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Toledo Naturopathic, Dr. Maleigha Watts

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Waterville, OH
Toledo Naturopathic, Dr. Maleigha Watts

Investigating the root cause of chronic health concerns and sharing lessons learned along the way! Dr. Watts has been serving NW Ohio for the past decade.

Toledo Naturopathic offers a spectrum of care: for those that are seeking preventative care, to those with more complex health histories that require more advanced holistic care. Dr. Watts believes in investigating and addressing the root cause(s) to health concerns, in empowering patients to be engaged in their health and healing, and advocating for her patients by serving as a bridge between the holistic and traditional models of medicine. Dr. Watts completed undergraduate studies locally at the University of Toledo and then moved to Tempe, Arizona for 5 years to train at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (1 of 6 nationally accredited, 4 year naturopathic medical programs in the US). She completed an internship with Dr. MaryK Geyer in Phoenix, Arizona thereafter with an emphasis in primary care medicine. Although the state of Ohio does not license Naturopathic Physicians at this time, Dr. Watts continues to maintain a license in Arizona which requires active involvement in Continuing Medical Education hours (30+) each year.

09/06/2025

If you would have told me 11 weeks ago, that by September 6, I would be running a couple miles at a time, you would have received an exasperated sigh and very long eye roll from me. 😅I was very doom and gloom heading into surgery, unsure what recovery would look or feel like, especially as I'm a pretty active person.

Anyway: Miles 2 and 3 were my running miles--the rest was warm up and cool down. Not my fastest pace ever but also not my slowest.

Honestly, it just feels good to feel good, if ya know what I mean. 🥰

09/05/2025

Someone should say it, so it might as well be me.

Just as a reminder, Naturopathic Medicine/Holistic Medicine/Alternative Medicine/Integrative Medicine/etc is not synonymous with [nor owned by] any particular political movement.

I can tell you that my time naturopathic medical school: SCNM (now Sonoran University of Health Sciences) was a time when this Ohio girl was exposed to the most diversity I have had in my life. Students from all over the globe, different ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religious backgrounds, political stances, lifestyles, sexual orientation, etc and this (in my opinion) made for superior training.

Why? BECAUSE LIFE IS NOT A VACUUM AND NOR IS MEDICINE. It is not a one-sized-fits-all-approach, despite social media and the algorithms best efforts to make it seem so. Quite honestly, I think it's ignorant to so staunchly put all eggs in one very specific basket and not think more critically about the entire global picture. While this may work fine for influencing personalities and gaining more followers, it doesn't and really shouldn't apply to a provider because it prevents their ability to provide unbiased care in each individual patient scenario they see.

This is a hill I will die on. So it shall be.

09/04/2025

✨ Things to consider before you start care with a Naturopathic Doctor ✨

➡️The state of Ohio does not license or recognize Naturopathic Doctors (ND). This means a number of things...

➡️(a) The term Naturopathic Doctor/Physician is not a protected term in Ohio (or Michigan); most anyone can claim this title regardless of their education (or lack thereof). Outside of Ohio there ARE states that license Naturopathic Doctors to practice as physicians, they set a standard and have the requirement that to use the term, one has to have graduated from a 4 year graduate level (doctoral) program, passed 2 sets of rigorous board exams, to maintain an active license to practice medicine.

➡️(b) This is also not a transparent issue in states where there's no licensure, especially for the public that's seeking care. A photo of someone in a white coat and a stethoscope may seem convincing enough, especially if you see a framed certificate in the background. But the devil is in the details: where did that certificate come from? Was it a 4 year graduate program? Was it an online degree that took a matter of weeks?

➡️(c) Because there's no licensure, there's no defined scope of practice over what this provider can do/not do (it's a big gray area). This then goes both ways--providers with gobs of training that are limited in what they can offer and those without that same training that don't know what they don't know.

➡️(d) This is not to say that one is better than the other, but I really believe (for the general public) that transparency is important so there can be educated decisions made when someone is pursuing professional help. How can anyone see all sides if they are only given one side? This is why I harp.

Ahem, moving along...off this particular soap box...other things to know...

➡️Now, given the above, you probably understand why Naturopathic Doctors cannot take on the role of your Primary Care Provider (in Ohio and similar states)

➡️Also, given the above, this is why Naturopathic Doctors don't accept insurance (in Ohio and similar sates). We literally can't as this is for licensed healthcare providers, only.

