Dr. Austin is the clinic director and resident doctor on-site. As a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Austin treats patients with any ailments (acute or chronic conditions), all ages and both men and women. We believe in doing the most natural route of treatment consisting of nutrition, exercise and lifestyle adjustments, herbs and supplement help, before relying on medication. We see many patients in our office that have weight concerns, or who have diabetes or high cholesterol. These patients just need guidance on what they could do to change their lifestyle. Once they make the necessary adjustments and are followed up with regularly to ensure they are doing well, we could avoid medication. We spent 30 – 60 minutes with each patient.
We help wean patients off their medications when we can, and work with them to ensure their bodies are functioning at optimal health. We are always looking to treat the cause, rather than symptoms. Dr. Austin will prescribe medication when deemed necessary, and has a great deal of experience with thyroid conditions and with natural hormone replacement therapy.
THE CALIFORNIA NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC TEAM:
Dr. Kelly Austin, ND (Clinic Director). Dr. Austin received her degree in naturopathic medicine from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2004. She practiced in Canada for several years before relocating to San Diego. She has spent the majority of her career working in corporate settings helping the employees establish a healthy lifestyle, and lecturing for many international organizations. Dr. Austin has a special focus on hormone (endocrine) metabolism and lifestyle medicine. She has a passion for teaching patients how all the hormones work together to ensure optimal health. The hormones effect mood, digestion, sleep, libido, appetite, body composition, energy, and heart health. Every hormone is connected to each other and must be treated as a whole. Looking at just estrogen, thryoid hormone, cortisol or insulin by themselves is in error. Dr. Austin teaches her patients lifestyle changes that will stick for life and reverse and prevent chronic illness. Through addressing the underlying causes, she works with her patients to provide them with the most up to date research. Dr. Austin’s special interests also include clinical nutrition, eating disorders, weight management, and mental health. She is a DAN! Doctor and sees many patients with Autism and Down Syndrome. She is also a certified fitness instructor. You can find her in several local fitness facilities helping many achieve their health & fitness goals.
Dr. Jon Kalman, ND has a special interest in restorative Medicine. His focus is on pain relief to provide his patients a better quality of life. His treatments consist of prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma therapy, nutritional and supplement support for pain relief and IV pain relief therapy. Areas of focus include arthritis, degenerative illnesses, athletic injuries and chronic pain. Dr. Kalman joins the California Natural Health Team from Colorado! We are happy to have him as part of our clinic.
Jennifer Strouse is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Massage Therapist.
She received a Bachelor of Science in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University in 2006 where she studied the phytochemistry of plants and their influence upon human biochemistry. She also obtained a Masters of Science in Regenerative Studies from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and completed a thesis project on medicinal plant landscape design.
She is passionate about educating patients on how plants and nutrition beneficially impact biochemical pathways in the body. She is also a Metagenics Lifestyle Educator in First Line Therapy in which she designs diet plans that promote beneficial health outcomes including weight loss, reduced inflammation, and increased energy.
Sandra Dougherty became interested in Oriental Medicine in 1995 after being a patient of acupuncture for chronic asthma and severe allergies, which had plagued her for most of her young life. She started using acupuncture regularly. Within a few short months her health completely turned around and she was able to stop taking all the medications that were once a part of her daily healthcare regime.
After experiencing such drastic and life-changing results, and not long after graduating with her BA from San Diego State University, she decided to pursue an education at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and graduated in 2002 with a Master of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. While earning her degree, she interned at two different health clinics; the UCSD Free Clinic, San Diego Hospice and Institute for Palliative Medicine, and received her certification of Holistic Health Practitioner in massage. After graduating, she also trained in an additional 2 years in a busy acupuncture clinic to become a specialist in pain management and allergy and asthma disorders. Sandra’s passion is to empower her patients to take control of their health naturally through dietary, lifestyle, and postural changes.
THERMOGRAPHY CLINICIAN: C.C.T (Certified Clinical Thermographer): As a certified thermographer, we work directly with patients to provide the highest quality in thermal imaging. We use “state of the art” equipment so that we have crystal clear images, and a very detailed report on our findings. We use actual temperature readings.
Common Questions
What is A Naturopathic Doctor?
Naturopathic Doctors are primary care doctors that have a minimum total of seven to eight years of schooling. Very similar to a medical school curriculum, naturopathic medical school also has an additional four years of training in nutrition, supplements, herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture and massage therapy. There are only six accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America. Dr. Austin went to CCNM located in Toronto, Canada.
Naturopathic Doctors practice preventative medicine and will try natural means before prescribing drugs as needed. We treat the cause and focus on the patient’s lifestyle.
Are Naturopathic Doctors opposed to drugs or major surgery?
No. Naturopathic Doctors are licensed to prescribe medications in the state of California. They are not opposed to invasive or suppressive measures when these methods are necessary. Lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment in in most cases.
How does a Naturopathic Doctor work with my MD?
While Naturoapthic Doctors are primary care givers, many patients with insurance have a MD that they are seeing in coordination with a Naturoapathic Doctor. We work very well together to encourage the wellness of the patient. If there are medications used by the patient that we will be working together to wean off, the MD of the patient can choose to take an active role in this process. Updates of the patient progress to their MD will be made with the patient’s request.
Does Health Insurance Cover Naturopathic Medicine?
Health savings accounts (HSA) and flex dollars can be used for coverage of our services. We provide the patient with a super bill and receipt to submit into their HSA and flex spending accounts. Some health care plans may provide coverage for naturopathic visits such as PPO’s. Please check with your provider.
Most blood work is covered under a PPO plan as well. We try to do be very conscience with expenses and do what we can in order to keep the costs low for the patient. For patients with HMO’s, we can provide a list of tests needed for your MD to run. This will enable the cost of the tests to be covered under your insurance . For those patients without insurance coverage, we are contracted with a local lab in order to get the lowest price for each test.
What Does a Naturopathic Doctor Do?
As the word “naturopathy” implies, this type of natural medicine uses our understanding of the natural laws of balance to bring about healing in the body. A naturopathic doctor, or N.D., believes that disease is an outward sign of imbalance within the system. Rather than suppress those symptoms, a naturopath addresses the underlying cause of the illness to bring about balance.
An N.D. usually focuses on preventing illness by suggesting ways for patients to improve their lifestyle, including diet and exercise. However, if you are currently experiencing health problems, naturopaths have many non-invasive natural ways of treating them.
What To Expect?
A visit to a naturopathic doctor involves an intense history taking and a complete physical exam. The patient will be required to go over a health questionnaire of complaints to help determine the optimal individualized treatment plan for the client. A treatment protocol will be implemented on the second visit once all of the patient’s information is assessed. A routine blood test is also recommended for all patients, and additional lab work may be referred on an individual basis.