In a nutshell: My path to Naturopatic Medicine

                                    

I always knew I wanted to work in the health field and saw myself as a doctor even as a child, maybe 70% of the time. The other 30% included wanting to be a teacher, a traditional healer, a mother and an advocate for the underserved, probably because I knew something was missing from the standard expectations of a doctor. So throughout high school and college, I studied health from many different angles: public health, global health, alternative medicine, traditional medicine, clinical biology, and yoga.

After college in the U.S., I decided to give the “real” medicine thing a shot because clinical medicine still lived inside of me. And I was tired of just being a silent observer and researcher to all the health problems I witnessed. So I enrolled in medical program at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica in 2011.

Well, that lasted all of ONE year! 

From my perspective at the time, the biomedical model of health I was learning was simply too reductionist and grossly ineffective in actually helping people achieve health. Of course I considered going through the ropes to become a medical doctor and studyng other healing modalities on the side, but it was so incredibly clear to me that this was not the type of medicine I wanted to spend my time and money learning.

So I quit. And I am not a quitter. So this did major damage to my Ego! That year proved to be one of my most difficult, despite not techincally "doing" anything.

I turned to the internet to try to find my next step... acupuncture? herbal medicine? yoga therapy? taking off to the bush to study with a traditional healer? The problem was that I wanted to learn a new way of doing medicine in a systematic way but without giving up the useful tools of biomedicine. Was that too much to ask? Nope!

I found Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. A 4-5 year intensive study of ALL things medicine and healing: basic sciences, clinical diagnosis, drugs, herbs, homeopathy, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, counseling, energy medicine and so much more. 

So I took the plunge. Because I knew this was it. All of it. I moved to Seattle with my husband and 5 yo son in 2013 and the next 5 years would be the most fulfilling and challenging time of my life. Every quarter was a new adventure in figuring out how to pay for school and manage life in a foreign place. I also grew my family and had a baby boy half way through the program. Needless to say, I was forced to live the meaning of my name – FAITH. And saw it through to graduation in June 2018 because of the love and support of family and community (including a very successful crowdfunding effort). 

I am now a licensed physician in the state of Washington, trained in a field of medicine that encompasses public health, natural medicine, biomedicine, counseling and yoga all in a visit. 

I am SO fulfilled and grateful.

My degree and my license is simply the beginning of the real work to come. I'm facing some bumps in the road right now, but I just know you will get to experience the power of Naturopathic Medicine with me in due time! :)

xox 
Dr. Kimani