The Wise Roots Approach
Connecting functional medicine with mental health
Dr. Anya de la Motte
Naturopathic doctor and functional medicine practitioner
I opened the doors to Wise Roots Medicine in Bend, Oregon, because I believe we need to take a different approach to mental health treatment. I created this approach based on my years of experience as a naturopathic doctor, functional medicine practitioner, mother, wife, friend and patient.
These beliefs are the foundation of the Wise Roots approach:
Mental and physical health are connected. To be wholly healthy, we must treat them in tandem – not separately. Everything is connected.
Mental health conditions may be invisible – but they are real. And healing is possible.
We need to search out and treat root causes – not just address symptoms.
The body has amazing self-healing wisdom. When we find and address dysfunction, the body can heal itself.
We are each made up of many different “parts” that influence us to think, feel and act the way we do. While we may not always like how they make us think, feel or act, there are no “bad” parts.
While I do not serve as a primary care doctor, my services can complement the care provided by your family doctor and I am happy to communicate with other members of your health care team. If you are interested in exploring a new approach to mental and physical health, I’d love to talk with you.
Everything is connected: Physical and mental health are one
Over my years in naturopathic and functional medicine, I began to realize that traditional healthcare approaches overlooked a very important part of what “healthy” should look like: mental health.
Consider this: How are you going to fix your depression if you’re not getting quality sleep and if you’re not eating healthy food that gives your body the fuel and tools it need to heal itself? And if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue or hormonal imbalances, will “talk therapy” be able to single-handedly fix the problem?
The answer I came to is that physical and mental health are intertwined and inseparable. And while many mental health conditions are invisible – unlike a physical symptom like a rash or a fever – they are still important to treat … and possible to heal.
By bridging physical and mental health, my patients are able to open up to me in a way that they would likely not do with a strictly physical medicine doctor. This provides much deeper insights into the things affecting both their physical and mental health, and allows me to help them achieve real healing in both areas.
Symptoms are your body’s smoke alarm
Imagine this: You’re sitting in your house and you smell smoke. Then you see smoke. And then you hear your smoke alarm start to blare. You call the fire department and they quickly arrive on the scene. They open the windows to air out the smoke, and remove the batteries from the smoke alarm. Then they leave.
Meanwhile, there is still a flaming pan on your stove. Yes, the firefighters addressed the smoke, but they didn’t take care of the problem – the fire on the stove. While this hypothetical situation sounds ridiculous, it is a very accurate description of how modern healthcare focuses on symptom management – not root causes.
Your symptoms – physical or mental – are smoke alarms letting you know that something is not right in your body. And it’s our job to find out where the fire is, what’s causing it and put it out.
Removing barriers to your body’s ability to heal
Using nature as medicine is one of the things I love most about naturopathic and functional medicine. But at Wise Roots, I not only use nature as medicine to treat symptoms; I also use a detective mindset to investigate – and then treat – the root cause of those symptoms. It is a very significant distinction.
The other thing I love about naturopathic medicine is how it works to harness the body’s amazing self-healing wisdom. The miraculous healing of a cut on your hand, without any medical intervention, is one example of the body’s incredible power to heal.
Chronic symptoms are the body’s way of letting you know that something is interfering with its inherent ability to heal. Once we identify the roadblocks to healing and address the root cause, the body is able to heal itself and the symptoms will disappear.
Bridging physical and mental health treatments
It takes a combination of both physical and mental health approaches to achieve true mental health healing. At Wise Roots Medicine, I implement many physical medicine tools for diagnosis and treatment with the goal of addressing the root cause of mental health concerns. This effective blending of tools means patients can see results and find lasting healing faster.
While each patient – and each treatment approach – is unique, some of the physical and mental health tools I utilize include:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy
Gut health testing and treatment
Hormone balancing
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)
Nutrition counseling
Lifestyle medicine
Guidance on living in harmony with nature and the body’s natural rhythms
Healthy weight management counseling
Food allergy/food intolerance testing
Natural supplements
Prescription medications, including controlled substances when appropriate
A deeper look at IFS
At Wise Roots Medicine, I use a therapeutic approach called Internal Family Systems, or IFS. IFS is a root-cause style of mental-emotional work that addresses both physical and mental health issues. I discovered IFS on my own personal journey to recover from depression, anxiety, childhood trauma and post-partum, and found real healing so much faster compared to the other styles of therapy I have tried over the years.
One of the beautiful things about IFS is that it is a “non-pathologizing approach to psychotherapy,” which means the goal isn’t to find out what’s “wrong” and then diagnose or label you with a condition. Instead, the goal is to get curious and understand why you are feeling and acting the way you do, then work from a place of compassion to heal.
While IFS isn’t as well-known as some other forms of therapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), it is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy shown to be effective for treating a variety of mental and physical conditions and symptoms. I have found success using IFS with patients to address issues such as:
Depression
Anxiety
Phobias
Panic
Insomnia
Weight management, body image and relationship with food
Self-destructive habits
Interpersonal relationships
Anger issues
PTSD
ADHD
Healing emotional wounds and trauma
Physical health conditions, such as various chronic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune conditions, as well as improving overall health and well-being
You are made up of many different parts
As the name suggests, IFS – or Internal Family Systems – proposes that you have an “internal family” of parts that all work together to create who you are as a person.
For example, a lot of people define themselves by the worst aspects of their mental health: “I’m an anxious person.” “I’m clinically depressed.” “I have ADHD.” But those mental health challenges are not the WHOLE you – they are just PART of you. And no matter how frustrated you are with that part, there are no bad parts.
The IFS process helps you identify and separate yourself from the parts you are struggling with, and encourages you to get curious about why your different parts think, feel and act the way they do. From this place of understanding, you can heal your parts – and yourself.
The Wise Roots patient experience
When you first come to see me at Wise Roots, we’ll start with a conversation about your whole health – physical and mental, past and present. From there, you can choose two different paths:
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Some patients are most comfortable focusing our work together on their mental health - and that is totally fine! If you choose this path, we will begin with counseling sessions focused on your mental health concerns and goals.
If and when you are ready, we can begin to explore how your mental and physical health are connected, and how we can utilize physical medicine tools to find and address any root causes that may be contributing to your mental health.
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If you’re ready to take a deep dive into your physical and mental health, we’ll start with appropriate lab work and testing to get a baseline picture of what’s going on in your body. Depending on your specific concerns, those might include bloodwork, hormones, gut health, and food intolerance testing. If you have recent test results on file with your primary care doctor, I am happy to utilize those.
I will review the test results with you to see what physical issues may be underlying your mental health concerns. We’ll then develop a personalized plan to address any physical root causes using a variety of naturopathic treatments, lifestyle changes, and even prescription medications, as appropriate. Throughout this process, I can communicate with your primary care doctor as needed.
Whichever path you choose, it’s important to be kind, compassionate and patient with yourself. In many cases, it has taken years or decades or even a lifetime to develop the physical and mental conditions you are experiencing. Healing is a journey – it takes time and effort, but it is worth making.
Investing in your health
Wise Roots Medicine offers a new approach to healing physical and mental health. Unfortunately, insurance companies are not known for being early adopters of new ways of doing things. For that reason, I am unable to bill insurance for my services.
I understand that your work with me is an investment in your physical and mental health. I want to be transparent about my fees and offer options that put seeking treatment within reach for you.
Please contact me with any questions or to schedule an appointment.