News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Dr. Kim Hapke, ND.
Dr. Kim Hapke, ND, never thought she was going to be a doctor.
She studied theater and English literature in college, and designed costumes for "Sesame Street Live," on her way toward a career in theater. But life diverted her onto a different path.
"I had some chronic health issues of my own," she explained.
Exploring how to manage her condition led her to discoveries that put her on a different road entirely.
"I found if I changed some of the food I was eating, that helped," she recalled.
Her discoveries intrigued her, and she realized that they could help others, as well.
"I just really quickly decided that's what I was going to do," she said.
The native of the Upper Midwest enrolled in Portland's National College of Natural Medicine, the oldest accredited school of its kind.
She practiced and taught in Portland, and started a family with her partner, John Spurgeon.
"Once I had a kid, Portland wasn't as fun as it used to be," she said. "Once I had Everett, I just couldn't see him not growing up running around in the woods like I did."
The small family came to Sisters a year ago and quickly decided this was where they wanted to stay. Dr. Hapke launched her practice just last month in space at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave.
Naturopaths take on chronic illness in a different way than focusing on the symptoms.
"We prefer to start with diet, exercise, lifestyle change - things like that," Dr. Hapke explained.
With a background in psychology and psychotherapy, Dr. Hapke also deals with the psychological and emotional components of chronic illness.
"You just can't have chronic physical symptoms without it affecting your mind," she said.
Chronic physical problems often create anxiety and depression, which can become significant conditions of their own. Sometimes psychological and emotional stresses - such as suppressed anger - can manifest themselves as physical symptoms.
So, Dr. Hapke works on all aspects with her patients.
"I do more counseling than other naturopathic doctors," she said. "I really like to focus on behavioral change."
She further noted that, "I carefully assess symptoms, knowing that their unique presentation contains information important to forming a patient's specific path to health. I use botanical medicine, nutrition, and homeopathy to break unhealthy patterns and address imbalances. These treatments are combined with behavioral-change plans to reduce symptoms, increase self-awareness, and inspire creative thinking... I help patients make sense out of what is happening to them. This results in a rapid decrease of stress, allowing space for healing to come in."
For more information call 971-409-0908 or visit www.meaningfulmedicine.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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