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Dr. Lisa Del Alba
Anthroposophical ND and Building Biologist
Dr. Del Alba is a naturopathic doctor who has been practicing in a family practice setting since 1999. She graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, one of four accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America.
She has accumulated hundreds of hours in formal medical continuing education topics including, but not limited to: general environmental health topics and remediation ; EMF health topics and remediation; mold related health issues and remediation; homeopathic low dose immunotherapy (LDI) as related to allergy, autoimmunity and other immune dysregulating conditions; general toxicology; general pharmacology; hormonal health; neurologic, cardiovascular and digestive health; nutritional and herbal medicine; respiratory physiology and various oxygen therapies. Study, both in-the-field and book studies, done both individually and collaboratively, is thoroughly woven into her lifestyle.
Dr. Del Alba approaches the practice of naturopathic medicine from an anthroposophic perspective. In addition to having the tools of her naturopathic profession, she has extended her medical practice by attending anthroposophic medical training and conferences in the United States, Canada and Switzerland. During her eight year stay in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she Waldorf- homeschooled her six children, Dr. Del Alba developed a sensitivity for the therapeutic effects of the Waldorf curriculum and the importance of working with class teachers. She has worked in a school doctor capacity with several Waldorf schools, and has taught seminars to prospective Waldorf School teachers in the WTEE teacher training program in Eugene, Oregon on varied anthroposophical spiritual scientific topics.
Philosophy: Anthroposophic Medicine and Naturopathy
Anthroposophic Medicine, which is becoming more familiar in the United States, is well established in Europe, especially in Germany and Switzerland, where there are government sponsored anthroposophical hospitals and university professorships in anthroposophical medicine. Initiated in the early part of the 20th century by Austrian born spiritual scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner and his medical doctor colleague Dr. Ita Wegman in response to requests from members of the medical community, it takes its place alongside other gifts of anthroposophy, such as Waldorf education and biodynamic farming. Until recently, anthroposophical medical training in the United States was open only to M D’s and D O’s. In recent years, the training has been opened to other primary care medicine providers, including naturopathic doctors.
Naturopathic Medicine, although based on older, traditional healing methods, has become more formalized within the last century. In addition to herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, nutrition, counseling and homeopathy, this training incorporates modern medical modalities including prescription medications, and laboratory diagnostic methods including imaging. Currently, there are four accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America, which offer a rigorous, science based, 4-year post-graduate curriculum. Naturopathic doctors are licensed as primary care health care providers in 13 states and in Washington D.C.
An anthroposophically informed practice of naturopathic medicine allows the doctor access to uniquely anthroposophical medicines and therapies as well as the opportunity to expand and deepen his or her understanding of naturopathic and other modern medical therapies. An anthroposophical medical understanding does not aim to revert to ancient traditions of herbalism, clairvoyance, or faith-healing, but rather to extend the understanding of those ancient methods in the context of the scientific method of diverse modern medical systems, leavened with spiritual insight.
Anthroposophy as a spiritual science holds to the following as an ideal for which to strive:
‘Those of you who have occupied yourselves even a little with the aims of our spiritual-scientific movement know our main principle: to create the heart, the kernel, of a brother(sister)hood based upon all-embracing human love that transcends race, sex, profession, religion, and so on. Thus the (Anthroposophical) Society has placed this principle of general brother(sister)hood foremost and made it the most important of its ideals.’
-Rudolf Steiner, Berlin 1905
See below for a brief interview with Dr. Lisa.
How do you approach a new client?
When I see a client for the first time, my hope is, more or less, to get to know them as an individual. Rudolf Steiner, co-founder of anthroposophic medicine, once commented that there is as much difference from one human individual to the next as there is among different species of animals! My favorite part of my job is sitting face-to-face with my clients and hearing about their unique lives, and feeling amazement about how incredible it is that there can be so many different ways to live a human life. How do we all do it? My ideal patient is someone who is interested in learning about their health, and co-working with me towards better health.
What led you to a career as a naturopathic doctor?
Starting out my higher education with a combination-type of degree in physics, electrical engineering, and mathematics left me with a propensity to want to think things through. I heard lectures from physicists and mathematicians that left me with a sense of awe and wonder at the workings of the world and the universe. As a young mother, I remember worrying about my children when something unfamiliar would come up health-wise. For example, at one point, one child had persistent diarrhea, and another was chronically constipated. Like a ‘good mom’, I carted them in to see a local pediatrician. His brief explanations and suggestions were unsatisfying and didn’t seem to help anything. So, I started researching on my own.
After months of experiences, wondering, and researching, the questions only led to more questions. The whole process led to a sense of wonder and reverence for how the human being lives in their body, and how we all live in connection with the broader world. The human being was every bit as complex, fascinating and wonderful as I had felt the entire world and universe to be during my university studies! I remember thinking to myself; ‘Wow, this could be a full-time job’. A career change was in the making.
Tell us about your early life:
I grew up in a household that, in some ways, held fairly conventional beliefs. I am fortunate to have had a supportive and fruitful upbringing with parents who were interested in life and taught and shared their interests. My dad grew up as a cowboy on a Colorado ranch, and was a practicing psychologist who also taught at a local college. My mom founded and directed a pre-school while being a full-time mom who cooked, sewed, knitted, played piano, etc. She eventually went back to school, received her doctorate, and worked for the University of Maryland. Both parents loved the arts, adventure, travel, the outdoors, and human diversity. They eventually went their separate ways, and I became a teenager.
With such a wonderful preparation by my life circumstances and my parents, I then proceeded to make many mistakes! I learned to work my way out of and through many and varied errors and unhealthy experiences along my life path. These life experiences, among others, have deepened my ability to feel understanding for where a client finds themselves in their life situation.
What is your medical philosophy regarding natural medicine and the concept of Eastern and Western medicine?
My scientific education has trained my thinking capacities, and my interest in the world keeps me learning and open to new possibilities. Anthroposophic spiritual science has provided for me an indispensable lens for a feeling and understanding which helps towards putting all of these various pieces together.
When asked what my views are on ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ medicine, some people are surprised by my answer. In popular culture, many people think of allopathic (conventional or institutionalized) medicine as western, and almost anything else such as ‘alternative’ or naturopathic medicine as ‘eastern’. Actually, this is not a completely accurate picture. I think of ‘eastern’ medicine as medical systems arising out of the ancient wisdom of Eastern cultures – a few examples being Chinese and Ayurvedic systems of medicine. The Western world also has its older medical traditions. Naturopathy has its roots in nature-cure practices in old-Europe and the Americas. Anthroposophical medicine, co-founded by Rudolf Steiner and Dr. Ita Wegman, has its origins in Central Europe and included an effort to bring ancient Eastern wisdom into the Western culture in a form that could be more understandable for Western bodily constitutions and modes of understanding.
How do you work as a naturopathic doctor?
Currently, I am seeing patients by telemedicine using the secure telemedicine platform ‘DoxyMe’. In person appointments are available in certain cases and on request. Appointments are available Monday - Friday during business hours and occasionally on weekends.
I find great value in working in a collegial way with teachers and other health care providers.