About Dr. Casey
I became a naturopathic physician through a mix of curiosity, observation, and a lifelong interest in how food, lifestyle, and the natural world shape human health.
Every patient has a story, and so does every naturopathic doctor. My interest in natural and traditional medicine began early, shaped by watching the health journeys of family members during my childhood. When I was sixteen, my Aunt Jan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Alongside her conventional treatment, she began working with an integrative physician and made significant changes to her diet and lifestyle. Watching both her health her husband’s shift with changes in nutrition made a deep impression on me. I began to wonder why the powerful relationship between food and health wasn’t discussed more often in mainstream medicine. That curiosity ultimately set me on the path toward studying nutrition and becoming a physician.
My Why
Inspired by those early observations, I pursued a degree in Nutritional Sciences with a pre-medical course load at Cornell University. During that time, I also studied public health for a semester in Geneva, Switzerland, where I developed a broader perspective on how culture, environment, and policy shape health outcomes. After extensive shadowing in both conventional and integrative medical settings, I chose to pursue a doctorate in naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle. I was drawn to a model of medical training that combined rigorous biomedical education with therapeutic approaches designed to address the whole person. Following graduation, I spent several years working in a high-volume holistic clinic, serving as a primary care physician for hundreds of patients with a wide range of health concerns.
My Training
Between undergraduate and medical school, I worked as an active travel guide for Backroads, leading outdoor trips throughout the United States. Europe and SE Asia. Living an active, engaged lifestyle continues to be an important part of my own health and informs how I think about medicine. I have also spent extensive time working and volunteering on farms, driven by a desire to better understand human health from the ground up. These experiences continue to reinforce my belief that our relationship with food and the soil it comes from is fundamental to long-term health. That connection to the natural world remains central to both my life and my approach to patient care.
My Experience
Modern healthcare often focuses on managing symptoms. Naturopathic medicine asks a deeper question:
Philosophy of care
My approach looks beyond isolated symptoms to understand how different systems of the body interact. This includes examining nutrition and metabolic health, nervous system regulation, environmental exposures, lifestyle patterns, and the psychological dimensions of health.
This investigative model allows treatment to focus not just on symptom relief, but on restoring long-term resilience.
Why did this illness develop in the first place?
Over the years, I have often been asked what my “specialty” is. While many physicians narrow their focus to a specific disease or organ system, my work has led me in a different direction.
The human body is a remarkably interconnected system, and meaningful healing often requires understanding how many systems interact—metabolism, digestion, nervous system function, environment, and lifestyle. For that reason, I have maintained a broad foundation in medicine while continuing to study both emerging research and long-standing healing traditions.
While I have worked with patients experiencing a wide range of conditions, much of my clinical focus centers on the foundational systems that influence overall health and resilience. Because health is shaped by many interconnected systems, my work is not limited to a single diagnosis or specialty. Instead, I tend to work most often with the foundational areas of physiology that influence overall health and resilience.
I work best with patients who are curious about their health, willing to make meaningful lifestyle changes, and interested in addressing underlying causes rather than seeking quick fixes.
What I Help Patients With
Metabolic Health
Blood sugar regulation, energy metabolism, and the role of nutrition in preventing and reversing chronic disease.
Digestive Health
Gut function, microbiome balance, and the relationship between digestion and systemic health.
Nervous System
Stress physiology, sleep, and the interaction between mental and physical well-being.
Hormonal Health
Supporting healthy hormonal rhythms and addressing imbalances that affect energy, mood, sleep, and reproductive health.
Root Cause Investigation
Thoughtful use of laboratory testing and clinical evaluation to better understand persistent or unexplained symptoms.
While these are common themes in my practice, my work is ultimately centered on understanding the whole person rather than treating isolated diagnoses.
You will be hard-pressed to find two naturopathic doctors who practice identically. The profession includes a wide range of therapeutic tools and philosophies, and most physicians develop their own style, preferred modalities, and areas of focus. While naturopathic doctors are trained in conventional standards of diagnosis and care, the flexibility of the profession allows treatment to be highly individualized.
Part of what originally drew me to naturopathic medicine was this breadth of training. In addition to pharmacology and pathology, we study botanical medicine, nutrition, counseling, physical medicine, and other therapeutic approaches that support the body’s ability to heal.
What I did not fully appreciate before entering the field was the philosophy underlying these tools: the belief that the body has a remarkable capacity for self-repair. The central question in naturopathic medicine is often why illness developed in the first place. By looking at the whole picture - nutrition, lifestyle, environment, and physiology - the goal is not only to relieve symptoms, but to restore balance and long-term health.