➡️I work everyday to complement the care that patients are receiving in the traditional healthcare model. This is my personal approach. Within the naturopathic community you will see a BROAD spectrum of approaches---from providers that are totally old-school nature care and shun modern medicine to those that (where able) are practicing more the traditional model like writing prescriptions. Have you ever seen a group of Naturopathic Doctors in one room together? No? I have. My joke is that we basically never agree.😅 I have never personally been an extremist to any degree, and my approach in naturopathic care has been right in the middle. If you, personally, land on either end of that spectrum then I may not be best for you. This doesn't mean naturopathic care isn't for you, it just means (like in any industry ever) you have to do some research and find your fit.

➡️Naturopathic care has a totally different approach because we're less focused on finding someone's diagnosis (most already have this by the time we see them) and we are moreso concentrating on WHY the diagnosis exists and what the underlying causes are that led the body to go astray. Meaning, we want to find the root cause(s).

➡️We have a huge toolbox, not just limited to prescriptions (in states where we can write them). Nutrition, lifestyle, herbs, vitamins, supplements, homeopathic remedies, hydrotherapy, etc etc. I don't believe that the magic is in the tools, necessarily, but in the person using those tools to address the underlying root cause. (Anyone can throw Turmeric on some joint pain, but not just anyone can figure out where the joint pain is coming from and put THAT fire out).

I literally believe I am part of the best profession. Despite the obstacles that stand in the way of the profession itself, I know that Naturopathic Doctors are needed to change the trajectory of our HEALTH (not just healthcare).

I do slightly wonder if our profession will die out before it has a chance to thrive; the lack of licensure in many states, the amount of student debt providers have to take on in a profession that doesn't pay out, the other routes to provide functional or integrative care that may be more monetarily beneficial (and a more broad scope of practice).

I'm not sure what the future holds but I'm grateful to be part of this small blip of time.

09/03/2025

New Patient Update:

Back in July, Sarah was able to contact and schedule the remaining New Patients on our Waitlist for 2025. We will be wrapping up their first and second visits by the end of this calendar year. Woo!

This means that...

WE WILL BE OPENING OUR 2026 WAITING LIST BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR!! 🥳 🥳

We do not have the details hammered out yet, as we have some revisions to make to the process itself. We do not have a launch date but I CAN tell you it will be BEFORE the holidays.

What I do know:
-The Application Process will still be via our website/an online process
-We will be taking about 25% more patients in 2026, than we did 2025
-We will probably fill those spots very quickly (last year it took all of 72 hours of launching)
-We will be able to start seeing those Newbies January 2026.
-Once we have all the details it will be announced further right HERE!

We wouldn't be here without you. Thank you!

Stay tuned.

09/02/2025

3 logos, 2 office spaces, a team of people making up the village, and thousands of patients later...here we are 14 years later.

It's interesting looking back at the logos over time.

The bamboo was when I was first in practice; I actually had a pet bamboo named Oobmab and this was my first attempt at green-thumbing it. Turns out I have a pretty black thumb but that Oobmab was hearty and resilient, just like those early days of practice. A newbie in practice, trying to find my place.

The second logo, with the Roots, I was feeling more grounded, a little more knowledge as a provider. They tell you in business if you make it 3-5 years you're probably going to be around for awhile; the Roots came at year 4. Maybe we're on to something...

Then the third logo (and most recent) is my favorite. You'll notice the color change; the previous 2 being green were intentional from a marketing perspective (as at the time [and probably still]) it would be associated with more Green Living/Lifestyle. At this point of practice I gained a lot more confidence in my craft and in myself. I realized I no longer had to market how I thought I had to, but could instead choose to do it how I wanted to. My favorite colors, my easy flow, march to the beat of my drum. I started to realize that the more I presented as myself, the more that rang true for patients to Come As They Are. Less people remembered the name Toledo Naturopathic but they certainly remembered the name: Dr. Maleigha *mumbled most of the time because people can't pronounce it* Watts. Dr. Watts, for short.

And so here we are. Setting a standard, regionally, to what naturopathic care should look like. Consistently choosing quality care, lengthy appointments, thoughtful plans, over taking a number and having a manufacturing line. Advocating for a different approach to health and empowering patients along the way. Slowly raising eyebrows in healthcare, a quiet curiosity has led to a team of confident healthcare system referrals.

