Dr. Kelsey Asplin, ND

I, like most people, grew up in a conventionally minded family where health was recognized as the absence of disease. I never knew about the power of nature or of the spirit but often found myself at odds with the algorithmic approach to medicine. After journeying through some of my own health issues, which spurred me into looking for other answers to treat them, I found what has become my passion, my lifestyle, and my career. As a Registered Naturopathic Doctor practicing primary care, I support patients in a variety of health concerns and wellness goals. We work together to treat imbalances, both within and outside the body, focusing on nutrition and digestion, stress modification, sleep enhancement, and optimization of wellness. I believe everyone is on their own journey of health, spirituality, and understanding and I am here to take the journey with them. Through education I seek to empower patients, to help them understand their bodies and their circumstances, as well as the reason for various treatment applications.

Naturopathic Medicine is rooted in what many people today term "Functional Medicine." It focuses on treating the scaffolding of health - nutrition, movement, rest and relaxation, and social connection. Imbalances in any of these areas can cause foundational problems in the whole "structure" of a person's health. Through partnering with patients, I've found that working in these areas can be the most meaningful and long-lasting, but are also often the most difficult to employ. That's why we work together, to stay motivated and on-track, while also looking at what needs to be treated more superficially, in order for the patient to feel better able to manage the lifestyle changes. Naturopathic Medicine is what I like to call long-term health care - it's not an overnight fix, or a temporary solution, it's a new paradigm where people begin to take charge of their own health promotion.

When I'm not seeing patients or teaching in the Integrative Health Care Program at MSU Denver, I'm practicing my own medicine by adventuring with my significant other, James, and our 8-year-old Malamute, Rudy, or dabbling in various activities like horseback riding, kick boxing and jiu jitsu, hiking, or planning our next dream vacation. I also serve on the board of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors.