My Journey to Naturopathic Medicine
Hello! My name is Katherine Jones, and I am a naturopathic doctor. I am passionate about naturopathic and holistic medicine, and I love meeting with patients and giving them options when it comes to their healthcare. I believe that naturopathic medicine gives patients the tools that they need to not only heal in a lasting and sustainable way, but also to prevent future illness. We in the naturopathic community like to say that we want to “work ourselves out of a job”. What I mean by this is that we want to give patients all of the resources and education that they need so that they are truly empowered, knowledgeable and in charge of their bodies, health and wellness. I spend a lot of my time sitting with my patients, listening to their stories, and teaching them about their options. I want my patients to know that I am their advocate and guide on their journey to wellness.
So what led me to naturopathic medicine? One of my first major exposures to holistic health was through my undergraduate dance coursework at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I took a Somatic Theory and Practices course, and in it we explored the “integration of body and mind, working from the primary principle that bodies are knowledgeable and communicative”[1]. A repeated theme of the course was that the body and mind are intrinsically connected; therefore, different emotional and mental states can have significant influences on the body, and vice versa. Through the lens of this theme, we studied many physical practices such as Body-Mind Centering, the Feldenkrais Method, Alexander Technique, acupuncture, and t’ai chi. It was through this course that I learned more about how physical medicine and body awareness can affect the mind, as well as how important it is to know as much as you can about a person’s history; any one aspect of their life can have an extreme impact on their entire body-mind system.
Another major influence on my career decision was my undergraduate independent study with the Industrial Engineering department. At the time I was a pre-med biology major, and was ready to go to “conventional” medical school because I wanted to be a surgeon. The Industrial Engineering department recruited people who were pre-med, and we were given the task of watching hours of primary care visits and coding doctor-patient-computer interactions. While the research was tedious at times, it ended up being a valuable experience because I essentially had the opportunity to virtually shadow numerous area physicians for hours every week. One patient that stood out to me was a woman in her 50’s who was using a walker. I was already surprised by how restricted her mobility was for someone of her age, but what was even more shocking to me was that the number of prescription medications she was on was in the double. digits. These were all powerful medications with serious side affects. Many of these medications were prescribed to combat the side affects of her other medications. She, like many other people given conventional care in this country, was on a chain of one medication being used to mask the symptoms of another. After seeing this visit I quickly became disillusioned with conventional medicine. I realized that although it is really good at preventing people from dying, it is not good at making people well.
Some months after my independent study, my mother showed me an article in one of her nursing magazines that gave basic information on naturopathic medicine and NDs. With my previous experiences prominent in my thoughts, the article sparked my interest. After several months of reflection and research, I decided that pursuing this kind of work would be extremely valuable. I believe in a more holistic approach to medicine: treating patients instead of just diseases, and treating the root cause of an illness instead of only giving people Band-Aids.
I want patients to have the best care that holistic medicine can offer. Patients often notice differences in how I approach medicine compared to other doctors they have seen. One major difference is the time I spend with my patients. Patients who visit conventional practitioners are often lucky to get 15 minutes of their time. In my practice, initial visits are an hour and a half long. I ask in-depth medical, physical, emotional, spiritual, and dietary questions so that I can form the most productive doctor-patient relationship possible. I understand that you are more than your diagnoses.
Interested? Visit https://www.katherinejonesnd.com/contact to contact me about setting up an appointment.
1 Corby, Kate. “Syllabus, Dance 161—Somatic Theory and Practices, Spring 2012.” University of Wisconsin—Madison, 2012. Print.
