Jessica Shoemaker, a naturopathic consultant and owner of Natural Paths to Wellness, in Camp Hill, is a veritable Sherlock Holmes of the naturopathic world. “I love digging in and figuring out health issues and getting the chance to offer my patients a new direction,” she says. “So many people come in with such varied diagnoses from neighbors, friends, other physicians and consultants. We see people who have been treated with less-effective modalities. Quite often, they’ve lost their hope and direction. We get a chance to refocus and chase what’s true about a patient’s health concern.”

Shoemaker and her team are able to do this by offering physician-grade testing. “We don’t just rely on symptoms,” she says. “We do extensive testing, followed by a specialized treatment protocol, and then we retest, just to ensure our patient is on the right track.”

Her bustling practice is one of the largest naturopathic centers in the state. “We are unique in that we have three naturopathic practitioners under one roof,” says Shoemaker, whose team includes Heather DeLuca, BS, ND, and Leia Anderson, BA, MS, ND. “We all work collaboratively to help our patients get well—including our child patients. We love children at Natural Paths, and Leia is especially fond of working with children,” points out Shoemaker. “They really adore her.”

From the beginning, the center’s mission has been to focus on the quality of time spent with each patient. “It’s so important that our patients feel heard,” says Shoemaker, who also notes that she and her colleagues take a lot of continuing education courses. “We’re always up for learning to grow and expand.”

The center’s emphasis on testing—including hormones, gastrointestinal, nutritional panels, adrenals and endocrine imbalance—helps the team get to the root of each patient’s health issues. “For instance, let’s say a patient walks into our door with anxiety. We want to know why the anxiety is there. Is it because they are low in magnesium? Toxic metal? Low progesterone? We go beyond theories and chase and treat was is true,” explains Shoemaker. “Once we figure that out, we can more quickly change the core imbalance and help our patients get back to leading healthier lives.”

Shoemaker admits she is especially enthusiastic about the advanced SpectraCell micronutrient testing that the center offers. The unique test, which measures a patient's intracellular nutrition, has offered her a wealth of information about the nutritional needs of her patients. “When it comes to nutritional assessments, why guess?” she asks. “With this test, we can get the right answers and create a definitive protocol of supplementation and nutrition. It’s really been a lot of fun for me to narrow down my patient’s true nutritional needs.”

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

Erin Lehn Floresca is a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings magazine.