Well North Functional Medicine

I’m Alison, a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Functional and Integrative Medicine Provider. I have spent the past 13 years working in academic medicine, starting my career at Georgetown University Hospital. There, I worked in the Neuro ICU and quickly came to see a trend of what landed most patients in the hospital, chronic disease. I realized that I wanted to be on the preventive side of healthcare so, I furthered my education at George Washington University and became a Family Nurse Practitioner. Since then, I have worked in outpatient Neurology at the University of Colorado with a focus on Migraine and chronic pain conditions. Just a couple of years ago, as I was going through my own journey to health as a new mom, I realized my moral compass was being pulled away from the traditional healthcare model. In the traditional healthcare system, there is simply a lack of time and emphasis on disease prevention and lifestyle medicine. I sought out a more integrative, holistic approach and began studying at the Institute for Functional Medicine. Finally, a science-based, lifestyle approach that could truly help get to the root-cause of disease and promote wellness. I became my own first patient and started to heal using food as medicine, targeted supplements and lifestyle approaches. I started to dream about opening my own Functional and Integrative Medicine practice because I knew I had to share this with the world and thus, Wild Rice Wellness was born. At present, I am a part-time faculty member at the University of Colorado in the Department of Neurology where I work with patients to help manage migraine and chronic pain disorders using an integrative approach. I do firmly believe there is a time and place for traditional healthcare. There are amazing benefits to the many advancements we have seen in modern medicine, but I feel that there is a lack of emphasis on “well-care” and disease prevention in the traditional healthcare system. As a mom myself, I am passionate about working with women during the pregnancy and postpartum period. I want moms to feel their best by optimizing their unique health needs so that they can meet the demands of their family and enjoy motherhood. I also have a special interest in working with athletes, particularly endurance athletes, who need their health to keep up with their training requirements and athletic endeavors. These particular groups have unique needs that often are not addressed by the conventional medical model, but I believe functional medicine has so much to offer. I also enjoying working with those who simply want to up-level their health to feel better and live longer. I use a combination of conventional, functional and lifestyle medicine in a true integrative medicine approach to help patients meet their goals and create optimal wellness. Outside of my clinical practice, I enjoy adventuring in Colorado with my husband, AP, and our two children, Claire and Jude. You can find us hitting the slopes, hiking the trails and rafting the rivers. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and it is one of our favorite places to vacation. I am an avid runner and have been for over 20 years! I have run just about every distance from 5ks to ultramarathons – it is my favorite way to relieve stress and get into nature. I enjoy cooking and using food as medicine to keep myself and my family healthy. There is nothing better than a home cooked meal surrounded by loved ones.