Natural medicine provides health options

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - For Dr. Kimberly Landino, a naturopath who works out of Dahls Chiropractic Clinic in Flagstaff and Tuba City, healing people in ways outside of mainstream medicine stems from her own experience.

When she was a child, she was constantly sick with high fevers and underwent a bone marrow biopsy because doctors thought she had leukemia. She didn't. But she was still sick. It was home visits from a naturopath who instructed her mom to change her diet and put her on herbs and a homeopathic remedy that finally changed her health for the better.

"I really remember how I felt when he came to the house, his presence, I felt that relaxation," Landino said. "He was such a strong influence in my life... I knew I wanted to be a doctor but I didn't want to prescribe medicine. I knew that there was a different way."

Landino majored in biology with a minor in chemistry and earned a master's degree in biology. While she first thought she might become a cell biologist she learned about naturopathic medicine. Landino studied naturopathic medicine in Tempe.

What her childhood experience and education taught her is that she wanted to heal people in a holistic way.

Landino's philosophy of health encompasses the word HEAL. As she describes it, people need to know their Health choices, have an Earth connection, know that the mind and emotions Affect the body and have a zest, a Love and passion and purpose in life.

While most people experience medicine as a result of a symptom, Landino looks at things more holistically. She said people are sometimes looking for something more than an over the counter prescription.

"I think intuitively they know there's something else out there but they don't know what to use," Landino said.

That's what she offers - another option. She said she uses organic herbs grown both in and out of the country. For those who question the validity of using herbs to heal, Landino points out that these same herbs have been used for thousands of years by Native people among others.

Landino's sees her role as a doctor as someone who teaches people how the body works and how best to support it naturally.

"There are natural ways of treating allergies instead of using prescription or over the counter medication," Landino said, adding that those medications come with side effects like cough, dry skin or headaches.

"A combination of vitamins, minerals, herbs and avoiding certain foods while making sure that others foods are eaten to treat and prevent allergies is the holistic approach," Landino said. "They're going to support the natural healing of the body, in a better way."

Landino teaches people about the healing properties of food. Picking the right food is crucial as well.

"I have the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen on the back of my cards," Landino said. "Celery can have over 30 chemicals on it, the same with strawberries. The clean foods are ones with thicker skins that don't have to be organic, though organic is best."

When helping to heal people, Landino sees her role as more than a reactive one.

"We need to start changing how we think about healthcare and do things preventatively," Landino said. "Someone can be in a toxic relationship, eating organic food and exercising and having a connection to the earth but they are not going to get well. It is about getting to the cause, the obstacle to the cure."

She offers a 15 minute complimentary consultation to help people see how she can help them reach their health goals.

"Everyone is on a road to health and the body is always striving to find its own balance," Landino said. "There are things that can support the body on its road, and there are things that won't support it - that actually suppress healing. As a naturopath, I can see those blocks, help to remove them, and create the space for healing."

Dahls Chiropratic Clinic in Flagstaff is located at 2717 N. 4th Street, Suite 100 and at the Navajo Nation Shopping Center in Tuba City.