Why I chose to practice natural medicine
My goal as a health care practitioner is simply to help more people to have more fun by helping them feel well enough to have fun. I put a diverse background to use to make this happen. Before I decided to pursue a masters degree in Oriental Medicine, I stumbled across a few monumental ideas that would be like tractor beams drawing me into practicing medicine. I started out studying chemical and biological engineering, wanting to work on developing alternative energies. However, this was a time in my life where I was struggling through a profound fear of social situations. I instinctively knew that I could find many answers to my concerns in the remarkable wisdom of nature. I was able to resolve my anxiety through the power of whole food nutrition. I am still in awe at the ways we can leverage our innate physiological processes and the power of food as medicine.
The truly pivotal idea that led me to become interested in studying the body from the perspective of medicine was epigenetics. I like to call epigenetics the most empowering field of research in modern medicine. It can be tempting to feel trapped by our family history in a way that we may feel destined to fall into certain health problems. But epigenetics shows us that we actually have a surprising amount of control over our health potential through choice. Our job is to help you discover how to take back the power over your genetic expression.
As I was working through my undergraduate program, I came to discover the true power of food as medicine. When you break it down to the basics, our nutrition and digestive function is truly the foundation of our health. If we are consuming and absorbing the nutrients we need, we unlock the incredible healing potential of our bodies. One of the best examples of this is often referred to as the gut-brain. The connection between digestive and mental health often surprises people, but the research on this connection is growing every day. It has been found that about 90 percent of the body’s serotonin (a neurotransmitter known for promoting a sense of well-being and being involved in many other bodily functions) is actually produced in your gastrointestinal tract. If you have digestive problems, do you think you will be producing enough serotonin and thus have optimal mental health? It seems unlikely. The more I learn, the more it becomes clear that we are still discovering the seemingly limitless interactions between our bodily systems.
These are some of my favorite discoveries in modern medicine that demonstrate the immense resilience and healing capacity of the human system. They are things that we work directly with every day through acupuncture, nutrition and general lifestyle optimization. At our clinic, we invest more time up front with you, getting to know exactly what is going on and why, so that we can create the most laser-focused treatment plan possible. We are there with you every step of the way.
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Jonathan M. Sasser holds a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine, is a Licensed Acupuncturist, and is board certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM.
He has more than 3,000 hours of training in acupuncture, classical Oriental Medicine, herbal medicine and nutrition. Additionally, Jon also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport’s Medicine. Jon is a “Health Detective,” he looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place.
Jonathan is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Visit our website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Jonathan, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Jonathan can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.