Dear New Patient,

I look forward to helping you, whether it's working to solve acute or chronic pain and degenerative conditions with regenerative injection therapies, wrangling unruly hormones or working with one of the many other health concerns I treat (that page also has a heads up as to a few things I can't/don't do for patients).  

Starting at your first appointment, we will create a plan to investigate and improve your health together,

If you'd first like to meet and chat about whether I am the right fit for your needs, you can request a 15 minute intro discovery call (exclusively virtual) by clicking here.

I strive to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment

I really try to practice what I preach in my mission statement. Being inclusive isn't just about making a statement, or putting up a sticker. It's about the whole atmosphere and experience. When you come to our clinic. When you have your appointment. The intake forms ahead of time and your interactions with our staff. All of it is important to me.

Here are some specific ways I work towards making my clinic a comfortable space for everyone:

• We ask your pronouns in our new patient paperwork, and while claims sent to insurance must use the legal names and pronouns as associated with those plans, we use the names and pronouns patients tell us to in our day-to-day relationships with them.
• Both clinics (including waiting room, treatment rooms, and restrooms) are accessible for any mobility device. Please note that my Salem office is on the 2nd floor of a professional office building so please make use of the elevator right in front of our suite.
  
• My Portland office has a very efficient floor plan, which means that some treatment rooms may be a bit snug if there are family members, caregivers or others in attendance during your visit. If you would like to move to a larger room, please do not hesitate to ask.
• I am not a doctor who takes her patients' weights all the time. My Portland office tends to collect weight at the first visit (and medical staff may ask your height and weight when collecting your blood pressure at follow-up visits). You can decline being weighed and disclosing your weight whenever you wish. While taking your weight may be medically necessary for some specific medical reasons and concerns, we are not in the habit of weighing all our patients at every visit. It's just not medically necessary to do that. And I recognize that it is harmful for many patients.
  
• I do not use weight or BMI to influence what sort of care, recommendations, referrals, or treatment options I provide patients. Every patients' concerns are equally valuable to me. I do not tell some to, "eat less and exercise more" based on a BMI nor provide different treatment recommendations to patients because they have different body sizes.
• Your health conditions will be taken seriously. I will do my best to thoroughly investigate your concerns. I will not write off your concerns with patronizing and discriminatory language such as, "it's just your age," "well that sounds normal," "well, what did you expect after having children," "well you're just getting older," and, "well you need to lose some weight."
• I actively address bias and gaslighting within the medical system - both at large and in my appointments with patients. It happens all the time. Don't be surprised when I call out total rubbish that past providers have told you. Beyond many commonly-recognized realms of discrimination such as racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia, I also seek to identify and address the adverse effects of other types of oppression such as ableism, ageism, anti-fat bias, and healthism* that may be negatively impacting my patients.
• I am supportive of Health at Every Size® (HAES®) principles. I desire to help all my patients improve their quality of life and I truly seek to understand the reasons behind the health concerns that brought them to me. Improving health and quality of life usually has nothing to do with a scale.
• I am actively dismantling Diet Culture from my practice and my life. I am anti-dieting. Restrictive diets cause severe harm (both physically and mentally) and are all too rampant in our society and medical system. Unfortunately, my field of Naturopathic medicine contains some of the most insidious and detrimental components of Diet Culture. Just because it's dressed up as "wellness" or "detox," I see it for what it is, and help my patients see through the marketing smoke and mirrors as well.
• I want to help you feel better, and get out there and enjoy your life more. That's my bottom line.

I have included a few photos around my two clinic locations so you familiarize yourself with what the clinic environments look like. A few features specifically included for patient comfort are exam beds that go very low (patients who use wheelchairs have no issue transferring when needed), as well as a variety of seating options available at both offices. Some seats are soft, some are firm, some are high, some are low, some do not have arms. I try to have a comfortable seating option available for everyone.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs not specified here.


* If you're not familiar with the phrase healthism, it is the idea that a person's health is entirely their responsibility. It places a moral importance on maintaining good health, while ignoring every other socioeconomic impact on health outcomes. Having a moral obligation to be healthy can have negative consequences. It can lead to issues like eating disorders, negative body image, and deferring healthcare intervention.

office photo gallery

Portland location

Salem location