Amanda E. Brimhall, ND - GAINSWave Seattle

I remember the first time I heard the term, “Naturopathic Physician.” I was working part-time as a front desk receptionist in a chiropractic clinic. I'd only recently come to the realization that I wanted to work in health and fitness, but I was equally sure that it wasn't as a nutritionist or personal trainer. The prospect of Naturopathic Medicine simply clarified everything for me. Medicine was a career path in my family with my mother, an ICU nurse, my sister, a surgical nurse, several aunts who were nurses and an uncle who was a respiratory therapist.

What I did, you can do. I will say that over and over and over again. It's true! YES! You can effectively treat health issues. Indeed, with the right mindset you can prevent many problems from starting. I am proud to say that helping people to gain that mindset and take control of their health is my mission!

Functional Medicine Has Its Roots in
Naturopathic Medicine
Yet conventional medicine never appealed to me. A “Naturopathic Physician” was much more congenial to me given my life and upbringing and having been raised in the Spokane Valley where regular exercise and healthy eating defined our lifestyle. The prospect of working in a cold and sterile environment held no appeal to me. Between the artificial lighting and the weird medicinal smells, the memory of which makes me cringe even as I type this section, the conventional healthcare path never seemed a viable route for me. (As an aside, it was out of my experience in Naturopathic Medicine that I would develop the highly effective approaches now used in Functional Medicine. Funny, how one great insight leads to another!) Inspired with this new concept of Naturopathic Physician, however, I leaped at the chance to learn more, followed my curiosity, and obtained a course catalog from Bastyr University in Seattle.

It was while reading about their Naturopathic Medicine program that lightning struck. I'd found my true calling!

2010