We recently connected with Laurence Freitas and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Laurence, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding my purpose took years to refine. At a young age, I was very interested in the natural world. I found it interesting how plants, animals, and our fellow humans could have so much resilience despite, at times, a harsh world. At the same time, there was a world around us that was nutritive, supportive, and awe-inspiring. When I was five years old, my parents quit their jobs, sold their small small-town home, and used the money to buy a few dairy cows. This was no small feat. Both of my parents were immigrants from two different cultures; I was still young, my sister was just an infant and nearly overnight they were starting a dairy business. It was difficult work. Dairy cows needed to be milked twice a day and fed twice a day, their calves needed to be fed too, there were strict sanitation rules, tracking fertility and health issues of the cows, and repairs needed to be done– you get the idea. At that young age, I was brought into the fold and worked on the farm. At that young age, I developed severe asthma, and gastrointestinal problems adding to the challenges of helping my parents. In hindsight, my parents’ wellness struggled too. Despite the physical, emotional, and financial hardships we all persevered.
As I grew older, I found my parents’ origin stories and other people’s stories; with themes of resilience, perseverance, and suffering; captivating and inspiring. Reflecting on these themes, my family’s story, and my struggles with health, three questions emerged that helped me in my path. What do I value? How could I be someone who could support others’ path in resiliency and perseverance? How could I contribute to society that would help my resiliency too? This led me to the world of public health and natural medicine.
I valued feeling well and being healthy. I saw it in myself and others that it was difficult to contribute and have a purpose if your well-being was compromised. I wanted to be in a field that promoted wellness, used evidence to guide it, and helped others implement it. At first, I thought I thought it was to be a traditional doctor; but as I learned more about what research shows to be healthy, it pointed to lifestyle like getting more movement in, diet & what we consume, and addressing social equity issues. Despite what we know, it can be difficult to implement at the individual level. I wanted to understand this more. This inspired me to go into public health work. Specifically, healthcare management and health policies are what I focused on. After a decade of work in this, I still wanted to help individuals with their health and wellness but I knew if became a traditional doctor I wouldn’t have much opportunity to address this with patients. After a severe skin infection that landed me in the hospital for four days and numerous rounds of antibiotics that resulted in a relapse of gastrointestinal issues, lots of weight loss, and my mental health deteriorating; I decided to return to my acupuncturist who had been a great help. I decided to see a naturopathic doctor for the first time. The doctor spent 90 minutes with me, to get a full history and came up with a plan that tried to address the root problem of the infection. She looked at all the aspects of my life that may be contributing to my problems After 6 months of treatment with changes to my diet, some antimicrobial and stress herbal interventions, and focusing on getting better, things started to turn around. After that first appointment, I knew this was the kind of doctor I wanted to be– a naturopathic doctor who also wanted to practice acupuncture.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Many people do not know about the medical practice of naturopathic medicine and how it is similar to and differs from traditional medical providers. First of all, we take time to get to know each patient, and their symptoms, while exploring lifestyle issues that may be contributing to their situation. Initial appointments are usually 60 to 90 minutes because we are thinking about how each system in a person’s body may be contributing to their problems. We do more extensive lab testing to explore which systems are not working optimally.
Naturopathic doctors not only try to figure out what is wrong but also how can we help the body work more optimally. I often work to improve patients’ energy, sleep, and diet but also address hormone imbalances (like thyroid, and s*x hormones) in men and women. Another area is improving people’s digestion whether it be irritable bowel syndrome (diarrhea, constipation, or mixed types), heartburn, or inflammatory bowel diseases. I will often try to help patients use natural approaches to improve metabolism by lowering their risk for heart disease, diabetes, and elevated blood pressure, and helping people lose weight. Naturopathic doctors also often help people with excess/deficiency of cortisol, lower stress, and improve anxiety and depression symptoms; which are other areas I have experience and love treating.
Commonly, I help people with their pain whether it be chronic, or a recent injury; often I use acupuncture therapies to get immediate relief. Acupuncture therapies are also helpful for a variety of conditions: stress, menopause, gastrointestinal symptoms, insomnia, and stress management. It’s rare to have a doctor, like myself, who can navigate the use of pharmaceuticals, natural remedies, and Eastern approaches – this sets me apart from many types of practitioners.
I recently changed my clinic name to Realm Naturopathic & Integrative Medicine, because the when you enter the clinic space you enter the realm of healing and wellness. I hope to have a patient & community appreciation open house showing the clinic space, and reveal upcoming treatments and events in 2024.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Never be afraid to ask for help, and to receive it. Most people are not sucessful in a vacuum, we all need help along the way whether it be professional coaching, family and friends, or financial support. I think their is myth in our culture that if you just work harder you will get rewarded somehow, but most enterpuernals will tell you they have people in their life that helped them along the way. So do not be afraid to ask a mentor, professional, friend, or even your clients/customers for help or insight if you are unsure what to do. I call my colleagues for medical assistance if someone is not progressing the way I’d expect.
Invest in your own growth personally and professionally. We rarely have all the skills to navigate set backs in our personal lives or in our work. Know yourself well enough to know your strengths, your short comings, things that you don’t like to do, things that bring you joy, what are your self-care strategies, and who you can count on to be there for you to talk it out. Whenever you invest and challenge yourself your business will florish. I love to hike and getting out into nature, but I also know that I need lots of rest to operate well. And if you can afford it, get a professional coach to help you stay on task, and help you live out your purpose and passions – it’s a tremendous help.
Failure is not failure if you allow it to teach you. Another myth in our culture is that failure is bad thing. This is not true, failure teaches you what you can do better, what you can and cannot control, and how you can handle a situation differently. We are all human and make mistakes; it is what you do with that that will propell you or set you back. When you start to see failure in this way, you welcome its lessons.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love collaboration, especially in healthcare. It is vital as a naturopathic doctor and acupuncture therapist to know my limitations and who in the community I can send my patients to get more assistance. I currently collaborate with chiropractors, other acupuncturists and naturopathic doctors, optometrists, massage therapists, traditional doctors, counselors, nutritionists, coaches, psychics, pharmacists, and herbalists; and I am part of a group of professionals who are working on expanding our consciousness and promote compassion. I would love to have more collaborations with doctors (all kinds) who are specialists in their field and who think integratively about their practice and the people they help – sometimes I need to refer people to other professionals. I want to do more on social media and in-person teaching people about integrative medicine, how people can live more healthily, and educating the public about what I do to help people with their health. I do love to teach, and I love coming to groups of people and talking about health and wellness, so opportunities to do that would be exciting. I am pretty extroverted so I enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.realmnd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlaurencef/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrLaurenceF
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-laurence-freitas-nd-lac-mph-mpp-65084a3/
- Other: Google Profile: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qDjXz8uDTjztgfje6
