|
A more natural course
Doctor focuses patients on education, nutrition
BY BRAD KADRICH
STAFF WRITER
After Rev. Linda Lowery suffered deep-tissue injuries and muscle problems following a February 2006 car accident, she said doctors told her she was going to have to live with excruciating pain.
Since she found Breathing Waters Health Center in Plymouth Township some six months later, Lowery said she's feeling much better.
I love this place; it's a God-send," said Lowery, a minister in outreach ministries around metro Detroit. "Where there was hopelessness, there is hope. There is no more despair."
Lowery attributes that to Breathing Waters' owner, Dr. Julie TwoMoon, who opened the center in May 2006. TwoMoon, 31, is a naturopathic doctor who believes many health problems suffered by people are caused by an over-indulgence in food and medication, along with nicotine and alcohol.
TwoMoon, a 2003 graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore., thinks doctors should be more concerned with educating people how to care for themselves, not simply pump patients full of medication.
"Naturopaths use specific nutrients that change (patients') responses," said TwoMoon, who grew up in Dearborn Heights. "A lot of drugs make you feel better but they don't actually change anything. Naturopaths change the pattern so you do feel better, and you don't go back to feeling that way again."
TwoMoon became interested in naturopathic medicine while studying geology at Colorado College. The idea of studying patterns and using nature to help heal the body intrigued her.
"I loved using nutrition to make people feel better," she said. "I thought, 'There has to be a profession that did that.' That's how I discovered the medical school."
After returning to Michigan to be closer to family, TwoMoon decided to open Breathing Waters. Naturopathic doctors are not in great number in Michigan, she said, and the chance to practice what she believes is her life's calling was attractive to her.
"There are only about five naturopathic doctors like myself practicing in the whole state," said TwoMoon, who worked at Michigan Pain Specialists in Ann Arbor before opening Breathing Waters. "This is a great state to practice. There's a lot of need and very little competition."
The center offers massage therapy, naturopathic medicine including nutrition modification, lifestyle consultation and herbal medicines. TwoMoon also offers acupuncture, a service she said is probably the largest part of her business.
Massage therapy is also an increasingly popular service. Susan Krupin-Carter, a 1992 Salem High School graduate, handles deep-tissue therapy with the primary focus on trigger-point pain management and neuromuscular therapy.
"I like that you can see a functional change in the body when you're done," said Krupin-Carter, a graduate of the Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy. "People come in in excruciating pain and they leave pain-free. We meet some amazing people."
TwoMoon said business is picking up as word-of-mouth gets around.
"I like helping people see they have other options," TwoMoon said. "So many people are told they just have to 'live with it.' I love showing them there are tons of options, and that there's a solution for every problem."
bkadrich@hometownlife.com| (734) 459-2700
|
