This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

This week my guest if Dr. Drew Timmermans.  Dr. Drew is a naturopathic doctor who specializes in pain management.  Dr. Drew has a DEA number and reports to the FDA and a board he reports to the same way that a normal DO or MD would.  There are only 7 schools across the US and Canada that offer this as a program.

Dr. Drew knew from high school he wanted to be a physician.  He was always interested in the body and sports and he knew he wanted to be a physician.  Initially, Dr. Drew wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon.  While he was going through school and witness an open-heart surgery first hand.  Unfortunately during this surgery, Dr. Drew didn't get the rush he thought he was going to.  He left this surgery feeling like this didn't really pique his interest, it wasn't something he felt a pull towards.  

At this point Dr. Drew took a step back to figure out what path he wanted to go down.  He was in his third year of university and got really passionate about muscular-skeletal medicine through following Kelly Starrett and Mobility WOD.  Dr. Drew was still focused on traditional medicine and had not yet learned of the Naturopathic field.  He applied to some different med schools in the US and Canada for this program but unfortunately, he was not accepted to any of the programs.

Yet AGAIN Dr. Drew had to take a step back and change his path.  He began working as a personal trainer during this time and this was when Dr. Drew really began to develop his internal compass on where he wanted to go with medicine.  He had countless clients coming to him after working together saying they were being taken off their medications thanks to the work they were doing together.  Dr. Drew really started to look into supplements and alternative forms of medicine.  One of his clients began to talk with him about naturopathic medicine and suggested that he look into it.  Dr. Drew discovered this was exactly what he wanted to do, he wanted to focus on treating the whole issue from the root and not just the acute problem. 

Dr. Drew did his research and found a school that offered the program he was interested in and he began his application process.  When deciding on a school it was hard to argue with going to school somewhere as beautiful as Arizona so it seemed to make the decision pretty easy.  

Although Dr. Drew didn't get accepted into a med school through his first round of applications, he was so passionate about going into medicine that he did not let this get in his way.  Dr. Drew knew that he needed to get back up to bat and keep swinging to make this dream a reality.  

Although Dr. Drew has gone through an extensive program there is some flack from "regular" doctors because they are unaware of the training they go through.  Naturopathic medicine laws differ from state to state and it is not as regulated as traditional med school.  Ultimately Dr. Drew would love to work together with DO's and MD's to help patients treat their issues.  Although this is not something that happens right now, Dr. Drew would love to work towards this in the future.

After finishing med school and residency, Dr. Drew decided to add one more layer of complexity to his story by going right into launching his own private practice.  He graduated with typical med school debt but he had his blinders on after graduation and was laser-focused on his clinic.  Dr. Drew knew leaving school that he wanted to launch a major clinic with brand recognition, he didn't want to just be his own boss, he wants to create something much more.  All of this provides challenges because he is launching a clinic but they are also not accepting insurance and patients have to pay out of pocket for services.  Even with all of this being said Dr. Drew is still Doing It For Himself and building his business!

I really enjoyed learning about this entire field and I hope you enjoy as well.

 

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