We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Ginger Sweetan, ND and Dr. Tara Steink, ND and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Sweetan, Dr. Steinke, what are you inspired by?
INSPIRATION can be found in so many areas of everyday life. Personally, we are inspired by bold leadership, compassionate friends and family, and the beauty and wonder of nature. Professionally, we derive inspiration from the balance of the simplicity of natural medicine coupled with the innovation of cutting edge research and treatment options.

Our inspiration is the abundance that nature affords: food, herbs, plants, water. It’s the air we breathe, the sand under our toes, the sound of the ocean’s waves, the gentle breeze felt on our faces. It’s the food we eat, the people we meet and the relationships that we foster from those meetings that create healthy human interactions resulting in mental and emotional satisfaction. It’s the healing that occurs from low force interventions. It’s the magnificence of getting to take part in watching health and healing unfold. It’s the humbleness that comes from acknowledging the immense responsibility of being someone’s doctor. For us, as Naturopathic Doctors, the simplicity of natural medicine is rooted in the fact that while the human body is brilliantly complex, the ease with which most of us are able to function and heal is profound. Given the proper terrain, our body’s inner-workings simply know what to do.

Our inspirations are also the scientific geniuses who have the insight and ability to craft novel research and develop ground breaking, life altering therapies that improve the quality and duration of human life. It’s their wisdom and dedication. It’s cancer treatment, gene therapy, biomedical advancements, regenerative medicine, epigenetics, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals. It’s the idea that as long as we have hungry minds who yearn to help humanity, we have hope!

Our inspirations are many but they all culminate in getting the honor to be a conduit of wellbeing as Naturopathic Doctors.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are NaturopathicRx San Diego; a veteran and women-owned concierge naturopathic medical practice located in Rancho Santa Fe. We believe what sets us apart from others is our unique model for care which focuses on the root cause. We think we are the perfect marriage of all things integrative and holistic. We acknowledge that our patients know their bodies well and a partnership approach to creating and maintaining health is at the forefront of our philosophy.

Because we are not part of the insurance system, we are not bound by time and treatment restrictions. We take great pride in attending to our patients’ individual needs which means taking the time to get to truly know them. Our integrative approach allows for a comprehensive evaluation and treatment plan utilizing a multitude of modalities to include nutrition, lifestyle changes, botanicals, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals (as needed), physical medicine, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, biofeedback, nutrient IV therapy, natural aesthetics, and regenerative medicine.

As lifetime students of learning, we are humble in the vastness of science and dedicate ourselves to staying abreast of new discoveries. We check our egos at the door and pledge to be our patient’s old fashion, modern day doctors. Yes, we still make house calls in addition to in office visits as well as video and telehealth appointments.

We are fortunate that we have found a way to structure our care that allows us the ability to be a conduit for wellbeing = happy, healthy patients!

Challenges: Opening during the pandemic.

Most Proud: Having opened during the pandemic and thriving as a start up.
Future Plans: Expand. We love the idea of creating healing spaces and seeking solutions to patient challenges.

What We Want the World to Know: There are no limitations to achieving your goals when you are filled with passion, purpose, drive, conviction, and action. If 2 mid-aged women with a later start as doctors can do it, you can too!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hmmm, how does one even answer this question when there are so many magnificent places to choose from. Of course, we’d visit all the “touristy” places: One of our many beautiful beaches, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, the Hotel Del Coronado, La Jolla Cove, and Petco Park (if it’s baseball season…who doesn’t like America’s favorite pastime?).

Once those are checked off the list, we’d venture out, loving the local scene. On the definite to do list:

Food: Cafe Gratitude in Little Italy, Trilogy Sanctuary in La Jolla, Goodonya in Encinitas, Fig Tree Cafe in Pacific Beach, Yellow Deli in Vista

Nature: Torrey Pines State Reserve, Potato Chip Rock, Sunset Cliffs, Cowles Mountain, Three Sisters Falls, Annie’s Canyon Trail

Entertainment: Broadway San Diego, The Old Giobe Theatre, Humphrey’s by the Bay, Belly Up Tavern, The Casbah, Lips

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When reflecting on who our shoutout should be dedicated to, we felt like we were at the Academy Awards when there doesn’t seem like there is enough time to thank everyone who plays such a critical role in your success, So, in the spirit of those thoughts, we’d like to dedicate this Shoutout to:

Our family and friends for supporting & believing in us.

Each other because without teamwork our success would not have be attainable.

Bastyr, our alma mater, for the stalwart education, creating brilliant minds who are the future of medicine.

Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) for making residencies possible.

Institute for Naturopathic Medicine (INM) for residency funding.

American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) for being our steadfast national leadership.

California Naturopathic Doctors Association for representing our doctor’s best interests in the state.

Dr. Paul Anderson, NMD for mentoring thousands of Naturopathic Doctors around the world.

Our fellow Naturopathic Doctors for making a profound difference in their patient’s lives everyday.

Our local, state and federal elective officials who continue to champion patient access to Naturopathic Medicine locally and nationally as they understand that Naturopathic Doctors serve to promote disease prevention and foster lifelong healthy habits as well as being able to fill the tremendous void of primary care physicians that exists as a results of health care professional shortages in the private and public sectors; Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the Department of Defense TRICARE and TRICARE for Life programs (DOD TRICARE), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program, and the Indian Health Service (IHS) program. We look forward to ubiquitous, full scope licensure in all 50 states and federal recognition!

Website: www.naturopathicrxsd.com

Image Credits
Angel Barrientos Lauren Peters

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