Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Rhea Waite.
Dr. Waite, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I always wanted to be a doctor. When I was young, I loved herbal medicine and other alternative ways of managing illness and injury. I enjoyed learning about food as medicine and the natural healing process of the body. I believed that how we live, what we eat, and how we care for our body has a profound effect on our health. I considered medical school, even sent in the applications. Yet, I struggled to fit my ideas about health and healing into the conventional medical model. In the end, being less conventional by nature, I withdrew my applications to search for a model that better suited me.
I found naturopathic medicine by accident when I applied for a front desk position at a natural health clinic. Needing a job after moving to a new city I applied blindly without knowing anything about the clinic. After working there for a few weeks one of the doctors approached me and said, “Rhea, you wasting your time with everything else. You want to be a naturopathic doctor. It’s what you’re looking for. Just apply to NUNM and go already.” She hardly knew me and I thought she was crazy. Turns out, she was spot on.
One year later, I was starting naturopathic medical school at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). I never looked back. It was a perfect fit. I finished school as a new mother, a wife and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine with a Masters of Acupuncture. After passing board exams and receiving my license, I opened a private practice in Portland, OR, where I practiced for several years helping people with medicine, I believed in. I was a primary care physician with a focus on natural aesthetics, autoimmune disease, thyroid health, hormone balancing, chronic disease management, and pediatric care.
One year ago, my husband was offered his dream job in Houston. Today, I am happy to be here working at Aria Med Spa and Wellness assisting people on their journey to become healthier, stronger, more resilient people who live with less pain, more energy, and optimized health so they can enjoy their life to the fullest.
Has it been a smooth road?
Ha! Is it ever a smooth road for anyone? By the time I started naturopathic medical school I had worked in a variety of jobs, left an abusive marriage, moved across country, met my great love, and moved to the Pacific North West, I wanted to become a doctor but still struggled to find the model of medicine that resonated with my heart until I started working at that clinic.
Nothing prepared me for the grueling hours of study and clinical rotations of naturopathic medical school. I had my first child in my 4th year of school. I was completely unprepared for the physical, mental and emotional toll of motherhood while attending an intense dual degree graduate program. Two weeks after the birth of my baby I was expected to promptly had to return to my clinical rotations.
Let me just say that two weeks after giving birth moms should be recovering, resting, learning to care for a new human, and learning how to be a mom. But the program is the program and it was important to me to stay on track. I cried every day for myself, my baby, and for the women who are unsupported during that time. I was extremely fortunate to have help and support. Having spent that precious postpartum time snuggling my newborn, barely able to walk on my own, I arrived to clinic using a walker and dragging my leg behind me, See, in an effort to save my daughter’s life as she was being born they inadvertently damaged some nerves and joints in my back making it difficult to walk for over a year. I have since recovered and she’s healthy. Back at school, I pumped breast milk between patients, attended classes with a newborn strapped to my body, studied through mom-brain, took grueling exams, leaked milk through my clothes in front of patients, and teachers. But I graduated on time.
Then came the work of starting a business, building a practice, having a second baby. All of it came with challenges. I think everyone has struggles in life. Without some struggle or challenge growth isn’t possible. At the end of the day, it’s how we respond to the struggle, what we do with it, where it takes us that is important.
Please tell us about your practice.
I am a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND). Naturopathic medicine is the OG functional medicine. NDs are trained to you restore and establish optimal health by supporting the body’s inherent healing processes. Rather than eliminate symptoms naturopathic doctors work to identify underlying causes of illness, and develop personalized plans to address them therefore alleviating and preventing the return of symptoms. Naturopathic doctors use a systematic approach to health by creating a strong foundation of basic health moving through a natural order in which all therapies are applied providing the greatest benefit with the least potential for damage.
ND’s who attend a nationally accredited naturopathic medical school that meets federal and educational standards are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage your health. We are primary care doctors trained in the standard of care for the US and natural remedies/modalities of treatment. We attend four years of in person classes and clinical rotations receive training in the same biomedical, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic sciences as MDs and osteopathic doctors (DOs) in addition to naturopathic treatment options. Naturopathic doctors have multiple options for addressing conditions allowing for care plans that meet your specific needs.
ND’s are licensed to practice medicine in many states. For example, I am licensed in Oregon and Vermont. Texas does not currently have licensing for NDs therefore we are expert health consultants focusing on the foundation of our medicine such as: lifestyle changes, body/mind medicine, nutritional support, herbal medicine, homeopathy, movement, eating for health, and elimination of environmental toxins. It may sound basic but most people have profound changes in their health improving energy, mood, chronic health conditions, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, obesity, hormone health, thyroid health, and so much more.
Achieving your optimal physiological health is the goal for naturopathic medicine. Our medicine’s foundation rests on our knowledge of cellular biology, physiology, and the processes of the human body. As a Naturopathic Doctor my goal is to sift through your concerns to find the root cost of your discomfort. Once the root cause is found we work together to find a way to address the underlying issue, therefore restoring your health with safe, effective, well-rounded, science-based care.
Today, I help people on their health journey reach optimal state of being. Perhaps you have a chronic illness or an autoimmune disorder or mysterious symptoms that people tell you are in your head. I help you find and address the underlying issue so you can return to living your life with less pain, more energy, fewer health concerns, less fear and less anxiety.
I specialize in autoimmune disorders, chronic illness, anti-aging, and aesthetic medicine. Optimizing your health will help you stay strong, vibrant, and less susceptible to what life throws at you. Feeling your best at every age is possible. You do not have to settle for feeling limited due to your current state of health.
I am excited to be joining the team at Aria Med Spa & Wellness in Katy, TX where I will be providing Naturopathic/Functional medicine consultations. In addition to optimizing your health at Aria we can also help you look your best with massage, IV nutrients, Botox, filler, aesthetic treatments, non-surgical facelifts, PRP “vampire” facials and facelifts.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
If I have learned anything over these past few months about how we care for our bodies I have learned this: as a society, we cannot continue under our current paradigm of our health. I believe that Naturopathic Medicine has a crucial role in helping people recover their health for greater resiliency to illness. I notice that people are looking for ways to manage their health and the health of their families without pharmaceutical intervention if possible. I think there is room in our health care system for both naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine. They complement and support each other well when used appropriately. We are seeing this slowly as people start to seek other means of care outside of the conventional system.
A lot of conditions people are experiencing today are lifestyle related. We are starting to see a paradigm shift toward addressing health through lifestyle and diet as it will be how we create a society of people who suffer from fewer conditions, are stronger, and are more resilient beings less likely to be wiped out by infection.
My hope is that ND’s will become more prominent in our health care system partnering with MDs, DOs, NPs and such to create a stronger network of care for our country. As I mentioned before, many states have licensing for ND’s who have graduated from an accredited naturopathic medical school. Although Texas is not one of them (yet), I believe that ND’s can bring valuable modalities for healing to our communities. Having licensed ND’s in all states could alleviate the burden on the current healthcare system, provide more primary care providers, and create a healthier society.
Contact Info:
- Address: Aria Med Spa and Wellness
6920 S. Fry Rd Katy, TX 77494 - Website: www.drrheawaite.com AND ariamedspas.com
- Phone: 832-427-5921
- Email: drwaite@wildheartmedicine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrheawaite/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildhearthealthandwellness
Image Credit:
Dr. Rhea Waite
Joseph Waite
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