature and the human being. This yields new insights into the nature of health and disease, and new potentials for the development of more effective medicinal therapies. 

 

All these streams of healing wisdom have amalgamated to form my unique approach to medicine. I am passionate about sharing these ideas with my clients, empowering them on their journey towards greater health.

 

I look forward to working with you!