Nothing but gratitude.

What will we get to say in 14 more years?

08/29/2025

A couple weeks ago, an exasperated Sarah exclaimed, "Why aren't doctors treating Leaky Gut?!" And my short answer was, "Because, medically, Leaky Gut doesn't exist."

We're kind of at an interesting crossroads of medicine. When it comes to embracing more natural methods of healing, modern medicine has always been able to hide behind statements like "Well that's not evidence based" or "There's no studies that show this". But now there's gobs of research, studies, and information (that even the everyday Joe can access at the tip of their fingertips) that it's getting harder to hide or deny.

It leaves an interesting predicament in my head. In states where Naturopathic Doctors are not recognized or licensed, it prohibits us from practicing medicine: The Diagnosis or Treatment of Disease. At our office, we completely avoid this terminology.

But there is this gray area that exists because although "Leaky Gut" (intestinal permeability) is very much real in the naturopathic/holistic community, it is not a medical diagnosis. We see hormone imbalances every day, such as Estrogen dominance (excess estrogen or poor estrogen metabolism), but this also is not a medical diagnosis. (Let's also keep in mind from the modern perspective and toolbox, if Estrogen Dominance was a medical diagnosis what would the treatment be? Oral contraceptives? It's a limited toolbox because it's not actually correcting the underlying dysfunction). These are just a couple examples.

Essentially the discrepancy is, in naturopathic care, finding the ROOT CAUSE is very different from finding the DIAGNOSIS (in modern medicine). This gray area, although small, is what allows us to be here and take up space in NW Ohio. It is a weird mix of feelings to be annoyed with the system as a whole but also somewhat grateful that the gray area exists so we can still help people.

Further extrapolating on this gray area, the playing field (over the course of time) has expanded that there are many different kinds of professionals/providers available to help navigate this (Naturopathic Doctors, health coaches, functional medicine providers, integrative providers, nutritionists, etc). This is all well and good.

I'm going to hold onto my bias here--but as we see many patients who are not at their first rodeo with these kind of providers--Naturopathic Doctors are the best trained and best equipped to fill this gap in medicine. There is no other profession that includes traditional/modern medical training AND naturopathic training/philosophy from Day 1.

This coming week marks the 14th year of Toledo Naturopathic's existence.

08/20/2025

I started BPC-157 straight out of surgery to aid in surgical recovery, wound healing, musculoskeletal support, and to protect the gut (after antibiotics and pain medications). I really believe that this has been integral in my recovery (8 weeks post-op!)

An unexpected side effect is that: I believe it healed my tooth! (And digging into a rat study it may help with periodontal disease, so my brain may not be making this up).

This is just *my* experience, so please do not take it as a claim that will apply to all or that it's a guaranteed fix.

Back in April I had a cavity filled and found out, after the fact, it was a rather deep cavity and the filling may not have worked. I had a lot of tooth sensitivity, couldn't chew with that tooth without a decent amount of discomfort. I was told that extraction or a root canal would be next and I was vehemently opposed. But knowing my line of work, my dentist said I could try oil pulling or my own bag of tricks before we moved forward. I did start oil pulling and changed toothpaste over to a Hydroxyapatite form. With surgery lined up in June, I couldn't fathom having dental stuff around the same time so I just put it off and ate on the other side of my mouth for months. 🙄 (I'm not saying that was a good idea, it was just where my brain was at...)

Fast forward to after surgery, once I was past needing pain medications, that tooth pain came right back. By that time I could stomach some supplements and started the BPC-157. Well, I have to tell you that a month into taking it I realized I was chewing on that side of my mouth without any pain. And in hindsight, I'm not sure how long that had taken place without my realizing it.

It's left me dumbfounded and amazed (I can't wait to go back to my dentist and tell him, as I think he will appreciate it!). I mean, everyday I see and witness the body's ability to heal. This was a very unexpected (and very pleasing) side effect; obviously there's a big learning curve here and I'm excited to explore it more.

I'll be the first to tell you I don't know everything. In fact, I don't know anyone that does. I believe to be better providers each day, we should remain curious (not afraid or apprehensive) of the unknown. Because in doing so you never know what you might discover along the way.

