FAST FIVE Dr. Mia Grothman: The art of natural healing
Meet Dr. Mia Grothman, local naturopathic medical doctor and Coeur d’Alene native. Dr. Mia practices at Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts, founded in 1986, working alongside Dr. Hunter Peterson and Dr. Karin Duncan providing individualized person-centered medicine. Dr. Mia graduated from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore. and holds a bachelor’s degree from Whitworth University. After rigorous education in the medical sciences, Dr. Mia is skilled in holistic primary care practicing general family medicine, with special interests in women’s health, pediatrics and oncology.
Generation:
It looks like I fall in the millennial category.
Career and community involvement:
I feel very honored to serve my patients at Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts from the greater Coeur d’Alene/Spokane area and beyond. I could never claim boredom in my profession; I get the privilege of meeting patients who are just days old to our seasoned and venerable elders. And perhaps you have seen myself and our clinic’s team holding “Open Forum” health lectures at Pilgrim’s market, tackling various health questions with the community in our pursuit of wellness! Visit www.cdahealingarts.com for more about Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts.
1.What is a naturopathic physician, and what do you do at Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts?
A licensed naturopathic physician completes a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical program, studying the same basic sciences as a conventional M.D., utilizing standard lab assessment for diagnosis. However, we also are adept at scientific natural approaches that include clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy and counseling. In practice, we have the benefit of spending 90 minutes with new patients to truly appreciate all facets of an individual’s life that impact their physical and mental/emotional well-being. Rather than treating a symptom, we endeavor to discover and treat the cause of dysfunction.
2. How did you get involved in this field?
I was raised utilizing holistic medicine from the day I was born and have always appreciated the gentle effectiveness of the medicine and emphasis on preventative wellness. In earlier years when still uncertain of my career path, I was working in France as an au pair and confronted health concerns of my own as well as of the children I was caring for. Seeing “alternative” medicine embraced simultaneously with conventional standards of care in a foreign health care system inspired me to seek out naturopathic education as it offers the benefit of that combination.
3. In what ways can Americans use naturopathy to help them through mental and physical ailments brought on during this pandemic crisis?
While taking mindful precautions, Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts has stayed open to provide clinical care, and COVID-19 testing is available by one of our physicians’ referral to Kootenai Health if deemed appropriate. As with any infectious pathogen, a percentage of those exposed to a virus will be vulnerable to hosting an infection. As naturopathic physicians, we aim to address the individual susceptibility of a patient’s immune system in attempt to prevent infectious disease and optimize our immune response for recovery should an infection occur. Stress and anxiety can suppress our immune response, so engaging with how patients are coping with the pandemic in all the various ways it has impacted our lives is so valuable.
4. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in French with a minor in English literature. Arts and languages remain one of my passions! I think as a physician, my background in humanities helps me bring creativity and broad-mindedness to patient care.
5. What misconceptions about naturopathic medicine can you dispel for us right now?
I’ve heard the assumption that to engage with naturopathic medicine, you have to decidedly choose then and there between holistic or conventional Western care, but this is definitely untrue. While some of my patients prefer exclusively using holistic medicine, I would say for the majority of my patients, I work collaboratively with their conventional primary care provider, with their oncology team or whichever specialists are a part of their care.
