Modalities

Naturopathic & Functional Medicine Philosophy

At the center of natural medicine rests the knowledge that the body is capable of healing itself of just about any ailment given the proper conditions. The job of the naturopathic doctor is to review the entire symptom picture, the history, diet, unique habits, living circumstances and disposition of each person in order to deliver the most expedient treatment for any given condition.

Naturopathic Doctors (ND’s) from accredited four-year medical school institutions are trained to be primary care physicians blending scientific knowledge and medical training with the healing power and wisdom of nature. They are trained in all the same sciences, diagnostic techniques, and clinical skills as medical doctors with an emphasis on natural therapies.

Doctor means teacher. It is also the doctor’s job to help each person discover his or her own healthy balance, creating the proper environment for healing and continued vibrant health. The goal of natural medicine is not simply to palliate, although this may be a necessary step at certain times, but above all to discover where the imbalance that created the illness arose, so that the problem may be corrected and prevented in the future.

The truth is eloquently simple – clean air and water, good food, adequate rest, a balanced psyche, and correction of current and past insults to the body result in the restoration of health.

Herbal & Botanical Medicines

Botanical medicines are the original remedies. Herbs have been in use for treatment and amelioration of just about every ailment known to humankind for thousands of years. It is believed by many traditional cultures and by many sages as well that for every “dis-ease” suffered by people, there is a cure in the natural world.

While still not widely accepted in the medical mainstream, as evidence for the efficacy of herbs in many different conditions continues to mount, they are gaining in popularity and acceptance. Naturopathic doctors using herbs may have been the original functional medicine doctors in the Western Hemisphere! After the native inhabitants, of course.

Examples of problems that often respond favorably to herbal remedies are skin rashes, digestive complaints, bloating, urinary tract infections, colds, flus, nausea, toxin relief for the liver, insomnia, hot flashes, candida, loss of memory, high blood pressure, and much more.

Dr. Julie Barter has one of the most complete herbal pharmacies in the area and she has taken great care to research the companies from which the herbs are sourced. Laboratory-confirmed presence of active ingredients, purity and strength along with sustainable and organic sources are just a few of the stringent requirements placed on the suppliers. All herbs are pharmaceutical grade.

Herbs can be magical medicines, but only if they are properly manufactured! Dr. Barter believes in honoring both traditional harvesting and processing techniques as well as scientific confirmation of the potency of the herbs dispensed in the office.

Homeopathy

Dr. Barter has seen miracles big and small using homeopathic remedies over the last 15 years, so she uses them regularly. For instance, surgeons routinely comment that mutual patients who used homeopathic Arnica, Ruta, and Hypericum after procedures seem to heal and recover much more quickly with fewer complications than typically expected.

The medical mainstream under the influence of big pharma on the FDA has worked tirelessly to discredit homeopathy over the last 100 years. Nonetheless, any person who has recovered from the pain and swelling of a terrible injury using homeopathic Arnica, or has eased the cries of a teething child with Chamomilla will tell you that it works.

Homeopathics are not a replacement for proper medical evaluation and treatment, but when the right remedy is given, the effects can be dramatically effective, espeically on acute conditions such as injuries, coughs, colds, flus, pain, and much more.

Homeopathy is purported as working with the innate ability that the body has to heal itself. While much has been written on the theory of how homoepathic remedies work, the answer is that no one really knows. What we do know is that they are safe and non-toxic.

The theory is based on the idea of “like cures like.” This means that a substance that is capable of producing symptoms in a healthy person can, when specially prepared in high dilution, bring relief to a person who is ill and suffers from similar symptoms. The remedies are special extremely dilute preparations derived from plants, minerals, and other substances found in nature.

If this sounds strange, consider the idea of vaccination where an extremely tiny dose of an infectious agent is used to get the body to respond to a future exposure to that pathogen.

Examples of conditions that respond favorably to homeopathic medicines are injuries, anxiety, depression, PTSD, fatigue, insomnia, ADD/ADHD, hot flashes, digestive problems, colds, flus, back pain, arthritis, memory problems, and anything else that can go wrong in the human body.

Children respond beautifully to homeopathy in many situations.

The philosophy behind homeopathic remedies recognizes that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the person who needs treatment, not the disease. Different people react in different ways to the same illness. The correct remedy is chosen not only on the complaint, but also on other factors unique to each patient such as temperament, level of vitality and energy, likes and dislikes, mental and emotional predisposition, and genetic constitutional type.

Homeopathic remedies do not interfere with other medications, and if well-chosen are safe for use even in delicate states such as pregnancy, old age, and childhood.

Diet Evaluation & Recommendations

"Good diet is the best medicine."

Dr. Julie Barter believes the above quote wholeheartedly, so one of the first things that receives attention in the office is making sure the dietary habits are contributing to good health. She believes that diet is not one-size fits all, and will help craft guidelines appropriate to age, genetics, activity level, constitution and disposition of the individual. She is a specialist in identifying food allergies.

Are you a nutritionist?

This is a commonly asked question. The answer is, Dr. Julie Barter is a doctor with hundreds more hours of therapeutic nutrition training than a nutritionist. In fact, a number of candidates for nutrition degrees have studied with her and observed her in the office. Her naturopathic medical training encompassed not only several hundred hours of formal medical nutrition training, but also nearly an additional 1000 hours of functional medicine and medical nutrition training after graduating from medical school. Nutrition both in terms of diet and in terms of supplements is an area of tremendous expertise.
She is aware of and utilizes therapeutic diets for many different conditions ranging from diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia, cholesterol problems, auto-immune conditions such as Crohn’s disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto, to seizure disorders, depression, Lyme disease, mold toxin illness, and cancer.

Lifestyle

Did you know that sleeping 6 hours or less per night confers about the same risk for getting cancer as drinking 6 alcoholic beverages per day? (Kazizaki, M. et al Br J Cancer 2008)

Our culture has lost touch with the rhythms of nature in this modern highly industrialized and technological age. But you can’t mess with mother nature too much without getting in trouble. Dr. Barter will help you identify things you can do yourself to maintain or regain your health.

She has found many times over the years of practice that many long-standing complaints are within her patients’ own control with diet and lifestyle adjustments.

Find our more about Physical Medicine.