08/17/2025

Winner, winner, chicken-pesto-pizza dinner!

😋 10 out of 10 😋

08/15/2025

My job entails working with patients to investigate the root causes to their health concerns/disease. Sometimes it is straight forward like a food sensitivity, a gut microbiome issue, a hormone imbalance. Sometimes, the roots are much deeper: traumas, major stressors, unrelenting stressors.

Off the top of my head, I can recall cases where stress was absolutely the major trigger:
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sjogren's
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Grave's Disease
Psoriasis
Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's Disease
SIBO
GERD
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Migraines, headaches
PCOS
Hormone imbalances
Mast cell/histamine issues

Bless the sweet patients that ask, "Well, what can I take for that?" Unfortunately, there is no magic pill that will unwind this. These are some of the hardest conversations to have because not everyone is ready or there yet.

I think recognizing that this elephant in the room even exists and coming to terms with it is a first big step. And then connecting with a professional to navigate the mental/emotional/physical intricacies of this (because that is definitely outside of my paygrade).

I absolutely believe that our stressful, fast-paced, over-committed, time-crunched, people-pleasing, instagram-chasing, pursuit-of-perfection, work-harder-not-smarter lifestyles are killing us at a faster pace than we realize. It feels like a battle of good and evil.

Lately, my posts have been more personal, sharing my own struggles, ephiphanies, changes, and work (that feels like I am trying to claw my way back to myself). Maybe that's TMI and more than you want to know from a healthcare provider. But I would much rather use this platform to "influence" someone in the following ways (than to try to "sell" a pill or product):

-to consider delving to the deeper parts of themselves,

-to get the wheels turning,

-to get them considering their first coaching/therapy/counseling appointment,

-to start asking and then providing what their soul needs for nourishment.

This is the heavy lifting, folks. It's the hardest to chip away at.

It is also the most rewarding.

08/13/2025

This is our second week back after having been out for 6 weeks. Surprisingly, that 6 weeks off was the best reality/mental health check I have had the privilege of experiencing.

I am super lucky to get to work on cases/work from home 3 days out of the week. However, my lack of structure on those days has worked against me. I'm sharing because, I think since the pandemic, so many are now working from home and experiencing similar issues, perhaps unknowingly.

Since owning the business, my work from home days have included: wake up, coffee, sit down in the living room chair, work on cases. No breakfast. No movement. And I wouldn't make time for lunch/break, thinking if I would just push through I would eat lunch later (and get done with work sooner). And if I could just get that work done, then I would exercise, and maybe after, "have time to relax or do something fun"...which also, wouldn't happen. I think it made it impossible to actually clock in or out. Mind you the only one that said it "had" to be this way was...Me!

Before heading back to work I decided something had to give, because repeating this routine until, like retirement, is just not sustainable for life.

Some changes:
1) My upstairs office got cleaned up, reorganized, and beautified so that it is dedicated work space, only.
2) I have held on to my cherished morning walk which I get on the days I work from home. Wake, protein shake, walk, shower, coffee, then work (and mentally "Clock In")
3) Clock Out at 12pm for lunch. Go downstairs and actually eat lunch! Maybe throw in a load of laundry.
4) Clock In after lunch. Clock out, generally around 2 to 3.

You know what? I feel better having held on to that space in the morning. The work still gets done but I have started each day nourishing myself instead of the first thing I see being a computer screen. Last week, I even had time to watercolor, to do a little reading, have some fun on *gasp*, a "school night*!

I don't believe it will always be this easy. There is definitely, mentally, a "push-pull" going on internally with Past Me, but I am doing my best to embrace change.

Because Life is Too Damn Short to Only ldentify as Your Job.

08/12/2025

Getting outside in the morning just might be my favorite thing. There are a handful of walkers in our neighborhood. There's 1 couple, in particular, that's usually making the rounds at the same time I am. We always wave and say good morning.

I have added intervals of running to my 3.5 mile routine. Today, I was rounding a corner/crossing the street and passed by that couple.

"Is someone chasing you? Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm just running today. But now that you say it, being chased seems like the only good reason to be doing this!"

😂🤣

08/10/2025

Pretty dang proud of this braid of garlic 😍 (oh and proud of my hubs who grew it!)

Address

13 S 3rd Street
Waterville, OH
43566

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://toledonaturopathic.com/

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