About Dr. Hill
When I was young, I always loved learning, and especially biology. My parents had a nutrition business, and we frequented a chiropractor in town that used a more holistic approach to health. Even if I didn’t understand it at the time, I had an internalized understanding of the importance of health.
When I went to college, I started as a biology major with a pre-med focus. While working on my undergrad, I became disillusioned with the conventional medical system. Growing up, I was instilled with the values of loving all, serving others, and caring for the less fortunate. Yet, when I looked at the conventional medical world, I saw a stark contrast between the noble ideals of healing and the harsh reality of a fractured insurance system that reduced medicine to a mechanical assembly line of rushed consultations and endless prescriptions that merely masked symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of illness. This revelation led me to pivot my major to biblical studies as I pondered a career spent in contemplation of the deeper mysteries of life and healing the world through a ministry of some kind.
At the end of college, I decided to teach English in China as I considered my future path. I spent two years living in China teaching, exploring the country, and taking in Chinese culture. It was while living there that I had my first experience with East Asian Medicine (Also known as Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM). I had dealt with some thyroid issues, and going to the hospital in Beijing, I was astonished to be given, not a pharmaceutical, but acupuncture and an herbal formula. The needles were surprisingly thin, and the effect was subtle, but noticeable. Now, I’ll admit, the taste of the premade packets of medicinal herbal tea tasted dreadful, like some bitter potion, but I choked them down, and it worked! I had grown up aware of alternative medicine, but this experience showed me proof positive that there were other ways to practice medicine besides the conventional pharmaceutical-based model.
I returned to the United States in 2005 and began looking for acupuncture schools. It was during this search that I stumbled upon naturopathic medicine. I immediately thought to myself, “Why have I never heard of this before? This is exactly what medicine should be!” I began taking the remaining prerequisite courses in preparation to apply to naturopathic medical schools. I began my education at Sonoran University (Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine at the time) in 2008. When I arrived, I was amazed by the knowledge of my professors and the passion of my peers.
I graduated in 2012 and began practicing naturopathic medicine. I had gotten married during medical school, and by 2013, we had two children, a son and a daughter. Our home was full of laughter, love, and the chaos of family life with young children. But in 2017, my wife was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 breast cancer. I decided to close my medical practice so that I could focus on my family. Throughout her treatment, naturopathic modalities supported her health and helped ease the effects of conventional treatments. After four years, I lost my beloved wife in 2021.
A year later, still deeply grieving the loss of my wife, I lost my best friend to suicide. I felt adrift. Both my physical and mental health suffered terribly during that time. It was my mother who reminded me of acupuncture, prompting me to return to acupuncture school and pursue the degree I had set aside after returning from China. It is thanks to counseling and acupuncture that I have healed both mentally and physically.
Naturopathic and East Asian Medicine both recognize the unity of mind, body, and spirit, which is why I am steadfast in my belief that this approach is the key to true healing.
If you are looking for a physician that sees you as a whole, someone who will collaborate with you to restore genuine health, make an appointment today!
I look forward to working with you!