Dr. Tara Levy (left) talks with office assistant Angie May Photo Sophie Braccini

Dr. Tara Levy is a young N.D. (Doctor in Naturopathy) who wanted to expand her Concord naturopathic practice. Naturopathic doctors are licensed by the State of California since 2006. They practice the art of healing based on natural therapies. They believe that health is a state attained when body, mind and spirit are balanced. To foster that state, naturopathic doctors don't just treat symptoms, they look at the whole person. After ten years of practice in Concord, Levy is joined at 3186 Old Tunnel Road by two other licensed naturopathic doctors, Rebecca Green and Elizabeth Large, along with a nutritionist, a mid-wife, and an acupuncturist.

Levy almost became an M.D. She was accepted at the Emory School of Medicine, but decided to take a year off to work in a conventional medical office. There she saw doctors who, driven by insurance companies, were forced to spend less and less time with their patients. She determined that was not the type of medicine she wanted to practice and instead went to Vassar College where she earned her Doctorate in Naturopathy.

"We see all kinds of patients," explains Levy, "some have already been diagnosed by conventional doctors, but either are not feeling better or do not want to take so many drugs; others suffer from insomnia, high blood sugar, allergies, chronic fatigue, and are not finding responses elsewhere."

When Levy and her colleagues meet a patient for the first time, the consultation lasts an hour. During that time, the practitioners take a complete picture of the history, health concerns and life style factors of the client. She can order lab tests to complete the evaluation. The follow-up visits are 30 minutes on average. For Levy this a more satisfying way of caring for her clients.

For more information, go to www.taranaturalmedicine.com, or call 949-8604.