About

About Riza Medicine

(ree · zah)

Riza is Greek for “root”.

We chose this name to represent our practice because it perfectly exemplifies our goal. To get to the root cause and to use traditional modalities to improve your health.

Riza Philosophy 

We understand how frustrating it can be to not know what’s going on with your own body. Our mission is to educate our patients on how to take control of their own health and feel empowered to make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

We are committed to getting to the root of what is going on using Naturopathic Medicine. Naturopathic Medicine is a holistic approach to healthcare. It is an integration of traditional healing modalities combined with modern medical science.

About Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a holistic approach to health care. The focus of our appointments is getting to the root cause and taking into account the totality of the person and the symptoms they experience. Naturopathic medicine shines when it is used as preventative care and for wellness optimization but is capable of aiding with everything in between as well. 

Licensed naturopathic physicians attend a 4 year graduate-level naturopathic medical program at accredit universities and are required sit for two sets of board examinations before they are able to see patients. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are educated in all of the basic sciences and they also study conventional and alternative approaches to treatment such as: pharmacology, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, and nutraceutical supplementation. NDs are also capable of prescribing pharmaceuticals (depending on the state’s scope of practice). 

7 Naturopathic Principles

Naturopathic doctors follow these 7 principles when practicing medicine:

1. The healing power of nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae)

This refers to the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.  Naturopathic doctors believe in supporting the body through the use of various modalities in order to encourage the body to restore itself.

2. Identify and treat the cause (Tolle Causam)

This is something Naturopathic doctors really focus on with their patients. We are trained to look beyond the symptoms in order to identify and treat the underlying cause rather than just eliminate or suppress symptoms.

3. First do no harm (Primum Non Nocere)

Naturopathic doctors follow three key guidelines under this principle in order to avoid harming the patient.

1. We use medicinal substances and methods that minimize the risk of harmful side effects.
2. When possible, we avoid the suppression of symptoms, as this can be harmful.
3. We acknowledge and respect the patient’s individual healing process by using the least amount of force necessary for diagnosing and treating illnesses.

Personally, I take a lot of pride in upholding this principle. I feel that it shows patients we respect them and are looking out for their best interests on their path to wellness. 

4. Doctor as teacher (Docere)

As Naturopathic doctors, we strongly enforce this principle. We believe people should feel empowered about their health.  Empowerment through education leads to better health outcomes and lower costs for our patients in the long run. 

5. Teat the whole person (Tolle Totum)

As Naturopathic doctors, we treat each patient by taking into account the totality of their symptoms.  This includes taking mental, emotional, physical, environmental, genetic, and even social factors into account. 

6. Prevention (Praevenic )

Naturopathic doctors really emphasize disease prevention. We assess risk factors such as genetic predisposition as well as a person’s susceptibility to disease based on their health habits. Through healthy eating and good lifestyle habits, chronic illnesses have a stronger chance of being avoided.

7. Wellness

This principle is a bit special because it was adopted by Dr. Nikki’s alma mater, Bastyr University and added to the original 6 Principles of Naturopathic Medicine. Wellness is a state of health characterized by positive mindset, actions, and habits. This is something that everyone can achieve, regardless of diagnosis.