The Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors

03/12/2026

Can a Naturopathic Doctor Help with Heartburn?

Heartburn affects about 1 in 5 adults each week.
Most treatment focuses on suppressing stomach acid with medications like proton pump inhibitors. While helpful for many people, a significant percentage continue to experience symptoms.

Naturopathic doctors take a broader look at reflux symptoms—evaluating diet patterns, digestive function, medications, body weight, and lifestyle factors that influence the movement of stomach contents into the esophagus.

Research is also exploring non-drug approaches. In a randomized, double-blind clinical study, a formulation containing alginate with plant extracts from prickly pear and olive leaf significantly reduced reflux symptoms and improved quality-of-life scores compared with placebo.

Heartburn isn’t just something to suppress—it’s something to investigate.

A naturopathic doctor can help evaluate the factors contributing to reflux and work with patients to address them.

Find a Colorado ND:
www.coloradond.org/find-an-nd

Reference: Alecci U. Efficacy and Safety of a Natural Remedy for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux. PMID: 27818697.

03/09/2026

Something I have learned and SEEN with my own eyes, as a professional working in the naturopathic medicine sphere (and not being a ND myself) is that these people walk the walk and talk the talk. They LIVE what they teach and believe in the power of naturopathic medicine to build health.

Philosophy must be lived.

Belief without embodiment creates drift. In naturopathic medicine, principle must align with action.

This work is not merely studied. It is practiced, refined, and lived with coherence and integrity.

We are Vitalists.

03/02/2026

Not everything in healthcare has to be an either/or.

Naturopathic medicine is often misunderstood as an “alternative,” when in reality, many naturopathic doctors work in collaboration — focusing on prevention, lifestyle, nutrition, physical medicine, and whole-person assessment alongside conventional care when appropriate.

Through the CoAND blog, research highlights, myth clarification, and the Dear Sam series, we’re working to make one thing clearer:
what naturopathic doctors actually do in real clinical settings.
Not trends. Not hype. Not just what YOU think they do (with all due respect).

Explore the blog and learn more about naturopathic medicine in Colorado:
🔗 coloradond.org/blog

02/23/2026

We are urging YOU--naturopathic doctors, and patients of naturopathic doctors, to help us by submitting testimony about the nature and professional standards that make up the naturopathic medicine education. A four-year post graduate doctoral degree is required for naturopathic doctors to practice in the U.S. We want the Dept of Education to rethink the definition of "professional degree" for the purpose of student loans. We need more NDs in the US so that we can influence and improve America's health by adopting prevention-focused medicine, as well as lifestyle, nutrition and counseling to influence and reduce the widespread problem of chronic illness.

02/19/2026

People will research supplements for hours and still skip a simple walk.

That mismatch matters. We look into gadgets, expensive interventions, and yes, the magic pill. But…

Medicine is not just pharmaceuticals. By its very definition, medicine includes the prevention and treatment of disease.

Food, movement, sleep, and the way we live each day either stabilize the body or slowly wear it down.

At some point, we have to stop outsourcing every answer and return to the basics that have always supported human health.

That, too, is medicine.

02/17/2026

Are you a naturopathic doctor, or have you been in the capable hands of a registered/licensed ND who made a difference in your life? We need you to submit comment on the Dept of Education's decision to not include the four-year post graduate ND degree in the list of professional degrees. Thank you for your consideration.

02/16/2026

Just in case you don't know: I am writing from a bias🤣. After all, I represent Colorado's registered Naturopathic Doctors.

It is unfortunately that “Is it covered?” has become the first filter for finding a provider. It's sad.

Before trust. Before personality, and being a "good fit". Before we know whether the clinician actually listens to us--whether they hold the same truths and priorities.

So, we go with who is willing to cover us; who is in our network.

Then I hear the same frustration:
“I don’t feel heard.”
“My visits are rushed.”
“They don’t really listen.”

We say healthcare is important, yet often treat it as something to minimize rather than invest in. I wrote about it this week and want to share my thoughts on why we should consider our health as something worth our investment.

New blog: www.coloradond.org/blog

02/13/2026

What's old is new again. LOL. I remember being a young girl and watching Jack do jumping jacks on the television in the early mornings. His advice was solid, and remains that way. If we would just treat these bodies right...they have a tendency to want to maintain balance, health and wellbeing.

02/08/2026

Dear Colorado NDs and patients:

02/08/2026

While scrolling one morning (irony noted), I saw this meme and laughed out loud.

Apparently My Body Thinks It’s 1320.

I saw this meme while scrolling one morning and laughed.

No, our bodies don’t literally think we’re running from invaders.

But they do constantly assess one thing:
Are we safe, or are we under threat?

That question is the stress response — a nervous system and hormone-regulated process. One of the main players is cortisol.
Cortisol isn’t bad. It’s how we wake up and get moving. We’re supposed to have a natural rise in the morning. Problems show up when the stress response stays dialed up too often, which can affect sleep, blood sugar regulation, appetite signaling, and fat storage patterns.

And mornings are one of the times this system is especially active.

Phone + email + caffeine + stimulation
= “Something’s happening. Be alert.”
Sunlight to the eyes, hydration, gentle movement
= “We’re okay. This is a normal day.”

It’s not about being perfect or turning into a sunrise mystic (Not that there's anything wrong with that.). But I did notice this: a slightly calmer start doesn’t make my morning longer — it makes it less chaotic. And that changes how my body feels by noon.

So no, I’m not fleeing medieval danger.
I’m just giving my nervous system fewer reasons to act like I am.

I wrote about the physiology (in normal-human language) on the CoAND blog.

www.coloradond.org/blog

02/03/2026

Hello friends of naturopathic medicine! I am honored to be highlighted this month and would love to share a bit about myself with you all.

My passion for oncology began before attending NUNM in Portland, OR when I was completing an undergraduate in Human Physiology at San Francisco State University. It was during this time that I undertook a minor in Holistic Health and started learning more about nutrition. I was disheartened by the lack of therapeutic approaches and options available to cancer patients and decided to dedicate my career to supporting this population.

While at NUNM I met my partner, a fellow classmate and ND-to-be. It was an incredible blessing to find someone who not only shared the same enthusiasm and philosophy for health and healing, but proved to be a supportive companion in our experience together during graduate school. After completing residencies we moved to Colorado and set in motion the shared vision of opening our own vitalistic naturopathic clinic. Five years later, Matrix Wellness in Boulder is continuing to grow and doing better than ever!

I have continued my specialization in Naturopathic Oncology, becoming a FABNO in 2022, and supporting cancer patients both in our beautiful state and around the world. I am also passionate about food relationships and lecture on Food Story Coaching to various health practitioners across the country. Just this year, after two years of sitting on the CoAND Board, I took over the position of CoAND Conference Coordinator and had an incredible time planning and hosting this year’s annual conference at the Dao House outside Estes Park. And just in case that wasn’t enough, I recently added the title of Mom to my resume as a proud parent to an incredible baby girl. Needless to say, my life is full! I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this community and look forward to a bright future with you all!

- Dr Marisa Soski

Matrix Wellness

(303) 733-7455

01/29/2026

We think we’re just “staying informed.”

But constant exposure to distressing images is nervous system input — and it adds up.
Your brain stores what you see. Repeated threat signals raise stress hormones, affect sleep, mood, and focus. It's not weakness. It's...neuroscience.

Choosing limits around what you watch isn’t denial. It’s regulation. And a more regulated nervous system doesn’t just help you — it ripples into your family and your community.

Sometimes the most powerful health shift isn’t adding something. It’s consuming less.
We wrote about the science behind this and what to do instead.

🌱https://coloradond.org/blog/