With a mission to restore health naturally, Dr. Jessica Shoemaker, Dr. Leia Anderson and Dr. Heather DeLuca, the naturopathic physicians at Natural Paths to Wellness, help clients achieve optimal wellness through individualized treatment plans that address the cause of illness. Their mission is to commit the time and collaboration necessary to educate each individual about comprehensive, evidence-based natural healthcare solutions that go far beyond symptom management.

Their extensive training in nutritional medicine, botanical medicine, pharmacology, homeopathy and lifestyle guidance is unparalleled by any other medical curriculum, and positions them to be a leading member in collaboration toward a patient’s optimal health. In addition, they have advanced training in the interactions and contraindications of blending multiple disciplines and treatments to further enhance the safety of their treatment strategies.

The use of functional medicine testing also sets naturopathic medicine apart from conventional medicine. Naturopathic doctors are uniquely trained to weigh, balance and decipher the complexities of functional medicine testing results and work studiously to gently unwind the development of the disease process.

As of January 1, Pennsylvania State Bill 834 was passed to regulate naturopathic doctors under the State Board of Medicine and expand their scope of practice. Shoemaker, Anderson and DeLuca each hold a four-year accredited doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine and are three of approximately 50 license-eligible naturopathic doctors in Pennsylvania. “It is a very exciting time for residents of Pennsylvania to be able to access the comprehensive care naturopathic doctors provide,” enthuses Shoemaker.

According to Shoemaker, who graduated from the National College of Natural Medicine, in Portland, Oregon, their goal is to restore and rewind a patient’s physiology back to health, not just to use “natural Band-Aids” in place of conventional drug treatments. “We see the body as a whole, and treat the core imbalance, viewing symptoms as messengers. Once the root cause is addressed, physiology can take over at the core level and work toward healing,” she explains.

Shoemaker considers not only the physical body, but also the mental, emotional, environmental and spiritual aspects of an individual. “For example, fatigue, insomnia, inflammation, malaise and weight issues are quality-of-life hurdles clients are frequently looking to overcome,” she notes. “I strive, along with each patient, to find their underlying causes of imbalance and to remove their obstacles, thereby allowing their body to resume its dynamic ability to find homeostasis and optimal health.”

A graduate of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, in Tempe, Arizona, Anderson has also done research to achieve a master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Pittsburgh. She is pleased with the amount of research being done that supports alternative medicine. “This makes me feel optimistic, because I believe that the best option for health care consumers is patient-centered care with true collaboration between physicians of all backgrounds and specialties,” she relates.

Anderson strongly believes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to health. “Because this especially holds true earlier in life, I see great potential in providing holistic healthcare options to children, expectant mothers and couples planning to conceive,” she explains that treating the cause, as opposed to the symptoms, allows for a deeper level of wellness with fewer side effects.

DeLuca is a graduate of Bastyr University, in Seattle, Washington. In order to support health and reduce risks of disease, she utilizes clinical nutrition, therapeutic diets, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, stress management, CranioSacral Therapy and more.

“Prevention and health optimization are the hallmarks of naturopathic medicine,” states DeLuca. “It is my passion to work with each person to design individual wellness programs and to work with conventional healthcare practitioners providing co-treatment to patients who are already under care.”

“Patients often walk in at the end of their rope with no direction in sight to resolve life’s toughest health challenges and leave with holistic alternatives that restore their spirit and the hope that vitality can be achieved naturally,” shares Shoemaker. 

.Natural Paths to Wellness is located at 3601 Gettysburg Rd., in Camp Hill. For more information, call 717-494-4500 or visit NaturalPathsToWellness.com.