“I love naturopathic medicine, the different ways we can express it, how we can help people get better and be creative.”
Laying the groundwork to become an ND
Dr. Daemon Jones, or Dr. Dae, as her patients affectionately call her, was unhappy in her corporate job. She made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor to discuss her general malaise. After one visit, she was fascinated. She loved what she heard about the lifestyle changes that could get her back to loving life.
“Living the dream” after graduation from UBSNM
Dr. Dae initially enrolled in Bastyr University in Seattle and transferred to University of Bridgeport School of Naturopathic Medicine (UBSNM) to be closer to home when her mother became ill.
Following graduation, Dr. Dae moved to the Washington Metropolitan area where she started her own practice with whole foods nutrition as the foundation. She found her patients were upset by the idea of giving up certain foods, and didn’t know what to replace them with. Inspired by her patients’ needs and the doctor as teacher foundation of naturopathic medicine, Dr. Dae began offering cooking demonstrations for healthy recipes.
“My practice has always changed based on what my patients are requesting of me. What can I provide and how can I do it in a way that excites me and expresses my creativity?”
“Cooking demonstrations show people that change is actually simple, and that these healthy foods taste great!” Not only did cooking demos win her clients over to a healthier lifestyle, she found them a great way to promote her practice.
A local cancer and chronic disease support center often sponsored her cooking demos. The eager attendees started asking for the recipes. This led her to write her first cookbook, Daelicious Recipes for Vibrant Living. Her second book, Eat More Plants, helps explain the connection between various vegetables and fruits and their health promoting properties.
As Dr. Dae innovates, her practice evolves. Recognizing the changing times and the advancement of media and its role in patient education, Dr. Dae looks for new ways to deliver information. She sees patients two days a week, and spends the rest of the week speaking in public or working on video projects.
Finding fulfillment as an ND
“I’m so much happier now.” Naturopathic medicine offers career flexibility and the opportunity to be creative. Every day is unique. One day may be spent filming an informative video, the next may be a one-on-one with a patient, and the following day may be presenting in a classroom. The message may be the same, but the diversity of tasks and settings makes her job fresh and exciting on a daily basis.
Dr. Dae is the author of two books and six e-books. Soon she is launching a ‘members only’ website with online videos and other resources to serve not just her clients but others in the naturopathic medicine field.
“We need to have more tools in the naturopathic community, so we don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel in our individual practices,” she explains.
“As naturopathic doctors, we love to be innovative. But we also need to continue to create support systems where we can help one another. I love the fact that some of my colleagues say, ‘Great! You did this so we don’t have to!’
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