Tina Marcantel, RN, NMD
Dr. Marcantel received her degree of Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine upon completing the four-year, graduate-level program at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, in Tempe, Arizona in July of 2003. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1979 and worked as a registered nurse in Louisiana and Texas before entering the program at SCNM.
Dr. Marcantel has over thirty-five years of experience in the health care field, and her experience includes extensive treatment of thyroid and adrenal imbalances, diabetes management, women’s health, nutritional counseling, and mental health. Her background in allopathic (conventional) medicine combined with her training in naturopathic and alternative therapies helps her incorporate the best of both types of treatments in her practice.
Her approach is truly integrative. She recognizes the efficacy of many conventional treatments for problems (prescription drugs, for example) and will prescribe those therapies as needed, but her preferred treatment is a conservative and natural approach. She is the author of the book Imagine: A Whole Different Kind of Medical Care.
Dr. Marcantel is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association.
Some Background Information
In her twenty-year career as a registered nurse Tina always took a holistic approach to healing. She saw firsthand how helpful prayer and counseling were in promoting physical healing in her patients; she also emphasized proper nutrition and exercise for recovery as well as for preventive measures. Although she had a successful and rewarding career in conventional nursing, she eventually resigned her position as a case manager for a Houston home health agency to reevaluate her life and career goals.
For years she watched in frustration as her patients were often harmed as much as they were helped by synthetic drugs that were often over-prescribed.
While conventional medical practices can often be very beneficial, Tina wanted more knowledge of natural healing techniques using a holistic approach. She also wanted more autonomy in developing effective individual care plans for her patients. Her search led her to the field of naturopathic medicine.
Throughout her nursing career, she witnessed increasing incidences of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer from patients’ poor nutritional habits and lifestyles. She also saw an increase in toxicity among people because of an increase in the amount of synthetic drugs used by patients, causing multiple adverse reactions and thus compromising the quality of these patients’ lives. “I’ve seen the harmful effects of emotional disorders, as well,” says Dr. Marcantel. “Stress, bitterness, or depression can lead to a variety of physical problems. Conversely, I have seen patients’ health improve when they have made the choice to change diet, lifestyle, and even their attitudes.”
Dr. Marcantel became a naturopathic physician because she says it is exciting to know that we have so much control over our health through natural means. Through good nutrition and a proper lifestyle of exercise, rest, and pure air, our cells can be regenerated into healthy structures that work in our bodies to fight off sickness and maintain health. Her compassion for people drives her to present and practice the truth. That truth, she says, is that the body has an innate ability to heal itself through natural means. “As a Doctor of Naturopathy, I want to teach people to assume personal responsibility for wellness, thus becoming a part of the medical team in promotion of self-healing. This is something I truly believe in. I have practiced the principles of good nutrition, exercise, and prayer and meditation in my own life for many years.”
Hippocrates wrote that it is the tendency of nature “though untaught and uninstructed…to preserve a perfect equilibrium…to reestablish order and harmony.” He taught that it is the duty of the physician to merely assist this tendency of the body to achieve its own equilibrium, harmony, and health. Dr. Marcantel wants to bring that message of hope to others through an integrative health care practice that draws on the best aspects of natural and conventional medical knowledge.