ND Graduate Amy Fasig Speaks at the NIH About Naturopathic Medicine

NIH Building
The Office of Director at
the National Institutes of Health
in Washington, D.C.

"In the end, it is really the health care consumer who will benefit the most from a cross-pollination of ideas and approaches between natural and conventional medicine," says Amy Fasig, ND ('03), after giving a presentation about naturopathic medicine to a group of National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers and physicians in Washington, D.C., this March. "It's not about either/or; it's about all disciplines coexisting in a mutually respectful environment."

Dr. Fasig, a Bastyr University alumna and faculty member, an admissions advisor and a naturopathic physician in private practice, says she was thrilled when she received an invitation from the NIH earlier this year to be a guest lecturer. She capitalized on the opportunity to improve communication and understanding between allopathic and naturopathic physicians.

"Bastyr has been awarded NIH grants in the past, so many professionals at the NIH had heard of naturopathic medicine," she explains, "but I wanted to meet and educate some of them on the philosophy of naturopathic medicine and help them to understand exactly what we believe and what we do."

During her presentation, Dr. Fasig discussed the naturopathic medicine philosophy, its history, educational requirements and the research studies being conducted in the field. She also provided an overview of the five core modalities naturopathic doctors use in practice (botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, physical medicine and counseling).

She says she felt that she was well-received, and she has seen evidence of increased respect and understanding since her talk, as many of the attendees took immediate action to find out more about naturopathic care. "I have been told that, since the lecture, a number of attendees visited naturopathic doctors in the Washington, D.C., area to receive health care," she says. "That's fantastic!"

Her talk came on the heels of an increasing trend toward integrative health care in the United States. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has played a major role in this trend by establishing the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in 1999. Since that time, NCCAM has funded more than 1,200 studies on natural treatments. Dr. Fasig's invitation to talk was another way the NIH is encouraging integration.

One of the most gratifying aspects of the talk, says Dr. Fasig, was having the opportunity to respond to questions. "Most of the questions were focused on what I personally do in my practice with patients and how I work with other health care practitioners," she says. "Many of the attendees were surprised that naturopathic doctors (NDs) are licensed as primary care physicians, can bill insurance, and are able to prescribe medications in the state of Washington and many other states."

This wasn't the first time Dr. Fasig has spoken to audiences about her profession. Since graduating from Bastyr in 2003, Dr. Fasig has sought opportunities to educate general audiences and prospective students about naturopathic medicine, considering this quest to be an important part of her career. "I welcome any chance to further the exposure of the medicine and to encourage the public to become educated on their health care options," she says.

Interviewed May 2008.