How We Help

Therapies at Mountain-River Naturopathic Clinic

There is no cookie cutter or one-size-fits-all solution in Naturopathic medicine. We recommend an individualized combination of the most effective, gentle, least invasive natural therapies. Our tool box is large, and we rarely run out of options. But in a perfect world no one is taking any medications or supplements. So, our first-line of treatment includes nutritional and life-style recommendations to help remove obstacles to cure, restore energetic imbalances, strengthen weakness and restore optimal health.

Food As Medicine

Hippocrates is quoted as having said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Naturopathic doctors are among the few health care providers who receive formal graduate-level training in clinical nutrition. We work closely with patients to create a realistic dietary plan. Our goal is to preserve as many of the foods that you love and bring comfort, while gently guiding you toward healthier alternatives to the foods or drinks that may be contributing to inflammation, illness or ongoing symptoms.

Lifestyle Counseling

Sometimes you simply need an outside perspective and a compassionate listener. Naturopathic doctors receive extensive training in counseling during medical school, including coursework and hands-on internships at counseling centers. We bring this experience into your visits, offering supportive listening and holistic guidance. We are not licensed counselors and do not replace professional mental health therapy, but rather we are skilled at treating the whole person, mind and body.

Botanical medicine

Herbs were humanity's first, most powerful source of healing for thousands of years, and many of today's pharmaceutical drugs are derived from plant compounds. As naturopathic doctors, we are extensively trained in the clinical use of botanical medicines and we bring that expertise into the heart of your care. As you exit through the herb shop, both doctors love creating personalized herbal formulas tailored to your unique needs when appropriate. Dr. Pollack also leads backyard medicinal plant walks every summer, giving you a hands-on way to discover the healing plants growing directly around us.

Supplements

At our clinic we believe that you are best served when your vibrant health is supported by the simplest means. We work together to optimize your wellness with as few supplements for the shortest time possible, supporting your body back to health. When appropriate, we only recommend the highest quality supplements from professional-line companies that we trust. You won't be spending thousands of dollars on pills. Instead, we will help you pare down the shopping bag you might have, or steer you away from tablets with binders that inhibit absorption, capsules with useless fillers or substances that may do more harm than good.

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Homeopathy

When appropriate, we incorporate homeopathic remedies into our treatment plans. Homeopathy is a therapy developed by a German physician in the late 1700’s based on "like cures like”: the observation that substances causing symptoms in healthy people can cure similar symptoms in the sick. Remedies are made from highly diluted, natural, generally safe substances which can trigger a self-healing, elimination and rebalancing process. Specific remedies are highly individualized, based on a person’s unique set of mental, emotional and physical symptoms.

Hormone counseling

Although naturopathic doctors have prescriptive authority in most licensed states, we cannot prescribe hormones in the State of Colorado*. However, pharmacology, and specifically thyroid and other hormone replacement therapies (HRT), are part of our medical training and we are skilled at assessing, advising and counseling patients on if, when and how HRT is appropriate. As with all therapies, there is no “one size fits all” with hormones. Although some people do benefit from HRT, when underlying imbalances are addressed, we find that many patients thrive without prescription hormones.

*Please note: if you would like your naturopathic doctor to be able to prescribe your hormones, including thyroid hormone, we encourage you to contact your local state senators and representatives to voice your request. For more information, visit the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors.

Hydrotherapy

For centuries, especially prior to the advent of antibiotics, both traditional physicians and naturopathic doctors utilized hydrotherapy to support and strengthen the body’s innate healing ability. Various applications of hot, cold and neutral water have been shown to improve immunity, digestion, vitality, mental emotional health and cardiovascular function, as well as decreasing pain, congestion and inflammation. In our clinic, we often include hydrotherapy techniques such as sitz baths, warming socks, cold plunging, nasal lavage and constitutional hydrotherapy in our treatment recommendations.

Detoxification

Unfortunately, we live on an increasingly toxic planet. Toxicity can have a tremendous impact on our health, negatively impacting metabolism, hormone function, immunity, cardiovascular health, digestion, sleep and emotions. We help patients minimize exposure, optimize pathways of elimination and detoxify a wide range of substances including heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, mycotoxins, bacteria, Candida, parasites and trauma with gentle, natural therapies.

Reiki

Every year the stressors, toxicity and technology of modern culture escalate and bombard us with overwhelming amounts of tragic, frightening and concerning information. The anxiety this creates for many people negatively impacts physical, mental-emotional and spiritual health. Research shows that stress and anxiety can exacerbate nearly every illness. Reiki is an energy healing practice that can bring on a state of calmness and relaxation. Traditional Japanese “Reiki” translates to universal life-force energy that surrounds all living things and matter. A session with Dr. Nearpass, a trained Reiki Master, allows patients a quiet, intentional time to rest, relax and absorb this loving, healing power of nature.